My Houzz: Home’s a Place Where She Can Get Creative
A Virginia blogger adds fresh and playful DIY touches to her and her husband’s first home
Julie is pictured here on the couple’s porch, where they enjoy entertaining on weekends.
This space, painted in a pale pink, is where Julie works on her website — she calls it “the Jefferson Lane room.” It was the first room she completed in the home. “I decided that I was going to finally create the space I had always dreamt of, filled with flamingos, pink, white lacquer and lucite,” she says. A moss-filled ampersand-shaped figurine sits on the open shelf.
Julie painted the armchair and the tufted sofa in Annie Sloan chalk paint in Pure. She worked with Marcelo Montgomery of Montgomery Upholstery in Virginia to reupholster both pieces in a vibrant fuchsia velvet.
“For most of my upholstered pieces, I come up with the design and buy the fabric from online wholesalers and then work with a local guy. The pieces that I get redone are my vintage treasures,” Julie says. “A lot of old furniture has good bones — all it needs is a little TLC. Paint or stain and new cushion foam can go a long way.”
Framed print: Pink Beach Club, Miami, Gray Malin; velvet upholstery fabric: Tuscany Fuchsia, Decorative Fabrics Direct
Julie painted the armchair and the tufted sofa in Annie Sloan chalk paint in Pure. She worked with Marcelo Montgomery of Montgomery Upholstery in Virginia to reupholster both pieces in a vibrant fuchsia velvet.
“For most of my upholstered pieces, I come up with the design and buy the fabric from online wholesalers and then work with a local guy. The pieces that I get redone are my vintage treasures,” Julie says. “A lot of old furniture has good bones — all it needs is a little TLC. Paint or stain and new cushion foam can go a long way.”
Framed print: Pink Beach Club, Miami, Gray Malin; velvet upholstery fabric: Tuscany Fuchsia, Decorative Fabrics Direct
“I started blogging because I needed a creative outlet from finance and real estate,” Julie says.
Framed print: St. Jean Bay, St. Barths, Gray Malin
Framed print: St. Jean Bay, St. Barths, Gray Malin
Julie uses the room to relax and think of content for her blog. “It’s my creative sanctuary,” she says.
She’s a huge fan of Austin, Texas, designer Katie Kime, who made both the fabric and the cheeky print seen here. “She’s bold and not afraid to mix patterns, which takes an artistic eye and style courage,” Julie says. “I’m actually so obsessed with her that I had her make custom bridesmaid dresses for our wedding in her beautiful banana leaf print.” The same fabric is seen here on a family bench that Julie had reupholstered and used at the couple’s wedding sweetheart table.
Framed print: Call Me Old Fashioned, Katie Kime
Framed print: Call Me Old Fashioned, Katie Kime
In the corner of the living room is a secondhand side table painted in a light pink chalk paint, Antoinette by Annie Sloan. On top is a Crosley bluetooth record player.
A secondhand armchair was re-covered in a leopard-print velvet to give it a new look and feel.
Leopard-print fabric: Braemore Jamil natural velvet, Sailrite
Leopard-print fabric: Braemore Jamil natural velvet, Sailrite
Lucite makes an appearance in nearly every room of the home. Here, a console table holds a few favorite figurines.
In the dining room, a bar cart on wheels allows for easy entertaining.
Ceramic llama planter: West Elm
Ceramic llama planter: West Elm
Julie’s mom taught her at a young age to see the beauty in a piece of secondhand furniture. “We would drive down the streets of our neighborhood scouting for what we would call our orphans, those neglected pieces of old furniture that just needed a little face-lift and new hardware,” she says. “We would also spend our time in cluttered antique shops searching for vintage treasures. I like to mix antique finds with modern vibes.”
“I’m a collector, so I’ve been asking for decor pieces every year for my birthday and around the holidays,” Julie says. Here, a lucite open shelf displays pink shoes.
“A lot of my big furniture pieces were hand-me-downs or I had collected them over the years,” Julie says. “We also received a number of amazing wedding gifts that I incorporated into my decor.” Here, pops of pink and white lacquer feature in the master bedroom as well.
Floral pillowcase: Lilly Pulitzer
Floral pillowcase: Lilly Pulitzer
This hand-lettered sign made with a store-bought wood slice, chalkboard paint and a chalk paint pen is a DIY project Julie documented on her blog.
On the screened-in porch is a makeshift bar. “I created it using two old wine barrels and my grandfather’s old mirrored door,” Julie says. “It’s vintage and unique, plus great for entertaining.”
My Houzz is a series in which we visit and photograph creative, personality-filled homes and the people who inhabit them. Share your home with us and see more projects.
More home tours: Apartments | Small Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | All
My Houzz is a series in which we visit and photograph creative, personality-filled homes and the people who inhabit them. Share your home with us and see more projects.
More home tours: Apartments | Small Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | All
Who lives here: Julie Eaheart Hunt and Tyler Hunt
Location: Fairfax, Virginia
Size: 2,960 square feet (275 square meters); four bedrooms, three bathrooms
Punchy patterns and eye-catching accessories mark the interior of Julie Eaheart Hunt and Tyler Hunt’s home in Fairfax, Virginia. The couple, who married in June, bought the spacious split-level home in 2016. “We both fell in love with the home’s backyard and how turnkey the property was. There are still some design challenges that I haven’t overcome, but I’ll get there — one room at a time,” Julie says.
Julie, who works as an asset manager for a real estate investment trust, is a DIY enthusiast and chronicles her passion for design on her blog, Jefferson Lane. “To be honest, since moving in with my now-husband, I’ve had to tone it down a lot. Otherwise, my home would have had a pink door, and every room would contain some crazy wallpaper, a splash of lucite and bright furniture,” she says.
Wallpaper: Large Flamingo, Wallpaper Direct