Sarah Nelson is a Portland-based interior designer, wife and mum of two. She's also a passionate thrift-shopper and crafter. Her stylish home shows that, with a definite vision and a little hard work, you don't need to spend the earth to create an impressive design statement.
Sarah and her family moved into their current home in the spring of 2017. This is the third house Sarah and her husband have owned over the course of their eight year marriage. They both like change, says Sarah. And she loves having a new creative project to work on. "Once my creative juices for one home have run dry, it's on to the next."
A new home brings a blank canvas on which Sarah can work her design magic. She describes her decor style as "ever-changing", with no new home imitating the last. She sold nearly all of the family's furniture prior to this most recent move so as to start completely afresh.
This time round, Sarah has created a home that embodies boutique chic, "a mix of global elements with glam colours and finishes". Interior design trends don't really inform Sarah's approach. Instead, she looks for a design that will reflect who she and her family are. When starting this interior, her priority was a calm space in which her family could retreat from the hustle and bustle of city life. She also wanted to include an exciting space for hosting friends and, inspired by travel to countries and hotels around the world, she wanted to incorporate some elements of the exotic.
Drama and high contrast colours feature throughout the house. Brightly coloured furniture takes centre-stage against neutral or monochrome walls. There's an eclectic and retro feel to many of the pieces she's chosen to include. Sumptuous velvets, golden brass tones, plenty of foliage and lots of bold monochrome colour schemes; it's mid-century modern with added glamour, a great big helping of boho and a stunning pink sofa to boot.
How does Sarah go about designing a room? "Colour, texture, pattern and shine are all very important. You've got to combine at least two of these elements in every room to keep the eye interested." Sarah tells us she also tries to stick by a couple of her own design rules.
The first? "Only choose items that you absolutely love because, even in a perfectly designed space, you won't be happy unless it's filled with things you actually enjoy." The second rule, she tells us, concerns scale. "An item or arrangement of items will lose impact if it's not evenly proportioned. People won't notice the beauty of a piece if they are distracted by how overbearing or lost in the mix it is. Just like everything in life, balance is key."
Sarah has kept to these design rules throughout the whole of the house, a fact made even more impressive when she reveals her many thrifted finds. Sarah estimates that over half of her furniture and room accessories have been "found" rather than bought off the shelf. Examples include an ornate mirror from Craigslist and a pink armchair (in mint condition) that cost just $5 from a thrift store. Small curios bought while travelling the world also adorn Sarah's walls and shelves.
Getting these thrifted items to sit comfortably within the rooms she has created sometimes involves some serious vision and renovation. When thrifting, she says, "You have to train your eye to look at the structural bones of an item and not the general condition". From those bare bones, Sarah has created a number of striking pieces. Home crafted items include green velvet valances for the master bedroom, a bright pink painted credenza in the dining room and a two tone coffee table for the living room. "The benefit to decorating a home in this way" Sarah says, "is that your home looks more lived-in and less like a showroom. Your decor is essentially one-of-a-kind."
From the foyer (Sarah's favourite space) to the kitchen (which has been cheaply and ingeniously renovated with a lick of paint and marble print contact paper), the children's bedrooms to the living areas, Sarah's unique personality and style shine through. Whilst Sarah feels that this house has everything her family want and need, she doesn't rule out moving again. Her itchy feet and creative spark seem set to seek out another blank canvas at some point in the future. "I know it's unconventional" she says, "but we honestly love the adventure of it."
Thank you to Sarah for sharing her home and interior design ideas with us. Catch up with more of her renovations over on Instagram.