I’m breaking out of my comfortable writer mold today and showing you our home! Sometimes people ask me about pieces in our house, so I though it’d be nice to have everything in one place. And more importantly, it’s FUN!
Let’s start here: We live in Silicon Valley in a builder-basic townhome. It has its downsides (world’s tiniest entry, two flights of stairs, and no land of our own…), but it’s ours and we love it. Plus, it’s a far, far cry from the 1970s apartment we spent the previous seven years in, so we feel lucky every day to be where we are.
In particular, I’m loving the chance to stretch my creative wings (I TA-ed for interior design classes in college!) and to be in a place where we can save up for and buy some quality pieces. When we moved here two and a half years ago, we sold or donated most of our belongings and moved in using nothing but our minivan. So the house really was a clean slate.
This is what the house looks like when it’s very tidy. 😉 AKA, in no way does it look like this all the time! Hope you enjoy!
My favorite thing about our house is the windows. The kitchen and living area are up on the second floor, so I think that also helps. The light just pours in.
Sources
Lying on our sofa is like getting a giant leather hug.
Our side table is sold out, but I love this gold and glass option on Overstock!
The long white desk behind the sofa is from Ikea. It fills the space perfectly, holds kids’ devices, and has charging cords that run right into the drawers. 🙂
Because one of you asked, we run our cords under this gray cord cover we bought on Amazon. It’s not necessarily the perfect solution, but it’s a lot neater-looking than naked cords! You can catch a tiny peek of it in the right photo above.
The gold bowl is a favorite recent find from Home Goods, but Target has a similar gold-hammered bowl right now.
Lamps and pillows are from Home Goods.
If there was one thing I could carry with me in the event of a fire, it’d probably be our table: the Dylan dining table from CB2. (Maybe I could strap it to my back??) I love it so much. It’s all one surface (meaning, no cracks crumbs can get caught in), the wood itself is just so pretty, and those legs? I die. Only downside is that it doesn’t extend, but it works for our family. Oh and you can also buy it as a bench! Would be great in an entryway.
Our dining chairs were from West Elm—sold out now, but these have a similar vibe.
Peach and navy abstract art from Minted.
Gray dresser – no longer in stock at CB2, but this would work just as well.
Our bedroom is still pretty sparsely decorated, but we do love our headboard (not offered right now by West Elm, but this one has the same vibe), Hmong pillows made by this Etsy shop, and the rug my grandparents picked up in their European travels (one of the most special things I own).
You can catch a few more details about Quinn’s room in these posts: zip-up bedding (get 15% off with code ERICALAYNE15) and wallpaper. The only things I’ve added to her room are a big, round, brass mirror from Target and this “Collect Moments Not Things” wood sign.
Our boys’ room was too covered in Legos and dirty socks to photograph, but maybe I’ll add it here someday!
Of course, the most important thing about any home is how it serves as the backdrop for so many memories—
I’m so grateful for all the cupcake-making, bad dancing, lego building, sibling fighting, and high-heeled vacuuming we’ll do in this place for the foreseeable future!
If you made it through this post, MAJOR high fives. Thanks for being here!
Just for fun—share in the comments what your favorite feature is in your house! Whether it’s a rental, a city loft, or a cardboard box, let’s hear it!
Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, meaning if you purchase something through a link, I receive a small portion at no cost to you.
If I made it through this post?! Of course I did!! I could just stare at those pictures forever. You are so talented at design and I love all the pieces you chose. It inspires me! And the pictures of your kids living in the space–spot on.
Love the house tour!! I laughed when you said you couldn’t show the boys room because I have a house tour and I couldn’t show our oldest son’s room either LOL!! Beautiful light filled space and my favorite pic is the high heeled vacuumer. Very sweet pic!!
Ha! I figured you guys would get it. 🙂 🙂 I couldn’t help but take a peek at YOUR home—it’s beautiful! That exterior is dreamy, and I love the floors and big, beautiful windows in your main living area!
Thank you so much for stepping outside your comfort zone. Your home is lovely, love the simplicity, all the best homes feel like those who live there. I’ve been in love with your master headboard since you first showef a picture in a long ago post and now Im also in love with that rug! How wonderful and special. Oh, and all boys rooms look like that so post pics anyway we’d all understand. ; ) Hugs – TJ
Hi TJ! I LOVE that line of yours—”all the best homes feel like those who live there.” Couldn’t agree more. Thanks so much for reading and for your sweet comment! You’re right about the boys’ room—you guys get it. 🙂 🙂
Oooh, how do you run cords to that table behind & couch & lamp? We are moving soon & I want the couch in the middle of the room nearer a fireplace but couldn’t figure out how to do cords.
Your house looks amazing by the way. Such a great style & looks so relaxing & inviting.
Hi Alicia! Great question—I always wondered about that myself before we moved into our current place! So we run our cords under a gray cord cover we bought on Amazon. It’s not necessarily the perfect solution, but it’s a lot neater-looking than naked cords! You can catch a tiny peek of it in the photo with the white desk. I updated the post to contain a link!
Thank you so much! Just added it to my wishlist – I didn’t even know that was a thing!
Loved this fun post! I’ve eyed your table in pictures from time to time, so I’m glad to know where it’s from! Love your simple style! So cool about the interior decorating thing too. You’ve got a knack girl!
It’s such a great table! If I remember right, it has excellent reviews on CB2, so I’m not the only one who loves it! 🙂 Thanks so much for your sweet comment! PS. Where’d you go to college, Amy?
I graduated with a degree in Dental Hygiene from Rio Salado College in Tempe. Haven’t used it much in the last year, but thankful to be home with my kids! 🙂
Awesome, Amy! I love learning details like that about people I care about. 🙂 <3
Love love love!!! Please come so my house 🙂
I want to come to your house just to sit and talk and hang out with you!! And on that gorgeous new couch of yours? That’s a bonus!
I love your design sense! We are in a rental but are planning to buy next summer a I am wanting to take the same approach you did. We have a few pieces I have started to collect that I love and am looking forward to a clean slate that I can make my own. I have matching teal blue chairs that I LOVE, and they were the first time I went for bold color in furniture. I also started a wall of pictures of our family – grandparents wedding pictures and childhood photos. I want to add lots to it so it can start more conversations about our family’s stories of people they might not remember later.
Awesome, Katie! I have a teal chair in the corner of my room that I LOVE, too. Maybe there’s just something special about teal chairs. 🙂 And I love love love family photos as starting points for good conversation and reminiscing.
Love this! Your home is so cute and inviting, thanks for welcoming us in ;)! Seriously, that table though…
I love that you included pics of living life in that space… with small kids it’s definitely impossible to keep a home so tidy, and it’s nice to actually see a minimal space with life actually being loved in it! Way to go friend!
Your home is so lught and bright!
What a happy home to live in!
I adore your daughters room, the wallpaper is just lovely! So girly!
I live in a cabin. There’s a lot of “wood”! So I decorate with lots of colors, and white. Our cabin is open concept, so I am still getting use to no walls after almost two years. I love our little cabin in the forest! I love everything about it.
Come for tea or coffee if you are ever in Northern Minnesota!
Thanks so much, Maureen! Isn’t it so fun to see or imagine how other people you connect with live? Your cabin sounds like a really special place. <3
So happy you posted more home pics- we’re always seeing small glimpses and your style is cool. Also, I always dream of moving to a new place and leaving everything behind, but so far as an adult I’ve been moving around way too much to do that! I can only imagine it felt amazing. Lastly, I can’t believe you’ve been there so long! I know I don’t know you irl but it seems like you just moved there a year ago tops!
I know! Time—It just rushes by. You know if you’re ever going to be down in Morgan Hill to let me know, right? I feel like we should make this IRL thing happen. 🙂 🙂
Loved the tour, Erica! My favorite feature in our house is the fact that it is too small for us to accumulate too much stuff! God has absolutely led us to our current living situation to force us to let go of the remaining excess in our lives, and I cannot thank Him enough! Thanks for sharing a glimpse into your lovely home. 🙂
That’s beautiful, Cheryl! There’s so much to be said about living without excess, and you seem to do it with so much grace. Thanks so much for visiting!
A truly beautiful house and the sofa looks sooooo comfortable. I really like the piece under your TV – where did you get it?
I’m late getting back to you, but CB2! I don’t think they have it in stock right now, but I linked to something similar from CB2 in the post. Good luck!