I know the home of designer Betsy Brown is nothing new for most of you, but it still remains to be one of my favorite homes to date. Not too long ago a tour of homes was conducted in our great city and Brown's home was one of those to be featured. Needless to say I was giddy...
This staircase leads down to the basement with has a sort of tv room and the laundry room. I wish we were able to snap photos because the laundry room was seriously one of my faves. It was sparse. Had metal shelving stacked with white linens. A folding table and bar to hang clothes with a washer and dryer. YES, that was all and I was smitten with it.
As you walk through the front door this table would be on your right as you pass the staircase going upward.
The living room is exactly like this. Not a thing had changed in all these years. I admired that in a world of changing interiors. This speaks to her classic design and the knowing of what she loves. I am mid redesign as we speak, but I am hoping this will be the last time for a long time. You can call it a goal of sorts.
The master bath was beautiful. The wall to the left was filled with much needed storage for this relatively small home. The odd part was that the actual toilet is past the shower curtain to the left. I does make perfect sense though when you NEED actual storage and space is to a minimum.
Upstairs was a sort of sunroom that was used as an office, one I would gladly work in, and two bedrooms. One was perfect for her daughter filled with a simple palette of white and purple. Her daughter loves photography and over each bed was a gallery of black and white photos she had taken. The other bedroom had the most amazing built in shelving wrapping the room. It was by far my favorite space. The vanity on the lower left was a small guest bath off the kitchen and the right image is the tv room in the basement I spoke of earlier.
The kitchen/dining was very long and narrow spanning the length of the back of the house. It was beautiful. Overall the home was all I imagined it to be. Elegant, simple and perfectly curated. Is it made for someone like me who tends to make a mess while cooking, who has two young children, a husband who leaves his shoes around and one that I have to share a bathroom with? Maybe not. Is it still one of my favorite homes? Absolutely. Her ability of making a smaller home absolutely beautiful and functional for her family, how she has the perfect combination of minimalist qualities without being stark or lacking in personality, all while knowing when to stop "decorating" and start living within it. Something I am striving towards.
Images via House Beautiful
