Can you believe it’s been a month since our last house-crashing adventure? While February’s tour was overseas, this one was local, so we were able to visit in person and take in all the delightful details.
Meet Becky and Brian, their dog Fergie, and their two daughters. They live just outside Richmond and greet visitors with a charming red front door painted Heritage Red by Benjamin Moore, complete with a friendly “Hello” decal.
Inside, the room to the right of the entry is their music room. The bright yellow piano—painted by Becky—was impossible not to love. The piano belonged to Brian’s grandmother and was passed down to the family; Becky refinished it and even recovered a swivel stool she found at an antique store. The house is full of secondhand finds and handmade touches, which gives it a warm, layered feeling.
Becky and Brian put their stamp on the home in creative ways. One standout is a dresser repurposed into a bathroom vanity: Becky found it at a local secondhand shop, painted and distressed it, and then she and her dad, along with Brian, cut out the center to install a recycled sink basin sourced from a Habitat for Humanity ReStore. Becky also collects old mirrors and arranges them in groupings on walls, always on the lookout at thrift and antique shops.
The first-floor guest room balances moody walls with cheerful accents—the walls are a Gravel Gray by Benjamin Moore, and bright rooster artwork adds a playful touch. The bedding came from a big-box store, while the dresser is another thrifted piece Becky painted and distressed by hand, filling worn areas with walnut oil or glaze and adding sweet numbered drawer pulls from a craft shop.
In the kitchen, Becky added small personal details like a chalkboard-painted panel on the pantry door and painted Ikea stools in red using a homemade chalk-paint recipe she discovered online. Those little updates give everyday spaces an inviting, lived-in character.
The main bedroom feels soft and sweet. A floral coverlet from a flea market in Pasadena adds charm, and the mix of a wooden bed from Pier 1 with a pine bench from HomeGoods keeps the look relaxed and approachable rather than overly matched. Becky isn’t certain of the exact wall color, but Palladian Blue or Quiet Moments by Benjamin Moore are close comparisons.
Small, repurposed items show Becky’s knack for reimagining objects: an old crib railing from a flea market became a jewelry rack, originally intended for magazines or blankets but perfectly suited to display necklaces and bracelets.
Her daughter’s room is full of feminine touches and a secondhand hutch Becky found while antiquing. It arrived already finished in a lovely color, so she left it as is—sometimes the best finds don’t need a makeover.
Perhaps the most impressive area is Becky’s basement studio. She runs an Etsy shop called Farmgirl Paints, where she crafts stamped leather cuffs from secondhand belts. The studio is a colorful, functional workspace with multiple workstations for stamping, adding hardware, packing, and bookkeeping. The back wall is painted with chalkboard paint mixed to a Spring Green shade, and a reclaimed-wood-style shop sign anchors the space.
The basement brims with inventive, hands-on details: a twine sign made by Becky, colorful wall decor, and an old “humble” sign she found while thrifting. Even items that turned out to be mass-market blended seamlessly with thrifted pieces, illustrating how accessible and eclectic design can be.
Tucked in the very back of the basement is Becky’s art studio, built from salvaged doors they found at a local salvage yard. The long worktable—made from two doors joined together and supported with spindle legs—runs 13 feet and stores a treasure trove of craft supplies. A large barn-style lamp, acquired from an antique shop after some friendly negotiating, adds character and good light for projects.
One of the smartest organizational finds was an old wire display case Becky bought at an antique shop. At first she wasn’t sure what she’d use it for, but it turned out to be ideal for holding small tubes of craft paint. A chalkboard camper sketch on the wall behind it adds a whimsical touch.
We’re grateful to Becky and Brian for inviting us into their joyful home and letting us photograph it. Their mix of thrifted treasures, handmade details, and well-chosen modern pieces is inspiring. From the glossy red door and yellow piano to the custom basement studio, there’s so much to admire and ideas to borrow. What caught your eye or inspired you the most?
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