Step Inside: Tracy’s Welcoming & Gracious Home

One of my favorite parts of sharing these home tours with you is meeting the people behind the front door. Today’s gracious home tour is no exception. Although I had met Tracy once before, I really didn’t know her very well. As she showed me around the house, I realized how much I admired Tracy’s DIY know-how and her welcoming personality. Not surprisingly, these traits are reflected in her home as well.

Beyond my respect for the beautiful home they have designed and created for their family, Tracy and I connected as creative spirits as well. You see, Tracy is a talented fine artist. Her work is large in size and in heart. She is learning to bypass fear and taking baby steps towards bringing her work to the world. That takes a lot of courage, but if you have a creative heart, you understand how important that is.

I hope you enjoy this serene space that Tracy and her husband have crafted through the years. The bright and airy space is the perfect place to nurture her family and her art. See what you think!

Who lives in this home and how did you come to live here? How did you know it was the right choice for your family? My husband Mark and I live here now but we were blessed to raise our 3 kids here before they all left the nest! We had been married and renting for 13 years and were looking for a home to purchase. Our criteria was: Eighth Street Elementary School District, four bedrooms, and wood floors. We were living a couple of miles away and drove around all the time looking for a home. One day Mark spotted a paper plate hanging on a regulation-size flagpole in the middle of the yard of a very dilapidated home. It was a huge mess but, with my grandparents’ help, we purchased the house! We have been working on it since then, for 25 years.

Tell us about the process of renovating your home. We’ve done it in small stages, over time. I usually come up with the design and Mark engineers the process. We collaborate together on all the aspects – usually talking about every detail over and over. Mark had some experience in the construction field, as a carpenter and field engineer. He is self- taught and can frame a house, do the drywall, painting, stucco, roofing, plumbing, electric, trim, tile. There’s really nothing he can’t do. He’s done most of the hard stuff but I’ve had my hand in a lot of the painting and of course, the design!

Dining room

Sitting area off the kitchen

How would you describe your aesthetic/style? Ha! DIY Eclectic! I edit and edit to get a clean, uncluttered look and white is a favorite color of mine!

Where do you find home inspiration and ideas? Before there was Pinterest, there was Elle Decor, House Beautiful, and tons of magazines which I have probably spent way too many hours scouring for ideas! Also, I was in faux- finishing for 10 years and was privileged to be in some of the most beautifully decorated homes in Marion County! Some of my close friends are also talented decorators, and we all glean from each other!

What are some of your favorite places to find inspiration for your home? Traveling to Atlanta, Ft Lauderdale, Denver – just a few of the places we’ve frequented over the years. All have very distinct nuances and styles – I love to pull from all of them. And the bookstore is a great place to peruse books from some of my favorite design experts – Suzanne Kasler, Mitchell Gold, Leah Richardson to name a few. I also enjoy Houzz.com, a great place to see photos of just about anything to do with home decor!

Kitchen

Which room in your home do you enjoy the most? We both enjoy our family room the most- it’s where we start every day with coffee and end some of them with a glass of wine! We love the light and comfort of the room- whether we are listening to music, watching a movie or just hanging out- it is comfortable and relaxing no matter what the time of day!

How do you approach a new renovating project in your home? We talk about it A LOT. We strategize and decide on our priorities- comparing the aesthetics with the practicality and the budget. I’ll look for pictures to show Mark and we start planning!

Family room

What advice do you have for someone thinking about renovating with their spouse? Take your time and try not to do it under time constraints (like two months before a family wedding). Get lots of advice from people who may know more than you and maybe invest a little money in a designer.

What do you splurge on in your home? Where have you saved? We have saved by staining our own concrete floors and also refinishing our oak ourselves (Mark does it- not me). We do all of our own yard work, planting and maintenance. We always do our own painting. We’ve splurged on natural stone in all the bathrooms and kitchen. Granted- Mark has laid all the tile, which saves a ton of money. We love the natural stone so much.

We’ve saved on a lot of the furniture because I’ve always like to shop at estate and yard sales, thrift stores and antique malls. We’ve splurged on light fixtures. They are important architectural features in a home- nice fixtures make a design statement.

What is one piece of advice you would give someone who is not liking their home decor? CLEAN OUT THE CLUTTER and paint some brown wood furniture!!

Hall bathroom

Master bedroom

Master Bathroom

You are an artist. When did you start painting? What inspires you to paint? I majored in fine art in college and I’ve painted for years, mostly for friends and family. I am inspired by color and texture. The color and texture you find in nature is best- I lean towards abstract with lots of blues and whites. Though I am hoping to grow and expand my viewpoint as the years go by- it’s something I really want to focus on.

As a grandmother to soon to be 8 children, how do you want them to remember your home? I want them to remember eating lot of good food, playing out in the back yard and not worrying about the furniture! The family room furniture is slipcovered so I wash it twice a year and it has held up very well with all the wear and tear from the little ones! I don’t have anything out that I care that much about if it gets broken.

Grandkids’ room

Thank you, thank you Tracy for being so gracious in inviting us into your home. Cannot wait to see where your artistic journey takes you!

If you enjoyed this “Step Inside” home tour series, check out more HERE.

Posted by Ale & filed under Home Decor, Home Tours. This post has 14 comments.