This Californian Is a Self-Described ‘Mediumalist’ Leaning Into Clear Neutrals

Identify: Lily Tsutsumida, husband Evan, and cat, Otis
Location: Costa Mesa, California
Kind of residence: Residence
Measurement: 1000 sq. toes
Years lived in: 13 years, renting

Inform us somewhat (or rather a lot) about your house and the individuals who stay there: I’ve lived on this rental for 13 years now, first with a roommate and now with a partner (and at all times with no less than one orange cat). The bones of the residence are fairly dismal — it’s a really ’80s house that got here with linoleum counter tops, popcorn ceilings, boob lights, and beige carpet in each room. Nonetheless, we love the neighborhood, so we’ve up to date what we might and tried to design to distract consideration away from the remainder. I’m an artist and artwork therapist by commerce, my husband enjoys pictures, and we each like DIY venture, so our house is full of photos and objects which might be handmade or hand-updated by us.

Evan is a minimalist at coronary heart, whereas I lean extra towards classic and eclectic fashion, so we’ve settled as a pair into “mediumalism,” utilizing a base of fresh neutrals and vibrant damaging house to create a relaxing power, then filling in vignettes with my assortment of funky classic and handmade issues.

Describe your house’s fashion in 5 phrases or much less: Eclectic, vibrant, fashionable, handmade, mediumalist

What’s your favourite room and why? I’m fairly obsessive about our stairwell. We up to date the flooring, sanded down the handrails to a pure wooden coloration and turned it right into a gallery house. What was once a beige-carpeted nothing zone is now a spot devoted to showcasing my very own drawings, classic household photographs, and leather-based patchwork items my mother made within the ’70s. I additionally love how the geometric wooden wall hanging I made for the stair touchdown takes heart stage and beckons towards the upstairs.

What’s the very last thing you acquire (or discovered!) on your residence? One of many more moderen DIYs we did was an IKEA hack to create the litter field cupboard for the highest of our stairs. We began with the IKEA BRIMNES cupboard, lower out an arch on one facet panel earlier than assembling, and changed the {hardware} with some extra attention-grabbing cupboard pulls from Etsy. The piece features visually as a console desk to show some classic ornamental objects, and no one would suspect its true objective.

Any recommendation for creating a house you like? For those who’re partnered with somebody who has a unique fashion from your individual, embrace the chance to discover a approach of designing that celebrates each of your identities and preferences. The consequence shall be one thing completely different than what you’re used to, however will probably be a mirrored image of the connection itself and might convey nice surprises. For me, studying to embrace a extra minimalist base in my residence gave me a stunning sense of calm and group, which I’ve actually come to understand. Additionally, be resourceful! Virtually all of our furnishings was handed down from members of the family. The items we didn’t love we experimented with and turned them into one thing we felt good about. Having fun with furnishings and decor we created or modified ourselves is far more fulfilling for us than shopping for one thing new (and cheaper too, which was the true purpose we acquired into it).