The walls tell a story as sunlight streams through the old windows now hung with playful block print curtains. A gallery of carefully chosen artwork, heirloom antiques, and family mementos now invites you to pause, even in life’s busiest moments. The hallway, once just a thoroughfare, has become the heart of the home—a living narrative where history and memory meet, wrapping the family in a quiet sense of belonging every time they pass through.
Perched at the top of the historic stairwell, you pause to admire how the midday sun pours in, illuminating the rich warmth of the antique pine floors, the deep hues of the vintage runner, and the gentle elegance of the original still-life paintings.
Looking up the steep, historic staircase draped in a vibrant vintage runner, we’re drawn upward.
Moving from room to room, we admire the thoughtful interplay of patterns and the harmonious repetition of color themes throughout the space.
Designed and styled by Caroline Alexander, Sunrise Vintage Home
After ten months with an online shop and six months in a physical space, we decided it was time for a little studio edit. Dressing a room is a lot like dressing ourselves. If you're headed for a night out on the town, you start with clothing, then shoes, then a bag, and end with jewelry. When styling a room, we start with the furniture, add a rug, bring in some art, set the mood with lighting, and finally accessorize with small housewares. I believe that rooms and outfits aren't complete without those final accents, but to truly get a style right, you have to start with the larger foundational pieces. It's for that very reason that we have decided to pair back our collection to the defining styling moments of design within the furniture, wall art, lighting, and area rug categories.
As we stock up on these items, you'll see some sales on existing inventory online to help make room for a more intentional collection of furnishings. Like everything in life, starting a new business is one big experiment. Try something, see if it hits... then try again. I imagine you'll continue to see our studio offering and strategy evolve as we figure it all out. Thank you for being here for it and your continued support.
XO, Caroline
Photos & Staging by Caroline Alexander, Sunrise Vintage Home
More and more, we are seeing a surge of homeowners and designers who are taking a stance against what we call Fast Furniture & Decor. (Hooray!) Fast furniture and decor (like fast fashion) scratches an itch for shoppers to source mass-produced items for a certain phase in their lives and easily cast it away when the new design trends are broadcasted. I think we've all been guilty of doing it during one stage of life for another, and I get it. It's on a website, on a shelf, and at your dwelling in an expected amount of time. You save money by putting it together yourself. It looks good and stays in one piece for a while... until it doesn't. Why not consider pre-loved items that are affordable, built well, and bring a timeless vibe to your home?
Planning to use vintage, antique, or even just secondhand furniture and decor is a longer play. It takes a little bit of grit and a whole lot of patience to find just what you're looking for. Deliberately designing with and sourcing secondhand starts with a plan and a vision. If you have an idea of how you want your space to look and function in the end, you're much less likely to become derailed in the process.
A helpful technique to start the process is to gather imagery of interior environments with furniture and decor you are drawn to. This can also include photography, textiles, or art pieces as they have the ability to inspire and drive a strong design direction. Next, think about how the space will be used. (Read our previous blog post on universal design conversations.) With these two components in mind, think about the floor, ceilings, and walls. "If I place a comfy chair in this location to chill in, what is my view? What do I want to look at while sitting in this chair?" If it were me answering this question, I would probably say I'd like the chair to be ultra comfortable and to be put in a place with a view that supports a sense of calm--- soft colors, warm textures, accent lighting, and biophilia. I'd want a reading light next to the chair and a side table with a surface at the height of the comfy chair's arm to put my coffee cup on. I'd want to look at a piece of artwork on the wall across from me and have light filtering curtains drawn across the windows that move gently with the breeze.
Working through this visioning process gets you the beginnings of a shopping list. The specifics of the shopping list come next, which will narrow the options and identify size and scale. To avoid the uncomfortable massing of big pieces in a small space or too many small pieces in a big space, get out your measuring tape, pencil, graph paper, or contact us for some help. This part is all about the art of balancing room flow, scale, and functionality.
I recently had a conversation with a client who wanted to hunt for all the items on her own but needed help with layout and development of the shopping list. She sent us dimensions of the space, window locations, photographs, and descriptions of the activities she wanted to the space to support. After reviewing the floor plan, we finalized the shopping list with key pieces she would need to source at her own pace, with her budget in mind. (Below)
Layout for a reading room overlooking the forest.
If you're considering a refresh at home, consider secondhand. You'll have a home with furnishings and decor that are unique to you and sustainable for the environment. Need some help? Let me know. Until then, happy hunting!
