House Tour #2 with my neighbor, Rachel Burch

Welcome to another house tour in the month of February! I am enjoying these so much I may extend this year round to keep me inspired. This house tour is especially fun for me to share because it belongs to my favorite neighbors, the Burch family!

Rachel agreed to letting me come over and take photos of her house a few days before Valentine's day when the ground was still covered in snow and they were keeping busy as they awaited the birth of their son. I had all of the photos edited and ready to post last week when I remembered I hadn't e-mailed her the interview questions! I sent her an e-mail about it last Friday (although I still forgot to attach the questions) and the next thing I heard back was that she'd had her baby early the next morning! How that all went down is another beautiful story in itself.

Rachel graciously sent me over interview questions that she hand wrote while staying with her son in the NICU this week. They're hoping to bring him home in a few days and we are so eager to meet the little guy! I hope you enjoy this peek into the beautiful home of the Burch's.

Q: How would you describe your interior style?
A: If I had to define it in one word I'd say 'uncluttered'. I believe we have too many people living here to have a bunch of stuff just sitting around taking up space. I love to follow the old rule of having nothing in your house that you don't use often or absolutely love.

Q: What has most influenced your style?
A: My parents have always enjoyed decorating their home and they change things up often. Although they have very different taste than me, I think I inherited a love of styling my space from them. I also happen to be surrounded by friends who have incredible taste and beautiful homes. I think that's where I get most of my inspiration.

Q: When did you start having an opinion about your home decor?
A: I can remember ripping off the ugly pink bow wallpaper in my room when I was in 7th grade, without my parents' permission! I then redecorated in a hunter green/maroon color scheme that I thought was awesome. Keep in mind this was 1993!

Q: Which is your favorite room? Why?
A: Right now, I'd say Walter's room/the play room. Maybe I'm just being sentimental since I can't wait for him to come home and put it to good use. I love the swing, the hand-me-down vintage furniture, and the circus curtains I scored on eBay.

Q: Do you feel like your space is working for you or have you had to adjust your expectations of perfect?
A: I feel like this house is pretty close to perfect for our young family. Having 4 children in one room wouldn't work for every family, and it probably won't be ideal as they get older, but for now it works very well. We have a large back yard, a dining room that seats ten so we can entertain, and a room in the basement that serves as a family closet. 2,300 sq. ft. might not sound like a lot for a family of 7 but it works for us.

Q: Where is it all from?
A: Flea markets, garage sales, craigslist, eBay, Ikea, and hand-me-downs from family. Our only splurge was the leather couch from a department store. With all of these kids, we needed a durable seating option.

Q: What do you have your eye on that you hope to own some day?
A: As far as furniture goes, I'm very content with our hodge podge of bargains and hand-me-downs. I do look forward to the day when I can afford some amazing fabric for curtains, bedding, etc.

Q: People are coming over! What do you tackle first?
A: My kids are actually old enough that with their help, we can get the house looking decent with only a few moments notice. They put their toys away while I sweep the floors.

I've been enamored with the Burch's home ever since she first invited me in and gave me a new neighbor tour! She's got beautiful vintage touches in every room and that rope swing is Sebastian's favorite thing in their house! He has actually told me he wants to live there!

Thank you, Burch's, for letting me invade your home so close to Walter's birth. We're all so excited that he's finally here and are looking forward to him coming home, too. And I'm going to schedule a play date so your kids can teach mine how to get the place ready for company!

xoxo,
Rachel