I've had the goal for a long time to highlight the gorgeous homes that are scattered throughout Charm City. One of my favorite things to do is to walk around town at night with the hopes that I can peer inside homes that are lit from within and get a little glimpse in to historic homes with fantastic design (Creepy? Maybe just a little....). My goal is give you some design and architecture inspiration while show casing the fun, quirky, beautiful homes that you may not otherwise be able to see.
This week's "A Peek Inside" series takes us into the home of a dear friend and uber-talented Prop Stylist, Giulietta and her husband, Nate. G and Nate purchased their first home in Canton back in 2014, a 1910 rowhome. The home had all the charm in the world, if you could look past the not-so-nice renovations that had been completed prior to them moving in. They saw the beauty and charm in it and were on a mission to bring it back to life- and they did just that.
Let's take A PEEK INSIDE
M: How long have you lived in your home?
G: While we purchased our home in the winter of 2014, we lived with my parents for a few months and pursued a few home renovations. During that time, we hired a contractor to replace the home's old radiators with HVAC, we gutted and re-did our master bath, repainted the whole house, exposed & sanded the original hardwood flooring, and made some cosmetic updates to our living room, master bedroom & guestroom. The renos wrapped in early February and we officially moved in on Valentine's Day in 2015.... a whole 7 years ago now!
M: What drew you to your neighborhood?
G: Canton is a fantastic little community. Within a short, 5 minute walk from our house we can access beautiful views of the harbor and/or have a picnic in Patterson Park. There's also quaint bars and restaurants dotted around the neighborhood and along O'donnell Square. So it's easy to stroll around, sit outside, and enjoy a beer/cocktail or snack with friends. We also love our proximity to various amenities close by such as the Target & Harris Teeter at Canton Crossing, the Whole Foods in Harbor East and I-95 itself to go to DC
M: What's your favorite neighborhood shop or restaurant?
G: Without question, it's the restaurant Pho Bac on S. Potomac St! My husband and I lived in Queens, NYC for 5 years prior to moving down to Baltimore. In Queens we were located in a community with excellent, authentic Asian restaurants and those cuisines became comfort foods to us. When we moved down to Baltimore, we were disappointed in the Asian food / restaurant scene, as it was much smaller and more Americanized than in NYC. But then Pho Bac popped up - on our street! We've haven't had the same complaint since. We legit order Pho from them once a week!
M: What's your favorite room or element in your home and why?
G: I love cooking so I find myself being in our kitchen A LOT. However, it was the one room we didn't update when we purchased our home in 2014. For years it was a brown cabinet, brown counter & brown backsplash situation which was very unpleasant. Those broody, dark colors made the room feel smaller and cave-like... I didn't like being in there at all. However in 2018, we decided to bite the bullet and invest in a full kitchen remodel and I'm SO GLAD WE DID. My husband and I gutted the kitchen down to the studs ourselves and hired a contractor to rebuild it with an interior design plan I had made. The kitchen is now much brighter, more spacious and more communal. It's made the experience of cooking, entertaining and living in our home that much more enjoyable
M: What is your design style and where do you draw your design inspiration from?
G: As a professional stylist, I consider myself a design DJ - often mixing different interior design disciplines or styles to make something feel authentically us. Our home blends mid-century modern along with industrial, 70's mod & farmhouse / Shaker style furniture, finishes, and objects. I also often turn to nature for inspiration as I find it to be very soothing and stress-relieving. So our home incorporates a lot of earth tones - blues, greens, neutrals with subtle pops of rose here or there. Every time I enter our home, the colors automatically make me feel more relaxed
M: What's the biggest challenge of living in a rowhome?
G: For us, it's the lack of outdoor space. Our home came with a parking pad vs a patio; which for practicality reasons, really is fantastic - we never have to look for parking which can be tricky in a city! However, as outdoorsy people, we surrendered the idea of being able to lounge outside. I don't have any regrets in our decision, I really love our home and the convenience of our pad. We also have Patterson Park 1 block away for a quick nature fix. However, I do wish we had a patch of outdoor space we could call our own.
M: Any DIYs that you're particularly proud of?
G: My husband and I personally exposed the brick walls in our kitchen & living room and built the wooden horizontal paneling in our master bedroom. We love how all these features made our home feel more authentic. Having these textures visible makes the house seem more historical and true to its early 20th century roots (our rowhome was built in 1911). There's something about seeing the past in a present state that both my husband and I really appreciate.
M: What's your favorite home goods or supply shop?
G: ACE Hardware on Binney St easily wins this one! Even though it's a small shop compared to Home Depot or Lowes, they still always seem to have everything we need. Their staff is extremely knowledgeable & friendly and they have a fantastic pottery & plant section. Every time we have a home project, we'll pop in there once, twice, five times a day (because does anyone actually get the right type of screw the first time?!). They're staff is always eager to help. LASTLY they have a shop cat - and who doesn't love seeing a chubby kitty?!
M: What's one piece of home-styling advice you have for readers?
G: Pulling one out of Marie Kondo' book here, but it's honestly the best advice I can give anyone: GET RID OF THE CLUTTER. Doing so will allow you to feel more calm at home and allow you to showcase the items that are more meaningful, inspiring or enjoyable to you. To combat this, once a year I do a purge - in my clothes closets/dressers, cabinets, pantry and shelves. Anything that no longer feeds my husband and I creatively, brings us happiness or serves a purpose gets donated. It always feels like a gigantic weight has been lifted off our shoulders. It gives us the space to be more in-tune with ourselves and our home.
Home of: Giulietta Pinna and Nate Bachman
Business: Limonata Creative + The Prop Up Shop
Connect: @limonatacreative
Mentions: Pho Bac, ACE Hardware
A big thanks to Giulietta and Nate for opening their home for us. If you or someone you know has a special space that they'd like to share, please send an email to molly@redcedarre.com for information on being featured.