Hi! I’ve never formally introduced myself in my feed so I thought I would do that on the occasion of taking a new profile picture. I am not good at posing for photos, hence the slightly awkward hugging the mantle pose, but it doubles as a way to hide 90% of this unrenovated and undecorated room and only show off the pretty Italianate fireplace, so that’s a win right? I’m Jessica for those of you who don’t know. I’m married to Steven, who is a hardworking PA and stays mostly behind the scenes, but does the heavy lifting (literally) for many of my projects! We have two little boys, 3 and 5, who are often underfoot during our projects, sometimes helping and sometimes wreaking havoc, but we wouldn’t have it any other way. I started my blog way back in 2011 when we lived between the streets of Guy Park and Division, hence the name! It was originally a blog about vintage fashion but it quickly evolved to focus on interiors when we bought a house built in 1901 and began renovating it. Neither one of us knew anything about renovating, but we learned along the way from our generous families, contractors, and, of course, the internet. We bought our second house in 2016, a Dutch Colonial, and recently moved on to our dream project, Danascara Place. Although we have renovated old homes before, we are learning a lot about preservation, history and architecture with a house of this age (built in 1795 and reconstructed as an Italianate in the 1870s). I believe there is tremendous value in restoring old homes — it’s a way to give back to your community and the earth while enjoying the artistry, character, and craftsmanship of years past. I try to share our renovation in an honest way that shows you that we are still, and always, learning —anyone can do this!! We take our projects slowly, one at a time, so there is much more process and less before and after, but that makes it more satisfying, right? Thank you so much for following along! 🤎
