Vol. 3, Issue 3
Fall 2022

Living in the midwest, you learn to look forward to the transitions between seasons. This fall has been especially idyllic here in Indiana. Perfectly cool temperatures sent us digging out our coziest sweatshirts; the trees shifted colors and lingered, stunningly vibrant against blue-gray fall skies. With the possibility of catching the scent of bonfire in the air, walking the dog became more luxury than chore, leaves crunching satisfyingly underfoot. While nature shows off outside, we turn inward, preparing to hunker down inside over the next several months and asking, do our spaces inspire and motivate us? Do we feel at home and at peace? Do they bring us joy? Here's what we know: it's a long time from now til April, but when our spaces are thoughtfully designed, it's not so bad to be inside at home, especially when the right living room paint color frames nature's beauty just so.

New Project Reveal: Maple Grove Forever

These clients loved their home in the Maple Grove Road Rural Historic District west of town. They wanted to grow old there, and envisioned their children coming home from school and work, and someday bringing partners and maybe children of their own to stay. The house lacked a few key elements of that vision, however: a big enough kitchen that it didn't require they use the oven for extra storage, a mudroom that wasn't doing triple duty as laundry and powder room, and an ensuite wing on the main floor that would serve as the owners' retreat, giving visiting family free rein of the main part of the house.

Adding on proved a fun challenge for the SYH team. The property slopes dramatically to the back, and the upstairs windows and existing rooflines needed careful consideration. And of course, all the new spaces needed to flow seamlessly into the old. We stretched the main floor in two directions, adding two different gable additions over a new crawl and basement craft room, and swapping around all the existing main floor spaces to make everything work. The result feels so right that it's as if it was always configured this way.

These clients crave color and energy, story and history. We created a natural architectural palette of white, wood and black, but there's no lack of color in these spaces. The sun streams in all the new windows; it sits high on the property, such that every room feels like a treehouse, with an ever-changing backdrop of leaves and sky; and the furniture and decor—some belonging to the clients already but much sourced new or new-vintage—layers in with the clients' textile and art collection and creates an art-gallery effect that is warm and inviting and rich. To see more of this project, head over to our portfolio.

What We Are Digging: Fall Market in Highpoint

The Susans went to the Fall Market in High Point, North Carolina, this month, and came home full of inspiration and new knowledge, as per usual. If we sat in one lusciously upholstered, sink-in sofa, we sat in 1,000. Here, our take on what is hot in furniture this season.

Bouclé. If you didn't take Textiles 101, bouclé is a curly or looped yarn that gives a very textural, knobby effect when woven into fabric. Comfortable furniture both feels and looks inviting; when you upholster a sofa or chair in bouclé, it calls you from across the room to cozy in and stay a while.
Curves. From stools and dining chairs to ottomans and throw pillows: all the things are rounded, and we love it.
Daybeds. Nice big wide ones for napping or for two people reading. Sometimes with corner backs, sometimes just ends. Use them as part of a large living room furniture collection when you don't want to block a view of the windows or fireplace.
Channeling. Making upholstery of all kinds more interesting.

Local Vendor Spotlight: All The Candles

We do many things well in our eclectic, culture-and art-filled little town, and making the yummiest candles is one of them. At SYH we love a good candle, not only because it can instantly improve your mood, but because, being in the business of making houses feel like homes, we understand the power that scents hold. Scents can transport us to the places most dear to us by evoking memories and experiences. When we ask our clients to tell us about about the places that have made them the most happy, they recall sea air and limey margaritas, their favorite coffee shop, redwood forests, warm baked goods and robust wine. As we move into the gift giving season, giving a scented candle is like giving an experience - already lived or yet to come. Here is a list of our local favs. They offer handmade scents unique and familiar, thoughtful ingredients (some vegan), and sustainable packaging. If we could just pick 1 or 2 we would have, but honestly we'd be thrilled to find any of them in our stockings.

Project on the Horizon?

If you have a new build, renovation, and/or decorating project on the horizon, call us sooner than you think you need us! We want to work with you! But we do have a waitlist.

How it works: Initial consultations happen within a few weeks of your call, during which Susan Y. meets with you to get to know you and see your space or property, hears all your hopes and hang-ups, and offers off-the-cuff feedback and advice to help you determine next steps. If the next step for you is comprehensive design services, we pencil you in and launch your project as soon as your name rises to the top.