Home Tour : Life On Virginia Street

It has been a long while since I’ve convinced a friend to let me tour their home. I figured I needed to change that and knew you guys would fall in love with my friend Sarah’s gorgeous house. Yesss- another Sarah (with an H- she knows what’s up). We’re doing home tour swaps today! I met Sarah last fall on a Designer Retreat in California and we immediately became fast friends. Her family actually lives super close to us in Salt Lake and we have a lot in common. We sat together on every shuttle trip, sampled fancy wine together in Napa (& convinced each other to buy more than we should), and just really had a fun time hanging out. She’s such a genuine person and I’m lucky to have met her. Anyway,Sarah’s home is bright, airy, has a coastal vibe, and is a breath of fresh air… it’s exactly what we could all use during the long winter months. Click through for the tour!

Sarah’s home is also a newer builder-grade house. During my time with her in San Francisco, Emmett and I were in the process of putting an offer on a new place. She helped cheer me up after we lost a house I really wanted, and encouraged me to look at newer homes. I’m SO happy we did. I absolutely love where we ended up and her house is proof that a tract home can be absolutely stunning! So here we go…

Her house truly makes a strong case for painting an exterior white. It’s super classic, crisp, and absolutely beautiful! Emmett and I have already toyed with the idea of painting our exterior, but after seeing Sarah’s home before and after a fresh coat of paint– I think I’m totally sold.

Paint isn’t the only thing Sarah tackled outside… if you thought my backyard renovation was nuts, you have to click over and see Sarah’s before & after! She shared her backyard renovation and pool ownership thoughts in this post. As she was sending me these images, Emmett was nerding out over her landscaping. We do appreciate those details though.

If only I could teleport into this photo and warmer weather… my car is currently buried under almost 2 feet of snow right now. Argh. I told Sarah, now that I know what her backyard looks like, I’m planning a summer trip to visit. It’s a private oasis and a vacation I’d really enjoy!

Her outdoor dining area seriously rivals our old carport setup. This looks like the perfect place to unwind with a glass of rosé in hand at the end of a long day! For the cooler nights, Sarah also has this cute fireplace lounge area… again, the white exterior backdrop is making me want to run to my nearest Sherwin-Williams and buy allllllll the exterior paint. Don’t even get me started on those black framed windows.

Let’s go inside, shall we? I vote yes- you’re going to like the interior!

The entryway is bright, textural, and inviting. Behind the sliding pocket french doors sits Sarah’s home office. I’ll have the same setup once we make it to that point in our renovation. My office also sits right off the entry, and I’m planning to add french doors for privacy. I can’t think of better inspiration than this. I’m also digging her gorgeous drapery with the charming ticking stripe.

Moving back into the hall… this is what dreams are made of- and you know I have a thing for hallways.

The large sliding doors, natural light flooding in, and geometric railing is calling my name. This is how you fill negative space in expansive traffic areas, folks! If you have a giant or super wide hall, take note of the console table and bench.

You’ve most likely seen Sarah’s kitchen floating around Pinterest & Instagram- I’m pretty sure it went viral as soon as she finished it. Isn’t the cabinetry the most gorgeous shade of blue? If the backyard hadn’t already sold me on planning a visit this summer, I’m definitely booking flights after seeing these kitchen views.

The dining room is just to the left of the kitchen and it’s equally as amazing. That flat woven rug is giving me all the feels. Do I need one of those for our future dining room? Ok, ok… back to the kitchen.

You can read all about the kitchen reveal and renovation here… you’re not going to believe the before. It looks a thousand times better. Sarah also posted a FAQ about the kitchen remodel that I found super helpful. Maybe I should start doing some renovation FAQs… would you guys be into that?

Off of the kitchen, there is the cutest little butler’s pantry… what I would give to have that! I have always wanted a walk-in pantry.

The kitchen is open concept to her living room and I just realized we have the same sofa! The only difference is the configuration and arm style. I have the York Square Arm Sectional and she has two of the York Slope Arm Sofas.

I love how Sarah does neutral- with plenty of texture! It feels warm and cozy without having any major color.

From the rug to the throw pillows, and even the wood accessories- the space has a nice curated feel.

The fireplace and living room was also a total redo. Sarah redesigned the fireplace… click here to see what it looked like before. It used to be very heavy feeling with large stacked stone. Now it has a nice mix of shaker style paneling and marble that feels very fresh.

Speaking of fireplaces, that is one thing I can’t wait to update and replace in our house. The scale of my fireplace is all wrong, and seeing Sarah’s is making me want to bump that project up on the list.

She has a pretty large house to explore, so I won’t give every single room away, but I think I shared all of the common areas! The bedrooms are just as beautiful and she also recently completed a really good powder room makeover. We’re already planning to meet up again when she comes to visit her fam here in Utah. I’m trying to convince her to stay with me and help with some house projects. Haha!

If you want to see more, check out her complete home tour here. Did this brighten your winter day? I sure hope so! Giant thank you to Sarah for letting me take you on a tour. I can’t wait to see this place in person. She’s giving me all kinds of hope for updating our builder grade home. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate meeting and making friends in the design community. It’s so fun becoming friends with someone like Sarah in real life, who I’ve been cheering on these past couple years. She’s amazingly talented and it’s even better knowing she’s a wonderful person.