We all enjoyed stylish Courtney’s fantastic typewriter light, and today, we are truly treated to visiting her home in this House Without a Key installment. Each room presents a medley of eye candy, complete with vintage treasures that all have a fun story to tell. Without further ado, I welcome you to chic Courtney’s casa, located “inside the loop” in Houston, Texas.
My coffee table serves as a rotating library for all of my favorite-of-the-moment art books. Right now I have it paired down to a box set of vintage Japanese books, which we do pick up and read from time to time. The fireman’s hose is one of my favorite oddities. It’s never been used, so the brass ends are still wrapped in their original burlap. I also have a thing for vintage science posters and found the Genetics chart while rooting around a prop shop on Houston Street in New York City. I like to hang them from curtain rod holders so they stand out from the wall and have a three-dimensional feel. (pH note: I love Courtney’s combination of old and new, and the genetics chart is such a refreshing piece of conversational art!)
I’m still as in love with Anthropologie’s Ditte Sofa as the day I bought it 2 years ago. It’s deep enough to fit my 6’5″ husband and long enough for us both to stretch out. When Elle Decor dubbed it “the best make out couch,” it was an immediate buy for my husband!
For our second anniversary, we drove to Pieces in Atlanta and invested in some furniture. We love our woven fiberglass chairs and because they’re insanely light, we’ve dragged them all around the house for additional seating where needed. The metal medical cart in the corner is our makeshift bar. With two shelves and a drawer, everything fits perfectly and it’s even mobile!
In the 70s, my Dad worked at a bank in Louisiana that was undergoing a remodel. When they started tossing Bertoia chairs to the curb, Dad snagged 6 for his unfurnished patio. 30 years later, I had them chromed dipped at a local metalworks shop. My dining buffet is from the now defunct Storehouse and the lamp is a thrift shop find. The vintage orange and white enamel cocktail set is from Austin Modern and the mirror is an old Kirkland’s purchase my mother-in-law had in her previous house. I love how big and gold it is! We’re huge John Derian fans in this house as he’s one of the few artists my husband actually loves as much as I do. We exchange his pieces every holiday and it’s a fun common interest. My favorite are his Hotel Algonquin series, one hangs above the frog.
My husband and I love to ride our bikes around the neighborhood on weekend mornings. Someone was having a yard sale and I almost flipped over my handlebars when I saw this ratty art easel that’s covered in layers of paint and oil. For $3 it didn’t pay to leave it behind, so my husband rode the rest of the way home with it over his shoulders. I have a few funny (and granny) needlepoint embroideries and the hawk was a perfect fit for this nook in our bedroom. I, too, have the ubiquitous “For Like Ever,” but I don’t care. I love the fluorescent colors and teen slang, and it brightens up our overly brown room. My nightstands are a dirt-cheap Craigslist find and I had my husband build up the bottom so they’d be 8″ taller. They’re now more suited to our bed’s height and I use the extra room underneath to shove unsightly things like routers, modems, and endless cords; no one’s the wiser!
In Round Top, Texas, I found these neat hotel door numbers and knew I had to bring some home. I hunted down numbers to spell out our anniversary, “4″ “20″ “5″ (we were married 4-2-05) and placed them above each bedroom light switch. (pH Note: How incredibly sweet and romantic!)
My “office” is located in the second bedroom, so it tends to be a more personal space for me than any other area. When I moved to New York, Mom framed a print of she and my grandparents in 1958. (As seen against the right wall). My Grandfather, Arthur Ory, owned an appliance store in Louisiana and won a trip to NYC for selling them most Fedders Air Conditioners in his region. They put his name in lights on Broadway and I feel like the luckiest girl in the world for having this piece of family history in my house. (pH Note: If only every office could be so personalized with stress relievers and nostalgia. Mixing old and new perfectly is certainly Courtney’s forte! Doesn’t the vintage mannequin somehow look appropriate amongst her laptop?)
Thank you SO much Courtney for graciously inviting us into your inspiring home!
