Walk into into Jess Baggett’s historic Florida bungalow and you’ll find a cozy trove of secondhand treasures, rich color, and natural light bouncing around sweetly styled corners. Swoon! Jess sat down to tell us all about her decor journey, diy adventures, and finding her Blumen Bumper Sectional from Medley to complete her living room.
Q: Hi, Jess! Could you give us an introduction? (Tell us a bit about you, your background, your family?)
Hi! I am a 32 year-old mom of two girls and married to my high school sweetheart. I graduated from the University of Florida with a degree in journalism and worked at a magazine for a year before I realized it wasn’t for me. I had a stint as a photographer before becoming a mom. Once my girls came along I started to really curate my home and sharing it on Instagram using my experience in photography. When I am not sharing my home on my account I am managing the Instagram account of the floral design company I work for. I also get to design floral arrangements and installments.
Blumen Bumper Sectional in Smart Pure fabric
Q: What's a typical day for you like? Are you a homebody or more of an out-and-about person?
A typical day in the life for me is getting my girls up and ready to go to school in the morning. Then I will either create content for my account or work, or I will head into the studio to play with flowers. I then pick up the girls and take them to any of the various activities they do. I also like to take a yoga or pilates class a couple of times a week. I am a total homebody though and prefer to stay home in the evenings. I am always cleaning and rearranging the house any chance I get.
Photo Credit: Native Flower Photography
Q: What's an ideal day for you at home or in your neighborhood?
An ideal day for me would be taking a morning family walk to one of the coffee shops in our neighborhood. Working on a house project or two. Then taking a break to jump in the pool at our neighbor's house. And ending the day with throwing something on the grill and eating outside. I prefer to keep things simple and not try to do too much in any given day. A sentiment my husband does not agree with. He loves to fit as much in a day as he can. :p
Q: Let's hear about your beautiful brick bungalow. When'd you move in?
We moved in two days before Christmas in 2018. We worked on getting it livable for two weeks before that. We definitely underestimated the amount of work it needed and may have regretted buying it for the first few months. However, over the past four years we have really made it our own and love our home so much. Fun fact: We are only the second family to ever live in this 1939 bungalow. It stayed in the original family’s ownership until we bought it.
Q: How would you describe your design aesthetic, and how do you cultivate it?
I often think about what my design style is, and I still don’t know. It’s definitely a mix, and I don’t try to stay with one style. I have some mid-century pieces, post modern, vintage and new. I always aim to make my home welcoming, cozy, and kid-friendly.
When we first moved in I was all about making everything bright and white. But aver the past year or two I’ve slowly added in darker colors and furniture. I would say I still prefer neutral colors, which helps keep everything cohesive.
Q: What was your approach when you started designing your home? Did anything change from your original vision for the space?
My house has gone through many different looks. For awhile it was very boho, bright and covered in plants. My style has definitely matured while staying kid-friendly. I also feel like I was eager to buy things in the beginning and got overwhelmed with how much stuff we had. I try to keep things minimal these days.
Photo Credit: Native Flower Photography
Q: Do you have a favorite room in the house, and if, so, what makes it your favorite?
My favorite room changes constantly! But at the moment I would say our living room. We all love to congregate here, cuddle on our sectional, and relax. We created pieces with our own hands specifically for this room like the art over the couch and our coffee table.
I love how we updated the fireplace too. The natural light that comes in just makes me so happy.
Q: What made you choose Medley furniture for your home? How are you liking your Blumen Sectional?
Where do I even start?! I love that Medley is eco-friendly and a family-owned business. If I can’t shop something secondhand, I want to make sure it is good for the environment and supporting people and not corporations. The Blumen has an extra large armrest that is perfect for setting my computer on to work from home. I chose the Blumen Sectional in Smart Pure Fabric because I wanted something big enough for the whole family to fit on including our animals.
Jess on her Blumen Bumper Sectional in Smart Pure fabric
I love that the fabric is easy to clean, and that the couch is low profile with a deep seat for ultimate comfort.
Q: You have some beautiful secondhand finds in your space. What are some favorites?
Thank you so much! Shopping secondhand is a big hobby of mine. I love our travertine dining table. It’s probably the most I’ve spent on something secondhand, but it’s a piece I see us having forever. Another one is a wood cabinet that has been in my family for four generations. It’s sentimental and beautiful.
Q: We're in love with Isla's bedroom makeover. Tell us about it!
That was such a fun makeover to do! The girls had their own rooms for the first time since moving into our current house, so I wanted to make it special for her. Her only request was for a pink room. I wanted to make it as budget-friendly as possible. I used paint I found at Lowe’s on clearance, thrifted as much as possible while using a lot of what we already had. I love how it all came together, and so did she. I DIY'ed her little headboard and it just adds so much character
Q: Any other recent or upcoming projects in your home you'd like to share?
We are currently working on landscaping the front yard. I have dreams of having an English-style garden and am excited to see what we can accomplish. I am also in the planning stages go putting built-ins in the dining room so we have somewhere to drop our bags when we come home, and to store all of the girls art supplies. We have a lot of unused wall space in there, so I’m ready to add storage.
Q: Do you have a very favorite memory in the house?
There are so many with the kiddos. But I do remember when we decided to do renovate our kitchen ourselves and how accomplished we felt when it was done. It wasn’t anything huge, but it made the house feel more like our home.
Photo Credit: Native Flower Photography
Q: If you could sum up the feeling of your home in a few words, which would you choose?
Cozy, happy, safe.
