Just North of Atlanta and around the corner from Lake Allatoona and Red Top Mountain, you'll find the Schneider family's bright, welcoming home. What started as a cookie cutter layout ten years ago is now a dream of high ceilings, natural light, and tons of impromptu dance parties. See how Victoria styled her Palder Nightstands and Kaydan and Rio Chairs in her beautiful space.
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Q: Hi, Victoria! Could you give us an introduction? (Tell us a bit about you, your background, your family?
Hi! I am Victoria. A Georgia native. Wife to Ian and mom to Cove and Jettson. I homeschool my two boys, work from home and love creating homes and interior spaces for others. I guess you could call me a home body, ha. In addition to interior decorating, I am a photographer and work as a social media creative. My loves include my boys, travel, simple days with a good book, alfresco dining, drink hoarding (always have to have a tea/coffee and water on hand), dark chocolate and french fries.
Q: Tell us about your home. How long have you been there, and how long have you been in Georgia?
Funny story. When we were engaged we looked for houses together for almost a year. This was in 2011. We looked at our house but weren't sure if it would be a perfect fit. After continually looking, we kept coming back to it. Ian actually blindfolded me after dinner and drove me to the front of the house and told me he had put an offer on it and it was ours after dinner one night. That was about a month before we got married, so we've been here for ten years now. It could have been really bad, but luckily it worked out. I always think of Jim and Pam when Jim surprised her by buying his parents house. We slowly turned it into not just a home, but our home and have evolved it as we discovered our style together.
We have been in Georgia our whole lives and really love this area. We are close to both our families, the lake and the mountains.
Q: What was your approach when you started designing your home? Did anything change from your original vision for the space?
I would say that initially our approach was just to fill it with stuff we thought was trendy, but about three years in we realized we didn't love it. So we stopped worrying about what was trendy and more about what made us happy and feel relaxed. We love to incorporate a lot of earthy tones and a lot of bright whites to keep the space really bright and capitalize on natural light. I also love for an interior to not only be beautiful but also functional. Having two boys, homeschooling and working from home, we spend a lot of time here. So it's important to think about how we will live and use a space, not just how pretty it will look. I've tried to focus on making sure we buy quality and useful pieces because of that.
Q: How would you describe your design aesthetic, and how do you cultivate it?
Probably modern organic and transitional. I love the mix of old and new and bringing the outdoors in. This means leaving things really natural and not having too many antique or too many modern pieces. Trying to blend the two together in a comfortable way.
Q: Do you have a favorite space in the house, and if, so, what makes it your favorite?
There is a corner in our living room where so much light meets. It looks out the window into our backyard and holds my Medley Kaydan Chair and olive tree and lets me look into the whole living/kitchen area.
I think I love it so much because I do some of my favorite things there. I curl up with the boys and read out loud. Do my quiet time. And drink my coffee or afternoon tea there. It's bright, comfortable and gives me a full view of where most of our life is lived.
There is a running joke about us all fighting over the Kaydan Chair in the living room. Even my sister in law jokes that she wants to sit there every time she comes over. It's so cozy.
Q: What made you choose Medley furniture for your home?
Well, for one it is beautiful. It fits that modern organic transitional style I love. And it also, like I mentioned above, holds up so well because of the quality and durability of the pieces. We have had their chairs for years now and they are so well made. One was even in a nursery for two years and still looks like new. We also love how they fit more than one of us. They are great for cuddling or curling up with plenty of space.
We love our pieces. I get compliments on them almost anytime someone comes over.
The Palder Nightstands really helped finish our bedroom in the best way. They are so nice, solid and have a clean modern design that compliments the space.
The Rio Chair holds some of my all time favorite memories with my youngest as a newborn and we both love the comfort of the wide arms on it. It's perfect for holding snack bowls and cups.
Q: Tell us about your absolutely beautiful bathroom renovation!
AHH! It makes me so happy. When we bought our house, the bathroom needed a lot of love. It had been just pieced together and didn't have any sort of design or style at all. Although it has vaulted ceilings it seemed dark and dingy. We saved for a while so we could open up a wall and create our dream shower. Taking out the wall between the tub and the shower gave us so much more light and made the whole room feel larger.
I love the zellige square tile and how uneven it is. It's lighter colored and neutral, but still has a good amount of character. I am a big fan of antique and brushed gold, so we have those accents as well as natural wood in the vanity and wood tile floors for that organic modern look. And the big chandelier makes the room just feel anything but basic, ha. It's one of my happy places now and makes getting ready so much happier.
Q: What's your approach to designing a space with young kids?
I think the most challenging is finding quality pieces that will withstand a lot of love and wear and tear. But overall I think it's such a joy to be able to create a space where everyone can flourish and feel home. I like to buy pieces I know we can store lots of things in and keep them out of sight. Clutter is something that both my husband and I try to avoid. So keeping things out of sight when they are not in use keeps the house looking tidy, but still having the functionality of a family with young kids.
I also suggest buying furniture that will last and clean well. We love how all our chairs have endured spills, tickle fights and more and still look and sit new.
Q: Name a favorite texture and color in the house for us!
Dunn Edwards Droplets. The white everyone asks me about and the white that makes me feel at home. As for texture, probably anything gauze. I love a good muslin textured gauze blanket or coverlet.
Q: What’s a silly memory you’ve made in the house?
Family Dance Parties. Bad days are made better with dance parties. Cleaning is better with a dance party. And celebrations are made better with dance parties. Basically anything is better if you crank up some music and dance with your people in the living room. I think it's now a core memory for all of us. Some dance parties and moves more than others, haha.
Q: How about a very favorite memory?
I think my favorite are both times I brought my babies home. And also when Ian old school carried me over the threshold when we first moved in. Even some of the mundane things like family movie nights, or sharing highs and lows at the dinner table. They hold really dear places in my heart.
Q: If you could sum up the feeling of your home in a few words, which would you choose?
I would hope that anyone who enters our home would feel 'peace.' And not just because of the decor, but for the presence it holds and how we make them feel. I don't know if we've lived up to that, but that's always my hope.
Shop Victoria’s Picks:
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Kaydan Chair in Texture Oyster with Walnut legs
Palder Nightstands in Maple with Brass pulls
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Thanks, Victoria!
*Edited for brevity
