Neon Bungalow was born in 2014. Well, technically the bones of her were born in 1922, but I took ownership in 2014. A time that felt like prices were way too steep, but now my thankfulness is high given the following years of Seattle's crazy real estate market. I'll never forget standing in the living room saying to my mom, this is the house. "It's a good house" she said in that oh so specific way that I can hear so clearly.
I've spent my time blogging about fashion - and just generally making fun of myself - the past few years, but I can't deny that interiors is a huge passion of mine as well, passed down, I like to think, from my grandmother to my mom and then to me. The latter human not nearly as talented, but a girl can try, amiright? I now have a goal of keeping their legacy alive, especially my mom. It makes me feel closer to her; a part of me. Which of course is what everyone says, but no one really talks about having to really try to keep that with you and not bury the memories and the pain away. But I'll do anything to stay close to you, mama.
To my readers, and any new readers (welcome!), I'm going to push a series of posts, a Neon Bungalow series if you will, for each room in the home aka Neon Bungalow. Each space has been its own separate design, experience, and journey for me with an ultimate goal of remembering to still maintain a healthy flow throughout the 'Bungalow.
My first purchase for Neon Bungalow was the living room sofa - the room I chose to tackle first since I knew the fire, and let's be real, the TV, would keep most of my time in this space. The sofa is a Louis the XVI piece that I found at Pacific Galleries, a psycho (in the best way possible) vintage mall in Seattle with footage for days that I could spend five months in, seriously. At $1700 this piece was as cheap as it comes for its kind, a ridiculous score of a find, but not so cheap for my bank account. But, my heart had dreamt of owning such a piece since I can remember and it had to go down.
From there I had my focal piece, and over time when my bank account allowed and I found just what I was looking for, I gradually added to the room until completion. A feat no shorter than a year and a half. I took some risks mixing the sofa with a soft marble piece, bright moroccan rug, and even a midcentury media stand. I can confidently say that if someone saw me add all four of those items in a single checkout they'd probably call me cray cray, but it worked for me. So if anyone is looking for some advice from my experience with Neon Bungalow, it's take risks and wait for the pieces you're envisioning. Be patient and you'll find them, I promise. So here she is, Neon Bungalow's main squeeze. The place where all the magic happens. And by magic I mean countless episodes of Teen Mom, Life of Kylie, and most importantly, The Challenge.
