Just try to look through these photos and not fall in love with this adorable cottage. I dare ya. Sawyer has created a beautiful, eclectic, and cozy home for her little family. Thanks for giving us a peek inside your world!
Name: Sawyer Baird Jones | Age: 20 | Profession: Fine Art Film Photographer Rent or Own: Rent (for now) | Bedrooms: 3 (but I use one as my office!) | Baths: 2 | Square Footage: 1,800 | City, State: Gainesville, Georgia | Years in Home: Ah, only 4 months!
What’s your favorite part about your home?
I’m biased- but I really love our entire home. It was built in 1949 and has the original plaster walls, hardwood floors, doors, crown molding, fireplaces, exc. (they kept it in amazing shape!) Our sunroom is really nice to have coffee in and check emails during the summer time or warmer months though… and that might just be my favorite.
Describe your style in three words.
Timeless, simplicity, and a mix of classic…
Tell us how you and Bert blended your styles together in your first home. Was this easy for the two of you?
First off, this was very easy for us. We both have a minimal and simple style. When we were picking out things for the house we knew that West Elm was our happy place. It mixes old with new in such a great way. Most of our big pieces out from there and we happily agreed on and picked out together. When we decided on this house (which we did early on and together) all of the walls were a darker cream color and I was not about that, so I told him I really wanted off whites throughout our home to brighten the space- at first he was a little worried it’d be too much but now we can both agree that we are so so happy we painted. It fits so well with our home.
What makes your house a home?
Little details that are so important to us. I have a lot of antiques from my grandmother & mother throughout the house, a few of my moms drawings, photographs by my favorite photographers, and last but not least pieces that Bert has made for me over the years. (In our bedroom you’ll see that we have a big wood frame with a photo of us sitting on an easel… he made that frame for me for our 4 year anniversary and it is so special to me!)
What is your favorite memory the two of you have made in your home?
I think we have just enjoyed the aspects of growing together in this element. Like people say, things are different when you live together. You do have to make compromises and you have to learn to always say that you are sorry and never go to bed angry. Our first argument was about who did the dishes last and to me that is the funniest thing ever! I love these memories of just growing day by day and learning as we go.
As a young renter, how did you go about filling your home with beautiful details without breaking the bank?
I had pieces that I had collected over the years & I had pieces from when I lived in Atlanta for a couple years that really helped. We love good steals from antique malls, so that helped in the decor department. Our coffee table, dining room table, and my desk were family finds. They were just sitting and doing nothing so we took them for a better purpose. I also had a lot of my personal work from trips that we had taken together printed and placed throughout the house for a personal touch. West Elm was our splurge pieces (our bed, our side tables, & sofa… ) and we are so happy that we did. We want these pieces to be with us for a long time and quality is so very important with these. Target & Overstock were also key factors to decor.
What advice would you give to someone who is (re)decorating their home and doesn’t know where to start?
I made a pinterest board for all rooms in the house. As silly as that may be, it works! Then I looked at the photos together, some things were very similar in all of them, and I knew those were the things important to me. Obviously I showed Bert the photos just to make sure he liked what I was going for too and it was a great way for him to also see the direction we were going in.
What are your dreams for your precious house?
We would love to finish the upstairs guest suite & add some shelving to our living area. If we were to purchase this home in the next couple of years I would love to redo the upstairs into a master suite, expand and re-do the bathroom upstairs, re-do the main floor bathroom with updated subway tile, and re-do the kitchen! Who knows, I kinda love the old charm…
Photography by Sawyer Baird
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