"The hallway and side mudroom both got a makeover simultaneously because it was for a Spoonflower blog post," Faye begins. "The wallpapers were gifted and I installed them both. Morgan added the board and batten in the hallway and we installed a 'renter- and budget-friendly' peel-and-stick tile on the mudroom floor. The theatre chair was a vintage find that my dad reupholstered with Spoonflower fabric." Credit: G. Robert MorenoCredit: G. Robert Moreno
"Our TV/family room was the quickest, easiest makeover. It already had some beautiful arched shelving that we wanted to highlight; it really only needed a paint job," Faye describes. Credit: G. Robert MorenoCredit: G. Robert Moreno
"I knew I wanted to color drench the room and was in love with this green we picked. We also had a green velvet couch that worked so perfectly in the space. We really didn’t buy anything new except the rug for this room, so it was probably the most budget-friendly room makeover." Credit: G. Robert MorenoCredit: G. Robert Moreno
The TV room is painted with Clare Paint's "OMGreen" color, but color-matched with Benjamin Moore paint. Credit: G. Robert MorenoCredit: G. Robert Moreno
Faye says their very first house project was the kitchen. "We felt this would be the best place to start because it’s where our family spends most of our time," she begins. Credit: G. Robert MorenoCredit: G. Robert Moreno
"I loved the previous kitchen, it was so retro and fun, but it was small and the laundry needed to be moved out of there. My husband did all of the demo and construction himself and we hired out the electrical, plumbing, and plastering." Credit: G. Robert MorenoCredit: G. Robert Moreno
"All of the custom details, like the cabinet doors, the black wavy shelves, and our breakfast nook bench were his handiwork as well. I don’t remember our original budget for the kitchen, but all-in it ended up costing about $60K and it was about a six-month project." Credit: G. Robert MorenoCredit: G. Robert Moreno
Faye says the kitchen is their favorite DIY in the entire home because "it took so much planning and time and a lot of our own labor. We really had to reimagine the space because it was originally a bit compartmentalized and small." Credit: G. Robert MorenoCredit: G. Robert Moreno
"There was a hallway bathroom where the stove and refrigerator are, a pantry room that we completely took out to make more space, and the laundry room was where our breakfast nook is now." Credit: G. Robert MorenoCredit: G. Robert Moreno
"I knew I wanted a breakfast nook, so we needed to come up with a plan to move the laundry. We ended up moving it upstairs into what was previously a closet off the master bedroom." Credit: G. Robert MorenoCredit: G. Robert Moreno
"I’m obsessed with the wallpaper we chose for the nook; it really makes it a special space and adds the vintage charm to the kitchen that I love so much," Faye admits. "The bench was a design I’d had in my head, and Morgan was able to pull off the design beautifully and create more storage space (the bench seat opens up)." Credit: G. Robert MorenoCredit: G. Robert Moreno
"My favorite part about all of the renovations, especially downstairs, are the little vignettes, the small pretty views I get to enjoy from different angles depending on where I am standing," Faye writes. Credit: G. Robert MorenoCredit: G. Robert Moreno
"For example, looking into the kitchen from the bar and seeing the breakfast nook, or the view looking directly at the striped couch in the living room — the stairs, the framed image, and the stripes and waves of the couch, and seeing a bit of the bathroom from that view because I love the color in the bathroom so much." Credit: G. Robert MorenoCredit: G. Robert Moreno
"Or the view of the bar with the kitchen in the background as you’re standing at the bottom of the back stairs." Credit: G. Robert MorenoCredit: G. Robert Moreno
"For the bar area, we started with another Facebook Marketplace find, an old outdoor bar that was in rough shape, unrecognizable now; we covered the exterior with a fun, geometric wood detailing and put a custom cut quartz slab on top," Faye writes. Credit: G. Robert MorenoCredit: G. Robert Moreno
"That entire wall behind the bar was previously a wall-to-wall bookshelf, half of which we opened up into the kitchen and the other half we turned into the arched opening with a cabinet down below for behind the bar. We DIY’d the wallpaper, also gifted from Spoonflower." Faye says the entire bar budget was about $5,000. Credit: G. Robert MorenoCredit: G. Robert Moreno
"Our main living room is mostly finished; we just wrapped up renovations in that room this summer. Over time, I plan on working the wall space a bit more and filling in with smaller vintage furniture and knickknacks, but for now it’s a much more enjoyable space to be in than it was when we first started," Faye explains. Credit: G. Robert MorenoCredit: G. Robert Moreno
"The fireplace used to be a regular fireplace and we’ve since installed a wood-burning insert to help with oil costs. My husband installed the tile and created the custom mantel to update the space with a sleek '60s mid-century feel. We also added wood paneling to the wall, which he stained with a lighter stain to keep the look of the grain." The fireplace wall budget was $1,200 (not including the fireplace insert) according to Faye. Credit: G. Robert MorenoCredit: G. Robert Moreno
"The couch in this room was a Facebook Marketplace find for $200. We had it reupholstered with Spoonflower fabric that was gifted to us and it is one of our favorite features in the room." Credit: G. Robert MorenoCredit: G. Robert Moreno
"In styling and decorating our home, I like to keep in the back of my mind a vision of a cool hotel," Faye begins. "Partly because I want our home to be hosting-friendly and also to free myself up creatively to be a little more adventurous and maybe a bit quirky in my style decisions." Credit: G. Robert MorenoCredit: G. Robert Moreno
"Our girls' bedrooms were another more recent project. We started with choosing a wallpaper from Spoonflower," Faye explains. Credit: G. Robert MorenoCredit: G. Robert Moreno
"We took inspiration from the wallpaper and found our trim and ceiling paint color, textile patterns, and other design details drawing from the colors in the art." Credit: G. Robert MorenoCredit: G. Robert Moreno
Faye says she designed the custom beds in both rooms, and both were made by Morgan. "We installed the wallpaper and painted ourselves." Credit: G. Robert MorenoCredit: G. Robert Moreno
The budget for the custom furniture, paint, and accessories in each room was $1,200. Credit: G. Robert MorenoCredit: G. Robert Moreno
Faye and Morgan lucked out by being gifted wallpaper, bedding, and curtains from Spoonflower. The striped and ruffled pillow is from Anthropologie. Credit: G. Robert MorenoCredit: G. Robert Moreno
This house and this town weren’t even on Morgan and Faye Hurley‘s radar when they were on a home search three years ago. Faye says this was the first time this 2,955-square-foot house was “on the market for private sale and was priced somewhat low considering the state of the housing market at the time.”
The couple knew at first sight that this was just the right home for their family of five, which includes three daughters (Olive, 11; Frida, 8; June, 5) and three cats (Calvin, Hobbes, and Dottie). “Coming from a much smaller space, we loved its generous acreage, which would mean room for all our girls to roam. It also felt like a blank canvas — just right for us to put our stamp on it.”
A fan of older homes with character, Faye explains this house was “warm and welcoming but needed a fresh style update” when they first moved in. “[I]t very much felt like a dated space but with some vintage charm, of course. We kept the warm and welcoming vibes but added a little maximalist, mid-century style with the furnishings and wallpapers.”
The kitchen cabinet color is Farrow and Ball's "Calke Green." The flooring is from Home Depot and the stools were found at Anthropologie. The wall sconces are from Sazerac. Credit: G. Robert MorenoCredit: G. Robert Moreno
The couple have definitely put their own stamp on the space, having renovated quite a few of the rooms in the past three years, and make a dynamic design duo. “I am an illustrator and fabric designer, and my husband is in the world of insurance but is also the resident handyman,” Faye explains.
“Since we’ve been married we’ve worked together to create living spaces that reflect our personalities and creativity; I generally dream up the design and source the furnishings, and Morgan makes it happen with his woodworking and handyman skills!”
Like many folks tackling home renovations, one of the biggest challenges for the couple was trying to stay within budget. “It felt like every time we saved up a chunk of cash it went right back into a house project. We did try to guesstimate the cost of each project down to the smallest detail prior to starting, so that helped immensely,” Faye explains.
Doing much of the work themselves likely helped them complete the renovations within their budget, and Faye was also gifted some of the wallpaper and fabric in the home, which has helped. “We also try to buy a lot of vintage pieces through yard sale-ing and going to antique shows, which helps to keep us from buying new and spending more — not to mention adding more character and personality to the styling as a bonus.”
All the details the couple have added have created a rich, storied home — one fitting for the house’s interesting past. “Our home used to go by ‘Mary House’; it was previously a Catholic retreat center for monks and other folks who wanted to get away for silent retreats and such,” Faye begins.
“And even before that, it was an inn owned by a New York City socialite. So, when we first visited this home, we were immediately drawn to its roots in hospitality. We decided to name our Instagram handle ‘The Mary House Revival’ in hopes that we will be able to revive and restore the home to its former glory, and make it a place where people feel welcomed and wanted, embracing hospitality as a hallmark of this property.”
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