Colour and Craftiness in 3 Charming Virginia Spaces
Close your eyes and imagine the house of a colour- and – pattern-loving Virginia resident who teaches girls to sew and enjoys thrift shop shopping. Odds are, you just got a fairly accurate picture of Australia native Annabel Wrigley’s house.
Actually, it’s not only her home that fits this warm and creative mold. When her Little Pincushion Studio — through which, yes, she teaches girls how to sew — outgrew the little storage shed on her property, she applied her abilities (with the help of her students) to outfit a new studio space. And of course she couldn’t only leave the storage shed alone. That space got a glowing upgrade, too, as a game and media room for her two kids. Here’s a peek at all three of her eye-opening spaces.
in a Glance
Who lives here: Annabel and Darren Wrigley, son Oliver (age 13), daughter Ruby (11) and puppy Coco
Location: Warrenton, Virginia
Size: 1,800 square feet; 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms
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Daughter Ruby created a lot of the artwork on her bedroom wall.
The Japanese lantern was bought for $6 to a trip to New York’s Chinatown; the desk came out of a thrift shop and has been repainted.
Rug: Wayfair; pendant: Maskros, Ikea
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Annabel’s husband, Darren, made this built in desk nook for Ruby’s stitching area. Small floating shelves feature undermounted mason jars that save crafting supplies.
Annabel painted the chair, left over from a dining room set, a vibrant green.
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French doors from the living area open to a rear patio and an outside seating area.
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Hitting up thrift shops, Annabel spent $70 on most of the outdoor furniture, such as a mirrored coffee table and Guatemalan love chair.
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“Groupings are a excellent way to fill a blank space,” says Annabel. For the group of art above the sofa, she had original prints enlarged and framed for about $100. The slipcovered sofa was a 50 Craigslist find.
Despite having two young children, Annabel insisted on getting white couches. “White is absolutely the way to go,” she states. Her advice is to be certain that the fabric is washable and the covers are removable. The sofa on the right, beneath the window, is the sole furniture piece she bought new, from Rachel Ashwell Shabby Chic. “The best investment I ever made,” she states.
Watch more on practical white slipcovers
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An archway into the living area frames a set of green table lamps along with a tree trunk table bought from the Salvation Army.
Red seats: eBay
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Also from the living area, a red lamp out of Habitat for Humanity sits atop a record player and a tube radio in the ’50s.
“I have never set a budget for a room,” Annabel states. “I also don’t actually set a limitation on the bits I buy. I shop classic so often that I just come across great pieces at reasonable prices. If I find something that speaks to me, I will buy it.”
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The dining area is outfitted with largely secondhand finds. Annabel cites the Salvation Army, Habitat for Humanity, flea markets, auctions and Lucketts as her favorite secondhand shopping resources. And of course the occasional lucky find on the side of the road.
Among the greatest dining area splurges was that the chandelier, located on sale for $500 at Fabric Emporium. The dining room table and crimson chairs were given new updates with paint, along with the acrylic seats came from Craigslist. The ceramic elephant on the table is out of an antiques shop.
Beach painting: Theodore Turner
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Annabel considers the kitchen in transition, using its original countertops. There’s a Francis Francis espresso maker, and one of Annabel’s found bits hangs above the sink. The signal in the window is that a flea market detect from a trip to Italy.
Dishwasher: LG
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This painting about the dining room wall cost more than the $200 maximum Annabel typically sets for Salvation Army items.
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This colorful painting of this Washington, D.C., metro sits on a bureau near the entry.
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Annabel’s home office, where she does a lot of her writing, such as a soon-to-be printed book on sewing, is stuffed with her usual eclectic mix: a lion bought at Lucketts, a chrome lamp out of a tiny shop in neighboring Culpeper and an Andy Warhol print of Queen Elizabeth bought on eBay.
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She recently brought back several of these classic items from a trip to San Francisco and Portland. She’s attracted to colour and layout, and purchases bits regardless of size. They’re all references for a upcoming fabric design project.
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When the Wrigleys bought the property, the detached garage was standard of this age, with a dirt floor and also the remains of a roof that was no more keeping out the elements. The couple spent $2,000 renovating the structure to make it more habitable. The budget included building a loft and adding a roof, as well as updating the flooring, insulation and electric and employing a drywall crew for 2 hours.
Before Photo
BEFORE: The shed was once Annabel’sLittle Pincushion Studio, by which she teaches girls how to sew.
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AFTER: When she and her students outgrew the space, the detached garage became a media lounge for the kids.
Before Photo
BEFORE: Among the Ikea pendants within the old sewing studio was reused in daughter Ruby’s room when the studio was relocated.
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AFTER: The space is currently well ventilated and heated using a little space heater. On the wall is just another thrift shop painting. Acrylic nesting tables have been bought for $5 apiece, too from a thrift shop.
Tree blossom: Home Goods
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Darren built the desk, and Annabel upholstered the rear wall using the striped fabric. The blossom is a thrift shop find, while the artwork is by son Oliver. Annabel did the silhouettes.
Rug: Home Goods; bamboo laminate flooring: Home Depot
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Annabel and her students decorated the new, larger sewing studio, revealed here; it’s located in downtown Warrenton. Courses range from crochet patterns for boys to the way to sew sensed mushrooms.
In additon to the Pfaff, Bernina and Viking sewing machines employed by the kids for their projects, the new 1,400-square-foot studio (a shared space referred to as Confetti) also houses Annabel’s collection of classic machines, classic fabrics, textiles and course projects from students. “It’s controlled chaos — always,” she states.
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A number of the same decorating principles found from the Wrigley house will also be at play in the studio — white couches, colorful patterns and DIY art. Everything on the walls is handmade.
From the parents’ waiting place (shown here), the pillow on the sofa is part of a course project. Annabel found the white chair in the Salvation Army. When she brought it back, she couldn’t follow through with her first plan to have the kids paint grafitti on it. Instead, she used fabric paint to create a heart pattern.
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Annabel, revealed here, says her next major project is that the kitchen in her home.
See more photos of this creative home | please reveal your house!
