Houzz Tour: A Boho Bungalow Embraces Colour and Fun
A first-time buyer’s eclectic, collected style comes together in this Portland, Oregon, home
After living in a studio apartment for four years, Jaclyn Campanaro was accustomed to making the most of tight living quarters. Still, when she moved into a two-bedroom, 1920s bungalow in Portland, USA, she was ready for a larger nest. As a photographer, Campanaro has an eye for colour and light, so she made great use of the home’s natural light and used white paint to open up what used to be dark corners. An eclectic collection of plants, books, gifts, local art and op-shop finds makes up most of the decor, while touches of blue, warm woods and clean lines unify each room.
When Campanaro moved in, the fireplace was out of commission. It had a fake log and a surround of grey stamped concrete. She removed the light-up log and painted everything white, transforming the space from dark and plain to bright and modern. A working reel-to-reel recorder Campanaro’s father bought as a teenager in the 1960s now takes the place of the log.
Two of Campanaro’s favourite things, plants and books, can be found throughout the living room. “I’m an avid book reader and I’ve been collecting plants for about seven years now,” she says. “I love having them around. I get most of mine at Solabee in Portland.”
This corner armchair is an ideal place to relax. “The living room is perfect for sitting quietly and reading – or just thinking, which I do a lot,” Campanaro says.
This corner armchair is an ideal place to relax. “The living room is perfect for sitting quietly and reading – or just thinking, which I do a lot,” Campanaro says.
Campanaro’s constant companion is the affectionate Cece the cat, a sure charmer of guests. “Her white, black and tan calico colouring looks like it was coordinated with all the neutrals in my furnishings,” Campanaro says. “She often lies belly-up on the cowhide rug, and I call it ‘Where’s Waldo-ing’ because she blends in perfectly.”
Campanaro sees the decorating process as highly personal. “My home has to feel like me, so the process of doing it myself is important,” she says.
She was able to keep her decor budget-friendly by shopping online, at various vintage shops in Portland and at Ikea. “I sort of naturally save costs everywhere,” she says. “I like the challenge of being creative, and I think budget limitations help me make decisions that would otherwise be overwhelming.”
She was able to keep her decor budget-friendly by shopping online, at various vintage shops in Portland and at Ikea. “I sort of naturally save costs everywhere,” she says. “I like the challenge of being creative, and I think budget limitations help me make decisions that would otherwise be overwhelming.”
On one wall is Campanaro’s vinyl collection and the turntable she grew up with as a child. “I’ve reduced my record collection down to just the essentials and sentimentals because I just moved too often over the years,” she says.
In one corner of the living room is a vintage tea cart Campanaro found in a junk shop for US$12.
Lamp: Ikea; coat rack: secondhand
Lamp: Ikea; coat rack: secondhand
“Most of the items in my home cost under US$20, with a few notable exceptions like rugs and side chairs, all of which were under US$100,” Campanaro says. She has invested in some more expensive items, though, like this vintage bed in the guest room, which cost US$150. “The early mid-century solid wood bed frame is a beautiful piece with simple lines, so I tried to echo that in all the furnishings, be they old or new.”
Bedding: Ikea; rug: West Elm; hanging lamp: Pottery Barn; tapestry: by local designer Marijke Dixon
Bedding: Ikea; rug: West Elm; hanging lamp: Pottery Barn; tapestry: by local designer Marijke Dixon
“I like how the brand-new Ikea shelf plays off the 1940s medicine cabinet side table,” Campanaro says. “Keeping with clean lines helps bring disparate eras together.”
She painted the wall opposite the bed a dark blue to bring in an unexpected visual accent.
Fjalkinge shelving unit: Ikea; accent wall painted in ‘Nova’: Miller Paint
She painted the wall opposite the bed a dark blue to bring in an unexpected visual accent.
Fjalkinge shelving unit: Ikea; accent wall painted in ‘Nova’: Miller Paint
Quality interior paint was high on Campanaro’s design priority list. “Painting was not an insignificant cost because I did every single room in the house. I even went over the cold white in the kitchen with a warmer one, and, yes, it made a huge difference,” she says. “I’d estimate that I spent around US$600 on paint and supplies for the whole house by the time I was done, which is a pretty cheap way to make a big change.”
Like the other walls in the house, those in the stairwell were taupe when Campanaro moved in. She also changed the colour on the stairs leading from the kitchen to the converted attic, from white to black.
In the stairwell is a DIY plant hanger Campanaro made by tying a simple macrame knot with cotton laundry line around a secondhand glass vase. The vase is filled with trimmings from a trailing pothos she has in the dining room.
In the stairwell is a DIY plant hanger Campanaro made by tying a simple macrame knot with cotton laundry line around a secondhand glass vase. The vase is filled with trimmings from a trailing pothos she has in the dining room.
Upstairs in the already-renovated attic are two bedrooms. Campanaro converted one into her studio and office. This is where she does all her image-processing work, any administrative tasks related to work or the household, and casual portrait sessions and styling tests.
Polaroids of her and her friends lie on a desk she made using Ikea pieces. She’s also working on a special portrait series. “I have a pretty good intuition for things, so I know what makes sense and I know I can always change my mind and refine as I go,” she says.
Polaroids of her and her friends lie on a desk she made using Ikea pieces. She’s also working on a special portrait series. “I have a pretty good intuition for things, so I know what makes sense and I know I can always change my mind and refine as I go,” she says.
The other room in the converted attic space is Campanaro’s bedroom. “I love the morning light it gets being on the south side of the house. It’s a great way to wake up,” she says.
She stained a slatted Ikea pine bed frame in a walnut colour and hung a rug over the bedhead to give it a soft, upholstered look.
Campanaro also added the open shelving to the recessed nooks near the bed.
Wall painted in ‘Fondant White’: Miller Paint
She stained a slatted Ikea pine bed frame in a walnut colour and hung a rug over the bedhead to give it a soft, upholstered look.
Campanaro also added the open shelving to the recessed nooks near the bed.
Wall painted in ‘Fondant White’: Miller Paint
“I don’t keep a lot of clutter around. I tend toward furniture with clean lines, things organised,” Campanaro says. “I decorate mostly with plants, which keep the air feeling fresh and bring a sense of nature inside. These things all contribute to a sense of well-being. I like that my home supports that.”
Crystals can also be found throughout the home. “Many of the crystals were given to me as gifts or purchased at significant times,” Campanaro says. “I have a desert rose crystal that a friend brought back from Tunisia and a citrine point that my boyfriend bought me on our first weekend together.”
Crystals can also be found throughout the home. “Many of the crystals were given to me as gifts or purchased at significant times,” Campanaro says. “I have a desert rose crystal that a friend brought back from Tunisia and a citrine point that my boyfriend bought me on our first weekend together.”
Previous homeowners left a number of old doors in the basement, and Campanaro found ways to add them back into the house. “I added an old swing door, after removing the very heavy hardware, to the bottom of the stairwell to close off the second floor to guests, pets and small children.”
Seen here is a framed door Campanaro thinks was once on the first level, between the kitchen and bathroom. She custom-fit the old door to the previously doorless passage between her bedroom and studio. She clipped the frame on one corner to accommodate the sloped ceiling and added some plasterboard to complete the project. “Reusing the found doors saved me hundreds of dollars,” she says.
Seen here is a framed door Campanaro thinks was once on the first level, between the kitchen and bathroom. She custom-fit the old door to the previously doorless passage between her bedroom and studio. She clipped the frame on one corner to accommodate the sloped ceiling and added some plasterboard to complete the project. “Reusing the found doors saved me hundreds of dollars,” she says.
Campanaro uses baskets to keep things neat and tidy. “I like to keep everything clustered in baskets so they’re handy but well managed,” she says.
When asked about the greatest challenges in designing her home, Campanaro said: “You know, I love the process of nesting so much it never feels like a challenge to me. I’ve spent years slowly collecting smaller pieces that work together in a modular way. From there, I was able to identify common visual threads and draw everything together once it came time to buying bigger pieces.”
When asked about the greatest challenges in designing her home, Campanaro said: “You know, I love the process of nesting so much it never feels like a challenge to me. I’ve spent years slowly collecting smaller pieces that work together in a modular way. From there, I was able to identify common visual threads and draw everything together once it came time to buying bigger pieces.”
All of the artwork in the bedroom, including paintings, ceramic sculptures and vessels, was made by friends. The bedside table and dresser are secondhand finds.
“I like a balance of form and function,” Campanaro says. “I think sticking to basics also helps everything feel cohesive without going overboard on spending.”
“I like a balance of form and function,” Campanaro says. “I think sticking to basics also helps everything feel cohesive without going overboard on spending.”
“My favourite room has to be the kitchen, because that’s where everyone tends to congregate when I have friends over,” Campanaro says. “I love to cook for people and I love cramming a bunch of friends into the nook for an after-dinner card game. The whole house feels perfect for entertaining even though it’s small, and I love that the most.”
In the kitchen, Campanaro chose to hang her pots and pans near the stovetop. She also kept the existing granite benchtops and lower cabinets. “They were in such good condition it would have been wasteful for me to pull them out,” she says.
In the kitchen, Campanaro chose to hang her pots and pans near the stovetop. She also kept the existing granite benchtops and lower cabinets. “They were in such good condition it would have been wasteful for me to pull them out,” she says.
Campanaro took down the upper cabinets to create a more airy and open feel. She replaced them with open shelving from Ikea to keep essentials handy.
To unify her secondhand store kitchenware, Campanaro adhered to a few design rules: glasses would be clear, ceramics would be white and bowls would be either wood or stainless steel. “This way everything can be mismatched but still feel like a cohesive set and look good on the shelves, and it’s super cheap to replace anything that breaks,” she says.
Shelves: Ikea
To unify her secondhand store kitchenware, Campanaro adhered to a few design rules: glasses would be clear, ceramics would be white and bowls would be either wood or stainless steel. “This way everything can be mismatched but still feel like a cohesive set and look good on the shelves, and it’s super cheap to replace anything that breaks,” she says.
Shelves: Ikea
“When I first moved in, the breakfast nook was painted in the most appalling combination of colours. It was bright yellow above the trim, orange below, and the trim was sky blue. The ceiling was also blue and sponge-painted for a cloud effect. It took me four coats of paint to cover it with white and it was the first project I tackled when I got the keys,” Campanaro says.
Now that the space is repainted, she loves sipping coffee and doing casual laptop work there early in the day. “It’s a nice, bright spot in the morning,” she says.
Now that the space is repainted, she loves sipping coffee and doing casual laptop work there early in the day. “It’s a nice, bright spot in the morning,” she says.
The previous owners took out a wall between the kitchen and dining room, opening up the house from front to back and making a significant difference in how inviting and bright the space is throughout the day.
Additionally, the open layout makes entertaining especially easy. “People can gather in the dining room while I finish cooking and we can all still socialise,” Campanaro says.
Additionally, the open layout makes entertaining especially easy. “People can gather in the dining room while I finish cooking and we can all still socialise,” Campanaro says.
The dining room’s hand-knotted Baluch rug was a vintage score at US$100. The light from the window reveals its rich purple and black accent patterns, which play nicely off the chrome on the chairs. A macrame plant hanger and an orange plant stand add to the bohemian aesthetic.
Original French doors lead into the living room.
Wall painted in ‘Manhattan Mist’: Miller Paint
Original French doors lead into the living room.
Wall painted in ‘Manhattan Mist’: Miller Paint
Campanaro made the dining table out of salvaged barn siding and Ikea trestle legs. In the corner rests a framed black and white photograph Campanaro took inside a tropical greenhouse.
“I’m mostly influenced by the concept of yin and yang,” she says. “I like to mix masculine with feminine, wood with metal, dark with light. I like furniture with modern lines, but it has to be comfortable. The spaces flow nicely, but there is a feeling of privacy in each room. To me, the notion of duality and balance is really important in life, so that’s reflected in my home.”
“I’m mostly influenced by the concept of yin and yang,” she says. “I like to mix masculine with feminine, wood with metal, dark with light. I like furniture with modern lines, but it has to be comfortable. The spaces flow nicely, but there is a feeling of privacy in each room. To me, the notion of duality and balance is really important in life, so that’s reflected in my home.”
Campanaro designed her home to create a uniquely calming effect on herself and her guests. “I’ve always had fun making my spaces comfortable and inviting, whether it was a room in an apartment or a whole house,” she says. “To have a space to sit quietly, comfortable, and think – that’s a real luxury as far as I’m concerned. And every room supports quality social interaction.”
Campanaro keeps her design clutter-free so it’s easy to keep her place tidy and ready at a moment’s notice for friends who stop by for dinner, tea or to sit on the back patio. “It’s important to me to be able to offer a place for people to feel welcome and cared for,” she says.
TELL US
What do you think of this welcoming, boho-style home? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
Campanaro keeps her design clutter-free so it’s easy to keep her place tidy and ready at a moment’s notice for friends who stop by for dinner, tea or to sit on the back patio. “It’s important to me to be able to offer a place for people to feel welcome and cared for,” she says.
TELL US
What do you think of this welcoming, boho-style home? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
Who lives here: Jaclyn Campanaro and her cat, Cece
Location: Portland, Oregon, USA
Size: About 139 square metres plus an unfinished basement; 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom
Year built: 1927
“It was the first house I saw listed that really made me jump,” Campanaro says. “When I went to view it, I knew it was right from the second I walked in the door. I could just feel it. It needed paint and the decor wasn’t at all my style, but it was so easy to imagine what it could be. It had just the right mix of history, charm and modern convenience.”