Our Story

When we married in 2002, we did the typical newlywed thing: we lived in a small apartment and saved up, dreaming of the day we would buy a home. With Ben freshly out of graduate school and us expecting our first babies (twins!), we moved back to our hometown and bought our first house. It was just right for our little family, but 9 years later, we had filled it to the brim with children and laughter and memories. We had been scouring the local real estate offerings for a larger home for 2 years, with no luck. Finally, when baby #6 was born, we gave up on moving locally and decided to sell our house and move to Costa Rica for a couple of years instead! Our home was sold (after just 3 days on the market). Passport pictures were taken. A language school was contacted. A rental home was secured. All that was left was to purchase our plane tickets. And then, it happened.

Ben drove past a big, lovely, house (our dream home, really) that we had walked past a hundred times on family walks through our old neighborhood. On a whim, he stopped and left a note on the front door, stating that we were looking for a home and asking the owner to contact him if they were interested in selling (did I mention it wasn't on the market?). We couldn't believe it when he received an email from the owner the very next day! It simply stated, "I have decided to sell my house at this time." What?!?

We have lived in this house for over 3 years now, and it has taught us a lot...

We can't resist the charm and solid bones of old homes, despite their high-maintenance ways.
Dreams do come true, but sometimes they require a lot more patience and work than you may have anticipated.
Like our home, we are a work in progress, and our real life isn't always as pretty as it may seem on social media.
Even your "dream home" is really just a house until YOU make it home.

As it turns out, a house does not automatically feel like home just because you moved in, and for us, the journey from house to home is taking longer than we had anticipated. There are times we find ourselves stricken with a case of design paralysis, with so many possibilities we are unsure of where to start. There are other times that inspiration strikes unexpectedly when a certain piece evokes emotion (not sure why, but a simple scalloped trim just makes us smile), regardless of whether it makes sense according to the "rules" of decorating. In addition, we have found that the hunt for high quality goods that will look current yet stand the test of time can be frustrating. Despite its challenges, we believe the journey from house to home is a meaningful one, full of rewards for your family, your guests, and yourself.

Our hope is that Gingham Street will be the place you know you can come when you need a nudge in the right design direction. While you are dreaming of molding your space into a place of comfort and warmth (with just the right touch of whimsy), we will be busy curating a collection of fine products to offer for your home, with just as much care as we are giving our own. We hope that Gingham Street will become one of your favorite stops along your way as you "make it home."