Athena Pelton, a photographer, lives in this 2000-square-foot home in Minneapolis, Minnesota with her family. The creative and cohesively style home is decorated largely in IKEA finds and pieces from antique stores, thrift shops, and local makers.
According to Athena’s friends, the home feels inviting and comfortable. Shall we tour the home and find out if that’s true?
Your eye can’t miss the stunning wallpaper in the entry. It is from Area Environments. And the antique cedar hope chest belonged to Athena’s grandma. Athena refinished it recently.
The main living area boasts plenty of light. The entertainment console is IKEA’s BESTA system. But it has some DIY touches on the front.
You can’t be a true photographer without having some vintage cameras displayed in your home. The throw pillows on which the little pup sits are one of Athena’s impressive DIY projects. She made them using Echino fabric purchased at Crafty Planet in Minneapolis.
Other DIY projects include the striking quilts displayed on a vintage ladder and the spray-painted frames on the epic gallery wall.












On one end of the long and light-filled room is the kitchen. The living room sits on the other end. And the dining room, featuring an IKEA dining set, is in-between. Both the dining and the kitchen ceiling light fixtures are from CB2.
The countertops are called Brittanicca. They are from Cambria, a Minnesota Company. The natural quartz countertops are designed to remain beautiful forever. Athena considers them her favorite investment.
The faucet and sink are both from Kohler. The sink might have cost a fortune, but it was worth every penny!
The tile backsplash serves to unite the cream cabinets and the white walls and countertop. The look is impressive. Other remarkable elements in the kitchen include the turquoise Kitchenaid mixer, which looks awesome in the white/cream kitchen.









Away from the kitchen, Athena’s office is located in front of the house, right off the entryway. Your eye can’t miss the mug that holds her pens. Its design is another one of her great DIYs.
Serving as the craft and sewing area is the loft space at the top of the staircase on the second floor. Athena transformed knitting yarn and embroidery hoops found at Michaels into the beautiful wall hanging.
The lath wall is her proudest DIY project and favorite feature of the home. The RASKOG cart from IKEA is an excellent storage option in any craft or sewing room.








Athena’s bedroom features an IKEA bed. Paired with a mattress purchased from elsewhere, the IKEA bed becomes very tall. You have to scale it to get to the top.
IKEA shelves were added to the hallway to create book storage. They don’t take up too much space in the high traffic area, thanks to their shallowness.
Her daughter’s bedroom wall features a unicorn painted by Athena. That’s exactly what the daughter wanted. The small shelves have also been arranged exactly the way she wants them.










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