

A Vintage Feel for a Boston Home
For Sue and Garnet Ronstrom, their living room was feeling drab and it didn't match their energetic lifestyle. Homepolish's Shannon Tate came in to infuse some life into the Boston home... but in an unexpected way. The three sourced unique second-hand and vintage pieces and updated them with pops of color.
Photos by Joyelle West.

A Vintage Feel for a Boston Home
Going above and beyond, Shannon made the art and throw pillows HERSELF. She hand-stitched the pillows, and one of them even has custom painting on it!
Photos by Joyelle West.

A Vintage Feel for a Boston Home
Luckily, the couple already had the largest piece of furniture, the sofa.
Photos by Joyelle West.

A Vintage Feel for a Boston Home
But several other pieces, such as the coffee table and the midcentury media console were Craigslist finds!
Photos by Joyelle West.

A Vintage Feel for a Boston Home
A simple wall gallery frames the television and makes sure that the screen isn't the only center of attention.
Photos by Joyelle West.

A Vintage Feel for a Boston Home
Believe it or not, this is actually faux brick, and the couple were originally going to tear it out. Shannon offered an easier solution. As she said, "Painting the fireplace and styling it completely transformed it!" She chose Benjamin Moore's Kendall Charcoal for a moody tone.
Photos by Joyelle West.

A Vintage Feel for a Boston Home
Even the art accents are from a vintage source, Vintage Printable.
Photos by Joyelle West.
Although the Ronstroms are a young couple, they wanted to outfit their living area with vintage and second-hand finds. Homepolish's Shannon Tate helped achieve a sense of history, while keeping their fun energy.
Photos by Joyelle West.
For anyone who has ever tried, antique hunting is not for the faint of heart. Rummaging through piles of knick knacks and worn furnishing to find the perfect piece can get tiring, especially when you’re trying to fit a certain aesthetic. And sometimes you find the perfect piece, only to have it snatched when you look away! But the trade off is that antique, second-hand items bring spaces together in a unique way, creating a visual story.


Homepolish designer Shannon Tate is hardly a stranger to this. When she met up with Sue and Garnet Ronstrom in Boston, they specified that they were interested in sourcing from Craigslist and second-hand stores whenever possible. This was not without a fair amount of heartbreak. When the team found a beautiful Kilim rug on Chairish, it was bought before they could make up their minds. And then the same happened to their original choice for the coffee table.
But they weren’t defeated! They kept on the lookout for more, and eventually found some midcentury pieces. Shannon also added in paint details and made the throw pillows for the sofa by HAND. Now Sue and Garnet have a comfy space… as do their two dogs. (Not pictured: a 4-foot-long dog memory foam bed for their Mastiff and pug.)
“”
I can organize things, but I can’t make them look good. We had eclectic, but not in a good way. Kudos to Shannon who did all the magic in this space!
- Sue Ronstrom, Homepolish client