Building Character Into a New Craftsman Home

Seven years ago, Heather and Juan Salazar found themselves at a crossroads. Already parents to two children under the age of 12, with plans for a third in the near future, the couple realized they needed more room than their 1,600-square-foot home in Snohomish, Washington, provided. They could either upgrade to a recently built house in the same affordable subdivision, or splurge on a fixer-upper elsewhere. Ultimately, she and Juan, who works as a UPS driver, decided to move two blocks away—to a Craftsman knockoff completed in 1999.

Wallpaper, $5: Heather covered the wall in book pages adhered with diluted craft glue she had on hand.

Light, $49: Fashioned from a watering can, this pendant light was an Etsy find.

Hutch, $500: The Salazars spotted this hutch at Costco Home before the outlet chain went out of business.

Table and chairs, $125: The antique bistro chairs and walnut table were all nabbed for this low price.

Rug, $129: A jute rug from Ikea defines the dining room.

"When we first walked in, my eyes went to the living room's vaulted ceiling, and I thought it was such a waste of space!" Heather, a bank-loan officer, recalls. So she and Juan decided to expand a small existing loft over the common area, creating an upstairs den in the process.

The Salazars "aged" the new place by adding wainscoting and molding, as well as by replacing the hollow-core doors with solid reclaimed ones. "We installed a barn-style sliding track between the living area and the workroom, and I loved it so much that I put in two more," says Heather.

Doors, $300: Crafted for $200 using salvaged materials, the family-room door slides on a $100 track from a local feed store.

Though many of Heather's finds hail from Craigslist and eBay, her favorite hunting grounds are local, not virtual: yard sales, thrift stores, and flea markets. "New stuff in stores doesn't usually have the character I adore—the rust, the chipped paint, the history," she explains.

Wall decor, $45: In the dining room, Heather hung an old map (on walls painted Drumskin by Valspar) discovered on eBay.

Mantel, $110: The distressed mantel was another eBay gem.

Throughout, vintage mantels suggest fireplaces, wallpaper ripped from old books tells a story, and an oversize, intentionally roughed-up "clock"—built with plywood and scrap materials by Juan—could pass for a bona fide antique. The walls here (and in the kitchen) are painted Oatmeal by Benjamin Moore.

Clock, $23: The Salazars assembled this nonfunctioning clock with $23 of rope and plywood, plus leftover paint and hands cut from scrapwood.

Chair, $60: A burlap T.J. Maxx pillow, only $10, contrasts with a leather armchair scored on Craigslist.

Cachepot, $5: A cast-off canvas tool bag surprises as a cachepot.

Heather isn't above dumpster-diving, either. "There's a great antiques shop nearby that always has a garbage heap," she says. "One day, I asked the owner if I could pick through it. He initially thought I was nuts, but now he's curious." The rebel does, however, play by a few rules: Never take anything without a purpose in mind, and for every object coming in, something else must leave. "Just to keep me from becoming a hoarder!" Heather jokes.

Lamp, $23: A $5 can of spray-paint (Cut Ruby by Valspar) from Lowe's updated a chrome lamp. The wall is painted Chalkboard by Valspar.

Desk, $80: This vintage pine table makes the perfect desk.

Typewriter, $0: The kids peck out messages on this 1920s typewriter, grabbed from a neighbor's giveaway pile.

Calendar, $48: Heather created a calendar with chalkboard paint, paper tags, and wooden letters.

Wall art, $0: Heather painted a "5" (the number of people in her family) on found wood and sanded it for an aged finish, which helps it pop against Benjamin Moore's Intense White that covers the wall.

Globes, $20-$30 each: Globes collected from thrift stores and tag sales decorate the workroom.

Storage unit, $60: Spray-painted yellow and topped with plywood, three Goodwill filing cabinets—bought for $25 total—morphed into a storage unit.

Often Heather sells rehabbed pieces on Craigslist at double what she originally paid. In Heather's estimation, her biggest success is that she feels as if she's living well outside the suburban box: "If you walked into the house next door and then you entered my house, you'd swear you were in an entirely different neighborhood."

Wallpaper, $150 for 8 rolls: Heather happened upon a stash of this discounted Waverly wallpaper online.

Bed, $995: After a two-year search for the right bed, the couple finally splurged on one by Thomasville.

Bedding, $216: A Target duvet cover, on sale for $89, mixes with $127 of Pottery Barn pillows.

Nightstand, $20: Thanks to fresh stain and hardware, a discarded nightstand cleaned up nicely.

The furniture's equally worn and well loved, while the accessories (secondhand candlesticks, a storage unit assembled using a $25 trio of filing cabinets) speak softly of shabby nobility. The wall behind the fireplace is painted Pale Sand by Laura Ashley.

Tin boxes, $10: Heather snagged these tin boxes at the annual Farm Chicks Antique Show.

Candlesticks, $3.72: The small brass candlesticks cost a quarter each at Goodwill; the tall ones, 99 cents.

Mantel, $110: An old mantel from eBay lends the illusion of a fireplace in the master bedroom.

Door, $27: A $2 package of letters gave this $25 salvaged door an industrial look.

The walls are painted Creme Brulee by Behr.

The Salazars—(from left) Juan, Juaqin, Heather, and Adan—enjoy a snack in their backyard gazebo.