Design*Sponge » Blog Archive » sneak peek: dutch door press {mara}

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not only is mara murphy of dutch door press a talented letterpress printer, stationery connoisseur and business woman, but she also has an awesome home. her use of color is so warm and inviting, it must be wonderful to come home to from the chill of the san francisco air. i’m definitely feeling ready to move in! CLICK HERE for the full post (and more images!), and don’t forget to check out their studio peek as well (and their recently relaunched website). thanks, mara! -anne

[above: The stools are the comfiest bar stools ever. They are from Design Within Reach. ]

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The art above the couch was a gift from my husbands sister for our wedding. It was purchased several years ago at a store called Den near our house in San Francisco. As funny as it is, the signature on the back of the painting is not legible so I am not sure of the artist. The chairs are vintage and were picked up at a little upholstery shop near my parents house in Pennsylvania.

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The print above the stove was a gift that i received from a secret santa who knew me very well several years ago. It’s by Heather Amuny-Dey and you can purchase it at Velocity. The print on the right is one that I ordered just recently. It was printed by Roddy and Ginger.

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The headboard is an antique candle mold that we had a friend who is a woodworker turn into a headboard for us. The birds above the bed we purchased from Anthropologie several years ago. The batik pillows on the bed are from Lotus Bleu.

CLICK HERE for the rest of Mara’s peek after the jump!

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Most of the things on this shelf are vintage an collected along the years at flea markets or given to us as gifts. The frames above the shelves are made of reclaimed wood from barns.

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The girl on the bike print above the rocker is by Etui. The matryoshka pillow is by Thomas Paul.

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The fabric with bird squares hung above the bookshelf was a gift from my friends at my baby shower. All of the people invited were sent fabric and thread and were told to sew a bird on their square. It is by far my one of my favorite things in our house. My friends told me that if I wanted, they would make it into a quilt but I really like it as is! The elephant on the left is by Petit Collage. The framed print was a gift made by a friend for Dottie’s first birthday. She recently launched an Etsy site called Collect Red where she sells custom made prints like this.

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Dottie’s room. The art above the crib is a piece that was done by Thomas Campbell. . . Our bathroom: This print is by our friend Janey who is the owner/designer of a greeting card and gift company called Foxy and Winston. We love her illustrations of creatures big and small.

I gasped when I saw that red wall! What a great way to make what might have otherwise been an odd little nook really really gorgeous! Beautiful palette, throughout.

And yeah the dog is cute, but what a beautiful little girl! Mama has a weakness for the same SKR’s as I do. :)

thank you so much for all of your lovely comments! in response to your questions….
the paint is all benjamin moore and dottie’s room is sesame, our main area and kitchen is bleeker beige, and the red wall is brick red. the dining room chairs are from CB2 an the table is from crate & barrel. the corgi print is from swallowtail in san francisco. the frames and bookshelf with metal legs are from zonal in san francisco on hayes street…i’m not sure who made them but i love them! yes, i was wrong about the artist who made the print above the stove….it is heather amuny-dey (the post has been corrected. thank you “orit”). the bike dottie is riding is made by elc and has the cutest little trailor that attaches to it.

Mara has an incredible home… yes, we’d all like to move right in! And ah so nice to see so much beautiful wood celebrated here. Wood purists salute you, Mara! I admit the before/afters here on D*S are killing me. I’ve had to look away, too upsetting seeing so many repeats of natural beauty hidden under chip ready pancake makeup. Argh, a laziness epidemic? Instead look forward to gazing upon a pro wood refinishing project here and again pretty please. (If I have missed these, my apologies.) If someone must have color on their wood then suggest using something like Bioshield’s eco-friendly aqua resin stains and let the wood grain have its day . :~)

One of my all time favorites. Like a lot of other people, I have a question about something: where did you get the line drawing displayed in the dining room next to the martryoshka dolls? Seriously, your house is all I dream mine will be some day.

The rocking chair is from Design Within Reach. I love it because it folds up which is perfect when you are tight on space. The kitchen countertops are made of caesarstone. The line drawing in the dining room is a Matisse print that was a gift from my parents last year for Christmas.

Hi Mara! I was just telling a friend this week that I wanted a house that could handle a lot of color in the decor’ (kids drawings, changing artwork, rotating displays of stuff from outside, etc.) without clashing. I was thinking of a black and white rule of thumb for walls, trim, big furniture and such but you showed me how it could be warmed up a bit. You’ve done a truly beautiful job on your home.

Hi Mara! You have a lovely home. I was wondering if you could tell me a little more about your kitchen, in particular where you purchased your cabinets and what your countertop is. Thanks so much and thanks for sharing.

golly…the cabinets are made by pedini and the countertops are made of caesarstone (in the color pebble with a 2″ lip)
sue huey…the rocking chair is from design within reach (love the name iris!)
shashi…our fridge is made by sub-zero

I’m surprised no one has asked what color green you have on your bedroom wall yet? I’m searching for the elusive grass green color for my living room. What’s the name? and yes, I love your design and am using it as inspiration for my redecorating!

Hi! congratulations! your home is beautiful, I was surprised to find the green chairs of the livingroom are a copy of one I have in my house, it´s not green, it is made of a white fabric. I just got it from an aunt´s house. I was wondering if it was made by a designer, the chair is old so we lost track of it´s first owner. I am from Mexico, is funny to find a copy of those unique looking chairs in another country. Do you know if they where made by a designer?

Hello Mara: Since DWR was listed for the barstools, thought it might be O.K. to mention that your great kitchen cabinets came from Spencer Knight who is now with Korts & Knight Cabinetry in San Francisco. We love your work too Mara. The kitchen looks great! Susan Korts Knight

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