A Chat with Carissa of House on the Ravine

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Carissa

Hi Friends this month my featured “Chat” is with Carissa a DIY powerhouse (along with her hubs) behind the Instagram account House on Ravine. She and Larry purchased their 1913 Arts and Crafts home in 2022 and since that time there hasn’t been a space they haven’t touched. The entry: paint, wallpaper and installing custom hand-built drawers in the closet. The livingroom: Fireplace and Carissa reupholstered a Facebook Marketplace loveseat herself. The diningroom: paint. The kitchen: paint, custom cafe curtains, new lighting. Powder room: paint and wallpaper. The family room: paint including stenciling the floor, fully rehabbing a Facebook Marketplace cabinet to house the electronics including new hardware. Heading to the second floor they added a custom built in closet in their bedroom and gutted the adjoining bath. Rehabbed the family bath through much paint and wallpaper. Their sons room: paint. Their daughters room: custom cabinetry, curtains and a custom headboard. I can’t wait to see what else this talented pair do next! Let’s get to it. Carissa thank you for carving out the time to pop by the Chalet for a chat - can you please introduce yourself.

Hi, I’m Carissa. I’m married to Larry and we have two kids, and we live on Chicago’s North Shore with our rescue dog, Lottie. Our home - what we call our “House on the Ravine”- is a 1913 house set on a beautiful ravine, and it’s been a labor of love since the day we moved in.

A couple of years into working on the house, I realized we had barely documented any of the progress – no real “before and after” moments to look back on. I started Instagram as a way to capture that journey, just for us and some of our family and friends at first. But it quickly became a creative outlet I genuinely enjoy. I began sharing more of our projects and the process behind them, and it naturally evolved into what it is now.

These days, I use the platform to document our home projects and the reality of tackling DIY as a team. It’s not always easy with kids and full time jobs, and we try to keep that part honest - showing both the wins and the challenges. It’s been fun to connect with others along the way and to build something creative out of what started as a simple way to keep track of our own progress.

The House on the Ravine’s Entry

What motivates you? I think it’s a combination of things. First, it’s creating a beautiful space for my family to enjoy - especially my kids. I hope that one day, when they’re older, they’ll look back and feel proud of how hard we worked to make a home for them. And that they remember it not just for how it looked, but for how it felt to grow up there. It’s also the process itself. I like a good challenge! Figuring things out, learning new skills, and seeing something slowly come together over time. There’s something very satisfying about taking on a project that feels a little out of reach and making it work.

Who or What has been the biggest influence on you? Probably my grandma. As a kid, my grandma taught me to sew, would help me rearrange my room or decorate it, and I remember when I was about 5 or 6 she built us a tree-house in our backyard! She’s a very determined German woman and never takes no for an answer, and I think I get my “where there is a will there is a way” from her. And then growing up my mom was very into antiques and old homes and I think that impacted me too!

Carissa reupholstered this marketplace loveseat herself .

Your Happy place – where is it? Hands down – home! I almost always prefer to be here with the fam. But France is a close second – I consider it home in a different way. I lived there during my 20s, which was such a formative time, so it will always have a special place in my heart. I think it also quietly shaped my personal design aesthetic in ways I see today.

The iteration of the Fireplace at the House on the Ravine - painted white when Carissa and Larry purchased the 1913 house, a temporary brick veneer they installed and lastly the custom tile surround they designed and installed. This incredible tile feels very fitting for their home. As Carissa said of the transformation: “This project was our chance to honor the Arts and Crafts roots of our 1913 home with a little elegance and a hint of nature pulled from the ravine outside”

When asked what space are you most comfortable? Carissa replied: I really love all of our spaces, but probably our living room because the fireplace is just so cozy!

The totally redesigned Fireplace SURROUND

What is your home aesthetic? I think it’s important to let the house lead and it’s a 1913 Arts and Crafts home with Colonial details. Our interiors definitely have a classic, traditional feel, but very layered. I like to mix vintage and antique pieces with newer elements, and I’m drawn to rich colors, pattern, and materials that feel like they have some history. I try to balance it all so it never feels overly formal or overly styled – just warm, collected, and intentional but feels livable.

the kitchen - they recently replaced the ceiling can lights with sweet glass fixtures.

What’s your personal style? I am typically dressed like Adam Sandler haha! But I find that I have a lot of pieces that are similar to our home and its wallpaper – I love a good floral pattern. Otherwise it’s really just pretty classic and simple. I want to feel put together but still comfortable – and I really like pieces that make a unique, subtle statement.

FAMILY BATH

This project is an example of what Carissa accomplished without demo. The toilet needed to be replaced but, everything else is aesthetic. Carissa painstakingly hand-painted every tile and turned this bath into a sophisticated dreamy wallpapered space accented with a deep rich red.

What is something you try and do every day? Well, between kids, work, and projects I try to get a run or some kind of workout in for mental health’s sake!

What’s your guilty pleasure? Real Housewives, for sure. Salt Lake City is fantastic. I once had a French professor compare a Housewives moment to Descartes, so honestly… it’s basically intellectual if you think about it. Also Larry hates it so it’s the only time I truly get to myself haha!

Carissa thank you so much my dear for taking the time from your busy schedule to share yourself with my readers. I really appreciate it! I love all your wonderful projects at the House on the Ravine! You are a powerhouse of creativity and good taste!

Please Follow Carissa -

Watch she and Larry give a tour of the House on the Ravine on Homeworthy.

Til next time be well and I’ll see you on the Gram!

All Images: Carissa

A Chat with Emily of Willow & Pearls

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Emily

Friends I’m so happy to welcome my friend Emily to the Chalet for a chat. Hi Emily thank you for joining me can you please share a bit about yourself.

Hi I’m Emily, also known as Willow & Pearls on Instagram. I live with my family - husband Doug, son Liam, daughter Abby Grace and our pups Max and Lexi on the eastern shore of Mobile Bay, in Southern Alabama. We are a former Air Force family who are finally making a house a home. I’ve shared our renovation and highlights from our life over the last 6 years as well as created an online store that offers curated vintage home decor. 

Willow & Pearls was created out of necessity and turned into something I could have never imagined. When we left the Air Force my husband, a pilot, began working for the airlines. This all lined up perfectly with the COVID-19 pandemic which all but brought air travel to a standstill. We found ourselves with a new home, two small children and no income. My husband ended up flying for the military again this time as a contractor. I decided to take the plunge and turn my passion for decor into a business. My husband deployed twice and I slowly built Willow & Pearls one vintage find at a time. 

What I never expected to happen, was to form treasured friendships with my clients and fellow Instagram creators. I will forever be grateful to those who have been here since the beginning when our lives were so turned upside down. 

the nerve center of Willow & Pearls - Emily’s Studio

Today, thankfully, all has settled and my husband is a captain with American Airlines. But back then, in the thick of it all Willow & Pearls was such a bright spot in the darkness for me. So it’s definitely more than just a business it’s a true lifeline. 

Click the Logo to visit Emily’s Website

What motivates you? I find myself motivated by inability to relax - I have zero chill according to those who know me best! My mind is always spinning and dreaming up new projects. Our home is an older 1960s Cape Cod which had sat empty for a few years. She has good bones but has required a lot of TLC. So you’ll always find me painting something or tackling a DIY project. After years of Washington DC apartment dwelling then years as a military spouse I have absolutely treasured being settled and having the freedom to truly personalize a space. 

Who or What has been the biggest influence on you? I would say that it is combination of Mario Buatta who I have adored since childhood and my time living in Europe. Mario Buatta also used a lot of European antiques and style in his decor. And living in Germany on the French border I was heavily influenced by European style.

SOME OF THE WONDERFUL ITEMS EMILY OFFERS ON HER SITE

Your Happy place – where is it? My happy place is truly our home. Our daughter, Abby Grace, was diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum a little over 3 years ago. The road to the diagnosis was long and to be frank gut wrenching. The road after the diagnosis has been difficult but our brave girl has made so much progress. With the diagnosis we realized our lives would look drastically different than we had always planned in so many ways. One big one being that we would not travel as we had always dreamed of, as it’s very difficult for Abby Grace. So my husband and I came to the decision we would just pour everything into our home and make it a place we loved to be. And now, home truly is my favorite place to be. 

What’s your personal style? I am a child of the 80s and I think that is very much reflected in my personal style. I’ve never met a bow I didn’t love. As mentioned - I have been a lifelong admirer of The Prince of Chintz, Mario Buatta. I’d say he definitely had the biggest impact on my personal style. I adore vintage chintz fabrics and tend to hoard them. Wallpaper makes my heart race, gallery walls are my love language and I’ve never met a good chair I didn’t want to be in a long term relationship with! 

Emily’s Foyer and gorgeous Gallery Wall

What is your home aesthetic? I think I’d best describe our home as a patchwork quilt. It truly tells the story of our lives. The places we’ve lived, the things we love and our past. I’m often asked how did I create our home or how did you buy all the random stuff and have it all go together!? And the truth is, I never purchased an item thinking oh this will go with this etc, I have just always purchased items I love and somehow it’s all worked. Well in my opinion it has. I think people get too scared of decorating their spaces. There are no rules just buy what you love! 

The Green Lady surrounded by her pups - is not a family relative - but an extraordinary find!

Emily just finished living through her largest home project to date. Her fully redesigned kitchen. Every bit of the space is custom and Emily designed it all. Her uncle is her go to contractor and made her dream a reality! The french blue and the lattice! It’s stunning!

Would you say your stunning kitchen is your favorite space in your home? Yes, my kitchen is my favorite spot in the house and I enjoy cooking. It's one of my favorite things to do besides gardening and decorating. So I do enjoy spending a lot of time in there. Also the kitchen gets the best light in the house so that kind of plays into it too. I really love the light in the kitchen.

I had the great blessing, of being stationed in Germany for 3 years which has also had a major impact on my decorating style. I ended up selling all my American furniture to the Germans then I took the money to France and purchased countless French antiques! We arrived in Germany with 10,000 pounds of household goods and left with 14,000. We were allowed 14,500 and those 500 pounds I didn’t use still haunt me to this day! 

Emily has featured her grandfather Art and his hand-made creations: he has crafted churches, Halloween decor and beautiful crosses.

emily took her laundry room next level with the combination of the sign and french ribbon

What is something you try and do every day? Something I try to do everyday….thats a hard question to answer as most days I’m solo parenting, homeschooling, constantly cleaning something, working on one of my 10 million unfinished home projects and trying not to look like the complete hot mess that I am on Willow & Pearls! I feel like I am in a season of life where it’s hard to structure and to be honest I struggle with that a lot. But everyday, I show up and try to do my best does that count?! 

What’s your guilty pleasure? Guilty pleasure, hmmmmm probably online shopping late at night when I should be seeping! I love to search online for vintage fabrics and wallpapers! Nothing thrills me more than beautiful textiles! 

Emily thank you so much for taking the time from your very busy schedule to chat with me. I am in awe of the brand you’ve created with your wonderful discerning eye and a lot of very hard work! I’m so happy we connected through the world of Instagram my dear!

Follow Emily: @willowandpearls and her website Willow & Pearls. If you’re local Emily has a booth at the Daphne Antique Galleria.

Til next time be well and I’ll see you over on the Gram!

IMAGES: Emily

A Chat with Amber Zakahi

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Amber with her Franciscan ware in Green Ivy

Friends I’m so happy to welcome Amber Zakahi to the Chalet for a chat. welcome - please share a bit about yourself.

Hi, I’m Amber, the creator behind @collected_on_chronicle. I live in Washington State with my husband Micah, our two kids, and a house full of animals and secondhand treasures. Our home is a 90s house that I’ve been slowly transforming room by room into what I like to call a collected home. It’s a space filled with character, history, and pieces that have lived other lives before finding their way here.

My love vintage, antiques and secondhand pieces and creating really started when I was young. I had many collections including porcelain dolls. I designed my own outfits I would have my mom sew for me. Before the age of ten my family didn’t have much money, so thrifting and secondhand shopping were not trends for us. That was just how we lived. When my stepfather joined the military we began moving all over the United States, and eventually we lived in Europe for several years. Being surrounded by so much history, architecture, and antiques planted the seeds for my love of old things and the stories they carry.

Young Amber with her doll collection

My grandma was also a huge influence. She loved antiques and was always going to estate sales. She even sold vintage and antiques on eBay long before that was common. It was just her thing. I had the privilege of tagging along to many estate sales while growing up. When I moved out on my own she gave me several pieces, and that is really where I began leaning into my interest for interior decorating. 

After I married my husband Micah at 25, life moved quickly for us. Because of my health we needed to have our kids sooner than we originally planned. Around that same time I was dealing with significant health challenges that brought a lot of medical bills. Decorating a home the traditional way was not realistic for us financially, so I leaned into what I already knew. I started thrifting, going to estate sales and garage sales, and searching Craigslist. 

What began as a way to furnish our home affordably slowly turned into a small business. I started finding vintage and antique pieces, repairing, painting and refinishing furniture, taking custom clients, and doing design work on the side. For a period of time I was also an antique and vintage dealer at a well known antique marketplace in Seattle. That chapter was incredibly fun and gave me the chance to work closely with antiques every day.

A Set of Chairs Amber refinished

That small business lasted several years and helped us pay off many of those medical bills and eventually buy a home.

I no longer run that business, but I have kept much of the collection I built over the years. One thing people often find interesting is that I have a dedicated decor storage room where I keep many of the vintage and antique pieces I have collected. I call it my decor library. It can be a little controversial online, but for me it is an organized collection that allows me to rotate pieces through our home over time. What I have discovered is that many people quietly do the same thing. They have just been afraid of being judged for it. 

Amber’s Decor Library

I have had some health challenges over the years which means I spend more time at home than I expected. In many ways it has been a gift. It allowed me to slow down and tap into the creative side of myself. Decorating, collecting, and sharing the process online has become a way for me to connect with others who love antique, vintage pieces, secondhand finds, and homes that evolve slowly over time.

I’ve never believed a home should come together all at once. The best spaces grow over time, piece by piece, as life happens inside them.

What motivates you? I think at the core I have a deep need to create and transform things. In many ways it mirrors parts of my life. Growing up I had a tumultuous childhood, and creativity was something I turned to during difficult times. Making things, collecting, rearranging spaces, and imagining possibilities helped me process a lot when I was young.

I do feel like I lost that creative part of myself for several years in adulthood, but I eventually found my way back to it. Now what motivates me most is that feeling of creating something, even if it’s small. Whether it’s rearranging a room, bringing home a secondhand piece, or styling a corner of the house, the act of creating brings me a lot of joy and peace.

I’ve learned that creativity is something I truly need in my life. It keeps me grounded and reminds me that transformation is always possible.

Who or what has been the biggest influence on you? One of the biggest influences on my life was living in Europe when I was a young adult. My family lived in a small town in Germany called Kitzingen, which was just outside a larger military base. It was a small post-war town with an incredible amount of history, and living there completely changed the way I saw the world.

During that time I was dating the mayor’s son, and through his family I was introduced to parts of the town and its history that I probably would not have experienced otherwise. Seeing that deeper layer of local history opened my eyes in a way that really stayed with me.

One memory that stands out clearly was visiting the Palace of Versailles for the first time at 18 years old. Walking through the palace and seeing the scale, the art, the colors, and the history all around me left a huge impression. I remember feeling completely in awe of it. I think that moment really sparked my love for French antiques and historic interiors.

While we were living in Europe, I also traveled whenever I had the chance. I traveled with friends and sometimes on my own, visiting places like Italy, the UK, Russia, the Netherlands, and several other countries across Europe. I even had the opportunity to travel to Africa. Being able to experience so many different cultures, architecture, and histories outside of the United States had a huge impact on me.

Looking back, I think those years shaped the way I see homes and objects today. Being surrounded by places that had evolved over hundreds of years taught me that homes do not have to be perfect or brand new to be beautiful. The layers, the history, and the stories are often what make them meaningful.

Your happy place – where is it? My happy place is honestly at home. After everything life has brought my way over the years, creating a home that feels peaceful, layered, and personal means a lot to me.

There’s something really special about those moments when my husband, my kids, and all of our pets are here and we’re just living life together in this space that I’ve created for our family.

I love the quiet moments when the sunlight is coming through the windows and the house feels calm. Sometimes I’ll sit in the living room with a cup of tea and just look around at the things that make our home feel beautiful and meaningful to me. It might be flipping through a book, or going down to my decor storage room and moving things around and bringing different pieces into the house.

Home is where I can slow down, be creative, and be surrounded by the people and things I love most. That feeling of comfort, creativity, and family all in one place is what makes it my happy place

The Primary Suite

What’s your personal style? My personal style is really a mix of many different things because I genuinely love so many different styles. I’m drawn to chinoiserie, French pieces, French country, English influences, antiques, vintage objects. I love art and own an overflowing collection of it. It’s less about fitting into one category and more about how pieces make me feel when I bring them into a space.

That’s why I often describe my style as eclectic. It changes depending on what I’m inspired by at the moment or what pieces I’m excited about decorating with. But even though it evolves, there are still common threads throughout my home that make it feel cohesive and unmistakably mine.

One of those threads is color. I tend to gravitate toward colors that feel connected to nature. Shades that remind me of the sky, trees, and the earth. Those tones repeat throughout my home and help everything feel calm and grounded.

I also love creating visual references and repetition within a space. You’ll notice similar textures, materials, and objects appearing in different rooms. That layering is what gives the house depth and character.

Overall my style is very collected, layered, and textured. It’s not loud or overwhelming, but I love when a space makes you pause for a moment, notice the details, and maybe even feel a little curious about the stories behind the pieces.

Out on the Hunt

What is your home aesthetic? I would describe my home aesthetic as collected, layered, and very personal. Most of the pieces in my home are vintage, antique, or secondhand, and they’ve been gathered over many years from estate sales, thrift stores, antique shops, and places I’ve traveled.

One interesting thing about collecting this way is that many of the pieces carry very specific memories for me. I can often remember exactly where I found something, the moment I spotted it, and sometimes even what I paid for it. It’s almost like a visual memory tied to the object. Because of that, the pieces in my home feel connected to different moments in my life.

I love mixing influences - like French, English, and chinoiserie pieces, but I don’t approach decorating with strict rules. I focus more on how things feel together. My home has a lot of texture, layers, and objects with history, but the overall feeling is still calm and grounded.

Color also plays a big role. I tend to gravitate toward colors that feel connected to nature. Shades that remind me of the sky, trees, and earth. Those tones repeat throughout the house and help everything feel cohesive even though there are many different styles mixed together.

At the end of the day, my goal is for the house to feel warm, lived in, and full of stories.

The Livingroom

What space are you most comfortable in? The space I’m most comfortable in is my living room. It’s probably the most evolved space in our home and the one that continues to change the most. I often think of it as a kind of ongoing art project.

It’s the room where I experiment the most with decorating. Sometimes the changes are small, like moving a chair, rearranging pillows, or bringing in a different piece from my decor storage room. Other times the space shifts more noticeably. It can evolve daily or weekly depending on what I’m inspired by.

Because of that, the living room always feels alive to me. It’s a place where I can play with creativity, layer different pieces together, and watch the space transform over time.

What is something you try to do every day? One thing I try to do every day is spend a little time taking care of my home. I genuinely enjoy tidying up, vacuuming, and putting things back in order. It’s not in an obsessive way, but more because I like how it makes the house feel.

There’s something calming about resetting a space. When things are clean and organized, it allows me to really appreciate the home we’ve created and the pieces I’ve collected over the years.

For me it’s a small daily ritual that helps the house feel peaceful and lived in.

What’s your guilty pleasure? My guilty pleasure is probably a good sweet treat and a podcast or documentary. It might be something simple like candy, a pastry, banana bread, or anything sweet, and then settling in to listen to something interesting.

I’ve always been really fascinated by psychology and have studied it quite a bit over the years. Because of that, I tend to gravitate toward crime podcasts and documentaries, especially the ones that really break down human behavior and the psychology behind why people do the things they do.

Amber gifted me the large delft tile from her Decor Library!

A lot of the time I’ll listen to those while I’m cleaning or tidying up around the house. Something about having a good story playing in the background while I’m doing something productive is oddly relaxing to me.

Amber my sweet friend - Thank YOU! I appreciate you taking the time to chat with me. I feel so fortunate to have connected through the world that is Instagram. I love seeing your posts, learning about your newest thrifted finds and seeing how you style them in your beautiful home! You never fail to inspire me!

Please Follow Amber -

Til next time be well and I’ll see you over on the Gram!

IMAGES: Amber Zakahi