House Tour with Amber Dusick of Woodmouse

Today we are taking a peek into the home of maker and mommy, Amber Dusick. Amber has been busy restoring and remodeling her 1950s ranch home along with her husband, ever since the pair purchased the home back in 2009. I love when I see a home that reflects the personality of its owners, and this one is full of character and charm.

Tell us about yourself Amber.

My name is Amber Dusick and I make handcrafted wooden toys and figures using sustainably harvested wood under the name woodmouse. I also have a few other creative businesses and keep a personal blog that ties it all together at amberdusick.com. I live in Los Angeles with my husband, two little boys (ages 4 and 10 months) and two pesky black cats.

What kind of home do you live in?

Our house was built in 1955 and is a California ranch style house. We bought it last year from the original owner and it literally hadnt been touched since 1955. We did a lot of cosmetic upgrading but we wanted to preserve the original 50s feel of the house at the same time. It had carpet throughout but we ripped it up to reveal gorgeous hardwood floors. We painted and laid tile and even widened a few doorways. We did most everything ourselves and Ive been busy sharing what we learned on my decorating hobby site, DIY Home Decorating.

And how would you describe your design style?

I really like to have at least some of the furnishings echo the style of the home itself so weve been slowly collecting mid-century items to weave in. A number of things in our home were thrifted or just plain found on the side of the road. Our Danish chairs were left here for us by the original owner, as well as all our viintage light fixtures anda lot of other vintage furniture. They were going to throw it all out but we said, “No! Please just leave it all in the house!” and they did.

Our hobbies also play a large part in our decorating style. My husband plays guitar so we hang them on the wall. Same with his vintage amp collection. I collect vintage ice cream scoops and vintage boomerang shaped ashtrays and these also find their place in displays. My own woodworking figures and art pieces are scattered throughout the house obviously and I strive to buy from other independent artists as much as possible.

Thanks so much for the tour Amber. Please be sure to visit Amber at the following links.