A Peak Inside Bohemian Lifestyle Blogger Alicia Lund's Chic Abode

Life in tight quarters isn't easy, and after years spent living in San Francisco and New York City, bohemian lifestyle blogger Alicia Lund and her husband Tanner were craving space and a backyard. When the opportunity came to relocate back to the West Coast, they found room to breathe in a charming 1940s home in Sacramento's East Sac neighborhood.

Going from a tiny West Village apartment to a four-bedroom house that needed a complete gut job isn't the smoothest of transitions, especially for a busy couple with plenty on their plate (she's an editorial stylist on top of keeping up with her blog, Cheetah Is the New Black, while he works in private equity). To make their transition smoother, they called on the help of local designer, Deborah Costa from Design Alchemy, to bring their vision to life. Their vision: an updated open floor plan with a classic black-and-white color scheme and layered bohemian touches. 

Elegant Dining Room

"I couldn't have imagined undergoing a remodel on our own," says Lund of her newly remodeled ground floor—"especially since we took many of the rooms down to the studs." Gut-renovating the 1940s home took a bit of convincing for Lund's husband, but she had a vision and knew the potential of their new home: "I wanted an open space for entertaining," she says. "I also knew I wanted to keep the color scheme classic black and white—mainly inspired from my time living in New York."

They found the perfect match in Costa. "She understands my style so well and helped me execute my vision perfectly while keeping with the original character and charm of the home. She really made the entire process so stress-free."

Curvilinear Mid-Century Chandelier West Elm $499.00

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A Kitchen for Entertaining

Lund needed adequate entertaining space, and the kitchen and dining room in the original house simply didn't work. "Aesthetically, my main goal was to brighten the space," says Lund. "We wanted the downstairs to feel inviting and open. I love entertaining and wanted to create a happy space for friends and family to feel welcomed."

In order to maximize space, they opened up the wall dividing the dining room and kitchen and reconfigured everything to make one large, eat-in space. Increasing the window size was also a game-changer, as it let in so much more natural light. 

Organic Modernism Kurf-A Bar Stool $795.00

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Classic White Finishes

Lund also had a clear vision on the finishes of her kitchen. "I had just gotten back from a trip to New York when I made our tile and hardware decisions, and I went with classic white subway tile in the kitchen," she says.

Anthropologie Nina Marble Cheese Board $68.00

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Dramatic Bar

To complete her entertainer's dream, Lund added a wet bar next to the kitchen. "We turned a desk area in the back of the kitchen into a dramatic bar," she says. "This functions as the coffee bar in the morning and cocktail hour in the evening." To keep the aesthetic in line with the kitchen, she kept the scheme black and white, but selected brass hardware and a mirrored backsplash to add dramatic flair.

Crate and Barrel Staccato Decanter $60.00

Double-Duty Den

The space that once served as a formal dining room became Lund's office. "We're not formal people, so we wanted to make this room more functional for us," she says. "Since I work from home, we decided to make this room dual-purpose—a den and an office." To achieve this, they opened the wall in her office to flow into the main family room.

Flatwoven Maylan Rug Anthropologie $998.00

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Moroccan Flair

The downstairs powder room also got a much-needed face-lift and was accented with a Moroccan flair. "To make the room feel larger, we layered the decorative mirror I had chosen on top of another mirror," says Lund. "This made such a difference!" 

Anthropologie Patina Vie Vintage Mid-Century Golden Mirror $598.00

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Light-Filled Family Room

The room that originally sold the couple on the house was the family room. "It has amazing light," says Lund. "The challenge for this room was just figuring out the furniture arrangement, as the room is long, yet narrow." They opted to have a three-seater sofa face the fireplace and set up other conversational areas around the room. 

West Elm Hamilton Leather Sofa $2,799.00

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Eclectic Accents

One of the blogger's biggest challenges was filling out the bookcases that flank her fireplace. "This took me months of raiding my grandparents' garages and vintage shops," she says. "We were fortunate to inherit some amazing family heirlooms from both sets of grandparents! I love the eclectic feel they've added to our home, and ultimately the stories and memories that they tell."

Natural Materials

"The wicker chairs really make [this] space, adding that bohemian California touch that I love so much," says Lund. The area can be used as a breakfast nook or a place for winding down at night.