My Houzz: Family of 5 Lives (Almost) Clutter Free

Two adults living with three young children can add up to a lot of things in the house, especially in a turn-of-the-century home with limited closets, but Jennifer Fetner-Booth has a clear mandate when it comes to clutter. For one thing, she purchases durable, long-lasting toys, and fewer of them. “The kids have more time to explore and focus if there are less options,” she explains. Her second approach? “I involve everyone in the editing process. That way they keep the items most treasured by them and learn to let go or appreciate the items they are intrigued by but don’t need to own.”

In addition, all items purchased for the house have to both look beautiful and work well. “The rooms need to be multipurpose, and the things I pick out have to do their job,” says Fetner-Booth. “I source many items locally or handmade from Etsy. I feel handmade items have a more precious, durable and unique nature to them. I was also fortunate to have an artist for a grandmother. Many of my most treasured furniture and art items are hand-me-downs from her and are still going strong with some minor refurbishment after 50 years.”

Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Adrian Booth, Jennifer Fetner-Booth, 2 daughters (ages 8 and 3) and a son (1)
Location: San Francisco
Size: 2,400 square feet (223 square meters); 3 bedrooms, 1½ bathrooms
Year built: 1906


Sun streams in the living room, which is used for entertaining, family gatherings, reading and piano practice.

Here, Booth and his two daughters take advantage of a quiet Saturday morning to read in the sun.

Love seat: Restoration Hardware; Eames plywood chair; table, hide rug and art over fireplace: hand-me-downs from Fetner-Booth’s grandmother


One section of the living room also serves as a mudroom. “The bookcase in the living room acts as the family staging area, since we don’t have a mudroom,” says Fetner-Booth. She made the framed silhouette portraits that hang above it.

Shelves: Blu Dot


The kitchen, part of a 2004 remodel by previous owner Jeff King & Company, opens up to the family room.

Cherner bar stools: Design Within Reach


The family owns only one set of dishes and glassware. “I chose durable, attractive products, such as Heath Ceramics mixed with Ikea,” says Fetner-Booth, “and the children use adult plates and glassware.”

Cuckoo clock: Anthropologie


The family room contains toys and games that have endured eight years of use and appeal to many ages. To keep things interesting, the kids help swap out toys every few months, storing additional toys in the basement.

Couch: family hand-me-down; rug: Peace Industry; Nelson Platform bench: Herman Miller


Fetner-Booth installed a living wall in her dining room using Thigmotrope Satellites from Flora Grubb. The wall gets direct sunlight in summer, making art placement there challenging. “The plants love the conditions, and it’s a playful way to bring the outdoors in. I like to mix texture and scale,” she says.

Table: hand-me-down from Fetner-Booth’s grandmother; chairs: Eames Fiberglass, Modernica


The colorful powder room on the first floor contains a collection of family art and photography.

Wall paint: Tequila Lime, Benjamin Moore


A basket placed in a corner of the dining room contains toys. “Attractive storage for kids’ toys means you can leave them out,” says Fetner-Booth.


The luminous white paint in the main entrance brightens up a space that gets no direct sunlight.

Print: Charley Harper


A stairway wall in the house is home to family photos. “Hanging the pictures on the stairs and on a small wall had the added benefit of allowing me to hang the family photos at all heights,” says Fetner-Booth. “The kids love pausing on the steps to look at pictures of themselves and our family through the years.”


The master bedroom is neutral and calm. Fetner-Booth says, “It’s always the last room to which I give any attention, so perhaps it’s simple by necessity.”

Bed: Ikea; bedding: Restoration Hardware; quilt wall hanging: John Robshaw; bedside lights: PBteen


The house has only one full bathroom, which the family currently shares. A remodel planned for later in 2015 will add another full bath.


In the daughters’ shared room, most toys are stored under the bed in striped boxes, with some overflow stored out of sight in the closets. The couple believes there is more depth of play when the kids have fewer toys to choose from.

Bunk bed: Oeuf; bedside table: CB2; tepee: Pottery Barn Kids; rug: Angela Adams; Tord Boontje Midsummer light; underbed storage: Hable Construction; end-of-bed storage: Land of Nod


The couple’s 8-year-old daughter finds some privacy in the bedroom tepee. “The girls share a room, and there is a 4½-year age gap. Therefore, having some private spots within their shared space is key to family harmony,” says Fetner-Booth.


“Although we are continually editing their toy collection, we do not limit the number of books,” Fetner-Booth says. “Everyone has their exceptions.”

Shelving: Expedit, Ikea; painting: created by the Booths’ 8-year-old daughter at her fifth birthday party with 4Cats


All of the paints, papers and other art supplies are kept together in a small room in the basement. Using the basement worktable for art projects means the mess is confined to one place.

Table: Ikea; Pixo LED light: Pablo Design





The nursery is open and bright, with plenty of space in the center of the room for the couple’s son to move around.

Fetner-Booth enlisted the kids to decorate the walls. “This helps to keep our art personal, builds the children’s confidence and is inexpensive,” she says. “The trick is to frame it properly and give it the spacing it deserves on the wall.” The origami birds were her older daughter’s Christmas gift to her son last year. “It’s probably obvious, but we love rainbows,” Fetner-Booth says.

Crib: Oeuf; mobile: Flensted; light: Ikea; storage: Land of Nod; wall paint: Yellow Marigold, Benjamin Moore


Outside on the back porch, one wall is decorated with small colorful ceramic sculptural pieces from Flora Grubb. The homeowners wanted to keep even their outdoor spaces kid friendly but visually appealing.


Fetner-Booth is seen here in the front garden with her 1-year-old son. She says, “We cherish living in an urban environment, but we try to spend as much time out of doors as possible.”

My Houzz is a series in which we visit and photograph creative, personality-filled homes and the people who inhabit them. Share your home with us and see more projects.

Browse more homes by style:
Small Homes | Colorful Homes | Eclectic Homes | Modern Homes | Contemporary Homes | Midcentury Homes | Ranch Homes | Traditional Homes | Barn Homes | Townhouses | Apartments | Lofts | Vacation Homes

URL: My Houzz: Family of 5 Lives (Almost) Clutter Free http://www.decor-ideas.org/cases-view-id-26207.html