Vintage Vibes Abound In This Shaker Heights Stunner Vintage Vibes Abound In This Shaker Heights Stunner
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Welcome to the Crawford house, a two-story midcentury modern home built in 1954 and transformed in 2016, when Charity D’Amato-Crawford, Ben Crawford and their son, Max, moved in.

You’re greeted with a stunning copper-hooded fireplace and a wall of original cherry wood paneling that’s layered with D’Amato-Crawford’s colorful collection of vintage portraits, procured during her travels to cities such as New York, New Orleans and Atlanta.   

This lounge area sets the stage for the homeowners’ “midcentury eclectic” aesthetic.

“I like to go to estate sales and vintage shops, but some stuff is also from West Elm and CB2, so I can’t say I’m a purist,” D’Amato-Crawford says, noting Helm Collective in Ohio City and Main Street Modern in Canton as two of her favorite local stores for midcentury treasures. 

The blogger behind iheartcleveland.com and founder of graphic design firm Studio Chartreuse, D’Amato-Crawford enjoys experimenting with color and decor, and says she finds inspiration in her travels. 

“I love traveling to different cities and seeing what people are doing in stores, restaurants and hotels,” she says. “I also still read and get a lot of print magazines. I love Domino Home, a trade publication called Interior Design, Architectural Digest and I still love Martha Stewart [Living].” 

The Crawfords landed in this 3,365-square-foot Shaker Heights home four years ago. At the time they lived in a midcentury house in Westlake, but they sought a larger home with a similar style — clean lines, open floor plan and lots of windows. They had interest in a few West Side homes, but those offers didn’t pan out. They found this home by Googling “midcentury modern homes in Cleveland.” After seeing its potential, the Crawfords decided to move east. 

“It has great light because it has a ton of windows, and it has great flow,” D’Amato-Crawford says, adding that Max, 5, used to ride his scooter around the first floor’s big loop. “It’s a great house for entertaining, and both my husband and I love to
entertain.”

Guests gather in the dining room, where the original red brick was painted crisp white. Abstract artwork D’Amato-Crawford painted herself hangs on the wall, bringing in the colors of the intentionally mismatched chairs from Ballard Designs and World Market. The dining room is separated from the kitchen by a peninsula with black countertops, white lacquer cabinets and a stainless-steel hood. 

Rounding out the first floor are a cozy family room with a built-in bench and Ikea sectional, a cheery pink breakfast room painted in Sherwin-Williams’ Coral Reef Salmon and a living room layered with vintage and contemporary finds. 

Upstairs, you’ll find five bedrooms — one of which serves as Crawford-D’Amato’s closet — where the homeowners had to rip out navy blue indoor-outdoor carpet and replace it with new hardwood floors. The master bedroom boasts one deep blue feature wall (in Sherwin-Williams’ Naval), which contrasts with the white walls, natural light from the windows and light-colored hardwood floors. 

“It’s nice to integrate some color but not have to paint the entire bedroom every couple of years,” she says. “Being a graphic designer, I love color and staying up on color trends from a home decor standpoint, so I always like to experiment.”

D’Amato-Crawford’s favorite space is the living room, which is outfitted with a light denim couch she had custom-upholstered from CB2 and a large buffet she bought from the Cleveland Furniture Bank. “I go there on the weekends to read, and it’s away from the TV, to be quite honest,” she says. “Plus, with the floor-to-ceiling windows, it’s so beautiful.”

The windows are in fact bi-fold doors that open up to a garden where white tulips and purple alliums bloom in the spring. The courtyard also serves as entertaining space for cocktails around the campfire. Outside, D’Amato-Crawford’s white enamel, freestanding steel fireplace is a vintage eBay find. 

Follow the path to the main backyard, and you’re at the Crawfords’ summer hangout: an in-ground saltwater pool. 

“It has that indoor/outdoor feel,” D’Amato-Crawford says of the home. “It doesn’t feel like an Ohio house.”

Read More: Find inspiration for your next project with our 2020 Home Issue.

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