Monica Perry, Contributor

Equestrian Advertising Director Kim Russell lives with her husband (Chris), their 5-year-old daughter (Ella), and their two dogs (Lucy and Katy) in a 100-year-old bungalow in Lexington, KY. The house was built in 1905 on a street with a variety of architectural and landscape designs--including one house on a 2-acre lot with horses. With her husband’s help, Kim was able to renovate and furnish their home with items she discovered at flea markets and antique shops and on eBay.

What inspired you to buy a fixer-upper, and when did you buy it?
We love old houses. We bought it from an estate 11 years ago. The man who lived there had been there for about 50 years and was pretty eccentric. The house had not been updated since about the '50s and came complete with all the junk he had accumulated over the years.

What parts of the house did you renovate?
We renovated pretty much everything. When we first moved in, every room had gross carpeting or linoleum covering the hardwood floors and layers and layers of wallpaper. We did all the work ourselves, except for refinishing the hardwood floors. We stripped wallpaper in every single room, except the kitchen, but it had three layers of linoleum we had to strip off of the hardwood floors. It's so funny--when we moved in, we thought the whole renovation would take a few months, and it's ended up taking years.

Where is this blackboard, and why did you want one?
It's in our breakfast room. It's an old chalkboard from a school, and we use it to leave notes for each other sometimes, but most of the time it's an ongoing art project. Right now, it's a city with people flying through the sky. It always makes me smile to see what Ella has drawn.

Where did you find that china cabinet?
At a secondhand store called Room Service--I found it right when we bought the house, and I loved its rustic look. The plates are tin, so we use those when we cook out. I just liked the color and thought they looked cute in the cabinet. We use the platters on Thanksgiving when we have a huge potluck with about 20 people.

There are a lot of classic portraits and cute animal paintings all over the house. Where did this one come from?
My friend Crissi painted it for me. It's a portrait of my dog Lucy Sprout.

Did you build the kitchen island?
Yes, we built the island--mostly, so we would have a place for a dishwasher. After living without one for 9 years in this house, I was really excited to have one. Now it's a great place for art projects and homework, too.

Where did you find this dog painting?
I found it on eBay for $15. It came with a really ugly frame, which I removed. Everyone loves it now.

This comforter looks so extravagant. 
It's a quilt from Pottery Barn. I loved the color and the Asian motif. I just loved the colors, and it worked really well with the army green color on the walls.

That is a very, very large armoire in Ella's room.
It's the largest armoire I have ever seen.  We bought it because our house basically has no closets, and we needed more storage. My husband and I found it at a used furniture store about 10 years ago when we first moved into the house. I think the store was glad to finally have someone that wanted it. It has been great for Ella since she can store her toys and her clothes in it.

Is that a hat collection on top of it?
I love old hat boxes and I also have several old hats. They are great fun for dress up.

Those illustrations are so adorable. Are they from a children's book?
I found them at an antique store. They're illustrations from the '50s that were used by teachers. I just fell in love with them. They are such sweet images of a girl and boy and their dog.

Do you have any plans for further improvement?
Our next project is our attic, which we want to turn into a playroom for Ella. We would love to put in built-in bunk beds, so it could be a cool sleepover spot for her and her friends.

Thanks, Kim! See all our house tours.