Confessions of a Shiplap Addict

MEET BETHANY SINKS

“ I believe every home tells a story. It’s filled with love, comfort, and your own unique style. Having a love and passion for home decor and design has been a passion of mine ever since I can remember. It all started clear back to when I had my mom hang Strawberry Shortcake wallpaper to my bedroom when I was 8 years old way back in the 1980’s.”

Bethany Sinks is an Instagrammer, podcaster, and blogger with a deep passion for modern farmhouse home design and decor. Bethany found her design inspiration, watching her Aunt, who was an interior designer, transform spaces. Bethany’s style in three words is simple, inviting, and cozy.

In 2017, Bethany and her husband decided to downsize their home and decided to build again. Once Bethany started building her modern farmhouse style home, she started her Instagram account called Shiplapaddict. “Who knew posting one little square 3 years ago on a summer day in June would change my life forever. I now have a successful Instagram account, a blog, and a podcast titled At Home with J and B. I am genuinely enjoying this journey more than I could’ve ever dreamed, says Bethany.

Bethany’s biggest design inspiration is Studio McGee and Joanna Gaines. “I am intrigued by their timeless, classy style. The colors, textures, and sense of bringing in natural outdoor elements into a home really draws me in, says Bethany.

Bethany shared with us in an interview her design philosophy, tips on how to get a modern farmhouse look, and a sneak peek into her Utah home.

Q. How would you describe the modern farmhouse style? 

For me, modern farmhouse is a country living style that meets a more contemporary design.  This style gives you that warmth and simple look full of natural textures, woods, and a sense of coziness. 

Q. What do you feel are the key elements to have when looking to achieve a modern farmhouse style in your home?  

The key aesthetics would be a front porch, metal roof, tongue-and-groove paneling, board and batten siding, barn doors, exposed beams, shaker style cabinets, floating shelves, and the most important element to a modern farmhouse styled home would be lots and lots of SHIPLAP. 

Q. Modern farmhouse style uses a lot of neutral palettes. How do you work with these colors and keep it from not looking boring? 

This is where decorating can become so much fun! Your farmhouse style home may be neutral in its interior choices, but once you start decorating, that’s where you can incorporate pops of color. For example, I chose a fun shade of cabinets in my laundry room, moon mist by Sherwin Williams was my soft blue color of choice.  It’s so fun to add color to specific spaces in your home.  

Q. How do you select lighting and what do you look for?  Is there a particular finish that works better with a modern farmhouse look? 

This question is my favorite as I love picking out light fixtures! I try to look for unique styles. Lighting can make a HUGE difference to a room.  It makes each space feel complete.  I like to choose lighting that would be a conversation piece.  There are many choices of finishes and styles for modern farmhouse lighting. A black finish is always a classic farmhouse favorite, but brass seems to be the new favorite trend in the last couple of years.  What I love the most about modern farmhouse is that you can mix light fixture colors and styles throughout your home.  You may have an brass elegant chandelier in your dining area and then a black beaded light in your office down the hall.  It always seems to flow beautifully.  I recommend getting out of your comfort zone and pick out that lighting that will give your room that WOW factor.

Q. You recently used 2 of our lighting fixtures in your home? Tell us about these projects and why you selected these fixtures? 

My daughter left for college two years ago so I transformed her room into a guest room. The fixture that was in there wasn’t right anymore for a guest room.  I desired something that made a statement and really gave that room a WOW factor.  The 4 light chandelier in Burnished Silver from Crystorama from the Jayna Collection was the perfect solution for my guest room.  It has that neutral color I was looking for, but it was also unique, and the jute texture was so perfect for my modern style home. Once hung, I couldn’t stop staring at it. I was just immediately impressed with its beauty.

The second light was just for me!!!  I have an office/craft room that needed something that screamed AWESOME!  I chose the beautiful black beaded chandelier from the Poppy collection. It goes so well with my black shiplap and is just my style.  This chandelier would look beautiful not only in an office but a bedroom or dining area, laundry room or above your bathtub.  It’s beauty and uniqueness really can make this light an A+ in my book!

Q. Tell us about your obsession with Shiplap and what are some ways to incorporate the look in your home. 

I owe my obsession for shiplap all to Joanna Gaines and Fixer Upper. There are days I wish that I had shiplap throughout my whole house.  I’m talking about every wall! It’s so durable and makes hanging wall décor that much easier and super sturdy.  Some fun ways to incorporate shiplap into your home is anywhere!  I have shiplap in my laundry room, mudroom, kitchen, bedrooms, and in my entryway, including the ceiling!  But my favorite shiplap is in my basement kitchenette.  I had my cabinet guys custom make me some shiplap cabinets - the best decision I ever made.  You can’t go wrong with shiplap. My neighbor even added it as a backsplash in her kitchen.  Shiplap is very versatile and looks good anywhere.  

Q. Any other easy tips you can share with us or anything you think I missed, any fun upcoming projects?

The easiest tip I can give to anyone is this: If you are building your home and having a hard time deciding on interior and exterior choices, always go with your gut feeling. The most important thing to know is to DO WHAT YOU LOVE!  Be different and step out of your comfort zone when it comes to decorating and designing your home. There is a lot of inspiration out there to give you wonderful ideas, but then it all comes down to what you want? What is your style? You don’t always have to follow the trends.  Just make sure whatever you do you keep it simple, make sure it flows and that it gives off that cozy and inviting feeling.  Keep it airy as it will give it that clean and crisp feel.

For more of Bethany’s tips and inspiration on designing a modern farmhouse home, visit Bethany at @shiplapaddict, her blog, or podcast called At Home with J and B.

For more lighting and design inspiration, visit us on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter and use #CrystoramaStyle to share your designs!