Hey all! My name is Julia, former college student and a home decor enthusiast who loves DIY home improvement projects and finding creative ways to decorate any living spaces on a budget. Recently moved from my dorm to my new apartment which I renovated from scratch and I am here to help you with tips & tricks about home decor/college and more 🙂
OKAY, CAN WE TALK ABOUT CHARM FOR A SECOND?!
Because Val and Jose — the duo behind @thegroundedhome_ — have it in spades.
The couple took on a 1926 Tudor-style fixer upper and have been transforming it room by room with a whole lot of heart, thoughtful design, and serious hands-on work.
Think: original details, vintage vibes, and a whole lot of love packed into every room.
Val (a nurse with a serious eye for design) and Jose (an HVAC pro and all-around handy guy) are renovating their dream home one project at a time — all while raising two adorable boys. No big deal, right?
Their latest transformation? A windowless “4th bedroom” turned into a moody, cozy DEN that’s bursting with personality.
Floor-to-ceiling custom bookshelves (built by Jose), deep rich paint, and collected vintage finds make it feel like something out of a magazine… but better, because it’s real life.
Today, we’re diving into the details of this dreamy little room, and trust me — you’re gonna wanna see how it all came together. SO GOOD. SO GUTSY. SO THEM.
Let’s take a look inside!
Meet the Makers Behind the Home
My name is Valerie — I also go by Val — and my husband is Jose.
We bought our dream home back in November 2024: a 1926 Tudor fixer-upper, and we’ve hit the ground running ever since.
I’m a registered nurse and a total home and paint enthusiast.
I started my content-creating journey back in 2023 as a creative outlet, and it’s been such a fun space to share what we love.
Jose is in Heating & Air Conditioning by trade, but he’s also incredibly handy and talented when it comes to home projects.
We also have two boys, ages 5 and 3, so there’s never a dull moment in our lives lol.
Together we take on home projects and love creating when we are not working.
The Vision for Our Tudor Home
This home has the most beautiful architecture and charm and every project we take on we want to try to stay true to the home’s originality as much as possible.
We started with a full bathroom renovation and haven’t stopped working on our home since.
We love home projects, and our latest project was so cool to see it come to life.
Turning the “4th Bedroom” Into a Den
This room was labeled as the “4th bedroom” in the listing and it’s in the middle of our closed concept home with no windows.
So, our approach was to turn this room into our den and not play it safe.
This room isn’t very big, so I sketched up a plan to make floor to ceiling custom bookshelves that Jose made all on his own while I focused on color drenching the room.
It was as my first time truly color drenching a space and although I was terrified during the process, I am so happy we stuck with it because it’s amazing.
It’s made the room feel truer to the rest of the home and not just a plain white box anymore.
Final Touches and Styling
We added in decorative molding and still waiting to find the perfect rug and media console, but we are so happy with how this project turned out!
Here are a few quick details:
- Built-in bookshelves were custom made by Jose
- Room painted in the color Portsmouth by Sherwin Williams
- Room styled by: Me through a few years of collecting vintage and thrifted finds mixed with some new.
