Like many modern love stories, Emily Spahn’s relationship with her dream home started online.
She first saw photos of the historic Cross Plains house on a real estate website and fell hard, even before visiting it in person.
“Every day I’d look at pictures online,” she says. “I had Pinterest boards for all the rooms.”
Built in 1924, the home was chock full of character, from the thick wood-framed French doors and tall windows to the built-ins tucked into the living and dining rooms.
“I like that old house style,” she says. “I could really envision us living there.”
At the time, Emily and her husband Justin were living in Illinois with their two kids and pregnant with their third. But the Wisconsin natives — she’s from New Richmond and he’s from Sun Prairie — were eager to return. They made an offer on the house in September of 2013, their son arrived shortly after, Emily went on maternity leave and the family of five moved in November.
Since then, Emily has turned the house into a cozy, colorful place that respects the home’s heritage but makes it comfortable for a busy family — Emily, who’s a music teacher, Justin, who works as the CFO for a property management company, and kids Mirielle, Henry and Oliver, who are nine, seven and four, respectively.
Amazingly, Emily’s done it on a budget. “Many of the things in our house are old or from Craigslist,” she says. She loves taking, say, a side table she scooped up for just $10 and reimagining it with a coat of yellow paint. Graphic rugs, vintage maps and globes, rainbow-hued garlands and a bright red sofa all feel at home — and work wonderfully together.
“I love lots of color,” she says. “It just makes me happy.”
Emily takes risks with decorating, doesn’t adhere to a particular style and switches things up regularly. “People either like it or are really overwhelmed,” she says with a laugh.
Both Emily and Justin have big projects on their wish lists; she’d like to revamp a bathroom and he wants to build a bigger garage. “It’s kind of never-ending when you live in an old house,” she says.
But Emily appreciates many of the quirks of the historic property. The lower level is compartmentalized yet open. French doors can close off rooms while still letting in light, and she can shut the door to the kitchen if she doesn’t want guests to see a mess inside.
Emily and Justin have loved being back in Wisconsin, and the kids have quickly become Badgers. The family likes spending time up north and exploring the Madison area, and they often take their boat out on the lakes.
And Cross Plains has proven to be an easy hometown to love, with neighbors texting each other updates on where the kids are on any given afternoon. “It’s such a small, nice community,” Emily says. “The kids ride bikes all over the neighborhood. I feel like it’s kind of old-school.”
But when Friday evening rolls around, the Spahn family is usually found at home for their weekly pizza and movie night. The local pizzeria knows their order by heart, and the kids take turns picking out the flick to watch. The simple but special tradition feels just right in this place.
“It’s a cozy home,” she says. “It’s very lived in.”
Photos by Beth Skogen.