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If Sara Duckett, the creator of the blog and online shop Sadie Olive, did not lose
omething positive came from the mortgage crisis.
her job as a mortgage underwriter in early 2007, she would never have started
her own business. As a way to help with household finances and keep her
mind preoccupied from real-world pressures, Sara channeled her passions
of shopping, home décor and design into a business model.
Those familiar with Sadie Olive’s Web site, highlighted on every blog
with an interest in lifestyle products spiced with vintage and French influences,
An inventive woman parlays her passion for decorating
will be pleased to learn that Sara’s home shares her online sensibility. Think of a
into a full-time living arrangement.
French scrapbook with an affinity to the past yet entrenched in today’s sensibility.
Sara lives in Tustin, California, with her husband, Josh; Hannah, her very excitable lab;
and two cats. The Ducketts’ block resembles most streets in Happy Town, USA, with
shiny new cars purring in the driveways as kids soar on bicycles in search of activity.
Hannah is always the first to greet visitors, her paws hooking the Dutch door while
Sara disappears momentarily to arm herself with pacifying treats, a familiar rigmarole
that sets the excitement of what is to come. Inside is a festival of vintage items mixed
with modern pieces and fabulous accessories placed here and there. Cloches displayed
WRITTEN AND STYLED BY JACQUELINE deMONTRAVEL
P H O T O G R A P H Y B Y J A I M E E I TA G A K I
Red accents on natural-
tone linens set the color
themes for Sara Duckett’s
bed and bedroom.
Dark accents, such as wood flooring, bed frame and accordion coat
rack, ground light and airy rooms.
4 ROMA C I O HOM• • rom into homes.c
3 4 3 R O M A N T IN T HC M E S E Sr o m a n t a c h i cm e s . c o m o m MARCH 2008 35
above her antique piano keep objets d’art gorgeously captive. Enam-
eled bunnies leaping every which way in rooms swathed in
creamy colors and punched with bold black accents lend a subtle
sophistication.
There is a playful courtship between found and functional items.
“I’ve always liked French things,” Sara says. “Though not the obvi-
ous things, like an Eiffel Tower, but what is seen in the harlequin
pattern in the dining room.”
The pieces that create the Ducketts’’ home are sourced from fami-
ly, flea markets and, to no surprise, catalog and online shopping.
While many will begin decorating with their larger furnishings, Sara
decorates in an opposite fashion. “I will find that chalkboard,” she
says brightly, pointing to the board above her dining room table,
“and then set the scheme around its color.”
There are certain things Sara is particularly drawn to, such as the
simplicity of a Swedish piece, the feel of heavy linens, enamel lock-
(Left) An oversized clock, a cluster of cloches and a rustic bench add eclecticism
to a classic corner. (Right) An antique music book and Old World keys are perfect
accents to Sara’s elegantly worn pieces. (Below) Objets d’art showcased atop
glass-covered pedestals add art and whimsy. The Ducketts’ pup, Hannah, is right
at home with chocolate brown flooring that has been distressed to blend in
with Sara’s vintage collections.
36 ROMANTIC HOMES • romantichomes.com MARCH 2008 37
er tags and such ephemera as old letters, grade
school papers, music books and postcards. These
souvenirs from someone else’s history fascinate
her, partly for their beauty but also the stories she
imagines they come with.
Currently, Sara is trawling her shopping destina-
tions for old wire baskets, which are both practical
and pretty. As her eyes brighten, you can’t help
but wonder if she is referring to an old basket or
her raison d’être. The comfort Sara has for her
home is seen and felt throughout, as evident in a
guest bedroom currently sequestered by her stay-
at-home cat, her craft room and a kitchen so large
it could accommodate a restaurant crew.
“Josh is the cook; he will even do the dishes,”
she says happily. Home tasks are harmoniously
divided, as Josh will cook everything from black
bean soup to a brined turkey on the grill while
Sara will set the table with her garden clippings
contained in understated jam jars, further perked
with French linens.
The French linen theme is followed in the bed-
room as the appointed accessory to set the room’s
style. Sara uses the thick pieces as wall art, cur-
tains and pillows. There, natural tones lined with
red create the room’s color palette. Adjacent to
the bed is an old shoe rack that has become the
perfect showcase for pretty books, a basket of
gift favors from her wedding day and other odds
and ends.
Across the house is Sara’s office, where all
things for Sadie Olive happen. The décor corre-
lates to her online home from all its vintage trim-
mings. Her site has earned such a loyal
following—no surprise in part for its design—that
Sara stumbled onto another business designing
Web sites because of all the solicitations.
The office is remarkably orderly considering the
plethora of office supplies and decorative items
she has accumulated, such as old game pieces and
ledgers. Sara’s hands are constantly reaching for
tiny, unique little objects that ignite awe and won-
der. Cupped in her hand, they come to life from
stories about how they were acquired. “I like buy-
ing knickknacks,” she says.
(Opposite) The repeating shapes of bulging blooms make a
dramatic statement over a gently distressed chest of
drawers. (Top right) Sara infuses a bit of classic cottage
charm into the living room with an antique hutch boasting
pressed glass cabinet façades, a vintage wire basket and
bucolic bunnies rendered mid-leap. (Bottom right) Sara
makes use of pastoral painted tins and paper crafts to add
touches of color to a room.
38 ROMANTIC HOMES • romantichomes.com MARCH 2008 39
Don’t be afraid to mix
woods. Old benches
mingle nicely with new
chairs and shelving in
Sara’s craft space.
(Opposite) Sara finds inspiration from the
colors and textures of the vintage notes and
ephemera she lovingly collects for her Web
site, Sadie Olive. tures of the vintage notes
and ephemera she lovingly collects for her
Web site, Sadie Olive.
40
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ROMANT C HOMES • roman chomes com MARCH 2008 41
The Office
SARA’S TIPS ON HOW TO MAKE AN AWARD-WINNING SPACE
• Decorate with inspiring things that are fun to look at; it fuels
creativity.
• Mix the old with the new for style and function. Sara’s antique desk
is flanked by two Pottery Barn armoires.
• Create plenty of storage space to house less attractive items.
• Strategically locate your office so there are no household distractions.
• Don’t be afraid to look for organizational bins and baskets at
flea markets, garage sales and antiques stores. Some of Sara’s
favorite storage solutions are old wire gym baskets purchased at
flea markets.
• Look for items that can be used in a new way. Flower frogs to hold
business cards, vintage bobbins to store ribbons, a flower pot to
hold pens. “I have a silver-plated toast rack to hold all my thank you
notes and envelopes. I also love looking for old general store twine
holders to keep my string handy when I package and ship my
products,” Sara says.
Working at Home
HOW SARA STAYS DISCIPLINED Wrought-iron touches lend an
In her home office, Sara combines
• Discipline comes easy when you aged appeal to Sara’s otherwise
the best of both worlds: an antique
are doing something that you modern kitchen.
writing desk for ambiance and
love. “The hardest part for me is
Pottery Barn bookcases for function.
trying to keep my thoughts or-
ganized. I am a list maker, and I
love to check things off as I go,
which has helped tremendously.
• “I use my Microsoft Outlook
calendar daily. I try to make
notes every time I work on a
project,” Sara says.
• Sara takes breaks when she feels
overwhelmed, either watching a
program she saved on TiVo or
playing with Hannah. Then she
returns to her tasks feeling
refreshed.
For more information on Sara Duckett
and Sadie Olive, visit sadieolive.com.
Sara prefers the indistinct
Parisian influences. The
Harlequin pattern on the
dining room wall is a bold yet
restrained use of French style.
42 ROMANTIC HOMES • romantichomes.com MARCH 2008 43
