Welcome to our home! And to the studio where all the work happens. This photoshoot is intended to inspire parties, to share our little oasis in the world, and to celebrate all the beauty that is our life.

Much of what I gather for my work is pulled from all sorts of directions, though mostly always local. The goal is for it to be as local as our own back yard, but that will still take some time. We’ve been doing some planting to give life to our 100 year old home that failed to bring along with it any vegetation whatsoever. The plants are small, but we have big plans for them. Until then,I use my best resource…alliance with the neighbors. I often trade cookies or money for fresh clippings, and often build the best friendships as a result. The final mainstay of my flowers comes from the beauties gleaned from the Seattle Wholesale Grower’s Market. Always local, always interesting, and always peak of the season.

I get asked periodically about my workspace. It’s nothing glamourous. In fact, when I compare it to some of my colleagues, it’s almost embarrassing. But, I’ve learned that comparison is the thief of joy, so here it is. I’d like to introduce you to our basement. A studio basement that generates scores of weddings and events.

Here are the pros:

1. It’s underground, so I don’t need a cooler, even during heat waves.

2. It’s attached to the house, so once the cutting garden grows in, I truly get to work from home.

3. It’s not the kitchen, the living room, the laundry room, the detached garage, the Walmart parking lot, or the barn on someone’s property… It’s a dedicated workspace and it’s ours!

And with pros like that, why bother mentioning the cons?

When all the schedules align, we get to combine one of our highest priorities: Relationships, to some of our highest passions: food + sanctuary. Thus, enjoy a spot in the front row of what it’s like in the Johnson household.

This record player is a bonafide vintage goodie. It was the first thing my parents purchased together as a dating couple, and it was what spun all my childhood entertainment. Now it sings for us. And the records! Oh the records! My dad had impeccable musical taste and talent and I get to listen to all the records that seem to encapsulate part of my own history.

And now for setting the table. Now for the party. For the magic that happens when you love on people with food and serve them with your hands…

We gathered all the goodness from the end of the season… roasted grapes with olives, roasted carrots with lemon marmalade, peach and whiskey aperitifs, and cheese, all the cheese.

There is something perfect about the unstructured and the imperfect, and that is real life. So we embrace it in all of its beauty, and honestly wouldn’t have it any other way.

Photography credit: Love Looks Like

Food, flowers, decor, woodworking: Yours truly, plus all the talent from my lovely and supportive husband, Ryan

Like what you see? Follow along on Instagram for your daily dose of pretty: @teressajohnson and @lovelookslike