This story is brought to you by Live in Everett Member, Houseplants Galore.

One of my goals for this blog has long been to get into private homes for photo tours but I've always stopped short of reaching out to strangers to ask permission to visit. Thankfully local artist and postpartum doula Elsie Mahler Scharff invited us over for a tour of her amazing home at 1722 Rucker.

She and husband Bill Heusler bought the house from their friend Bob Fink four years ago, who'd owned it for 30 years. While she's previously lived in more contemporary houses, including one by an understudy of Frank Lloyd Wright, she's embraced the historical character of this 125-year-old home. Her primary goal was to brighten the main floor by painting all the walls and restoring the antique wallpaper by hand using only a gum eraser. The results are stunning.

Click images to enlarge // Garret Hunt

Elsie's a sculptor and oil portraitist who studied at Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, the oldest art school in the country. Because a gallery can command a large portion of the price a piece of art fetches, she decided she'll sell her own art for the time being, using the house as a showroom. And because she's collected art her entire life, there's a lot of great work to see by other artists as well. She's done an amazing job blending new and mid-century pieces with the home's older furniture and fixtures.

Elsie’s artwork is showcased throughout her home // Garret Hunt

While in the dining room I noticed the unusually narrow dining table and before I could ask about it, Elsie mentioned it's actually a chart table, which was aboard Admiral Robert Peary's ship during his Arctic expeditions. Now, people from around the world gather at it because four of the rooms in Elsie's house are available to rent via Airbnb. 

I'd never considered renting a room via Airbnb instead of the entire home, but after getting the grand tour from Elsie and hanging out for a while, I understand the appeal. She's so fun to talk to, she bakes and cooks a lot, and she's created a beautiful, welcoming home. Even if you never stay there, you might end up seeing it anyway. She told us she practically lives on her porch and, "Neighbors go by and we'll say 'come have a drink!' and they do! And we don't even know 'em. That's how you get to know people, it's fun."

Click on images to enlarge // Garret Hunt

Do you have a cool, beautiful, or unusual home you'd like to share with us? Tell us more about it: contact@liveineverett.com

FOR HOUSEWARMING GIFTS OR ACCESSORIZING YOUR HOME WITH YEAR ROUND PLANTS, CHECK OUT EVERETT'S VERY OWN HOUSEPLANTS GALORE ON EVERETT MALL WAY.

Christopher Bragg works from home in Everett and loves walking, swimming, and cats. You can find him all over town, but only if you keep weird hours and avoid crowds like he does.