The midcentury-modern furniture in the living room came from Joybird and provides the perfect balance to a brightly hued Moroccan azilal rug from Etsy. As a small-space solution, homeowner Sophie Loghman cleverly mounted the TV on a wooden easel.
“It’s probably my favorite part of the house,” says Sophie of the gallery wall featuring portraits mainly sourced from Etsy and Ebay, which she decided to create prior to turning the home into a rental, “so it was almost as if I was never alone. Every day would be a party with all of the fun people on my wall!”
Saba Loghman with his sister, Sophie
The focal point of the loft-style bedroom is a bed decked out in colorful prints and a lemon-wallpapered accent wall, perhaps the best reflection of Sophie’s cheery Instagram aesthetic.
In the kitchen, a pink retro fridge by Big Chill—and a bright-yellow door—pop against the sleek white interior.
When she started the hashtag #happyhousedreams years ago as a way to share her love for charming candy-colored homes, lifestyle blogger and Instagrammer Sophie Loghman (@sophlog) never imagined she’d have one of her own. Fast-forward to August 2018, when a 1920s shotgun house hit the market in Cabbagetown. Sophie’s brother, Saba (@sabajon), saw it and immediately knew he had found something special for his aesthetically inclined sis.
“I was on the phone with Sophie and convincing her to put it under contract without even seeing it,” remembers Saba, who works in real estate on the development side. “She was in New York City on a work trip, so I told her to just trust me and that she’d love the home. I know her style fairly well, and this home had everything she was looking for.”
In case you aren’t one of Sophie’s 178K Insta followers (you’re missing out, by the way), it’s important to know that her style is spunky and singular: The Atlanta native and head gal behind SunnyPeaches, a social media strategy firm, wears hot pink as a neutral and oversize white flower-petal shades on a daily basis, and her feed is awash with photos of vibrant murals, flamingo pool floats and sprinkle-covered treats. A home worthy of her attention would need to have character—lots of it—and the Cabbagetown house fit the bill.
“The home is not traditional by any means,” Sophie says. “The high ceilings, layout, antique wood beams and original clawfoot tub were just some of the details that really drew me in. As soon as I walked in, I got goose bumps.”
Soon after purchasing the roughly 1,000-square-foot house, Sophie realized the space was too small for she and her fiance, Michael, to share. “But I didn’t want to let the home go,” she shares. “I spent a lot of time conceptualizing the home’s design, essentially building up the interior for myself.” That’s when Saba stepped in once again, and the siblings vowed to team up to transform the nearly 100-year-old residence into an in-demand rental.
Renovations lasted till mid-December 2018, with Saba using his expertise to visualize the home’s layout, handle contractors and choose materials. Meanwhile, Sophie served as the “design visionary,” tackling color scheme, furniture and decor that mirrored her Instagram’s sunny aesthetic. “I knew I wanted to create a color fantasy land, but I didn’t want the home to be overly cluttered and overwhelming,” she says. “I want my guests to feel the magic as soon as they walk in.” Adds Saba, “I liked the thought of creating a modern-day dollhouse.”
Their vision began to take shape thanks to additions like a pink retro fridge, a lemon-wallpapered bedroom and a fiery orange claw-foot tub (“a fun photogenic surprise guests can find inside!” Sophie says), plus a gallery wall of handpicked portraits that serves as a conversation-starting backdrop to the dining area. “I have always loved art, and portrait walls have fascinated me,” Sophie reveals. “I remember walking into a Ralph Lauren store when I was younger and seeing a huge staircase filled with antique portraits—a memory that always stuck with me.”
In March, after only a few months of being listed on Airbnb (nightly rates $110 to $160), the home was chosen as an Airbnb Plus, a title reserved for design-driven, one-of-a-kind properties. “People are being drawn to more thematic spaces and unique, curated styles, especially with the rise of social media,” Saba says. And, indeed, this cottage—with its quirky cacti-adorned entrance, midcentury-mod furniture and eclectic mixed prints—is an Instagrammer’s #happyhousedream come true.
“When I was renovating, I always thought through what would be an Instagram-worthy moment or capture in the home,” says Sophie. “I wanted others to think the house was ‘cool’ enough to be able to Instagram.” We think the already-hard-to-score reservations—and thousands of likes garnered—speak for themselves.
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