Input Home Tours: A baby-friendly bohemian bungalow in The 05

As the pandemic reignites interest in living spaces, we're seizing the opportunity to explore some of the coolest and most interesting homes in Northeast Indiana as a part of our Input Home Tours series.

This week, Katie Fyfe and Andy Gelwicks give us a peek inside their baby-friendly bohemian bungalow in The 05, updated for the arrival of their daughter, Poppy Gelwicks, in September 2020.

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Q&A with Katie Fyfe and Andy Gelwicks

Katie Fyfe and her fiancé, Andy Gelwicks, with their 8-month-old daughter, Poppy, in their living room. 

Where is your home?

Along North Anthony Blvd. in The 05.

Who lives in your home?

Katie Fyfe, Andy Gelwicks, our daughter Poppy Gelwicks, and our dog Coda.

Katie Fyfe and her fiancé, Andy Gelwicks, with their 8-month-old daughter, Poppy, in their living room. 

How long have you lived in this home?

A little over 2 years.

Tell us a little bit about yourselves: How long you’ve lived in Fort Wayne and where you work around town. 

We have been together for nine years, and we had our sweet baby girl, Poppy Jean, in September 2020. I am originally from Canada, but have grown up here. Andy was born and raised here. I am a photographer for The Journal Gazette, and Andy works as a beverage manager at Mercado and is also a financial advisor for New York Life.

Tell us about your home: How old it is, what type of house/unit it is, how many beds and baths.

We live in a single-family home with three bedrooms and one bathroom. It was built in 1930.

The living room has a modern, bohemian style of decor. 

What inspired you to move into this home, of all places?

We fell in love with the space as soon as we saw it. We love the arches in the doorway and stairway, the wood floors, and updated kitchen. This house also gets amazing lighting throughout the day, so we really liked that. We also absolutely love The 05 neighborhood, too.

The living room has a modern, bohemian style of decor. 

Tell us about your neighborhood and what you love about living there.

We LOVE The 05. It isn’t your typical cookie-cutter neighborhood; all of the houses are unique and different. We love being close to downtown, the Rivergreenway, and Lakeside Park. In the summertime, we are able to ride our bikes to the Saturday morning market and around downtown. We are also so lucky to have such great neighbors.

During COVID-19, at a time when so many Americans are spending more time in their homes than usual, have you found yourself making design updates to your space? If so, what are they?

We definitely rearranged our living room a couple times out of boredom. Other than that, we updated our spare room to make it a nursery for Poppy since I was pregnant during that time.

Poppy's room is colorful and creative. 

How would you describe your design style?

We’re not quite sure what our design style is. I would like to say modern bohemian. We just know we love neutrals! We enjoy a simplistic style in our home.

Where do you find your design inspiration?

We’re big Chip and Jo fans, so we’ve gotten a lot of inspo from them. We also find a lot of inspiration from Pinterest and Instagram accounts.

Poppy enjoys her room in the house she shares with parents Katie Fyfe and fiance Andy Gelwicks.

Have you faced any design challenges in your current space, and if so, how did you overcome them?

Having our baby girl with us now, we don’t have as much space as we would like for everything. We like to utilize items that look good in our home, but are also functional for storage. We have lots of baskets around for toys and anything we can put away. We recently got a coffee table that has storage underneath it for extra blankets.

Organization is important in Poppy's room.

What is your favorite room/space in your home? Tell us about it.

It’s hard to choose, but we would say Poppy’s room. That is the room we have put the most effort into. We wanted her room to be bohemian, but still baby-friendly. We kept our neutral theme going with some fun pops of color by using wallpaper in her little nook by the window. We also absolutely love our living room, especially in the morning time. We put prisms up in our window, and looking at the beautiful lighting and rainbow spots with a cup of coffee in the morning is the best.

Poppy's room features a nook with peel and stick wallpaper.

What is your favorite piece of furniture or décor in your home? Tell us about it.

It’s hard to pick a favorite, but we love our Crown & Paw portrait of Coda we have up. Coda has been in our lives since we met and is so special to us. Plus, the portrait is just hilarious.

A hanging shelf, including a digital painting of the family dog Coda.

What advice do you have for others looking to update their space in Fort Wayne? Any local shops or resources you would recommend?

We would definitely recommend checking out the farmers markets around town. We have gotten a lot of unique pieces from local artists there. If you’re on a tight budget, thrifting is always an amazing option, as well. We actually got our rocking chair for only $30 from Hidden Treasures Antiques at 1655 N. Wells St. It is so cozy and cute; we love it! The Find, Fancy & Staple, and The Monogram Shoppe also have a lot of fun unique finds.

Any fun tips or tricks for home updates on a budget?

Check out thrift stores around town, and don’t feel like you have to do everything all at once. Also, you can use things you already have around the house and just rearrange to make it feel like new!

A rainbow mobile from Etsy in Poppy's room. 

Last, but not least, tell us what you love about Fort Wayne and why you are choosing to make your home here?

We love so much about Fort Wayne. We actually moved away for a bit because we did not want to stay here, but we are so glad we came back. The city has been changing and developing so much. We love how lively downtown is becoming. We love all the art that has been installed throughout downtown, all the new restaurants and shops, and the parks are beautiful. Overall, Fort Wayne has such a great community, and we are proud to be a part of it and to raise our family here.