Lortondale Mid-Century Modern House in Tulsa

For Sale: Modern Tulsa Home

At the moment of writing this, our dear friends Sarah and Adam Heatherington's Lortondale home is up for sale! We've had it on our list to take photos for a home tour, so we ran over there as soon as we heard our time was dwindling. We are so happy to share this thoughtful home with you.

We first met Sarah shortly after we took over Retro Den. We'd made an offer on Instagram–a vintage school desk to anyone who would come tell us a good joke. Sarah popped in and regaled us with her kindness and humor on behalf of her neighbors who needed a desk for their child. We sat on a twelve foot vintage courthouse bench and talked for hours. Friends ever since. Later her hubs, Adam became our mailman for a short, lovely stint. We miss his red hair and good chats; Adam, would you please request being on our route again?

And now for tons of photos and a little Q&A with the homeowners about their design sense and Tulsa and us Ashleys.

How long have you lived in this home?  We've been here for a little over 8 years now. We jumped at the chance to get into the neighborhood so we bought the only house on the market at the time which was umm…a fixer upper.

What does it mean to live in Lortondale?  Living in Lortondale means you get to live in a beautiful slice of art. It also means that my neighbors probably see me eating cake batter on a fairly regular basis, due to the wall of windows.

Tell us about Lortondale as a neighborhood: Lortondale was designed by Donald Honn, who was a local architect. A lot of the neighbors here now are architects and folks who just care about MCM in general. It's awesome to see neighbors pitch in to help each other with restoration (and we check out those projects each holiday season with a Lortondale progressive tour), which has helped it become a pretty excellent community where you can ask a neighbor to keep an eye on your house if you're out of town or to trade garden bumpercrops with or to literally borrow a cup of sugar. 

How would you describe your decorating style?  Mine is definitely heaps of kitsch, and my husband Adam's style is the literal opposite of that. We try to maintain somewhat of a balance, but I usually recognize that Adam is a bit stronger in this aspect. 

Why do you think it's important, worthwhile, to have a beautiful home?  Living in a home that was undergoing renovation the majority of our time there, it's been a spectacular change to look around and not see piles of tools or a fine layer of sawdust covering everything, and instead actually seeing the pieces we've collected coming together to be our home? It's been magical and calming. This is what we've been striving toward for years. 

Name 2-3 of your favorite pieces and why:  The first one is definitely the couch. We bought it in rough shape from some neighbors who had two Great Danes and had always meant to get it reupholstered but never got around to it. They were moving out to a farm, so we snatched it up and slowly had Janie Schneider (shout out to Tulsa's best reupholsterer) bring it back to life, piece by piece. I'm also obsessed with my plant stand. It's huge and ridiculous and perfect. The art in the house is really important to us, too–some pieces were done by friends who have passed away, or left Tulsa, or live across the country. My grandma did a few pieces in our bedroom–one is a lovely woman in a hat, one is a vibrant self-portrait, and one is Orson Welles? No idea if there was a story to that one.

Favorite Retro Den piece?  Definitely my collection of mini planters. I've always loved weird little vases that don't really match and I never had a purpose for them until y'all (and Succulent Sara, that angel) blew up the succulent scene in town. Finally, my beautiful cluster of dogs with eyebrows, kangaroos with gaping pouches, my demure lil painted lady, etc are out and on display and are full of life.

Why is having vintage important in a home?  Frankly, I just want to prance around and pretend I'm Audrey Hepburn. 

You just put your home up for sale, what are your tips or words of advice for people prepping a home for sale?  I have no idea what I'm doing. I basically tried to keep things as clean and crisp and white as I could so that people could come in and think "ohh, my couch would look killer over there" or "I can roll out a billion cookies on those counters" or "my okra is going to be so pumped to grow in that garden".

Why do you love Tulsa right now?  WE HAVE A KEHINDE WILEY AT THE PHILBROOK!!!!!!!!

Tell us the truth, which Ashley is your favorite? Just kidding. But tell us why you keep coming back to our shop?  First of all, that's rude. Second–it's an amazing feeling when you meet people who are truly happy to see you each time they see your face, and for you to go just as buck wild to see them. Plus, that already rad shop of yours is about to get even cooler with all those fabulous creative women who are moving in. Mary Perisho? Angel. Tasha Ball? Sweetheart. Bianca Howell? Jiminy Christmas. Those babes from Laurel and Marie? Need I say more? I can't wait to spend time in a space so creative and inspiring and uplifting. I love you. The End.

Sarah's grandmother painted these portraits–Orson Wells and herself. 

Thank you Sarah and Adam for letting us tour your home and also for being our friends. Be sure to check out this beautiful home's listing on Zillow to see more!