Renovation Results

Renovations are truly labors of love. One day you are smitten with the vision you are seeing come together before your eyes, the next it is four months later and you are still trying to cross those final items off the list. 

Our new house had been completely renovated recently, except for the basement level. While finished, it needed a complete gut. We took everything down to the studs (about 1200 sq ft) and came up with a simple design that would be functional, airy, and satisfy our needs for years to come. 

Since it was a basement, the entire concept was to keep it fresh and light. Matt and I worked alone with our contractor, which was a learning experience, especially for me. My desire to use a designer was trumped by our enthusiasm to conquer this project ourselves. The outcome is fantastic, but I absolutely learned a lot. While there are a few details I overlooked because of my "amateur" status, they most likely would never be noticed by anyone else. 

The basement consists of a large family room, half kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom. It was not a walkout basement when we started, so we had a door cut (through the foundation) into the stairwell to the outside. This alone took two more weeks than we had planned, but it is amazing to have that access to the backyard. 

We are still waiting for furniture for the family room, so I will wait to share pictures of that space. I have also not decorated the spaces yet. Nothing on the walls, accessories, etc. All in due time! I am so excited to show you what we have done. 

Bathroom...

To make all the spaces cohesive, we used Benjamin Moore Pebble Beach on all of the walls with white trim. To contrast with the light walls and ceiling, we picked slate tiles on the floors. 

The granite is absolute black to keep it really clean looking. We used very affordable fixtures throughout since this space will not be used very often. Everything is from the Moen Banbury line. The nautical light fixtures are from Shades of Light. We chose white subway tile to keep it classic with one band of cobalt glass tiles to break it up a bit. My contractor used some extra trim to build the mirror.

 Bedroom...

The nice thing about this bedroom is that it has a full size window, something you do not normally see in basements. The carpet (wish I would have vacuumed it before taking the picture!) is Martha Stewart in Thunderhead. 

Everything was from our old house except for the dresser, which I got at Ikea. I am obsessed with the glossy white front and patina colored wood. 

Kitchen...

We used the same materials in the kitchen as the bath to be cohesive. The granite bar top matches the bathroom, then we used butcher block for the rest of the space. I am really into the mix of materials. We used a carpenter to build everything, including the counter tops. It took a lot less time then ordering them through a cabinetry company. 

He built these deep drawers and tons of space to hold just about everything in our house. I am on the hunt for some art to hang on that empty wall. 

While tiles was not our first choice to finish out the ceiling, we decided on not dry walling since we are unsure of other work we might want to do soon. Tiles make it a lot easier to get to any duct work, wiring, etc. The washer and dryer is a bit bigger than we anticipated, but the fact we have a second set of full size machines makes me giddy. The microwave is also a convection, which doubles up the cooking appliances. 

And there it is! Months of work and still working on the rest of it. It has been so fun to start using the space a bit and this "in-law" suite will be well used over the holidays. Once the couch that Kate Marker Interiors ordered for me comes in, I will share the family room. Think tons of built ins, toy chest bench, and a comfy deep navy couch to curl up on. 

xo

Erin 

Decking the Halls

Putting up Christmas decorations always starts fun for me, but always ends up being a bit more work than I remember. This year, there are more mantels to decorate and I wanted to use things we already had. Outside, I actually hung the garland and lights myself only to find them on the ground an hour later. Matt rehung them for me (almost) happily. I was bummed since I wanted to accomplish that on my own, but at least I tried? 

I went with fresh garland and just lights around the entry. The house is set away from the street, so really no one will see it except guests and us. It was my first round buying real garland. I clearly did not pick the lushest of them, which I will do next year. 

The larger LED lights are a cooler color than the traditional. I like how much it lights up the entry. I bought the wreath (all of them) and got crafty by making the bows. 

We use a fake tree inside. It is just easier and I love how it is already lighted. My mom gave me these fun yellow, silver, and black striped ornaments last year. I love the unexpected colors in the tree along with the more traditional ones. 

The fresh wreaths inside make up for the fake tree. They smell amazing. To keep them fresh, I spritz with some water every other day or so. The little bells garland and the crystal candlesticks are what I usually use as the centerpiece for Christmas dinner. 

These glass vases are always on the island, so I just filled them with some pine cones and garland. I am using that low vase to hold Christmas cards this year. 

Glittery little trees for the side table in the family room. 

The mantel in the family room has some great (fake) garland from Nell Hill's that my mom sent me on it. 

Also from Nell Hill's is this amazing lighted wire. It is battery operated, flexible and gives off great light. Genius for indoor decorating. 

I used this idea last year. It is an easy way to add cheer to a vignette. 

The mantel in the living room I kept simple since the tree is in here. I watched a video to help me tie the wreath bows. I used a plaid tartan and white polka dot ribbon. Then I used some bulb lights from Ikea and Moroccan tea glasses as votives. It will be pretty with the lights turned off at night with the tree. 

Since I was already all over the decorating, I finally put round bulbs in my new light fixture (vintage). I go in the living room and turn it on all the time now. Just to stare. Yep, obsessed. 

Here's to happy holiday decorating and a fun weekend. 

xo

Erin 

Turn Up the Lights

And then there was light...

I finally got to take out the lamps I had been using in the kitchen and flip a switch. Even though I was obsessive over the decision, I am glad I went with these Restoration Hardware pendants. The industrial feel of them is a nice contrast to the country look of the cabinets and barn floors. I went with brushed nickel to match the stainless appliances and the open glass dome so light would reflect into the vaulted ceiling. So happy I can check this off the list and enjoy the light for the holidays. 

xo

Erin 

Dining Room So Far

Sharing pictures of your home on your blog is way harder than I thought. We all look at design blogs and Pinterest all day, loving the perfectly designed and put together rooms of professional, fabulous designers. 

A professional, I am not. Not even close. 

Many of those photos are staged, just been cleaned and combed over for imperfection. So instead of sharing pictures of my "perfect" home, I would rather share ones of my ever changing, always a little messy one. And are rooms ever really "done?" Probably not. 

With that said, I will show you some pictures of the dining room so far. I have done nothing but move what we already have to the new space. 

The picture above the fireplace will most likely be moved to above the buffet. I love the idea of using that fireplace during holiday dinners. 

Those hideous drapes will be coming down. For some reason the previous owner put them up all over the house for showings. Now they are just a pain to take down, then patch and paint the wall. 

The extra built-in unit on the left was a nice addition for storage. The light fixture was from our old house. one of my favorite purchases. 

The table, buffet and break front are family heirlooms from the 20s that I was lucky enough to be gifted. The chairs are new, but I still have two of the original. I have been looking for fabric for awhile to reupholster them in, still searching.

I think one of these rugs would warm up the space and add some visual interest with a pattern since the wood floors and furniture is essentially the same color. Something in a light trellis, maybe. 

Since we live in such a rural area now, some faux taxidermy feels necessary. I LOVE this shop on Etsy. They have many different animals ($120) and it can be customized in different colors. Mint antlers seem perfect.  

The room needs paint, but I am actually kind of obsessed with wallpaper right now. I am thinking of painting below the chair rail white, then choosing a patterned paper to go above. These are my current favorites. Something traditional, yet slightly contemporary. 

I love hearing your input on what you like. Not quite ready to get after this room just yet, but I think I am on the right track. What do you think? 

xo

Erin 

Gut Job

Since doing a full gut job in the basement, there have been workers here every day. That was over a month ago and even though you cannot see much progress from these photos, there has been so much done. From electric, plumbing, dry wall, etc. I really had no idea how much work this was going to take. The good news is that a lot of the fun stuff is coming. In the mean time I can share some photos so you can see where we began and where we are now. 

Before and not quite after photos...

We decided on lots of built in storage to get ahead of the toy situation that is in our future. Plus, a nice spot for the tv. This room will be a nice family room and play space. 

We will have a half kitchen with another washer and dryer in this space. There will also be a bar in the cut out. We also decided to do a ton of storage in this space, you can never have enough. 

This bathroom is hard because it is dark and only has one window in the shower. White cabinets, white subway tile and dark floors should keep it light and bright. 

If you have ever done a full renovation like this, you know it seems never ending. But I am hoping that in the next month I can post some much more fun pictures of how this space is coming together. I also do not want to move onto other rooms of the house until this is done. 

Oh and let's not forget that we added a walk out door in the middle of this project just to keep things interesting. It is very nice to have an entrance to the backyard. It makes this space also much more like an in-law suite. Perfect for grandmas and grandpas. 

Any advice from those that have gone through projects like this is much appreciated! 

xo

Erin 

Chalkboard Wine Glasses

I am not exactly a DIY kind of girl. I have all the aspirations in the world to be crafty, but when it comes down to it, I usually just order something online that is already crafted up for me. 

If I was the kind of girl that wanted to do something Martha-esque and totally usable this holiday season, it would be to make these chalk board wine glasses...

A clever girl came up with the idea and another very clever girl actually put a tutorial up on her blog. Looks pretty darn easy and I may get around to it by the next party I throw. Inexpensive wine glasses are easy to find by the box and with some paint and tape you are in business. 

So perfect for a wine fest at your house, right? 

xoxo

Erin