Family Room Reveal

Here's a quick update on the almost finished product. It's taken a long time to take photos since the moments of the house being quasi-clean, having good lighting, and having the toddler entertained elsewhere are few and far between. It's like a split-second utopia.

Overall, we love the house. We still have some nesting to do, but it will come (right??). The big stuff is complete, and making it ours is a work-in-progress. We are getting there slowly but surely. But, here's where we are today...

the little rocking chair was left with the house. i painted it & B loves having his own "big boy" space in the family room.

Need a reminder of the before? (shield your eyes from the shag carpet!)

The inspiration behind the transformation...

Favorites in this room:

• The black windows. Replacing all of the aluminum-framed casement windows throughout the house wasn't in the budget. Painting them black gave them an INSTANT update and we love it, despite the pain it was to get the painters to finish the job correctly.
• Natural light
• Fireplace - hubs did an amazing job installing the wood cladding. 
• Fireplace surround
• Shelving update - a little trim on the shelf fronts and paint on the rear wall is another instant update
• B's play area isn't as pretty or contained as the Sarah Richardson in me would like, but I wouldn't trade having him a place to hang out for all the designer fabric in the world.

Details:

• Rug: One Kings Lane
• Bench: Antique
• Mantel: Custom reclaimed Douglas Fir
• Fireplace surround: Absolute Black granite, honed
• Fireplace cladding: Custom
• Armoire: Crate & Barrel
• Curtains: Ikea
• Wall hanging: vintage
• Paint colors: see here

Kitchen Reveal

As we near a year on being in our house, it's about time I post some pics of the finished product. Well, almost finished. Between trying to finish some little projects and keeping the house quasi-clean amidst a toddler's endless energy, it's been tough to get photos. Let alone upload them and find time to post them. So, bear with me.

We are really happy with our kitchen, to say the least.

It started ugly, but with a little inspiration like this...

...we went from drab to fab.


We didn't do too much in this room from a structural perspective except remove the peninsula. Knocking down the bulkheads helped to elevate the ceilings and open up the space all around. We removed the pantry and replaced it with floor-to-ceiling pantry cabinets for more functional storage.

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

Some of my favorites in this room:

• Dual fuel range - this sucker can turn out some yumminess in a jiffy
• Bench storage & window seat - perfect spot for coffee and family meals
• Open shelving - this is uber functional for us and we're surprisingly able to keep it tidy. We love the mix of old & new that this adds, too.
• Marble counters - we languished over this decision a good bit, and we're ultimately really happy with it. More on that coming in a future post. 
• The openness - we originally planned to have a small island in the middle of the kitchen, but we nixed that after living in the space a while. We love being able to dance during dinner prep (neighbors must love watching us) and Burke can spread out his toys to really make quite a mess.

Details:

• Cabinets: Wellborn Shaker full overlay, glacier white
• Countertops: honed Carrara marble, more on that search here
• Shelves: Custom from reclaimed Douglas Fir
• Hardware: Signature Hardware and My Knobs
• Bench: Custom
• Paint colors: see here
• Lighting: Restoration Hardware (over sink) and Ballard Designs (over table)

Renovation: Progress Report

So yeah, I promised updates along this renovation road we've now been traveling for 3 months (so much for a 6-8 week project, ahem). Well, I would've LOVED to share progress--if any had been made. Seriously, demo still had a loooong way to go as we entered Week 7.

However, we are rolling now. I honestly don't know what's come over the crew the last 10 days, but holy smokes. It's really amazing how much they can accomplish when they, well, show up.

So here's a check-in with our initial project list & some photo updates to document (the photo layout isn't cooperating, bear with me):

Kitchen: 

• Install hardwoods - in progress
• Remove the peninsula- check
• Demolish bulkhead- check
• new cabinetry & countertops - check, check
• new appliances - scheduled for delivery
• new lighting - purchased, pending install
• update wiring - check
• install tiled wall with open shelving - tile, check; shelves pending
• construct banquette eating area 
• move gas line for stove - check

Secondary Bath:

• Demo tile - check
• Replace floors - check
• Install new tub/toilet/vanity - triple check
• Update all fixtures - check
• Remove built-in cabinet - check
• Swap position of toilet & sink to accommodate larger vanity - check

 Living & Dining:

• Update built-in cabinet doors (in living & hall)
• Remove brown shag carpet - check 
• Install chandelier in dining - pending install
• Install can lights in living - check
• Install ceiling fan in living - pending install
• Update fireplace surround & mantle - scheduled
• Bump-out fireplace to accommodate TV mount & cables in-wall - check (big shout out to hubby's carpentry skills here!!)
• Install hardwoods (also in foyer, kitchen, & halls) - underway
• Replace moldings (not originally planned, but due to unexpected ceiling collapse & replacement, the old ones had to come down)

 

Electrical/Mechanical: 

• Replace existing radiant heat & boiler with efficient Central Heat (at least Central A/C is already in place!) - check
• Convert to tankless hot water to make room for master closet expansion - check
• Bring electrical up to code - check 
• Install can lighting in main living areas, per code - check

Master Suite: 

• Expand & renovate master bath - check
• Close doorway from master to guest bedroom - check
• Convert former mechanical room to walk-in closet - check, pending install of Elfa system
• Remove brown shag carpeting - check
• Install carpet

 

B's Room:

• Remove shag carpeting - check
• Install carpet
• Install closet system in large closet
• Convert small closet to reading/play nook

Guest Room:

• Paint wood paneling
• Close & patch secondary opening
• Install closet system

Miscellaneous: 

• Update laundry space - underway
• Repair windows as needed - underway
• Updated moldings throughout - underway
• Sheetrock repair throughout - check, plus a surprise project: the plaster ceilings collapsed while the electrician was banging on the electrical panel, so we had to replace the majority of the ceilings. Of course, that requires some molding updates where the ceiling meets the walls.
• Update paint & finishes throughout
• Replace interior doors
• Bury rear electrical lines to garage

Wow, seeing all those check marks feels good! I mean GOOOOOOOOD. I love crossing items off my to-do lists! A week ago this update would've looked very different. It's a good thing we're making such headway since we have to be out of our apartment in 10 days. Let the packing begin!!!

Once we move in, I promise real, non-phone pics of the finished product. Heck, I may even edit them. Considering that most visits were in the evening, we haven't had power until 2 days ago, & that I often was balancing B on my hip, you're lucky to have any photos at all. Just sayin'.

Taking a Moment to be Thankful

My wonderful husband just texted me a sweet reminder that even though this house renovation isn't quite the "fun" we always imagined, that even though we shed a lot of tears over the past few months, that even though this apartment life is driving us freakin' bonkers, that even though the limited playtime we get with Burke in the evenings is on contractor-grade bleh carpet, that even though we second-guessed the decision to sell our perfectly good former house, that even though we have to twist our contractor's arm every single day to actually show up to work, that even though my career took an untimely-but-so-much-better path, that even though the weather is turning cool & all my fall clothes are in storage, that even though we're paying double house expenses for an apartment we can't stand & a house we can't live in, ultimately, we are doing everything for the right reason.

via luvocracy.com

In case we were doubting any of our decisions, one of the hoodlums from the old neighborhood was thoughtful enough to remind us last night. He decided to break into a home at 4am on our old street because he wanted the car parked out front. Ironically, that car did not belong to the person in that home, and fortunately, no one was harmed. But, it could've been our old house. It could've been Burke's room that the idiot stumbled into in the middle of the night.

And it wasn't. Praise God.

Renovation: Living Room Inspiration

With the renovation going so slowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwly, I've had entirely too many nights to peruse Pinterest & Houzz. Of course it goes to reason that after spending endless hours pinning images, I find "the" inspiration pic I've been looking for while browsing the website of a home decor store that's less than two miles from my sofa. Stumbling upon it was like finding the Holy Grail. The skies parted, rainbows appeared, and a chorus of butterflies and angels echoed harmoniously. Okay, maybe not quite that dramatic.

And here she is:

originally from Stanton Home Furnishings

This room has a very similar layout as our living space, which is what proved so hard to find. The back door to the back porch creates a weird walkway that needs to be kept clear. The fireplace is centered on the opposite wall, but the room isn't all that wide, which makes furniture placement tricky. The room is about 15' wide (fireplace to opposite wall) and 21' deep from the windows to the built-ins/foyer entry.

For reference, here's what we're working with (apologies for the phone pics):

looking from foyer

looking from dining. foyer to the right

I know I want ample seating in this room. It's where we'll spend the majority of our time, and our previous den just felt cramped when we had anyone over to visit.

Using the furnishing we have, or that I've had my eye on for a while, here's my design "plan." Of course, once we get the furniture in place, there may be some shuffling. But at least there's a starting point. 

A sofa and a side chair just isn't enough seating for our family. I like the idea of a swivel on the far end of the room so we can play with B or swivel right around & be part of whatever's happening in the den. Jason says I tend to overpack a room with furniture. Is it too much? What do you think?