We did it! We worked our butts off in June and July to get most of the downstairs done for an engagement party we were throwing at the end of July. See the list of to-dos here. The one thing I didn’t really touch was the kitchen and I’ve since started work on that. So here’s a peak at what the living room looked like before we started and how we’ve transformed it into what it is now!
Read MoreIt feels like forever ago that we decided to pivot and do a smaller scale fix-up to the downstairs instead of the full renovation like we’d planned! I’m calling it version 1.0 and I’m actually so happy we decided to go this route. Honestly, just the sheer amount of painting and small projects is overwhelming so I’m not sure I could’ve handled a full renovation just yet.
Read MoreI have spent what feels like hours sourcing rugs for our living room and bedroom so I thought I’d share the wealth of what I’ve found. I previously had a West Elm rug in our living room that I loved but it just wasn’t durable enough for a high traffic area with pets and I didn’t want to put that much money into another rug that would get beaten up. But I think I found the perfect solution!
Read MoreIt was recently brought to my attention that while I have a few seasonal bar cart posts, I haven’t actually done a post on a year-round bar cart decor! I totally get that most people don’t want to bother with swapping out decor quarterly so here are my tips on building a bar cart that will look great year round.
Read MoreWe aren’t exactly where I thought we’d be at this point (surprise!). There were a lot of little things that added up to our plans changing. I am no stranger to things going differently than expected when it comes to renovation and I’m very proud of how well I’ve handled it this time.
Read MoreAt this point, I feel pretty skilled at living with chaos in our home. We’ve lived through flooring installation, kitchen demo, and everything in between. Of course, I totally do this to myself, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t sometimes get overwhelming. I also know that general upheaval or the idea of having to move out of the house can be a barrier to entry for some so I want to shed a little light on how I keep my sanity when we’re in the middle of home projects.
Read MoreAt the moment, we have approximately 653,543,234 projects on our list for this house, but I’m doing my very best to enjoy where are right now. Part of that means making the most of what we’ve got now, including this bar cart. While I did have to move it to take these pictures (a brown background wasn’t working for me), I set up the bar cart like I always do - and this time with a green theme for spring!
Read MoreI love the color blue. Seb loves the color blue. And I really wanted to bring some color into the room without it being overwhelming. As you’ll see below, our master in the townhouse was a light blue. While I loved the color, I wanted something a little more understated for the new house.
Read MoreAppropriately named for her most prominent feature, Brown Betty is our new home! She’s brown on the outside and brown on the inside – even the yard is kinda brown. While I’m not the #allwoodeverything type, I do appreciate her character and the beautiful wood used in her construction. This house needs LOVE. We didn’t have a washer/dryer or refrigerator at move in. The burners on the stove work but not the oven. The dishwasher is questionable enough that we’re afraid to use it. The carpet is original to the house and there are plenty of things that don’t work the way they should, but WE’RE IN LOVE.
Read MoreLooking through these photos was a little bittersweet! I’m currently knee deep in daydreams about what my new office is going to look like once it’s finished, but until that happens, let’s take a look at the old one!
Read MoreI’m following up on my packing tips post with some thoughts on unpacking and organizing. Our process was a little different since we moved out of our townhouse into storage unit before moving into our new home. But here are a few things I’ve learned about the dealing with the fallout after a move…
Read MoreThis story is such an odd one to tell – and one I never intended to. Our lake house is just a tiny, old thing in the woods, but we LOVE it and it’s home. It was built in the 80s and hasn’t had much of anything besides paint in the way of upgrades. Unfortunately, practically the whole thing was covered in carpet (even the bathrooms – ew) and it was a very nasty shade of tan. Oh and everything else was tan/brown too – walls, toilets, vanities, countertops. We gave it our best, but there’s only so much you can do with paint. It never mattered much to us though because we spend so much of our time outside on the dock or the screened in porch while we’re there. But….
Read MoreI’m no expert at moving, but I legitimately love this type of organization/logistical puzzle. Don’t ask me to coordinate a social event, but if you want to know what order you should pack your house in, call me. Some of these may be common knowledge, but here are a few things I’ve loved + learned from this moving process.
Read MoreOur guest bedroom in the townhouse is a really cool room and one of the reasons I loved it right off the bat. Inside the room is a set of stairs leading to a loft. This was the perfect setup back when I had a roommate because she got a little living room area + a bedroom in one! And once she got married and left me, we turned the loft area into our office which was clutch since we now both primarily work from home.
Read MoreThe guest bathroom was the one room in our house that hadn’t gotten any love. Knowing that we’re thinking of moving within the year, I decided to go ahead and spruce things up in there for a quick and inexpensive update. This is a story of the power of paint + new fixtures. I wish I had done this a year ago.
Read MoreI know that Valentine’s Day isn’t at the top of everyone’s list of favorite holidays, but I love it! It’s in that sweet spot in the year where there aren’t a ton of things going on and a little extra love in the world never hurt, right? Still, you’re probably not going to slap hearts all over your house the way you deck the halls for Christmas. It’s just one day so I’m not proposing a big production, but I like to put out some of my favorite red + pink décor around the end of January to bring a little color into an otherwise dreary time of year. Here are a few ways I incorporate Valentine’s décor into my home and included are a few suggestions for Valentine’s themed pieces to use.
Read MoreI know that everyone is on the Mari Kondo train right now. And goodness knows I can get on the bandwagon for only having things in your home that bring you joy, but I just don’t think her methods are particularly sustainable for me. I think that people often fall back into the trap of buying things that they might not need and, to be honest, I would never commit my time to folding my clothes that way. But I do think that only keeping the things that you use and love is important - I just take a different approach.
Read MoreNormally, I’m a Christmas decorations until January 1 type of person, but this year I went ahead and swapped out our bar cart before we came home for Christmas so it’s one less thing I have left to do when we get back. Originally, I was thinking about going with a buffalo plaid cocktail napkin and doing heavier decorations, but once I pulled out the champagne glasses and remembered my mini string lights, I knew a simple gold theme was in order.
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