Monday, April 30, 2012

1 Year!

Yesterday marked one year since we closed on our new house.  We have loved living in our house and I can't believe how fast time has flown. We've gotten a lot accomplished around the house too! So, I thought I would go through the big changes and progress that we've made.

Kitchen
The kitchen was the first project that we took on, we wanted it to be nearly complete before we actually moved in. I couldn't imagine living in a house without a functioning kitchen while you try to renovate. So, we took advantage of still living in our apartment in order to get everything done quickly.

Living Room
We didn't do that much in the living room. We painted the walls the same as the kitchen, BM Smoke, and were able to use our previous furniture. I did find a fun printed chair at HomeGoods that helps to tie all of the colors together. This room is more about function than aesthetics, it's where we spend most of our time.

Deck & Backyard
We stained the deck last summer and got new outdoor furniture to make both a dining and seating area.  We have enjoyed this area all year long, but it's really great when the weather is nice and we can grill out.
I've also enjoyed watching the plants that we've planted grow and fill in. I love this section of our garden and the flagstone pathway that we added last summer.  The butterfly bush grows so fast it is fun to watch each week, it gets bigger and bigger. Even after having been cut down to stumps about knee high, it will grow more than 10 feet tall and it adds a lot of privacy. I also love the flowering bushes, the knockout roses that we added and the hydrangea that blooms almost all summer long.

Dining Room
We made a few changes to this room in addition to filling it with furniture. But, I think the things we did had a big impact. We installed wainscoting on the walls, which made the room start to look like a real formal dining room. Adding floor to ceiling curtains in a neutral, geometric fabric helped make the room feel bigger.  Overall, I'm happy with how this room turned out, even though it's likely to change and evolve with us over the next few years.


Guest Room
We've had a couple of guests stay with us this year, but mostly family members.  The guest room isn't really 'complete' but it's definitely better than an empty room. ;)

Library
This is our most recent project and we have gotten so many compliments on the bookshelves. They really dominate the room, but that's exactly what I wanted!  We need to work on wall decorations and finally finishing up the last few furniture pieces, two arm chairs and an ottoman. However, I'm really happy that we've gotten this far. I love to sit on the couch in this room and relax on sunny afternoons.


We still have a lot on our list of things to do around the house though. See my list of goals for 2012 here. Upstairs we need to decorate the bonus room and office and finish the master bedroom.  We are also planning to do a lot more work outside. We've got the backyard looking pretty nice, but the front still needs a lot of work.  We're planning to sod the front yard later this spring and that should make a big impact! I can't wait to see what the future looks like!

34 comments:

  1. When you look at all the before and after pictures, it really is an amazing amount of progress in just one year.

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  2. Congrats on 1 year in your home! We just passed our one year in Febaruary.. my how time flies! Owning a home is so rewarding and it feels great to add your personal touches! Your home has come a long way and I love all of your updates, especially your kitchen, deck and bookshelves!

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  3. wow! you have done so much in one year ... we've been in our house for over 2 and we haven't done that much! your house is beautiful! you've done an amazing job on it!

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  4. Just found your blog randomly. I LOVE your home; its so beautiful! Can't wait to read more.

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  5. I can't believe how much work you guys have done in 1 year! Great job! I LOVE your home and am happy to be following along now.
    Jenn :)

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  6. I found a picture of your dining room on Pinterest and fell in love with your curtains. Where did you buy them.

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  7. What is the paint color of your dining room? It's very similar to ours--love it!

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  8. Where did you get your curtains for the dining room? Im in love!

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  9. Yes I would love to know the source of your curtains too!

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  10. The curtains in the dining room were custom made. I bought the fabric here: http://lsfabrics.com/fabric/loop-d-loop-20996

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  11. Do you know the names of all the paint colors you used? Beautiful home!

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  12. I used to own a house with the exact same floor plan, down to the bay in the kitchen. I love what you did, classic and crisp.

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  13. Everything looks so inviting and clean! You are both very creative and talented! Love the yard.

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  14. Id love to know what your livingroom paint color is!

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  15. Did you build the shelves in the office yourself?

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  16. Is every room in the house painted BM smoke? I can't tell if the guest br is or not but every room is gorgeous! We're in the process of building and picking out paint colors and this is exactly what I'm looking for. Great job!

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  17. Hi! I love your house! I was wondering where you purchased the table & chairs in your kitchen? Thanks:)
    Brandi
    injohndeeregreen.wordpress.com

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    Replies
    1. Hi Brandy, the table and chairs in the kitchen are from Target a few years ago. I don't know if they have the same set, but I'm sure they have something similar now.

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  18. Love you house !!! Would love some decorating ideas for my living room . Plz help !!!

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  19. Hi Brandy,
    I love your shelves in your reading room. That is exactly what we want to do in our reading room. Did you do that yourselves? How did you do that? Also, love the trim in your dining room. Again, that is what we would like to do. Any suggestions for us.
    Thanks,

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  20. Hi, I love you dining room and was wondering if the paint color was also BM Smoke? Thanks!

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  21. Hi Amy, the color in the dining room is SW Mindful Gray.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks! I really like your style and color choices!

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  22. Where did you get the curtains in the library? I am in love!

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  23. Hi! I was wondering where you got your dining room table and chairs? I really love them!! Thanks!

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  24. I also was wondering where you got your dinning room table and chairs?

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  25. I would also like to know where you got the dining room table and chairs?!

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  26. Hi! I love your dining room. I was wondering where you bought the three photos?

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  27. I love the mason jar frames in the dining room. Did you make them or buy them?

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  28. Love your style-- now this post is a couple of years old so I need to search for your updates!

    My Bright Blue House

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  29. What white paint did you use for the bottom of the wall in your dining room?

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  30. Hi, where did you purchase your dining room chairs from?? I love them!

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  31. Where did you find the dinning room
    Rug?

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