house #5: family room-before/after

before:

ceiling fan, brass trim and boring white tile around fireplace, cream colored carpet and *no personality*

(my little shadow...can ya guess where she gets her nickname?)

the carpet comes up, the hardwood goes down.

preparations begin for the coffered ceiling. i know...it looks weird at first, doesn't it?

the ceiling is almost finished. we also installed a surround and wiring for a television above the fireplace.

a look towards the kitchen.

you can see the paint colors i was testing out.

the hole connecting the room to the kitchen...

getting there...

this is the only shot that you can actually see a little bit of the wood valance over the windows.

it's pretty similar to the valance i had built for the nursery here

the paint going up.

after:

i really wish i would have taken more pictures of this room, but at the time, i wasn't planning on posting these on a blog.  the house just happened to be clean and i figured i'd take some photos!

the color on the walls is 
brandon beige,

and the color on the ceiling is 
powell buff.

the moravian star fixture was purchased online.

we eventually replaced the tile around the surround with white subway tile, 
but i never got a picture.

the stain on the floors is the same throughout the main level:

provincial by minwax.


tomorrow:
before/after pictures of the dining room!

house #5: entry-before/after

just over two years ago, we bought a 

great house in a great neighborhood.

 the house didn't have anything "wrong" with it. 

the floor plan worked for us. 

it had plenty of space. 

it had heating and air-conditioning 
(unlike the LAST house we remodeled). 

it was just a little...

"VANILLA". 

that's what i like to call homes that 
need a little...style/zip/personality.

so, we started changing things.

adding trim. 

changing out tile and carpet 
for hardwood.

painting.

replacing light fixtures.

besides finishing the basement, 

and knocking a small hole in the wall between the kitchen and family room,
everything we did was cosmetic.

here is a picture of the front entry of the house 

before:

so, there were a few things about 
the entry that i wanted to change. 

i wasn't crazy about the soft 
yellowish color of the trim,
 so i knew i wanted to minimize it. 
and the green door next to the yellow trim? yuck-o.

also, the brass door handle, light fixtures and 
kick plate needed to be updated. 

so, the solution was simple:

after:

i painted the door and the entire surround 

the same color. 

this makes the door read as one large unit. 

it gives a little 
more presence to the entry.

the light fixtures were replaced, 

as well as the door handle. 
(both purchased at lowes)

the brass kick plate was removed. 

i also gave the urns on either side of the entry, 
a soft glaze of the door color.
 they were originally a terra-cotta color.

life since then...

sometimes, i wish i still lived in this house.. but, like many people out there, we were severely affected by the downturn in the economy. 
sometimes life throws curve balls at you that you couldn't see coming from a million miles. 
that's what happened to us. 
a big, fat, stinky curveball, right in the shnoz.
(actually, a few of them...)  
so, we shut down our business, packed up our stuff, and moved across the country. and now, i am living in a "totally remodeled" rental house. unfortunately, to some people, "totally remodeled" means "really ugly wallpaper, 1970's light fixtures, and an oven that won't even fit a cookie sheet." 

oh well. life goes on, right?

some days i miss my "old life". i miss this house. i miss my friends. i miss the south. but, i realize that there will be another house for us to bring back to life, new friends yet to be discovered, and new memories to make. so, i'm trying hard to be open to all the possibilities that life will inevitably bring. 
and this blog will serve as a place for me to DUMP all of my ideas and inspiration. because, hopefully, next year at this time, i will be in the middle of another remodel. i can't wait!


my personal favorite picture of the entry:

shadow, sweet pea and g-man.

 tomorrow:

before/after pictures of the foyer!

mantle envy

wow.

via my home ideas

dear santa: part 2

if you have time, you could also bring me....

this

this

a pair of these

4 of these

a few rolls of this

and...

this.

that will do.


love, 
autumn

dear santa: part 1

here are a few things 

you can bring me this year...

this,

this,

a few of  these,

2 of these,

and this

hugs,
autumn

happy thanksgiving

images via martha stewart

textures and colors of fall

i would love my thanksgiving table to have the same feel as these pictures...

 brown velvet + the natural elements is divine.

a beautiful, dark mossy green table cloth would look great with a low "arrangement"

made from moss, acorns, leaves and pine cones... 

and can you imagine little wreaths 

like this on the back of each chair?

and something like this as napkin holders...

hmmm. maybe next year.

images from country living

13 days of thankfulness: day 13

i am thankful for:
textural fabrics.

dupioni silk.

and linen.

delicious velvets.

and burlap.

13 days of thankfulness: day 12

i am thankful for:

stone houses.
ok, ok, i like brick houses too.
and wood ones.
oh, and i love a good stucco house.
oh dear. i think i have a problem...

images found here, here, here, here, here & traditional living