Y’all.
Moving with 4 kids and all the STUFF 6 people need is NO JOKE. The last time we moved, Henry was 8 months old. Not only was he only one baby, he was a brilliant napper. Three naps a day. THREE. Also, one kid.
And kids, any number of them really, still need to eat lunch and snacks, and have diapers changed and fights broken up and messes picked up. None of that every day stuff (that can be overwhelming on a good day) stops even when you have the monstrous task of unpacking on top of it. (In fact, these two teeny paragraphs? Took me 20 minutes to write. Because everyone woke up. And was obviously in dire need of 17 things. Each.)
So, all of that to say that boxes are unpacked. Everything is out. I’ve hung stuff on walls, but it’s not necessarily it’s final resting place. I was mostly wanting to get things out of boxes and off the floor.
And now comes the task of making this house a home. A quick tour shall we?
So this is our house.
I freaking love it.
We moved kinda sorta to the country. Except not really the country because I’m originally from Los Angeles and I think I mostly like the IDEA of Country.,
(I can hear you midwesterners snickering from here.)
We have four acres, so it’s all wide open spaces and such.
Except that literally 1 mile away there is WalMart and Trader Joe’s and a cute little downtown filled with shops and restaurants. So it’s like the first house in the country right outside of suburbia. Which is basically EXACTLY the kind of country this city girl who thinks she loves country needs.
Andy and I have always loved Craftsman styled homes, and while not authentic, historic Craftsman, we were smitten with the siding. (Our last house was more of a Spanish style stucco. Pretty, but not our first choice.)
This front door is begging for some paint to brighten this space up (I’m planning this blue.). In fact, the ENTIRE house is begging for color. You’ll see.
WE HAVE A FRONT PORCH!!!!
Several years ago, before I even had kids, I had a calendar that was front porches. Literally. 12 months of the coziest porches you can imagine. My porch is pretty barren right now, but in due time, my friends. In due time.
This is the other end of the porch.
I envision a porch swing and hanging plants and maybe a fountain or something.
And big, fluffy throw pillows.
And sweet tea sipping. Except I don’t like sweet tea. So regular tea. (But sweet tea sounds so much more romantic.)
A word to the wise: when you buy a house, if you have the negotiating room, INSIST THAT THEY CLEAN THE CARPETS RIGHT BEFORE YOU MOVE IN.
I don’t know if the carpets were this bad when we saw the house and I was too busy looking at more pressing issues like layout and functionality (likely), or if they got worse during the moving out process, but IT’S ALL I CAN SEE NOW. And it’ll cost us several hundred dollars to have the carpet in the whole house cleaned. Grrrrr.
Rookie mistake.
When you first walk in the house, there are a couple of rooms. This is what is supposed to be the formal living room.
But since we are about as formal as flip flops, it’s become our school room instead.
This room is probably my favorite room in the house.
This room needs bunting. Stat.
It has so many windows and the lighting is just glorious.
Our last schoolroom was dark and dim and had but one teeny tiny itty bitty window. And that window was mostly blocked by the neighbor’s house, 8 feet away.
Opposite the school room is our office, which is supposed to be a formal dining room.
While we love to entertain, and do it often, we are more of a BBQ or buffet kind of people. Sitting down to a pretty spread sounds fun in theory, but it doesn’t execute well. 90% of our friends have 4+ kids, so it doesn’t take many families to make party numbers jump into the 25+ range. Also, kids.
Besides, with a husband who is self-employed, having a separate space for him to work is much more functional. (He goes to an office everyday, but sometimes he works from home and sometimes he needs to get stuff done on weekends and evenings.)
Please note that there are double glass doors going into the room…but then 2 big, open cut outs in the wall. So I’m 100% unsure what the purpose of doors are, when it’s not exactly going to keep noise out. To keep the turkey isolated on Thanksgiving? I don’t know.
We actually had this desk in our bedroom at the last house…it’s just three of those particle board bookshelves from WalMart and a piece of melamine we bought at Home Depot. Andy still has to finish hooking up all the technology stuff and tie/clean up the wires.
And look! A bookshelf! We didn’t have a wall space at the last house for a bookshelf, so they all lived hidden away in a cupboard. But now we can! I actually need to order another one from Wayfair.
I haven’t decided fully, but I’m thinking of doing something like this along the desk wall to make it more masculine and feel more office-y.
So then we pass a small half bath (no pics because I mean, it’s a toilet and a sink) and right into the great room area.
Let me be clear: I LOVED my last house. It was fantastic.
But my biggest complaint was the lack of natural light. It had lots of windows, but they were all oddly small and on the wrong sides of the house. The majority of the windows were on the north/south facing walls, and yet the sun rises and sets on the east/west…so there was only indirect light…and not much of it.
This house?
A natural light DREAM.
Windows everywhere. Big ones. And on the correct sides of the house.
White tile and white grout that I celebrated hauling out of the last house?
Right back atcha. Oh, irony.
The kitchen is a good layout, but the cabinets and counters could use some updating. I miss my glass subway tile.
I have what I call my $60,000 kitchen remodel idea (which involves knocking out walls and completely moving every aspect of the kitchen around, but that may not happen. Basically picture something like this recreated in my space. Pretty, right? Gah.)
At the very least, I see counter tops, fresh paint, and updated appliances in the future. Not soon, but someday. Like, several years someday. (Also, I have no clue what my big remodel idea would cost. I just picked a big number to be dramatic. Because that’s kinda my gig.)
And you better believe I brought my Barn Lights. I made it a point to have Andy pull them down and replace them with basic, universally acceptable pendants before we so much as put the house on the market.
First of all, I WANTED THEM. And secondly, it would have broken my heart into a million pieces if I had left them and found out that the new homeowner didn’t like them, or it wasn’t their style, or color scheme and they took them down not knowing they are not cheap.
So I took them.
I call this little corner my baking station.
The drawers and cupboards house a dizzying amount of baking paraphernalia.
And hot dang that view.
We need to talk paint.
I want to paint. I NEED to paint.
These walls deserve better than Swiss Coffee (the builder standard paint color).
BUT.
I want something neutral…THAT WON’T DARKEN UP THE ROOM or take away from the gorgeous light that streams in here. I’m thinking Abalone like this, but I’m not sure.
Help!
Honestly, we didn’t do much house shopping, because we weren’t truly house shopping to begin with, but you better believe that we had an entire conversation about if the couch would fit.
Because I love this couch and I may or may not have taken a house out of consideration if I felt that the couch wouldn’t fit.
Also, it needs cleaned. See that line of gross along the back? That’s where the dogs would rub against it as they walked by it in the old house.
The bad thing about natural light? YOU SEE DIRT that was once hidden and mostly unnoticeable when rooms were dark.
I have a dude coming to clean the couch next week. I’m kinda dying.
Also, I had to put my hutch and Le Creuset in the living room because there are zero blank walls in the kitchen. It’s a little random, but I don’t think it looks too bad, right?
Eventually (although probably sooner rather than later) we plan on pulling up the PRACTICALLY WHITE carpet and putting down wood or laminate (depending on what we can afford).
With four acres for the kids to play on, it’s not going to be anywhere close to beige in 5…4…3…
A fireplace sits off to the side.
It’s kind of a random spot, but what are you going to do?
Paint the mantle piece white, that’s what.
This big hole in the wall needs a custom cabinet.
Because that’s super inexpensive.
But seriously. Our little IKEA TV cabinet looks pretty ridiculous.
Built in cabinets!!!!
I didn’t have anything like this in the last house, so we had to keep sheets and blankets in the cabinets in bathrooms. Which I guess was fine, but it always seemed kind of unsanitary. Now I can have bedding not where people poop. Fancy that.
And then you walk through double doors to our bedroom.
This feels supremely luxurious to me.
I feel like there should be a voice saying “Enter” as we walk through. Like in a Disney movie or something.
The room is pretty bare right now.
Again, I need some color on the walls.
Paint is going to be tricky in this house.
I really, really, REALLY don’t want to take away from the light and bright airy feel of the rooms, and I certainly don’t want to detract from the fantastic views, so I want to do something really pale and light. But still something that will give contrast to the white trim and give the house a little more character.
And then a doorless bathroom.
Which makes showering really awkward.
Obviously, we close the main bedroom door and draw the blinds (not that anyone is around to see), but it still feels really vulnerable.
No jets. But soaking tub.
I didn’t take pictures of the kids’ rooms because really, they are just rooms with a bunk bed in them (we moved the kids to bunks to save space) so they are pretty boring so far.
Next week I’ll share some photos of the property/grounds. But for now, this post was long enough.
But seriously. Help me with paint colors. I have a Pinterest board just for it. Send me pins as you see them and I’ll add them to my board!
Also NO STAIRS.
None. Not even one. Nowhere.
Best.
Okay, now start sending me pins for paint. (Here’s my Pinterest account. I think you have to be following me to send me pins.)
Latest posts by jeannett (see all)
- Dirt in a Jar, Laundry Scientists, and Clean Water - October 20, 2015
- Because Cake. - October 11, 2015
- How to design a luxury bathroom for less - August 12, 2015
I completely understand what you’re going through on paint. We moved a year ago, and everything is a boring beige, which I hate. I mean it’s better than weird colors because at least it’s neutral, but I would rather have shades of gray. Anyway, that’s what I would recommend for you… shades of gray with maybe a little blue mixed in. It will still seem light and airy. We had some of that in our last house and I loved it.
Awesome house! We recently ditched beige {Praise the Lamb} and went painted half of the house in Mindful Grey by Sherwin Williams. We absolutely love it! It actually really brightened up the house but still feels warm and cozy. More importantly, I can switch out my pillows on a whim and they can be any color I want…. or all of the colors….because grey.
No stairs?
What about the two windows above the front door on the first photo, what are they?
I love your house btw ;)
Decoration. Literally. They go to the attic. Which is such a wasted opportunity. At least they could stream light down into the office (which is what they are above…but nope. Just windows for curb appeal. :)
We just moved and I painted the main portion of my house “revere pewter” from Benjamin Moore. Of course I bought some cheaper paint than that. But that’s who the color originates from. It is a light slate color. Seriously feels like it changes color throughout the day. Makes the white baseboards and crown pop. I found on Pinterest after googling popular paint colors. I knew I wanted a gray color but same as you to keep house bright and airy. I get tons of compliments. People are always asking for the color or saying “this was the color I was going for but missed!”. Seriously so happy with out choice!
I’m with you on the natural lighting. Love that your new house has so much of it. Also, on the painting. My little apartment above the barn was all white, until last year, when I threw on some color in one bedroom, and the bathroom. Then, when I sublet it this year for my sabbatical, the lady is a super talented artsy type, and when I stopped in for a visit during my travels, she had done an absolutely lovely job of picking out colors and redoing the whole house. I mean, some walls were just redone in white, but it all looks much brighter and fresher, and I am thankful that she did it. As a side note, she did ask if it was okay before she did it.
http://livingtherealworlddream.blogspot.com
Celtic gray by Behr. It’s blue, but don’t freak out: in a room with good natural light, it feels like the sky.
TWO OF MY FAVORITE “NUTRAL” COLORS THAT I WILL TAKE TO MY NEXT HOME: RL BLUE MESA AND BEHR MANHATTAN MIST. BOTH LOOK EXCLENT WITH WHITE AND DON’T DARKEN A ROOM. gOOD LUCK, LOVE THE NEW HOME!!
Maybe install a pocket door for ur master bathroom. Beautiful house ♡♡
love your house! my oldest son is an amputee so no stairs would be fabulous. I like the way there’s a craftsman influence with a modern, open floor plan. We once moved across town with four kids, including a two week old and I could really only unpack two boxes a day. It looks like you are way beyond that! If you really want to figure out paint colors and understand how they work you might want to check out Maria Killiam’s blog at http://www.mariakillam.com/ I’m not connected with her in any way, I’m just a follower, but it’s the first place I check when I’m trying to decide on colors. She teaches about undertones and how we read the color based on the undertone and how it connects with the colors around it. Sorry such a long message! Enjoy your home! Michele at The Salem Garden
I see some possible open shelving by your baking corner for your la creuset, maybe? But it’s super cute in the living room too. Fabulous house! Congratulations! I hear you have some pretty awesome neighbors too! ;) I’m so glad you took your barn lights! Call me when you’re ready to paint!
Oh, yes, and for you master bath transition, you could do a curtain treatment for a low- cost privacy option. Oh, and I just saw you porch with the string lights!!! Those are beautiful!
We just installed a barn door to separate our master bedroom and bathroom (I would have preferred a pocket door, but this was way easier and less messy). Home Depot carries some very inexpensive barn door sliding hardware and it’s not too hard of a DIY project.
i’m excited for yall moving to the “country” I love the house. A few questions if I may:
1) did you yall take the chi-chi’s (chickens)? if so, now you can have that great chicken coop.
2) how far from your previous house? and hospital in case the ambulance needs to be called for Jill?
3) Does henry still get to do his skateboarding? and the girls their dance?
can’t wait to see all the final details.
Loooooooooooooooooooooooove the new place! :D
Finally!! I’ve been waiting what seems like weeks for this..the paint color that we went with is Skinny Latte from Valspar/Lowes. It looks great in all lightening conditions. Love the place, love the post. Seriously….4 acres. Gah!!
Happy New Home! I know you will enjoy having more room to roam. Love all of the light and the beautiful windows. And the porch looks lovely. And yay for no stairs! Congratulations!
Benjamin Moore albescent
Oatlands subtle taupe
I’m really bad at choosing color… so I won’t be sending you any pins. But I am sending you huge congratulations on such an amazing home. What a blessing for your family to have this sort of space! And YEAH for no stairs! Can’t wait to see how it evolves and becomes more “yours”.
For the IKEA TV area you could add 2 skinny tall bookcases on either side and the TV would look less lonely.
To get the carpets cleaned is always horribly expensive. My MIL just bought her own, because you can buy them for around $100. Hers was $150 and does a really good job. Handy to have, so you can clean specific areas yourself, instead of paying to have the whole house cleaned.
Dude. Your house rocks! Love the natural lighting and the semi-private feel. And acreage. Congratulations!
I will check out your Pinterest board but I warn you, we bought our dream house over 2 years ago and the walls are still that Swiss Coffee color…. I did paint Miss A’s bedroom door purple, it’s the only interior color that I’ve done…
Very excited and happy for you and your family. Looking forward to seeing more of your projects!
Best,
Caryl
I’ve tried to send you this pin like 50 times and Pinterest is telling me that I can’t send it. (even though it’s my image. that I took. with my own camera. whatever) ANYWAY…. here are the paint colors in our house.
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/249386898088123622/
We have a very open and very light filled house and these colors work really well. Mindful Gray is in all our main living areas and looks great with the natural light. Sea salt is in our bedroom and bathroom. We have white trim and doors with oil rubbed bronze hardware throughout the house (if that makes a difference) Good luck! The house looks great! I’m especially jealous of all your kitchen storage.
Have Tony clean the carpet, he will have it in tip top shape in no time.
Wow. So happy for you. Amazingness. I’m in awe and I’d be jealous if I didn’t love you so much and know you all deserve (if that’s the right word) this. So that picture in the kitchen with the subway tile that you linked to your pinterest? Seriously could’ve been taken at my mom’s house. I feel like you’d LOVE her house. It’s kinda your style. A little more beachy than you but still, your stuff. She has all kinds of pretty paint colors. The one in the kitchen is a pretty aqua (that’s a strong word that sounds scary but it’s the perfect shade). So what I’m saying is you need to take a road trip to her house. Someday maybe buy it because it’s one story, has space and is a mile from the beach. Oh wait you can’t because I’m going to take it. I digress. SO HAPPY FOR YOU. xoxo
Well it’s lookin pretty darn good for JUST moving in! You’ve been busy! Congrats on your new home – it looks wonderful. I didn’t realize you were homeschoolers, too : )