We have so loved our home - it will always hold such a special place in our hearts!
Let's start outside. When we moved in, it looked like this:
Unfortunately the grass only looks this good for part of the year, and living in the desert, didn't make a lot of sense. So, we bit the bullet and got it redone. Now? It looks like this:
Our plants are just starting to grow in and we can't wait to see how it looks.
So, come on in!
When we first moved in, the house had some very interesting (and not in our taste) painting.
Now it's a more neutral neutral. So much nicer.
Our first room you see is the living room/dining room. It had this "lovely" color scheme when we moved in.
Now, it's one of my favorite rooms in the house! I absolutely love the color we chose. It's woven in accents throughout the rest of the house.
Next, you reach the family room/kitchen area. This was the paint color I hated the most. Now, It's perfect!
Our family room was so very dark with the red paint.
Now, it is so much brighter and more beautiful with the new paint. It also makes our decorations stand out more and hold the focus instead of being overpowered by the walls. Our couches also stand our more.
We were so excited to get rid of these valences. They made it feel like Mimi's Cafe.
Again, so much brighter now!
(not the best picture - I'll try to take a better one soon)
Can I just say how much I love having a spacious kitchen! It's amazing being able to have multiple people in there without feeling crowded. We have great pull out shelves that easily handled a huge Costco run with room to spare.
I also really like having an island. From the sink you can also see the backyard, as well as the family room/tv, so it makes doing dishes much better.
Ed and I are also very in love with our new fridge. It's so pretty, and fits perfectly in our kitchen. And with the new paint color? Everything looks better.
Leaving the family room, you reach one of the huge selling features for us, the backyard.
We have a lovely covered patio with our inexpensive patio set. Someday we'll upgrade, but for now, this will work great.
Our beautiful pool!
Our lawn and koi pond
Ed is super excited about our built in barbecue.
Lets head back inside towards the dining room and go upstairs.
From the loft, you can look down on our family room/kitchen.
The loft is above the family room and is our office/music room. It was a bit of a mess when we moved in.
Now it's lovely.
It's much more spacious than what he had in our apartment, and will be a great place for him to work.
At the end of the hallway we have our guest room, which is basically our old master bedroom given a new home.
It's been wonderful when family and friends have come to visit.
Across from it is our last bedroom, that's staying empty for now. We definitely have plans for it someday, but are happy to leave it as it is for a while :). It's currently full of all the ugly drapes we've pulled down.
Across from the office is the upstairs bath. We're thrilled to have double sinks up here and a separate door for the shower, which makes it a much more functional space.
If we head back downstairs, towards the end of the family room and turn the corner, we'll reach another favorite room, and a novelty for us - the laundry room!
When we moved in, it was pretty horrid in term of look. So, so cluttered!
I even built a coat rack. There are two more hooks on in than in the picture, and it works great. A very easy and satisfying project.
Past the laundry room is our powder room. No before picture, but it's another room with poor paint choices. Olive green and brown walls made a small space feel even tinier. With a lot of work (and help from my sister, Kortney), it's amazing now.
I still have visions of a new sink fixture and lighting, but I'm very happy for now.
Finally, if you keep going down the hall, you finally reach the master.
I'll update with new pictures soon, but it's now the same color as the family room and doesn't have the valences/drapes. I'm envisioning white drapes eventually.
We very much love the Sumatra II bedset we got from Pottery Barn. The room still needs a mirror over the dresser, but is otherwise a gorgeous room. We have 10ish foot ceilings, which make a big difference in the feel of the room.
We also love the fireplace at the front of the room.
And, the quick access to the patio on the right, for a quick jump in the pool :).
Finally, we've reached the master bathroom, the room that arguably feels like the biggest change. It's so different from our cramped one sink, no ventilation bathroom in our last apartment. I love the huge counter space, the sink faucets, and all the cabinets.
The soaking tub is a surprising hit with me. I definitely wasn't super excited about a tub, but it has a very comfy sloped back that makes it really comfortable. Once it gets cooler, maybe I'll actually try it with some water.
Our first time having full length mirrors! Behind these doors is our big walk in closet, but it's far too messy to share right now :).
Finally, our very cool shower. I wasn't necessarily excited about this either, with the unique design, but it's great.
Plenty of space, great showerhead, and even jets that come out from the middle of the shower to get your midsection area. And a bench if you get tired :)
So, that's it for now! It's slowly becoming home for a very happy couple.
