Where We're Headed...

I feel like people often look at me like I'm crazy when I see pieces or spaces because I don't see things as they are. When I look at a piece or a space I can almost instantly tell you what I would do with it. I almost always see potential. My husband has a hard time with this. When we were house hunting Patrick gravitated towards more turn-key homes. I wanted a fixer upper. I wanted something that I could make uniquely ours. 

 

I realize that not everyone can do this. Different people have different gifts. My husband has one of the sharpest memories of anyone I know, but putting together a room is not one of his strong suits. He is however, excellent at helping me execute my vision. (I love you, sweetheart!)

When we were house hunting, Patrick took some convincing on more than one occasion of the potential of homes. I would have to get out my iPad and plug in the home's floor plan and render up design options for him to see that these homes had all the potential in the world. The nice thing about My husband is he has the ability to reel me in when my vision is over our heads. (I've been known to bite off more than I can chew from time to time.) We really do balance each other out well. 

So when we saw our home I could see past the awkward layout, and the smell, and the filth. I saw character. I saw potential. I saw what could be. 

I want to help give you guys an idea of what I see when I look at a space, and let you in on what my vision is for this little house we call home.

When we saw this

I saw this

Navy blue walls. Bright built-ins. Cozy, and clean. 

We plan on filling in the doorway to our bedroom, because there is an entrance around the corner that is more functional, and by having the door in the living room you lose valuable wall space in both the living room and the master... Something I am not willing to lose. Filling in the doorway is going to be challenging because in the master bedroom the wall is plaster, and we've been told plaster and drywall together can cause some issues down the line because they settle in different ways... Yippee!

The walls are actually painted panelling on the living room which is also going to be a blast. We can either Sheetrock, (which I feel is wasteful, because the panelling is in perfectly good condition.) or I've seen people use spackle to fill in the spaces in the panelling to give the look of Sheetrock. I seem to be gravitating toward option two. 

I never thought of myself as very traditional when it came to my design aesthetic, but more and more I seem to gravitate toward classic pieces. 

Moving on...

When we looked at the kitchen I hated everything...

The oak cabinets, the painted Formica, the glass tiles... None of it worked for me... Also, you can't see it but to the right the kitchen has a bar that has yet to be used. It's open to the dining room, but not really working at all. 

When I look at this kitchen I see this...

White cabinets, closed off from the dining room adding valuable usable wall space. Right now all of our appliances are completely cluttered in the corner because we don't have enough USABLE space. By closing the kitchen off to the dining room it solves problems that we need solved. 

The butcher block counters, and tin tile backsplash are non-negotiable for me. When I think of what I want in a kitchen it always includes those two things... And a porcelain farmhouse sink. That wasn't an option for the rendering or you would have seen it in the design.

One of the reasons I don't mind closing off the kitchen is because it's still very much open to the living room. Not only that but we also will be gaining valuable wall space in the dining room... Which leads me to...

This room was a mess... Literally. Those curtains are hiding French doors that are begging to be open.

We are heading somewhere in this neighborhood...

This view would be from the French doors. By closing off the kitchen we have wall space to put our hutch. (Which currently resides in the closet in the dining room. The closet will be converted to a much needed pantry. And the washer and dryer hookups will be moved out to the sunroom leaving us with a true dining space.

I hope you guys understand a little bit better why we fell in love with this dirty, old house. Underneath the grime and funky layout there is a home. If you know me at all, you know I have every intention of making this house beautiful.

Until next time!

XOXO,

Victoria