Our Entry - Progress

It has taken me entirely too long to decide on a paint color for our entryway.  Paint is not expensive, so if it is the wrong color, it can be easily fixed so there really are no excuses.  But, our entry leads into three rooms (living room, dining room and kitchen) and I don't have the exact colors selected for these rooms yet.  I generally know the direction I want, but not knowing exactly made selecting our entry paint color even harder.  I knew I wanted a neutral color, but which one?

If you remember this post, I was completely set on white (see inspiration pictures).  But, as dreamy as the inspiration pictures look, our entry lacks natural light, architectural details and space/height.  We plan on rectifying this in the future, but for now, this is what we have.   So, a white color with no natural light and no pretty architectural details seemed wrong for the space.  

Also, there was the furniture to consider.  Ideally, for our entry, I would love to have an antique piece as the foundation.  Something like this would do…

But, right now that is not in the cards given that I'd like to save money for a new dining table and chairs.  So, I am stuck with using a cream colored shaker console that my lovely husband found at the dump (when we lived in CT). :)  :)  

So, after testing a thousand paint choices, I went with BM Edgecomb Gray at half strength (50% lighter).  Why half strength?  Because I wanted it lighter.   And, I'll be honest.  When we get natural light in our entry (always in the afternoon), I LOVE it.  Beautiful color.  Perfect.  But, in the morning, with little natural light, it seems a little too dark to me.  But, I think, until we can get more natural light in there, any color will not look 100% right.  

So, this is what we started out with…..this was the previous owner's decor….

BEFORE

And now PROGRESS - BM Edgecomb Gray at 50%

Here's another view - midway painting…you can see the difference between the original and new color 

So, the jury is still out, but I think it is a significant improvement.  I threw together a quick idea board of where I am going with this space.  See below.  

I definitely want to use the green pagoda lantern in our hallway.  It is the perfect size and I love the color!  I also plan on upholstering/slipcovering two storage cubes to fit under the console.  You can see the fabric choices above.  I haven't decided.  I might not even go with either….we'll see.  But, I do know, I want to finish this space quickly.  I'm tired of thinking about it and I am ready to move onto to the next room!! 

PS: In case you're wondering, I can't wait to rip out our carpeted stair runner and replace it!  I also plan on painting the banister black, hang sconces and pictures.  The list goes on….

Get ready...here we go again!

The past couple of months have been a whirlwind for us, as my husband got a job offer.  So we're forging ahead on this exciting new path.  Yes, we are moving again!  And, this time we are moving to a part of the US that I am less familiar with (being that I from the east coast), but I am very excited about it because I just keep hearing great things!  Hello Louisville, Kentucky! 

This all happened so quickly, so much so, that I haven't had much time to process it.  We've already been down to Louisville for one house hunting trip and we leave next week for another trip, with the hope to find a house!

our current home

We put our current house on the market (insert sad face) and we got and accepted a bid in just two days (insert happy face - thank you God)!  And, while I am very excited, I must admit I have mixed emotions about leaving this house, our neighborhood, our friends and New England. 

BUT, moving to Louisville, KY will provide us with many opportunities and we are looking forward to embracing them with open arms! 

one of the homes we hope to see while in Louisville.  Don't you love the porch??

We don't have much time to find a house and I am nervous about picking the 'right' area/neighborhood for our family.  We want to be in Jefferson county because of the proximity to Louisville.  I really like the Indian Hills area.  The houses are pricey, but beautiful and I like the fact that it boasts older homes with charm.  It also doesn't seem to have the typical planned community (i.e., sub-division) feel.  But, if any of you are familiar with Louisville, I'd love to hear your thoughts.

So, a lot has been happening.  My heart is full with love and gratitude given all that God has provided.  I look forward to starting this next chapter and making Louisville, KY our new home.

Bits n' Pieces

I am slowly making progress on E's room.  I thought I'd share some bits and pieces of what's been happening.

Bedding.

Serena & Lilly

Furniture.

Her current dresser will be a DIY, painted to achieve a cerused oak or limed oak finish, similar to the finish pictured above.

Art.

Pink and Tuna

Storage baskets.  

JCP.

Accent Table.

Target

Wastebasket.

Threshold line for Target.

If you haven't checked out the Threshold line at Target, you're missing out.  Some incredible things especially for the kitchen!

Anyhoo, things are slowly evolving!  There are certainly more elements, but what fun would it be to show you everything? ;)  

Cafe Shutters

I don't think I ever shared with you that every single window in our home has cafe shutters.  I've never owned a home that had interior shutters and I must admit I really like them.  They are so convenient and practical.  And, my favorite thing is in the mornings to open them all up - the shutters seem to disappear and the sun just comes pouring in.

{living room window}

If you're stuck with what to do with window treatments (especially in the bathroom) cafe shutters is a great alternative.  Southern Living even recommended them as a 'tried and true' decorating tip.  Would you ever consider them?  

New Roof: Before & After

Right after we moved into our new house, we replaced the roof.  Over the holidays, I finally got around to taking a picture of our house with the new roof.  If you remember, there were two sticking points that made this a very difficult decision.  First, we were told that roof vents needed to be installed on the front side of our roof.  To read more about our roof vent quandary, go here.  We decided not to install roof vents on the front side of the roof and restrict them to the backside only.  The second sticking point was the shingle color.  I went back and forth on this one and if you remember, I even did a mock up of the potential colors. I finally picked pewter gray - a dark gray that works well with our exterior house colors.

Before

During

Here is a good picture of the color difference of the shingles.  They had yet to replace the shingles on the shed (old roof) so I took a picture before they did.

After

Our roof with new architectural shingles in pewter gray and no roof vents on the front side of the roof.  Very happy with our decision!

Thank you again for all your help with this decision.  I received a lot of great input that helped us make very informed decisions.  If you're considering installing a new roof, you should read comments from readers here and here.

Fall around the house

I love this time of year!  New England is so vibrant and alive.  Last weekend, we did the typical fall festival with the kids - hay rides, corn mazes, pumpkin painting and hay throwing!  So fun.  Luke is at an age where he loves decorating the house for the holidays.  So, that is what we have been doing.  Here are some of mommy's decorations...

Two years ago, I made these halloween silhouette plates.  See here.  I really like them in our kitchen.  They're 'halloweenish' without being too theme-y.

Our fireplace mantel sans artwork.  I haven't even gotten around to unpacking any of our art/pictures yet.  How sad....but, I love the dentil molding underneath the mantel.  And, I couldn't resist adding a couple of little pumpkins.

Okay, and now we're posting Luke's decorations.  We do this every year.....rats on the staircase.

I don't even have the runner rods installed yet.  C'mon what is more important - runner rods or rats??  I realize that this is the first time I'm posting pictures of the inside of our new house.  

More rats on our front door.  I love the diamond pattern in our entryway which was originally done by the pervious owner.  Definitely staying!  As for the walls, believe it or not, the color has grown on me.  I like it for now, but not forever.  There are too many other things that need my attention that are higher up on the priority list!

Hope everyone has a fabulous fall weekend!!

Roofing & Other Updates

Based on reader feedback, the consensus was to go with pewter gray for the color of our roof shingles.  I hemmed and hawed about it.  Made a decision, only to rethink it.  Have you been here before?  Anyway, we made the eleventh hour decision to go (away from my initial choice of fox hollow gray) with pewter gray.  It definitely seemed the most versatile color.  Contractors showed up Monday and began their demo and reconstruction (we have 2 courses of shingles laid on top of shakes....which means everything has to come off and a new plywood substrate put down before the new shingles go on).  So, here is the progress.

This shows the new roof on the garage with the shed in the foreground; the shed has the old shingles, which provides a good contrast between old and new.  Note: the shed will be re-shingled too.

Here is a broader view of the pewter gray on the garage and the back of the house.  These were taken in the evening so the lighting is off, but you get the idea.

So far we are happy with how things are panning out and I really like the color.  I will post more photos and another roof update later.

In other news, I put a bid in on a persian rug on ebay (see post here) and 29 bids later, she was mine!! Here she is....

This is the seller....there are some great rugs....check out this one!  Anyway, I'll post an update when she is happily settled in our kitchen!

Shingles: What Color?

First, thank you so much for your opinions on my roof vent quandary.  There were some good arguments!  So, in addition to the the roof vents, I also need to decide the color of our shingles.

We drove around town (again) to look at the various color options (our roofers gave a list of houses they've done in the past).  It was somewhat helpful; but, just like paint, the color looks so different when there is a lot of light vs. when there is shade.  It is hard to know until you see it directly on your own house.

So, I took the color swatches they had online and played around with them in Adobe Illustrator.  I realize it isn't a true representation (I still can't get the shingles to tilt in the software - very frustrating).   So here are the leading contenders:


Option #1: Oyster Gray

Option #2: Pewter Gray

Option #3: Fox Hollow Gray

Option #4: Charcoal

The charcoal is out - in my opinion, it is just too stark for our house.  Fox Hollow is the closest to our current shingle making it perhaps the safest bet.  However, pewter and oyster may be more versatile should we eventually paint the house a different color.

Fortunately, this will be over in a week and decisions will need to be made probably at the eleventh hour! :)

UPDATE:  To see the color we chose, go here.

Roof Vents: Decision Time.

I know ... this isn't the most exciting topics.  But this unglamorous topic is staring me in the face.  It's decision time and I'm torn.  See our house?

The middle window above the front door is the second floor kids bathroom; our master bath is on the backside of the house.  Since we are getting a new roof, we decided it would be a good time to put in bathroom vents to eliminate moisture.  Neither bath have vents (which is typical for older homes) and we think it is a smart move to make especially since we're re-doing the roof.  Note: having done our research, there is a small minority that say it's ok to vent to the attic (not outside).  But the vast majority of people say you should vent to the outside through the roof (or gables).  

The issue is this: if we put a vent in the second floor kids bathroom, the only place they can put a roof vent (that'll be effective) is on the front side of the roof.  

And, I'm worried it'll look ugly.  A lot of times it is form over function with me.  I hate to say it, but it is true.  But, the roofing guy assures me it won't be one of those ugly pipe vents that stick out like a sore thumb.  And, it'll be a flat square top vent that should be disguised, like this:  

Is this more than you wanted to know about roof vents?  Yeah, me too.  Anyway, I am still convinced it'll stick out like a sore thumb.  

So yesterday, my husband and I drove around our neighborhood to see if any houses have this flat roof vent on the front side of their roof.  And, we found one.  

Sorry, for the crooked picture, I took it while driving, but do you see the little vent above the top middle window?  That is it.  It is pretty small, no?  Is it really noticeable?  What do you think?

Another Favorite Spot

While I love our patio off of our kitchen (see here), this is another one of my favorite spots in our new house.  This is a small deck off of our dining room.  Just large enough to house our adirondack chairs.  Directly across the patio is a small garden with a fence.  I have definitely found some time, albeit very little, to sit out here with a cup of coffee and magazine in hand!

The previous owners left the planters which I think are the perfect accessory to this quaint little outdoor spot.

Getting there...

It's been nearly two weeks since we've moved into our new home and we're slowly making a dent in all the unpacking.  To say I love this home is an understatement.  What makes it even more special is the neighborhood.  It is always the unknown when buying a new home and you just pray you have nice neighbors.  It's one of those intangibles you can never put a price tag on.  And, we've seem to hit the jackpot.  Our neighbors have been incredible, bringing over cupcakes, bringing flowers, inviting us to a dinner/birthday parties, helping Luke on his first day of kindergarden and just stopping by to say 'Hi' or lend a helping hand.  It sure has made the whole unpleasant experience of moving so much more enjoyable!

One of the reasons we bought this home was for the outdoor spaces and, in particular, the backyard.  We have a small patio right outside our side door leading off of the kitchen.  Tonight we finally had the chance to have dinner outside on our patio.  We got to use the teak patio set we bought four years ago in Portland, ME (and never had a chance to use because we didn't have a patio at our old home).  I finally set it up tonight and it looked great with the wisteria vine lit up in the background!  And, how about that cute little flower box outside the kitchen window?  I can't wait to plant geraniums in the spring!

Home at last....

How long I have waited for this day.  Here is our new house.....

Isn't she a beauty?  Well, I'd like to think so if I say so myself.  :)  So, the first order of business when it comes to decorating, of course, has to be the least glamorous (in my opinion).  That would be the roof.

Why does that have to be the first and most expensive design decision I need to make?  As one of my friends said, well at least you'll be able to 'see' the improvement and you won't be spending tons of money on plumbing or electricity (improvements you necessarily can't see).  She has a good point.  The roof has not been replaced since at least 1977.  We almost walked away from the house because of the roof.  

So, it is decision time - what shingles to buy and in what color.  I'm going to have to spend some time researching this, but if any of you readers out there have any experience in this...I'm all ears....

The next couple of days I'll be unpacking and getting internet set-up.  I hope you all have a great week!!  My son starts kindergarden this week....I'm so excited for him!