Mom's New Porch Sneak Peak

Here is a little preview of Mom's new porch as well as her inspiration for the new addition. The lantern, the planter's, the porch, the doors, and the Walpole Woodwork lattice screen are all new, the only thing old is the patio furniture. The contractors said we have to wait to paint the new railing until August when the wood cures, but other than that the outside portion of their renovation is complete. Mom and I have always loved Walpole's style so when she told me she ordered one of their lattice pieces I was so excited. 

View looking out of the new Oval window in the kitchen onto the back porch. 

 

I will have more official Before and After photo's once everything is painted but here is a shot to give you an idea of the overall feel of the exterior transformation out back.

Ikea Kitchen Renovation Part 2

Another client, another Ikea kitchen renovation. This particular project was a little different from the last one in that we completely reworked the whole layout of space. The old kitchen had a dining area (not the main formal dining room) off of it with horrible built in corner cabinets. It left that large chunk of the room unusable and forced the range and the refrigerator to be jammed right up against the back door, which just so happens to be the family's main entrance. By removing the corner cabinets, weird decorative columns, and island we were able to completely open up the kitchen. In the small space by the back door we added a coat closet/ family mud room behind two closet doors, and a little dry bar so the kids can come running in from the back yard to grab a juice box out of the new beverage center without getting in Mom's way when she is making dinner. It's amazing what a new layout will do, the kitchen feels like it's twice the size as it was before the renovation.

Appliances: GE Cafe Series
Cabinets: Ikea Akurum with Lidingo White Front

Countertops: White Carrara Marble

Faucet: American Standard Culinaire

Backsplash: White Subway Tile 

Lighting: Gothic Iron Lantern

Counter Stools: Ballard Designs 
Wallcolor: Benjamin Moore Moonshine 

Welcome To The Jungle

I know all I seem to be doing lately is posting more client before and after photo's, but I'm too excited not to share them all with you guys. This particular bathroom revamp was so much fun to do! My clients two boys are absolutely in love with animals, so naturally the three of us hit it off. Last summer they went on a Safari in Africa, and the Safari has kind of been the inspiration for our new decor. For the powder room we chose a Thibaut Green Zebra wallpaper (I have only  used it one other time in a dining room in a more muted color) and I have to say it might be one of my favorite bathrooms of all time. Maybe it's because I am nuts for any animal print, but between the classic black and white marble basketweave floor we chose, and the crisp green and white zebra wallpaper I think this bathroom is cheerful and timeless. I never want to do a room where 5 years from now people say "oh lord that was so 2013" but I feel like this bathroom could have been finished 5 years ago, or 5 years from now, and I would not have changed a thing. 

More Before & Afters

More pictures to come once I take official after photo's !

Master Bath Before & After

Over the next week or so prepared to be bombarded with client before and after photo's, or just plain after photo's... I definitely need to get better about taking before photographs. Here is a recent tiny Master Bathroom transformation that was actually completed around Christmas, so don't ask me why I'm just now getting around to posting about it on the first day of Spring! 

Client Foyer Before & After

I need to get better about posting client before & after photos. I always think I have to wait until everything is perfect or have the rooms professionally photographed to share pictures, but in reality nothing is perfect. There is nothing wrong with having a naked wall until the right chest, or beautiful piece of art comes along. Last week I took photos of a foyer and hall powder room re-do I've been working on, and I love the way everything turned out. Little touches like adding wall molding, painting the stair risers (always a must in my book!!) and changing out light fixtures make a huge difference. We still need to paint the railing on the wall white to blend in with the new molding, but between the paint, the wall trim, and the new runner it looks like a different house. 

Vacation Highlights

The Mr. Hank and I returned late Wednesday from our 4.5 day trip to New England. I don't know what I loved more, spending time with my family or completely unplugging from reality. At the house there is no internet, cable, telephone, heat or air condition, dish washer, washer or dryer, and no shower. Staying in a house with so much family history is amazing, one of those "if the walls could talk" type of experiences. Reading the house Guest Book, which dates back before 1938, was probably my favorite. For some reason the House Guests who signed the book on the first few pages didn't fill in their arrival and departure date, nor did they leave any comments along with their entry. If only they knew how much it would have meant to us if they had! 

 It is so funny to think that at one point in time there were no trees within 300 yards of this rock which is now hidden by 40 foot tall trees deep in the forest.

 I don't know who these ladies are but in the background you can see the house before the kitchen addition.

House Before & After:

 These pictures may not fully illustrate how awesome of a transformation our Before and Afters really are, and to be perfectly honest my Mama is probably going to kill me for posting these, but oh well!

Before

the small child on the far right is yours truly ;-)

After
or "In Transition" if you ask Mom: Grandma Lizzie's old den sofa, two new Ralph Lauren navy and white ticking stripe pillows from HomeGoods, two new Ikea Ektorp chairs, and two new seagrass rugs is the most updating this room has ever seen.

Before

Pictured above are my Dad, Uncle, and Aunt with their Aunt and Grandparents.

After

I love how my Great Grandpa is standing in the before picture with my Dad and his siblings, and now his Portrait will forever hang on the wall behind him. 

Before

The only before picture I could find, which is actually too adorable for words, is of Grandma Lizzie baking cupcakes with my brother Sam and my cousins Jack and Tyler. 

After

 Our lovely farm house sink was centered in the kitchen to fix some plumbing issues, and placed under a stained glass window that was salvaged from the barn when it fell down a few years ago. Mom also added Some new Home Depot base cabinets, lights, and countertops from Ikea. 

I don't know who had more fun on our trip, me or Hank. Running around without a leash on for 4 days straight, attempting to learn to swim with his older mentors, catching frogs and spitting them out, and playing fetch with rotten apples that fell off the tree on the hill; what more could a pup ask for? 

The Garden

The Lake

Doing our laundry the old fashioned way

And last but not least, a peaceful car ride home!