Friday, April 27, 2012

A year later ... the "after" pics of the house renovation!

Front windows of house = Master Bedroom
It's nuts to think we've been in the house for a year now. Nuts because there are still a few unpacked boxes tucked in corners and nuts because the walls are still largely empty. I'm not so great at this whole settling in and decorating thing, but I'm determined to get better.

Family room/backyard
I kept waiting to post "after" pictures, because I felt sure I'd get everything decorated and fixed up so I could show truly done pictures. I finally realized that that's going to take a while, and when I had a surprise visit from the family who used to live here, I decided I'd get the place as spiffed up as I could for them and would finally take some pictures.

Kitchen
The visit with them was wonderful. All three kids who grew up here came to visit. It was great fun showing them around, especially because we kept several things from their old bedrooms in tact. The daughter chuckled as I went on about all the "retro" stuff in the house that I loved, because it was all stuff she'd tried to get her mom to get rid of. We both agreed that it was a great thing that she didn't get rid of any of it, because I love it all so much! Just another sign that we were meant to be in this house.

Enough chit chat, y'all just really want to see the insides of the house, right? Let's get to it!

Front door!
The front door is the perfect place to start, especially because it's one of my favorite things in the renovation. I never thought much about front doors, until I came across Crestview Doors. Then doors became all I could think about. My parents got the Langston doorlite kit (and a rad mailbox) for us as a house warming present. My husband had the awesome idea to put the windows down the center of the door, and it was perfect! I sprayed the escutcheon chrome, but we haven't been able to get new doorknobs yet. We painted the door the same soft aqua color that we used throughout the house. I never thought a door could make me happy every time I walk up to it, but this one totally does.

Kitchen after
Man, what a difference ripping out cabinets can make! The space feels so HUGE and open, and it's awesome to come in and be able to see right out to the backyard. LOVE how it turned out.

Kitchen after
Upper cabinets came down, and that made a huge difference. My inspiration for the kitchen was this picture of Frank Sinatra's kitchen Pam shared on RetroRenovation. We kept the original lower cabinets and countertop, and just added new paint and hardware. We put in a new vent hood and open shelving for everyday dishes. I love the tile, and the space feels ginormous - even though it's a galley. I actually really really love the galley. The light fixture over the sink was a $14 IKEA purchase to match the rad original light fixture in the breakfast area.

Utility room - laundry side
The laundry side of the room was also gutted (there was some water damage there) and built out to fit our washer and dryer. There's space to hang clothes and a cabinet for detergent, and a broom closet to the left. We keep our trash can and brooms/mops in there. Cleaning supplies above. It's kind of sad that this is one of my favorite spaces in the house, isn't it? I thought about pulling all the laundry out for pictures, but really - this is how it goes at our house. No need to pretend I stay on top of the heaps of clothes, folks. This is actually tidy for me.
  Utility room - pantry/mudroom side 
We gutted the utility room and redesigned it for maximum efficiency. On this side, we put in a small mudroom kind of area with hooks for bags/coats and drawers for shoes. The three sections of pantry were custom built and outfitted with IKEA slide out shelves that are super handy.

  Living room windows 
The wife of one of Chris' co-workers had the brilliant idea to tear out the bookshelves in the living room and replace them with giant windows to match the rest of the windows in this part of the house. It made total sense and was one of the best things we did for the house. The contractor was able to match the frames almost exactly - I couldn't believe it.

Modular shelves 
Originally in bedroom 1 in the configuration on the left. We moved them to bedroom 2 (son's room) and consolidated them a bit. We *love* them.

 Master bath vanity 
Before, it was just a vanity, but we wanted to have sinks in this space instead of the shower area. The vanity design is based on a popular vanity design from the 60s. I love our metal rim sinks and faucets. The guys installing them just kind of chuckled at me "We've torn a lot of this kind of stuff out of homes, but never put it IN them!" That's just how we roll, fellas. Medicine cabinets above sinks and the cabinets below offer all the storage we need & make up for limited counter space. I actually prefer it this way - I hate having junk out on countertops.

Master bathroom before and after 
This is in the room with the shower and toilet. We moved the sink out to the previous "dressing area" and had storage custom built for the space. The bottom left part is a hamper!

  Master bath shower
I could have gone more 60s and lest 30s in here, but finding affordable 60s-style tile was difficult. I decided to go with the classic subway/black and white action that I've always loved. It also feels weird to show a picture of our shower like this - and not "staged." Check out our shampoo! Look at our washcloths! Ehhhh!

Breezeway from Studio to family room 
Looking back at the kitchen all opened up now.

Studio 
Aaaaan, the STUDIO! My Happy Place. A needlework wall on one side, space wall on the other. The couch and chairs came from a garage sale (for a steal!) and the work table was traded from a friend for sewing lesson (hey, Lauren ... we need to do those!). Love this space so much! 

There are lots more "after" pictures over on Flickr. Hopefully this will spur me on to getting the place decorated and more put together, but for now it's suiting us just fine. We love it here. The house has been amazing, the neighborhood is awesome, and we're still happy (even happier?) that we got this place.

32 comments :

  1. Rachel, your house looks wonderful! I LOVE what you did with the new windows in the living room - genius. and love love love your black & white tiled shower. great job - looks like a very happy home!

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    1. Thanks so much, Beth! It really is a happy home. Even when it's messy & laundry is piled high (like ... today!) I still just get *happy* walking through it. Never thought I could love a house this much! :) XOX

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  2. The house is beautiful! I love all that you have done. I really love your studio. All the light in the home is very cool too!

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  3. Holy Cow, your house should be in architectural digest. Fantastic job!

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    1. HAHAHA! Well, I don't know about that ... but thank you! ;) If I could get it all decorated inside now, that would be awesome. Slowly but surely, it'll get there.

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  4. Absolutely gorgeous! When I finally come for a visit, you're going to have an awfully hard time getting me to leave. :)

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    1. I can't WAIT for you to visit! (hint, hint) And you can stay as long as you like. If you need a cheap getaway in the summer, you know where to find me. :)

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  5. Incredible!!!! I honestly have been waiting for these peeks! And it was worth it. Such wonderful spaces - so nice that you could maintain the essence while adding your own touches. How cool to share it with the former owners, too. My mom laughs when I tell her to keep an eye out for retro stuff when she's antiquing. Thanks for sharing Rachel!

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    1. Aw, Jan! You are so sweet! You've been so supportive through the whole process, and I really appreciate that! It's been a really crazy, special part of our lives. The family connection just makes it even sweeter. :) XOXO

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  6. Really impressive! Congratulations! It must be a big pleasure for everyone!
    Debbie

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    1. Thanks so much, Debbie! Indeed, it is - we feel so lucky! :)

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  7. Rachel, your house is amaaaaaazing! I love it!

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    1. Thanks, Cheris! Come visit! We're only 30 minutes from the beach ... ;) XOX

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  8. I loved seeing your pics and am SO impressed at all you've accomplished in a year - wow! You've really made the house your own by adding such great features to an already fabulous space.

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    1. Thanks, Ann! It's been a big year, and I have to remind myself how much we've done so I don't get down about what I still want to do. ;) Thanks for the sweet words!

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  9. WOWOWOWOW! That is an amazing transformation!!!! Congratulation, you have the touch...!

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    1. AHHHHHHHH! PAM! Thank you SO much for commenting! Your web site has been such an amazing resource through all of this, and makes me so happy. You are an invaluable resource to this community. THANK YOU! :) XOXO

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  10. You have done so much in the house in just a short year! Wow! What an great transformation.

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  11. wow, it is SO AMAZING! love it!

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    1. Thanks, Alicia! We need to get that crafty play date on the calendar STAT. ;) Well, maybe after Chicago. ;)

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  12. This is so inspiring! I really love how you knocked down shelving and did a large window. Brings in a lot of light. I am in the process of redecorating so this is very cool to see. Your studio is to die for! xo

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    1. Thanks, Nat! Indeed - that made such a HUGE difference in that room! There was another smaller book case on the left side of the fireplace, and we put windows in there, too. The space feels so giant and airy and seeing all the green from outside (even if our yard is a wreck right now ;) is really nice. :) If you can ever get to Texas, I'd love to get crafty in the studio with you. :)

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  13. You are SO living in my dream house. I didn't think this house could get any better, but you made it so! You rock.

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    1. Aw, thanks, Denise! If you're ever in Houston, let me know so we can stitch together in the studio. :)

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  14. Love it! Love it! LOVE it!!! :)

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  15. I cannot believe you got all of that done in only a year! It is gorgeous!

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  16. I congratulate you on your wonderful transformation. You made some good choices and executed them well. You should be very proud! I'm your newest follower. You inspire me.

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  17. Wow, you made a beautiful house even more incredible! I especially love the transformation in your bathroom - inspiring for the remodel we'll have in my home hopefully soon!

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  18. What a treat! Thank you so, so much for sharing this with all of us. I know it took hours and hours and your life is not exactly filled up with extra hours and hours. So i do appreciate all the work that went into sharing the transformation.

    What I love most in seeing the before and after images is that you have made excellent, thoughhtful changes to the house - changes that enhance the spaces but at the same time respect the original architecture and style and intention.

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  19. Uh, I didn't see a before/action of my guest bedroom - you know, The Lish Suite? WTF?

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  20. I love what you did to the house....it is exactly what I would have done. I love how you kept it original, yet updated. I live in the area and have always wanted to buy an old mid century ranch to fix up. If for some reason you ever need to sell I will pay you whatever it is that you would want!!! :)....seriously!

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Thank you so much for your comments! I read every single one of them. I do my best to respond when I can.

Have fun and be nice! :)
XOX
Rach