Young House Love

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A Beautiful House Tour In North Carolina

We’re back with another house crashing adventure from our recent road trip through Charlotte, North Carolina. You already caught a sneak peek of the amazing kitchen, so we’re back to fill in the blanks. And oh man, this family couldn’t have been sweeter if they were made of sugar. Seriously. And their completely transformed 60’s ranch couldn’t have been more charming. Even the outside had us at hello (you know we love a brick ranch).

Hc Exterior

Since they tackled such an amazing makeover, we decided to toss in some before pictures to show you just how far Kristen, Stan, and their one year old son Davis have taken it (well, Davis was in the belly most of the time- they worked hard to complete their renovations just days before he was born). And in baby compatibility news, he and Clara got along swimmingly. Cute, huh?

Hc Portrait

Here’s the photo we shared in last week’s sneak peek, but now we have actual info for ya. Like that gorgeous oversized lantern above the island is by Troy Lighting (here’s a link), the vent hood is a GE Profile 36″ island hood, and the butcher block counter is from Locust Lumber (right outside of Charlotte).

Hc Kitchen Light

And look at the spread they tossed together to greet us! Nuts, chocolate candies, ice cold grapefruit drinks, and even animal crackers for the kids. Did I mention this family was sweeter than sweet?

Hc The Spread

Of course I played the role of Debbie Downer by suggesting that we wait to eat/drink so we could snap our photos beforehand. You don’t wanna know what that island looked like after we snacked (just picture scrunched up napkins full of half nibbled animal crackers, a few matchbox cars, and a bunch of empty glasses).

So we ran around grabbing photos as fast as we could (animal crackers awaited!). Here’s a wider view of the lovely kitchen that leads out into their family room:

Hc Into Family

And this is what the kitchen looked like from the same angle before they started their renovations about a year and a half ago:

Kitchen Before

Pretty darn amazing, eh? Here’s the other view of the kitchen from the now-adjoined family room (well, I guess it was always adjoined, it just had a tiny door and now has a nice wide opening).

Hc Into Kitchen

Here’s the same angle before the makeover:

Looking Into Kitchen Before

Any open jaws? Ours totally were when we checked out those before pics. Here’s a nice shot of the whole family room now, complete with pillows and table lamps from Target and a handsome worn leather chair from the Mitchell Gold outlet in Hickory, NC.

Hc Family Room

Just for fun, here’s a before shot of that room. Isn’t it stunning how much some light paint (with primer) on that paneling did for the room (Kristen actually followed our tutorial). And of course that big opening to the kitchen changed the space immensely too.

Fam Before

But back to the room as it looks now, I was in love with the casual and welcoming mix of textures and furnishings. Nothing was matchy-matchy but it all felt layered and inviting. Like the big patterned rug (handed down from Stan’s mom and dad) along with the old chair that Kristen recovered using this navy geometric fabric. The red side table was a an old secondhand wood one that she transformed with red spray paint (True Red from Lowe’s) and some spray on high-gloss finish (for a lacquered look).

Hc Chair Table

Kristen also let us poke through some other rooms in the house, even though they’re still a work in progress. Look how sweetly this little guest room is coming along. I love the matching headboards (another lucky hand-me-down from Stan’s parents) along with those fun pillows from West Elm and the cheerful rug from Crate & Barrel. I’m sure when Kristen finishes up in there it’ll look even more amazing.

Hc Guest Room

We also snuck some shots of Davis’ nursery because there were great ideas all over the place. See the fun patterned curtains? Kristen made them with fabric from Duralee. And since she’s such a fan of layering cheerful textiles, she brought in another pattern (from Etsy, called Teeny Tiny Zoo, in the color “Pool” by Alexander Henry) for the pillow and even covered her drum shade with it (for anyone who wants to cover their own lampshade with fabric, here’s a tutorial we wrote a while back).

Hc Nursery2

We also loved the DIY-ability of these awesome painted canvases. Kristen got them from this fun boutique (actually as a gift from a friend), but you could print out animals, cut out their silhouettes, trace them onto canvases, and fill in the space around them with paint in varying tones for a similar look.

Hc Nursery3

The mobile was also adorbs. Yup, I said adorbs. Anyway, it was made of felt by Eleni Creative, and worked so well with the fun animal fabric… which Kristen used as mats behind some sweet baby photos that she framed above the crib. Genius.

Hc Mobile Frames

So there you have Kristen, Stan, and sweet little Davis’ lovely house in Charlotte. Thanks so much for letting us swing by and share the photos! Let’s bring down the house for the whole fam and play our usual what’s-your-favorite-part game. Ours were that amaaazing lantern hanging above the island in the kitchen, the fabric covered shade in the nursery, and that awesome navy chair and red end table in the family room.

Psst- Still in a snooping mood? Check out a ton of other houses that we’ve crashed right here.

Psssst- John and I saw Bridesmaids this weekend (our second movie at a theatre since Clara was born!). 1) It was hilarious. 2) I had lots of fun noticing a heart shaped earring and short skirt pattern when it came to Kristen Wiig’s wardrobe. 3) I wanted every single dress that her rival was wearing. Anyone else?

Comments

  3. Caity says

    Curious–did she leave the paneling in that living room? We’re moving into our first home this week, and two rooms have paneling. I know you and John painted over yours, so we were planning on doing the same. Does it really look that seamless?! If so, that is super encouraging to me! :)

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Yup, she primed and painted right over it just like we did in our first house’s den. It still has the subtle vertical grooves in it (so it doesn’t look exactly like drywall) but it’s so cheap and easy (a lot more so than removal in most cases) and I personally think the vertical lines just add some nice soft texture. It’s amazing what light paint can do to old dark paneling!

      xo,
      s

    • Tia says

      I saw a show on HGTV last week where they took paneled kitchen doors and puttied in the grooves to make a smooth surface. Although it would take awhile with a wall, putty is easy to use and sanding wouldn’t take very long. Just one other suggestion!

    • Meredith says

      We took 4 rooms of paneling down and left one room up, and we kick ourselves for leaving the one room. It looks SO much better with it down. It took more work but it was worth it in the end.

  7. Katie says

    Oh my gosh, those befores/afters are incredible! I love the butcher block island, the newly red side table, and the nursery fabrics. Such an inviting home!

    Reply

  8. sophie says

    nice to see a kitchen before and after. we’re just in the early stages of ‘after’ – otherwise known as ‘brokedownsomewallsandpulledownthecabinetsbutneedtoputtherestbacktogetheragain’ – and it’s really good to see some inspiration in the midst of our MESS!

    Reply

  9. Meghan says

    LOVE the house crashing and LOVE LOVE Bridesmaids! I’ve seen it twice I love it so much. Hysterical. And I too, love ALL the dresses. I only wish I could pull off blazers the way she does…

    Reply

  10. Katie says

    I am deeply in love with that navy recovered chair – deeply. And their kitchen renovation – wow. I don’t know what more to say than that.

    Bridesmaids: So stinkin’ funny. The whole time, I just kept thinking, I should be friends with them! It would be so fun! And weird! I just love Kristen Wiig and Maya Rudolph.

    Also, just got the sofa version of your sectional and linked to you guys in my blog about it!

    Reply

  11. Cait @ Hernando House says

    I love it! All of it!

    Sometimes I want to open our kitchen up like that to our dining room, but I don’t know how it would work because that wall is behind the stove, which I think means it has a lot of important wiring. Definitely not a DIY-sort of situation (at least not at our current skill level, maybe after we finish our bathroom demo?)

    Reply

  13. Kelly says

    First, that house is amazing. I think my favorite part is just seeing how transformed it looked after they painted the paneling. AND probably that amaaazing chandelier. Second, I have to say that I’ve been shopping a lot over the past few days, and I have seen SO many elephants. I laugh EVERY time, and think it’s about time I just buy one of the elephants to put in at least one room – just for kicks. This is my favorite: http://www.worldmarket.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4307174.

    Reply

  14. heather says

    Wood paneling is haunting me. I JUST wrote a post yesterday about our living-room and the transformation I’m going to do on it (until we blast it to smithereens in our renovations). This gives me serious hope. Just imagine what the rest of my house looks like if that’s my living-room. Yep, we even have a door frame that says “Man Hater” on the top of it when you look straight up.

    *hits head against keyboard* kajdfkl;sjdaklf.

    http://www.likeacupoftea.com/abode/

    At least our yard looks stellar, including the land for an orchard that the hubs cleared for me this weekend.

    On a side note – I am LOVING that blue chair.

    Reply

  15. Elisa says

    Hurray for more Charlotte homes! It’s interesting that they put the hood in front of the bar… but it’s such a lovely piece that it totally works.

    Reply

  18. Cara says

    Wow! The kitchen and family room look amazing! They did an excellent job of matching the wood floors or maybe they just put down all new. It looks so different than the before pics. I love the idea of using patterned fabric as photo mounts. I am stealing that idea. Gorgeous home!

    Reply

  19. kristen says

    That movie was so funny! I definitely feel like it was Hangover-esque for the female audience. Annie was so cute, and I loved her heart-shaped earrings :) They looked like the stick-on ones we used to wear in the 80’s. Cool kids.

    How adorable was the cop?

    Reply

    • Jenni says

      Yay! I loved Annie too! I’m so glad someone else noticed her earrings. I laughed a bit because a few weeks ago, I wore similar turquiose earrings that were my mom’s when she was a kid (Which means vintage, right?! Does this mean they are in style now? Haha). Also, the colors in my mom’s set of hearts is actually similar to “Sue’s” colors :) Also, I had no idea that Chris O’Dowd was going to be in the movie. I started watching “The IT Crowd” on instant Netflix last year, and I was so excited to see him! (Okay, and I’m so nerdy…)

  20. Thais Bessa says

    I loooove the kitchen but I confess to be dying for those drinks, they seem so yummy! :)

    I also love your blog, it’s giving us plenty of dyi inspiration now. We buying our first house and it should be lots of fun to renovate and decorate.

    Since you guys know a lot (more than I do at least) about the blog world, do you happen to know any house-blogs based in the UK? I love reading blogs like yours, the Bowers and alike, but it would be great to read some British ones so we can share where to buy stuff etc. If you know of any, please let me know, I have been looking for and found zip. :(

    Thanks!

    Reply

  22. Rebecca @ the lil house that could says

    I love that latern! I’ve been searching for one for my entryway!

    My husband and I almost saw Bridesmaids last weekend but we weren’t exactly sure what it was about. And I have a habit of falling asleep the minute I sit down. It’s like exhaustion induced narcolepsy :)

    Reply

  24. Grace says

    Whoever did the work, did an amazing job! We live in Charlotte and are looking to renovate our kitchen. Do you know if they used a contractor? If so, is there any way to find out who did the work?

    Reply

  25. Angela says

    Super cute house! Thanks for crashing and sharing.

    I too wanted all of her dresses (from Bridesmaids) Love her cute blazer with all the fun dresses!

    Reply

  27. Melissa says

    My daughter is really into animals right now and those canvases are a perfect idea for her room! :)

    p.s. the house is awesome too. lol

    Reply

  28. Blair says

    What a great kitchen makeover! And family room, I can’t imagine living room during its heyday with that wood paneling. Once, I was at a ritzy house in Las Vegas and the house always had bowls of nuts and m&ms out, it was so nice. Now my father always insist we do the same, whenever we have parties!

    ~Blair

    Reply

  29. Laurie says

    How has no one commented on how much he looks like a grown up Michael Cera??
    Bridesmaids was great– so much better than Hangover 2 which was its companion at the drive-in when we went.
    Great home, wonderful foresight.

    Reply

  32. DanielleR says

    That house is so warm and cozy feeling with all the fun mismatched furniture, and the funky fixtures. Very cute! I have an off the subject question for you Sherry regarding curtains … I just saw the faux silk green window panels on the “things we’re digging” on your site, and I am having a bit of a hard time. I have a “fear of curtains” due to our 4 naughty cats, and my husband really wants to buy some inexpensive curtains for our living room (we have also toyed with the idea of making them like you did in your curtain-lovin’ dining room post, I guess my question is, my windows are an odd length of 66 1/2 inches, and I noticed that standard lengths are 63 and 84 typically, do I go with an 84? Is that like a normal ceiling height length? lol … So sorry I am so new to the whole curtain thing and he’s anti-blind at the moment.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Oh yeah go with at least 84″ and hang them high and wide! You’ll notice that all the curtains that we’ve ever hung in either house have actually been 84″ or even 90″ long (most are actually 90″ since I hem the 95″ Ikea ones or make them myself so I get to pick the size). That way the rod can be hung a few inches below the ceiling for some breathing room and a lofty feeling that adds lots of height to a room. Good luck!

      xo,
      s

    • Beatrice says

      I fear curtains with cats too. I’d try to find some nice pics of blinds/shades on Google Image, and talk him into that first! They can be hung high and wide for a really nice look.

      But you can also try this. Immediately after you put up the curtains, lay plain-old grocery store foil under and around the window (and on top of anything where they can jump from like a chair/sofa/table).

      Just lay out it out in sheets to a distance you know will keep them from jumping to the curtains. Be sure to wash them too, or spray with Febreez to get out smells that attracts them.

      It looks ugly, and it will take a while – be patient with it – But if you can stand looking at it, it will work to train them to stay away…they dont’ like the sound or feel of the foil. (works with a Christmas tree too!)

  33. Kate says

    I LOVE the blue chair and red table…and that rug…Gorg! (Gorgeous) :)

    I am going to see bridemaids tonight…I hear it is hilarious. I can’t wait!

    Reply

  35. Stephanie Phillips says

    That kitchen reno is EXACTLY what I want to do! I mean, to the smallest details. I just pinned it! Love, love, love it.

    Reply

  36. Sarah R. says

    Love this house! I’d live there in a heart beat. Question (and sorry if this has been answered already): do you think it’s worth it (price wise) to have an arm chair reupholstered?

    So many people feature ones that “they” have recovered. Yet clearly this is not a DIY job unless you are utterly amazing at sewing (I can never figure out piping on furniture–it’s so hard!!). Unfortunately I am not amazing, and more unfortunately I’ve never been able to get a clear quote on how much this sort of thing would cost.

    Thoughts?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      My sister in law had a chair redone using a local guy and it was around $200. It’s an awesome chair that she uses everyday now (and it was a free hand me down that would have looked better on the curb before she had it recovered) so I figure it’s worth it if you can’t buy a chair you love for $200 (plus the cost of fabric, which I think she spent $60 on) but love the lines of the one you have (and it’s comfy and functional). Just get a few quotes locally (checking out a fabric store is a great way to find reupholsterers that they recommend) and see if it’s worth saving an existing chair or springing for a new one and donating the old one. Good luck!

      xo,
      s

  37. Emily says

    Pretty pretty! I love that opened floor plan. Were the hardwoods beneath the original kitchen floor or were they woven in during the reno?

    Reply

    • Kristen says

      Hi Emily! Thanks so much! The hardwoods were woven in during the reno. We tore the linoleum floor out in the kitchen so when they put down the new ones they just matched them with the den. We were really pleased with the results.

  40. Kathryn says

    Love, love that kitchen…it might just be my dream kitchen. And isn’t Bridesmaids funny??? So awkward, though…I had to look away at times!

    Reply

  43. Jessica says

    I love painted paneling. Did it in my old house; the texture is great! I also lurve the chair that she recovered. It’s amazing. And the baby’s room is totes adorbs.

    Yeah, I said lurve, totes, and adorbs. Obvi. ;)

    Reply

  44. Barb says

    My favorite part was the “After” picture of the Kitchen and the wall that was knocked down. I am trying to convince my husband into doing that with our space. Haven’t quite gotten there. It would help this house so much by creating a more open concept.

    I can’t wait to show him the pictures as our kitchen looks like their before shots.

    Nice house!

    B.

    Reply

  46. Stephanie says

    Oh my goodness what a great kitchen refurb!!! It looks so much better with the open space vs. the cabinets. Their kitchen gives me hope that ours will one day also be refurbished completely instead of waiting in limbo for dry wall like it is right now (I guess we’re getting there)… I did get to pick out some paint this past weekend, but alas the shade I liked was too peachy and not enough tan once the sample got up on a wall. Is their living room and kitchen the same color paint on the walls? I’m thinking it is but it’s hard to tell…

    Reply

    • Kristen says

      Thank you Stephanie! We kept the kitchen white to blend with the cabinets and the den is more creamy. The kitchen color is Dove White from Benjamin Moore and den is Bone White. I think neutrals are so tough to pick–thankfully a good friend of mine has used both colors and gave us the great tip;) Glad to pass it on!

  47. Paige Jones says

    man, the exterior of the house is so gorgeous. the kitchen is very impressive, but I think my favorite part of the house is how she layers patterns and textures. that’s so bold and it’s something I’d like to embrace one day…I loved the rug in the living room…I’ve been wanting a similar one for a while now. And that red side table is AMAZING. And the blue animal fabric in the nursery was so cute. I love the animal paintings on the wall…I think I might try that for me (maybe try something slightly more “mature” looking ha)…

    aaaand..Bridesmaids was one of the most refreshingly funny movies I’ve seen in such a long time. I was half expecting it to be a little cliche, like its name, but it wasn’t at all.

    Reply

  48. Holli says

    Ooh- love that chair so much! What a fun bit of spunk with that bright table next to it.

    Love that you said ‘adorbs’- I picked it up somewhere in blogland, and now I say it just to see my husband cringe:)

    Reply

  49. Shari says

    She did a fantabulous job with layering! The guest room was precious. It looked finished to me!…..Then again, I’m not sure what the opposite wall looked like.

    Reply

  50. Lisa says

    I am obsessed with that Alexander Henry Zoo fabric! Got my son a lovey, a paci leash and a stroller liner made with it from different Etsy shops. Would have probably designed his nursery around it had I known more about it and Etsy before he was born…

    Reply

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