It’s hard to believe we’ve already been here a month! And let’s not sugar coat things… this house is looking pretty crazy right now. Blue trim out the wazoo, wallpaper at every turn, bright salmon living room walls, old carpeting that still covers the stairs & our closet, and a whole lot of furniture that we just plopped down on moving day (so it’s safe to assume that nothing is staying where it is for the long haul, this is just where it landed). On one hand it’s like “moving day literally feels like yesterday” but on the other hand, in a few rooms (especially the ones upstairs), we’re like “wow, it’s hard to remember what this looked like before” – which is a funny little Bermuda Triangle to be living in. But enough chitchat, here’s how our house looks one month in.
The foyer:
The kitchen:
The table’s way too small, but thankfully it looks a little less crazy than it did on moving day…
The sunroom:
The office:
The living room:
The dining room (confession: nothing has changed in here since day 1, so we used the same picture):
Here’s the half bathroom:
… which is definitely looking a little lighter and brighter than the wallpapered version we started with.
The guest room:
This is one of the rooms that has come a long way. Here’s how it looked a few weeks before we moved in:
The hall bathroom:
The spare room / possible future nursery…
… which looks a little different than the mauve-trimmed carpeted room we started with.
Clara’s room:
This one has come a long way too. Here’s what we were dealing with a few weeks before we moved in:
Our bedroom:
Which is definitely a far cry from this pre-move photo:
Our bathroom:
It’s fun to scroll through this post to see how it looked on Day One too. We definitely still have some just-moved-in moments going on. Like this kitchen cabinet full of a jumble of tools:
Our closet needs some help too…
But overall, for a month in we’re just glad to have gone from seeing this when we walk up the stairs…
… to seeing this…
The hallway is definitely the most dramatic change so far. It’s sort of like Old Carpet With Blue Trim And Wallpaper Central when you’re climbing the stairs, but when you get to the top it feels clean and new. I let out a giant sigh every single time I go up there. And yes, that railing is SCREAMING for an upgrade. But even though we’re faaaar from completing any space at all (it usually takes us around two years just to paint every room), it’s nice to see that we’ve checked this stuff off:
- ripping out a bunch of carpeting
- installing hardwood floors upstairs
- painting the doors and trim upstairs
- adding new doorknobs
- removing wallpaper from the half bathroom
- removing the doors between the foyer/kitchen/living room/dining room
- getting some tree work done
- removing the glass shower doors and re-caulking our bathroom tub
- hanging curtains in the guest room
- stripping old carpeting out of the sunroom
- installing new blinds in all of the bedrooms and bathrooms
We’re slowly starting to feel like this is our house. And we’re deeply and hopelessly in love with it (blue trim and all!) along with our new hood. Seriously, you might need an anti-nausea pill if I keep gushing. I know we’ve learned never to say never (thanks Beibs) but you’d have to drag me kicking and screaming from this place. I’m about to get a “Be Mine Forever” tattoo on my forearm…
Psst- If you’re wondering what our plans are for each space, chances are we haven’t fully fleshed them out yet, but this giant to-do list should help. We prefer to research/plan things as we attack them, so we promise to share every detail with you guys as we go!
Betsy says
The thing I really can’t wait to see is when you blow out that wall between the kitchen and the family room! It’s going to look amazing all opened up and I think you’ll love it as Clara gets older – if Mom or Dad is in the kitchen, she can be at the kitchen table or on the sofa in the family room.
Jennifer says
Man! That last photo – a new floor and some paint can go a long way!! It looks great for being a month in! Can’t wait to see the future changes :)
Rebecca says
Totally unrelated, but I saw a lot of people ask about your rugs in the comments
rugsusa.com is having a 75% sale for the 4th of July. I am getting this 8.5 x 11.5 one for less than $300 for our master and I am so excited! http://www.rugsusa.com/rugsusa/rugs/rugs-usa-chevron/blue/200HJHK25A-860116.html
The only thing that I am bummed about is that I bought this one for my daughter’s room last week on Joss and Main and now it is over half that price on rugsusa.com http://www.rugsusa.com/rugsusa/rugs/rugs-usa-solid-stripes/green/200HJHK72B-76096.html
YoungHouseLove says
That’s awesome about the sale! So bummed about the rug that you later found cheaper though. I hate when that happens!
xo
s
Liz S. says
You switched the living room / bedroom rugs! I think I do like the living room rug in your bedroom…compliments the headboard…fun!
Samantha says
I really enjoy the fact that the previous owners of your house took the time to paint the baseboards blue, but left the quarter-round as is. Cracks me up!
Elise says
I am totally IN LOVE with the floors upstairs! Every time you show pictures, I gush over it. Great choice!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw, thanks Elise!
xo
s
Meg says
AMAZINGLY FANTASTIC job for one month in!!! We moved 4 months ago and still have some boxes hiding in corners of our dining room and basement! I think you guys have done a great job…its livable, and has a home feel. That’s a huge step. How are Clara and Burger adjusting?
YoungHouseLove says
They seem to love it (the yard, the deck, the upstairs, etc). So grateful!
xo
s
Ashley says
It’s fun to see how you’ve been able to use your existing things like curtains and rugs in new ways/rooms, like the living area and master rugs swapped (better fit), and dining room curtains in the guest room. Love how each of the headboards still tie in so well, even with the new combinations.
Always looking forward to your projects!
~Ashley
Hillary says
I love seeing your progress! Clara’s room is so sweet already, it’s no wonder she feels at home. You guys had a smarty party when you switched those rugs, too. They both look great in their new spaces.
Aleta Goin says
Hi! I’m a newbie to your blog and website. I saw the spread on your house in HGTV Magazine and absolutely loved it! I looked up your blog before even putting the magazine down and having been poring over previous posts for the last week. Your projects have inspired me to begin working on my own house.
My husband and I bought our first house 1.5 years ago, a 2250 sq ft Colonial style home that was built in 1930. My husband was a house framer for almost 20 years before the building industry crashed in 2007 and his family business went out of business. He’s great with the rough framing projects, but finish work and decorating are not his forte and I’ve never done anything like it either. Nor did I grow up in house where anything like that was done.
This house has become a project for me, and it has so much potential. I just never knew where to begin. After one debacle of painting the kitchen, I did manage to do a pretty decent job on my daughter’s room (I got pregnant about 4 months after we moved in, so her room was a must to finish). But the rest of the house has stumped me until now. Looking through your transformations and informative posts really makes me think that I can do this. And the advice on how to do it cheaply is always greatly appreciated. I’m a self-employed massage therapist and my husband now works for the school district so we have adopted the new PC term for being broke to describe ourselves – Nillionaires. There are times when a gallon of paint is outside of our budget. But your projects, your persistence, your elbow grease, and your commitment to reducing costs as much as possible are greatly appreciated and also greatly inspiring to this particular Nillionaire. Your mood boards have even given me a great place to start, too. It’s like a virtual ‘room in a box’! I would love to send you some before and after pictures of my projects as I get them finished.
Again, thank you so much for sharing what you do with the world at large. You allow the general public into your intimate home and family, and I’m honored for that glimpse, and for the ideas and creativity that you share.
YoungHouseLove says
Aw Aleta, you’re so sweet! Your comment made our day. I hope you continue to have fun with your home, and thanks so much for reading our blog :)
xo
s
Dawn says
Hiya… I might have done something wrong because I don’t see my comment – sorry if I did! Was just wondering if there is a way to subscribe to comments to see when a reply is left.
I’d also asked about the “tiny dishwasher” (said in Elton’s John’s voice, ha ha) but in reading other comments realize it is a trash compactor. :)
Thanks!
Dawn says
And now that I’ve posted it again, of course I now see my original one. Spooky computers. Sorry again. :)
YoungHouseLove says
No worries, glad it’s back!
xo
s
Elaine says
Can’t believe it’s been a month. Some of the rooms look so nice already. Is it selfish to hope that things don’t come together too quickly? I’ve loved seeing your style evolve from your first home to your second. I can’t wait to see what you come up with for your third!
Lindsey says
I love this! You both have accomplished so much, it’s really making me miss working on my house, but also wanting to buy a new one so I can start working on another one! Congratulations on all of the beautiful work!
Elizabeth says
I know you are far from finishing the master bedroom, but as of now I love the feel of it in the pictures, it has a good aura about it. Excited to see all the new changes! I for one am glad you moved into this gem, as I’m sure you are as well. Keep up the good work. Love the flooring upstairs too, it looks so beautiful!
Susan says
This post really excites me about your future posts on projects in your new home.
I love that there is so much that can be done, I love that the spaces are so very different from your previous home, I love that there are new types of spaces – hello foyer and stairs!
I’m laughing at myself right now. How funny it is to be excited about somebody else’s home. Ha ha ha. I can only imagine how giddy you all are about actually living there and what the future holds in this possible “forever home”.
As someone who’s been reading since your first house, reading your wedding posts, new parenting posts, watching your daughter grow up… I’m really looking forward to future posts, and to watching Clara continue to grow and you all as your grow as a family. And the DIY projects are always inspiring, whether or not my own personal style is reflected or not, I am always finding myself encouraged to get up and do something in my own home when I read your posts.
Internet high five to you ;O)
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks so much Susan. You’re so sweet. We so appreciate the amazing folks like you who drop in on us. Heck, we love you for it.
xo
s
Jenny says
I don’t see Clara’s crib in her bedroom. Has she officially moved to her big girl bed, or is it somewhere in the room that the pictures don’t show?
YoungHouseLove says
It’s peeking out in the first picture of Clara’s room (this one) and she’s actually still in it! But she loves fake sleeping in her big girl bed, so we’re sure she’ll make a switch when she’s ready. For now we’re just thankful she gives us such great naps!
xo
s
Dany says
Woww! The transformation is super visible already!
Love this site.
Beautiful houses, beautiful family.
Carolyn says
You guys are really talented….the house has come so far already. It’s amazing what a change new flooring makes. Just wondering…do you have a general color scheme in mind like you did with your other two homes?
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Carolyn! We’re not sure what colors we’ll end up leaning towards, but I think we’d love to bring in lots of white with pops of color and natural accents (wood flooring, bamboo shades downstairs, etc). Can’t wait to see where we end up!
xo
s
Jordan says
We’ve owned our new house for 1 week now, and this post made me excited thinking about what it will look like after 1 whole month :)
Another thing this post did is make me realize how much nicer wood looks in bedrooms than carpet. We just ripped up all of the carpet upstairs and we’re planning on replacing it with new carpet, but now I’m having doubts. Maybe we should just install wood instead. Gahh, I just don’t know. I like the soft warm feeling of carpet, but like the look of wood (though don’t want to spend the extra money on rugs). Decisions, decisions…
Allison says
Where are you hiding all the boxes? Been here a year and there are still 2 boxes hiding in the spare room that haven’t been dealt with yet (cuz I don’t know what to do with that stuff), and we don’t even have kids!
YoungHouseLove says
We did this weird moving thing where we took small trips in the car for a lot of things, so we only used about 7 boxes (we’d load them up, unload them at the new house, and bring them back to reuse them) so it was nice to not have a bunch of boxes in the end, but we have piles of crazy (like the master closet and the tools) without boxes to hide them. Haha!
xo
s
Yvonne says
It’s neat to see your homemaking process from the beginning of a new and maybe forever home. The flooring is beautiful and I’m a firm believer that paint makes all the difference, but it struck me that having key pieces of furniture that you love already helps set the tone of the room from the get go.
We’re nearly 3 months living in our renovation zone home, although we moved in 1 year after removing the carpet and starting the process. I love it, lack of storage and all! I’d love to hear your “gushing,” so I wonder if you don’t mind sharing what part of your new home keeps your heart; or, what makes this home special, unique, the perfect home for you in this time in your lives?
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Yvonne! It’s hard to put into words, but I think our casual Instagram pictures come the closest to capturing it! We’re just loving the family stuff we’re enjoying. Just sitting out on the deck, going on walks and bike rides, meeting the neighbors, sitting out on the front porch, and seeing deer in the backyard. It just has this really relaxed and warm family feeling- and the neighbors are so welcoming and sweet. Just feels like the beginning of an awesome summer :)
xo
s
amy says
y’all always have the best sun rooms. love them!
and that upstairs hallway looks amazing…so big compared to the pic with the carpet.
y’all have fun. can’t wait to follow your journey.
hugs,
amy~colorado
Autumn Beach says
She’s a keeper fo SHO! It doesn’t get any more storybook/classic/John and Sherry than this. With each sheet of wallpaper stripped and every piece of carpet ripped up, the stage is being set to work your magic! CanNOT wait to watch it all happen! In a very slow and thoughtful way, of course. No rush. Just enjoying the ride. Thanks for sharing it all with us.
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Autumn, you’re sweet.
xo
s
Brenda says
Love the dramatic change in the upstairs hallway. It looks so beautiful now!
Becca Bermingham says
Can’t wait to see how awesome it looks once you start painting!!! I love what you’ve done so far!
Katy says
I keep seeing this “spare bedroom/future nursery …” like it’s an unknown. Totally not asking bc it’s none of my biz, but I sure hope you guys have more kids. Clara is rad. Just sayin’.
Nicole says
I love to see all the progress photos! I do photography for a real estate team and have appreciated you guys talking about lighting, etc when you take photos. One thing I’ve learned is to get on your knees, depending on your height, or use a tri-pod to line up the camera directly at center height of the room to avoid any weird angles or perspectives. Do you guys use a tripod at all?
YoungHouseLove says
We do sometimes – mainly in situations where light isn’t great (like we often used it in our last kitchen). But usually we’re too lazy to set it up because we can play with angles more quickly without it.
-John
Cat says
I’ll make two comments and hope you’ll understand they’re not meant to totally contradict one another:
1 – Great progress!
2 – I’m so glad I’m not the only one. We moved into our old new house 11 days ago, and I also have plenty of corners that look like we just arrived yesterday and dropped the boxes.
Lindsay says
WOW! That hallway is truly stunning. You both have such a trained eye for POTENTIAL. I never would have looked at Mr. Carpet and Trim and seen the ending product! You have me motivated as well;) We’re two weeks into a big move from S. Korea to Hawaii with a new apartment to decorate! I know the second I pick up speed on it, the more seconds closer I am to feeling like this place is HOME:)
Tj @ Phunkblog says
This house has so much potential and natural light. I love what you’ve done so far (not that there was ever any doubt ;) ). Can’t wait to see the continuing transformations.
Julianne says
So much accomplished for just one month! It seriously looks amazeballs already. :O) Really felt good to read just how much you guys love your place already. Excited for you to have found a (more-than-likely) forever home!!
Claire @ Claire K Creations says
Well it makes me feel better to see this! We just moved into our first house last week and there are some parts that are so chaotic! I’m hoping we stay here for a very long time!
Love the difference the floors made!
Don says
Congrats guys on your one month:-D! I am very happy for you your new home is beautiful! In the Foyer, you had mentioned that the light may stay – with some work of course. Do you still feel that way about it? I know you have a million things to do but my mother has some fixtures this color, but other than that they look awesome – like yours. It would be great to see a post on painting this fixture, or any. From taking it down, prep, paint, and then putting back in place. I am helping her with her home currently. Have a great day – ALL my best!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, we still think we’ll try to update it with paint! As for how we go about doing that- this post has all the steps for you in the meantime. Hope it helps!
xo
s
Susan says
I heart your hardwood floors in the hall! Absolutely gorgeous!!
Dana @ House*Tweaking says
I know it isn’t “done” but I’m really liking the neutral + green tones and vibe in your master bedroom. Nearly looks magazine worthy already!
Kristin says
I grew up in this area and still live here. RVA is a fabulous place to raise kids! Your “new” house looks almost identical on the inside to the house I grew up in, blue trim, “brick” floors and all!
Angela says
Thanks for keeping it real. We moved into our house 18 months ago, but it took an extra year to sell our old house. We needed that money before any projects could happen at the new house, which is a 1972 museum–just not well kept. Anyhoo, sometimes I watch a show on HGTV and think I should be able to do it all in a week, bwa ha ha. That just doesn’t happen with children and life (and no staff, lol.)
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Angela, you’re so sweet. We definitely love watching those thirty minute makeover shows, but they can definitely warp your brain into thinking everything should take a commercial break to complete, haha!
xo
s
karen @ paperfancy.com says
Hi there! It looks pretty awesome already. I love your rugs! Where did you find the living room rug?? Love that one!!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Karen! It’s from a local outlet called The Decorating Outlet, but it’s by Rizzy Rugs if that helps.
xo
s
kristin says
everything is coming along so nicely – i love looking at the before and after photos and getting all of that done in 1 month is a lot to me – i moved in a year ago and am still unpacking :)
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Kristin! All the best with your house, we definitely still have piles of stuff to sort and put away. I bet there will still be a few closets that we have to organize at least a year in ;)
xo
s
Jessica says
That hallway looks amazing. It’s so changed that I almost have to look at the pictures twice to believe that its the same place. You guys have made some great progress in a month. I shall try to channel some of that positive energy today to grout the rest of my kitchen counter and fix some drywall wear and tear around here.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Jessica! Good luck with that grouting!
xo
s
Jeanna says
Love what you have done so far :) After reading some of your comments, is the plan first to really de-personalize the house and make it a blank slate………… and then starting from that blank space beginning to add color and personality? Is it easier to visualize a new look that way, and pick your colors? I’m trying to get into your head and find your process, lol!
YoungHouseLove says
I don’t think the plan is really to just blank slate the house and then put in personality in two distinct waves (as in, if we like a bold color for the walls of the half bathroom, we won’t paint that room white first and then wait, and then do a bright color later – we’ll just go right to the color we love). But I think it’s just a natural order to edit things back and peel back the layers when a house has dated wallpaper and blue trim and old carpeting. You literally are just peeling that stuff back like an onion (or painting over the trim) and once you get it gone you can layer in your colors/style with new paint/furniture/lighting/accessories – so in some cases it’ll probably be a more distinct two phase approach (get it back to zero, and then add in “us” while other rooms might go right into color/fun right away if we’re certain about what we envision and don’t have as much to remove first :)
xo
s
Jeanna says
So, what I think you are saying is, no, you don’t need to blank slate a room to get your clear vision? I totally get needing to clear out the icky stuff, so you can create a room that you love. But some rooms you look at and know exactly what to do to make it your own…… right? I can go into someone else’s home, and know exactly what I would do to make it my own. Changing the furniture, a light fixture, colors, whatever. I confess I have a much harder time in my very own home, because I am always freaking out about the money. And I am a beginning DIYer in the fix-it department, so that is always an issue for me. I was just wondering if you guys had some tried and true process that you followed.
YoungHouseLove says
I think the best method for me is looking at rooms I love (inspiration rooms from magazines, pinterest, etc) and trying to see what commonalities there are and then trying to incorporate those into our rooms. I also love starting with something (a piece of fabric or furniture or a rug that I love) so that the rest of the room can sort of be “built” on those things. Hope it helps!
xo
s
Christiana says
OMG, we just removed the exact same slate tile in our new house! AND, my parent’s home was built with the same linolium kitchen floor :) We’re in Columbia, MD so close, but still kind of far to have so many similarities in building materials! Our home was built in 1979 and my parents’ home was built in 1980.
karen says
Wow, you have done a great job! Where were you about 10 years ago? I stumbled on you post from somewhere, and as I look at your pictures, your house is the same layout that we had in Illinois about 10 years ago! It was like dejavu! we did not have the blue trim mind you, and we had paneling in our family room!
Love you the look.
Jp says
Dining room idea: dark teal paint beneath the chair rail, and grasscloth above
YoungHouseLove says
Sounds gorgeous!
xo
s
DeAnnaG says
Long time listener, first time caller…
My husband and I have followed your blog off and on during the past couple of years and we have just made our second home purchase (even though we loved our first it wasn’t our “dream home”) and I love seeing all your projects and before and afters. Great inspiration!
Question: Where do you get all your great area rugs? Sorry if I have missed this posted somewhere along the way.
Thank you & continued luck and support! The house looks great!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks DeAnna! We got the yellow one in the guest room from Pottery Barn on clearance a while back and the green one in our bedroom is from Joss & Main about a year ago and the one in the living room is from a local spot called The Decorating Outlet.
xo
s
Debbi says
How are you taking down the wallpaper? I tackled our half-bath and it looks like a war zone–holes in the sheetrock–paper still glued down in spots. I have spent 30+ hours and nothing to show for it. Tried the blue goop & scoring and scraping…UCK!
YoungHouseLove says
If you click the link in the bullet at the bottom about wallpaper there’s a full rundown for ya in that post :)
xo
s
Nikki says
As coincidence would have it, we moved in to our apartment a day or two before you, so this is kind of neat to compare to! Granted, we only have a 2 bedroom, rented apartment, with no renovations, so I feel slightly guilty that we still have boxes around, no art on the walls, and closets needing organization. Somewhere between working full time, going out of town every ohter weekend, and other life tasks, hopefully someday I will see some progress!
Ann says
Where did you get the floor mirror that is in the master? Is that from Ikea?
YoungHouseLove says
It’s from West Elm about 6 years ago. Was a wedding present from John so I could see myself before walking down the “aisle” in our backyard :)
xo
s
Kim says
I’d say you’ve had a pretty successful first month! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the hard wood floors! (I took a blog-reading hiatus for a few weeks, so I’ll have to go back and read about that process.) And what a difference the white paint makes vs the blue. Your upstairs has totally brightened up. Can’t wait to see what July brings!
krys72599 says
Glad I read the first page of comments ’cause that saved me a question (why you didn’t run the hardwood into the closet). But I do have another question: unless the photo is reversed, it looks like the bedside tables are reversed in your new master. True? If I had to go from a big one to a small one it would make me nuts, so I was wondering if it mattered at all to the two of you… (I keep a lot more “stuff” on my side of the bed than hubby does…)
YoungHouseLove says
Yup, they’re reversed but our sides of the bed are reversed (John always sleeps closer to the door) so it feels the same to us. Haha!
xo
s