My parents have lived in my childhood home since I was 1 years old, about 38 years! They recently knocked down a wall and opened up their living room and a spare bedroom to create a large great room. It is perfect for our large family of 4 kids and 10 grandkids! Not to mention they are very active in their community and church, so they host 20+ people regularly. I am thrilled they had a large space to entertain. When they opened up the space they added wood floors, a major update in itself, except for the dated rock wood burning fireplace. It was really a dark hole. They never burned a fire ... Read More
Living Room Affordable Cozy Makeover
Our good friends, Sarah and Joe have a cape, but very different than ours. They have the traditional stairs by the front door leading to the second floor, like we do, but off to the right they have a really large living room. It is a great space, that I have secretly had the itch to fix it up for her for awhile! Now, I bet you are thinking that you are never going to invite me over. Or the opposite, you want me to come in hopes that I rearrange your furniture in my head, then eventually follow through and do it in real life. I don't judge ANYONE for their home. But I can't help myself ... Read More
Shiplap Fireplace and DIY Mantle (Ditched the Old Traditional)
A lot of you wanted the step by step tutorial on this DIY shiplap fireplace makeover that Kevin and our friend Joe did (in Joe's home). It turned out really amazing. They did such a good job. I had a basic vision of taking the existing fireplace mantle completely off, (it was very traditional and really too small for the space) and coming up with something that we could DIY. It had to not take too much time and not cost a ton of money. Sounds like a simple request right? "I don't want this to take too much time or money!" haha! Famous last words. In our home we added an electric ... Read More
Large Family Room Makeover- How to not get Overwhelmed
I am often asked questions about how to make a large family room feel more cozy and what to do with expansive blank walls to make a home feel homey. This obviously isn't a problem in my 1100 square foot cape, but my friend recently moved into a home with a large, over-the-garage bonus room. Not only was the 800 square foot family room ENORMOUS, it was not really functional for her family and she said that it often felt like a giant waste since no one really wanted to spend time up there!! Can anyone else relate to a large family room?? I have some tips for you~ How to not ... Read More
Fireplace Reveal- Our Electric Brick Fireplace
Last Monday I shared that we were going to add an electric fireplace to our small front room. I kept saying "I hope it works out"! And folks, it totally worked out! I had big dreams of having a fireplace. A painted white brick fireplace to be exact. And seeing as our home was built in the 1950's it just felt like a fireplace was supposed to be in this 1100 square foot home of ours. Are you ready to see how it looks? Today I will share the full reveal, how much the total price was for us to add this electric fireplace, how long it took and the why behind the choices we made. Painted Brick ... Read More
Changes to our Front Room-Fireplace Plan
I really hope this works out. Do you ever start a project with that sentence? Because we really love this idea that I saw and thought it would be perfect for our small front room. We are going to add a fireplace! An electric fireplace. With a full brick surround and wood mantle. Eeekkkk! I am so excited! When we moved into this home 3 years ago I looked into adding a fireplace and it was over 5,000 to do it. And not to mention we would have to add gas to our home to get a gas fireplace. Which would be nice, but not ready to fully commit to this house. So very excited to attempt this electric ... Read More
Fall Fireplace Styling and Floral Arranging Tips
This post is sponsored by Christmas Tree Shops Do you remember the fireplace we made over about 9 months ago for my friends? I thought it would be fun to show you how I would style a fireplace mantle for fall! Seeing as I don't have a fireplace and I love a chance to freshen up a friends space. I approached her fall decor in her family room/front room with the idea that she could use most everything over and over or use in a new way in a different room. You don't have to start completely over when you styling your home each season. I do suggest trying to work with the main ... Read More
Gallery Wall Tips and Votes are in for the Chair!
I asked for your input on this family room that I recently made over for my friends. We had an overwhelming response on Social Media about what chair to choose! I gave 4 options and the funny thing is the chair that got the most votes was one I added last minute because I loved the pattern and needed another option, not thinking it would be the winner. Since we were finishing the room my friend asked me to do a gallery wall up her stairs for family photos. First up let's take a look at the Staircase BEFORE the Gallery Wall.... Nothing much to it making it not feel ... Read More
Ask a Designer Series- How to make a home Cozy, Small Entry Ideas and More!
First post of the New Year helping my Email Subscribers with their one FREE Design Question for my “Ask a Designer Series”! I offer this service to my email subscribers as a thank you for following my blog and supporting me. It sure is fun to see what my readers are needing advice on! I am answering 7 of your Design Questions today! Starting with a small entry solution, how to make your home cozier and so much more! I also replied to about 10 others via email- some design questions are harder to find inspiration pics for or the design question doesn’t require it. Let’s get ... Read More
