Yard Reno | Part I

When summer arrived, we knew it was time for major exterior work. Matt's mom, Jayne, came to town a few months ago and helped us knock out some serious front and back yard demolition. It was three days of brick hauling, wood chopping, dumpster filling work. Now, our front yard is getting so much closer to livable. Overgrown shrubs, cracked brick planters, and rotten wooden flower beds are gone. This Friday we are having a concrete porch poured and some other concrete work down in the front and back of house. So much has changed already,yet nothing has been documented here - so I figured it was about time to show the yard progress we've been making.

About a month ago, a hail storm walloped our house. These photos were all before that storm, but even with the hail damage, our house is really coming along. Matt is such a hard worker - I seriously owe everything that looks better on the exterior to him (and Jayne). It's not pictured, but now the shrubs, brick, planters, and flower beds are all gone. I'm counting down the days until we can sit in chairs on the front porch and enjoy a few more summer nights outside, or have people over and utilize our front porch and yard for entertaining. (Yay!)

Ciao, Brown Wall

Today is the day I sing my final goodbyes to the brown wall. This accent wall did not make the cut, fortunately, and its about to be covered by Sherman Williams Agreeable Grey. The grey is almost white, but grey enough that with white baseboards, or white linens, the crisp white still pops against its subtle shade. I debated going darker and richer, but I think that when it comes time for a sofa and furniture in here, those will be the rich dark colors - like a navy blue upholstered sofa and patterned accent chairs.

How easy it is to sit and analyze the color grey for hours on end. I am going with my gut on this, guys, and am thinking the color may even over take the entire entry way room today. I'd love to eventually redo our kitchen cabinets in a slate grey, so this lighter grey will peek through into the kitchen from the dining room and compliment darker shades if I go that route ( which I really would love to...with white subway tiles in the kitchen too, these are my dreams…). Now off to tape and drop cloth!

Dwell

photographs from our apt. in Burbank, CA

As we've been working on house projects, and the never ending list of exterior work, its been so important for me to remember how far we've come. Sometimes if feels overwhelming, and I sit and dwell on what I want to be prettier, or newer, or torn down and built up again. Some days I wake up wanting to drive straight to Lowe's for that paint color and spend the whole day painting every single wall. So realistic, I know. But I have to remember that having a home, living in a space that is more than just two rooms with one wall - having that is enough. Well really, just having any place to stay warm and safe at night is more than enough. So when I feel like we don't have the time (or the finances) to make our house look and feel like the rooms outfitted in Domino or LONNY, and I get discouraged - I remind myself that we've come so far from our first apartment in Northridge and the 1920s bungalow in Burbank. We have a home. As Matt likes to remind me, home ownership and projects are a marathon. So I'm choosing to dwell on that and take design and reno slow and steady.

What about you? Do you get caught up wanting instant gratification in your home, and the feeling of discouragement when it isn't picture perfect? How do you remind yourself to dwell on what you do have, rather than what you don't?

The Studio

Upstairs, at the very end of the hallway, there is what I've donned as "the studio." You see, I've always dreamed of having a space for art. A room to sprawl out with a mess: paper, paints, pencils, fabric, glue, and all the goods that messes typically spill out as when I make them. So when we moved, and ended up with three bedrooms in addition to a basement, this room emerged as the space I've always wanted. One filled with natural light, a big wide desk, and room to sprawl out. 

An art room really needs materials right at your fingertips, am I right? That way no setting up really has to happen. Its all right there, whenever you need it. It's kind of funny to think that the over the toilet shelf that we built for our tiny place in Denver has now become the perfect set up for all of my art supplies. You wouldn't even know it if I told you that is was in a bathroom for the past two years. Between the shelf, the wire drawers from Ikea, and the closet; this room has such great storage.

Secretly, I chose this room not only because of the lighting, but because it feels like you are in a treehouse. The ash tree in the backyard nearly reaches into the window. Its so calming and pretty to work on a piece of calligraphy or paint up here.

Although the closet side of the room is basically art storage until they each find a home on walls throughout the house, I feel like this room is pretty well under way. Eventually I'd like to have a little lounger or a comfy retro loveseat that can go between the door and the closet. Wouldn't it be great to just curl up with a book in here with a view into the winding branches of the ash tree outside? I've been playing with color ideas, and want to stick with something that is bright and clean, and still allows the aquas and red that are in the collection of art above the desk to have that pop. I may stick with the neutral for awhile until maybe just going with white, but I've also been toying with the idea of a color blocked/two-tone wall. Like this, this, or this. Kind of bold, BUT lately I'm obsessed with this idea. I'm just so thrilled to have a home. And so thankful to have this studio and space to make messes. Trust me, this is the cleanest its looked since we moved here ;)

The Start of Our Yard Revamp

What can be more gratifying than seeing progress because of good old hard work? Labor intensive, dirt on your jeans, roughed up knuckles, and sunburnt cheeks kind of hard work. Maybe I'm an odd ball, but pulling weeds, ripping up stumps, and clearing out overgrown shrubs is something I find such satisfaction in. And goodie for me we have lots of this ahead of us in our backyard! I'd be fibbing a bit if I told you I didn't grumble when I woke up this morning, though. Even with finding satisfaction in outdoor/gardening work, and pulling up weeds like I said just a second ago, there's so much do to in our backyard. Its a bit daunting, really. But I pulled up my boot straps and knocked off the grumbling. We just went at it. Starting one section at a time. The rollie pollies and earthworms didn't know what was comin' today.

Matt's already talking about how one day, once all the messy bushes are gone and we've taken care of some big projects out here, that apple and peach trees would be nice. I was pretty spoiled having so many fruit trees at my mom's house in Thousand Oaks. I think that even though Colorado isn't as gracious with growing fruit trees like California is, I will take what I can get. And, yes, apples and peaches would be so so nice, don't you think?

We've started on the very left side of the yard, pulling up a deck that used to hold up a spa. All the other work on this side consists of tearing out tons and tons of roots, shrubs, and stumps. Yippee! Such a pile of messy overgrown plants it all is. How wonderful it'll be once this is all cleared out and I can have a little vegetable garden all along this area of the yard. It already has the framework for a great garden bed. And the soil is the really great type that you hope for when it comes to growing veggies. Remember last summer when I started my own little garden DIY style began venturing into city gardening? Gosh, we've come a long way since then. How truly blessed I feel to call this yard ours.

Dark Grey Bedroom Walls

Right now the master bedroom is neutral, tan, beige, skin tone. Oh how I want that to change. But something I've been challenging myself to do is patiently plan each room, and map out colors and aesthetics that Matt and I are both drawn to. Simple, crisp, and vintage is an overarching theme that I find myself mapping out in my mind over and over. And grey. Or gray. Grey/gray. The color keeps cycling back to the house plans, sneaking its way into every single room I redesign in my head. Gray so light it is almost white in the family room, grey base cabinets with bright white top cabinets in the kitchen, and subtle grey shelves in the laundry room. Leaving the the darkest of all the greys in the master bedroom. I've been trying to picture this bottom look in our room. What do you think? I kind of love it.

image via here

Family Room Den | Before

I like calling this room the den. I've never had a room in a house that is sunken with windows at ground level. This room is that. What would be the formal living room, I'd really like to be a cozy feeling once we get furniture in it, also another reason why this room I am calling the den. There are so many idea that I have bubbling up for this space. I'm going to save those details for another day, and just give you the tour of this room. Location wise, this family room/den is situated on the first level, down from the kitchen, dining room, and front door area that opens to the living room. The garage, powder room, closet, and entrance to the basement are right in the hallway that is off this room, as you'll see in the photographs. This room has been completely untouched since we moved in, only adding our things - but I am so pleased with the warmness it has even without any decor really added in yet. We're going for a really warm feeling achieved through mixing of neutrals and textures!

Family Room / Den Tour:

Most importantly Shelby does all of her rolling around and shaking of toys in here. She pretty much has claimed post to this room, and runs laps around the coffee table.