Home Sweet Home

Oh hey. It's me, Anna.

I bet you forgot I had a blog, huh?

Remember all those times I promised you progress pictures of the new construction? Remember ?

Maybe I can make it up to you with some "mostly-finished-and-moved-in-pics"? Maybe?

I've been a slacker. I haven't posted in a while. Five months, if we are being technical. But, life has slowed down a tinnnnnny amount, so what better time to update my blog? I contemplated taking and posting these pictures because I do still feel like a lot of things are "in progress",  but there is so much fun in the mess of things, so who gives a rip, right?

Disclaimer Notice: I never claimed to be a photographer or even remotely good at taking pictures. In fact, my skills are a little on the bad side, so gimme a little grace here.

Whether you love it or hate it, this house truly has been such an investment of our time and hearts. We literally drew these plans(unofficially), researched every detail to be historically accurate and fit into the neighborhood, researched the best window size, bracket size, materials and every detail down to the bulbs in the undermounted lighting.  

Without further ado, here is our downtown, labor of love. 

In honor of ABC's Bachelorette season, I watered down the sidewalks and lawn so it would look all fresh and slimey for ya. Not really, I had just watered the sod.

A couple of things we did differently: The railing: Per historic standards, most modern day railings are just too high. They cover the windows too much, the enclose the porch too much, etc. The look we were going for was impossible to find. Literally. So, David made it! Im really happy with it because from the inside of the house, looking out the window, its alot less intrusive then taller railing.

Another thing we did was the rainchains. City codes requires gutters where you see those rain chains, but just think of how awkward big and bulky gutters would look floating in those spots. So we did the copper rain chains. They are alot of fun and work great!

Mom came in clutch on these ferns. Can I get some praise hands?

Living room, looking into the kitchen and dining room.  We chose a matte-like finish on the floors, which I felt like it was kinda weird at first. In fact, the first couple of weeks I didn't like them. BUT, now I love them because they look cleaner than the shiny ones and they dont collect Abe's cat hair. <It's the little things>

This picture is oddly lit, but you can see the detail of the beams and mantle. And lets not forget the airplane fan.  Now, some people have asked "Why didnt you stain the beams?" And my answer is this: "Back up off me." Jk. But really, I felt like the white beams were going to be more of a timeless look. Ive also gotten the question of why we went with the clean, polished ship lap instead of the standard, rough looking kind <which I love>? And again, I just felt like this material gave the same look, but with a more timeless feel. 

We really took "the kitchen is the heart of the home" seriously. I love this kitchen. I barely cook and i love this kitchen.  The dark island is my jam. And we sit at that thing more than anywhere else. Although they are currently empty, the upper cabinets that go to the ceiling are just a no- brainer in every house we do from here on out forever and ever, Amen. The marble is so clean feeling and doesn't stain like alot of people warned.  Overall, wouldnt change a thing in this bad boy.

This little nook has become one of my favorite spots. The bench opens up so you can pile it full of junk and contains AN ELECTRICAL OUTLET so you can charge your mini-Dyson. Genius, right?! <Pocket door going into the laundry is my fave. In fact, if I could go back, I would have put in AT LEAST two more pocket doors in this house.>

I love working from home, so getting a good office setup was important to me.  The window you see (you know, the one making the lighting in this picture super awkward) looks right out onto the street, which I love! 

Another shot of the office. I really struggled to find a mixed metal/wood shelving unit that was of good quality that went well with my style. My Dad and Stepmom got an extra set of hardware from one they bought and gave it to us, so David built this bad boy using the stain from our hardwoods so it would match. Again, the lighting here is just so awkward in a picture, so take my work for it. MMk?

Half bathroom off the front hallway. We chose the dark cabinets in this bathroom so the vanity would look more like a piece of furniture. You can't see it in the picture, but the cabinet has furniture legs to contribute to that look.

Guest bedroom. I never decorate with pinks, but a couple of my friends encouraged me to do this room a little different than I normally would and I just love the way it turned out. Again, the large window makes for an awkward lighting situation, but in real life, its fab.

Guest bathroom off the main hallway. I didnt capture the toilet/shower situation very well, but you get the jest of it. I contemplated putting the marble countertops on the white cabinets, but I really love it anyways!

Considering in our old house I could VERY EASILY run into a wall when going to the bathroom at night, this bedroom is my dream. I have room for so many activities! 

Master Bathroom. This tile is a 1920s craftsman reproduction. I selected the charcoal grout in hopes that it wouldnt show much dirt and would look nicer for longer. So far, Im happy with that decision. 

One thing to keep in mind when laying a patterned tile such as this, is to be sure your tile guys are skilled. These lines have to be perfectly straight or it all looks janky.

Two words: Soaker tub. I cant even. Guys, I am such a bath lover. I knew when we started planning this house that it had to have a soaker tub, but I had no idea the level of fabulousness it would bring to my life. My BFF introduced me to BATH BOMBS and the combination of the two is just unreal. 

<Can you see Abe's little tail on the shower mat?>

Literally could not get Abe out of the picture. He just kept finding his way in. Anyways, this is the master bathroom shower. Four shower heads-- two regular and two rain heads. I kind of thought, "is this excessive?" The answer is NO. Capital letters and all. Turn all four of those bad boys on and have the best steam shower.  We selected a matte black penny tile for the shower floor with a large infinity drain. The infinity drain makes all the difference when you have 2 or more shower heads going. It just wouldnt drain properly otherwise, so I highly suggest that. You cant see them in this picture but the shower has three frameless glass shelves inside, which I also highly recommend. The frameless design prevents mold or mildew that you would normally get on tile shelves.

 Abe. Just look at him.

Today marks one month in this house.  Everyone asks if this is a "forever home" and the answer is absolutely not. As much as I love it right now, we just move way too much for that right now. <That makes some people so sad and dissapointed for some reason.> This house is even more downtown than the last, which is probably my favorite. We can walk to the square, restaurants, farmers market, etc. Im a quarter mile from work. I can hop on Medical Center Parkway and be on the 24 in no time. The location is my absolute favorite part.

So, thats it, folks. The mostly-moved-in-work-in-progress pictures!

Stay tuned for more pictures in another five months! Just kidding. Its going to be better from now on. I promise. <wink, wink>