House tour: guest bedroom

Many moons ago (at least it seems like it) we renovated the first floor of our home to create an open floor plan, find extra space, and turn my husbands office into a guest bedroom.  We accomplished all of that just in time to have our first baby! Now, I am finally getting around to taking pictures for this house tour series - I hope you enjoy it! 

This room was the easiest of all to decorate - I knew exactly what I wanted and easily found the items I was looking for.  Plus, I always knew I wanted a dark gray room and here was my chance.  Despite my husbands attempts to change my mind, I went with Sherwin Williams Gray Matters - SW7066.  The color is a true gray, not too blue, purple, or brown.  The reason this color works in this small space it because it faces the south so natural light pours in all day long. I also chose very light-colored bedding so that the natural light would reflect throughout the space.

Sources

Dot Sheet set in Guava - West Elm

Duvet - Target

Throw pillow - TJ Maxx

Gray crochet throw - gift

Headboard - gift

Nightstand - Slumberland

Lamp - Home Goods

"Be Our Guest" wall hanging - DIY project

Dresser - estate auction

Watercolor art - Gallery Wall

Flowers - Hobby Lobby

Kitchen sneak peek

Our home renovation is finally coming to a close - just waiting on the painter to come back for touch ups and to finish painting our trim.  I am so ready to have my entire house put back together and to be done working with contractors coming and going.  While I appreciate their hard work, I'm ready to be back on my own schedule, especially Saturday mornings. (Coffee and a little HGTV and Food Network tv-watching - in my pj's of course!)

Once I get to bringing our house together with our decorating plans more posts will come but for now, here is a sneak peek of our kitchen.

Before / Tear Down

During

After

I am more than pleased with the result! :)  Can't wait to show you more!!

Home renovation progress report

So many of you have been asking about the progress we've made on our home renovation update and I've not been so good an keeping you in the loop.  That's partly because progress has been real slow with the exception of a couple of productive spurts here and there.

If I said we were on schedule for completion, I'd be a liar. We should be done by now but it's all of a sudden looking like the beginning April.  Rule number one with home renovation projects - don't expect to finish on time!  This is not HGTV (unfortunately because I'd really like the $1,000 light fixtures they put in houses!) so we are unlikely to stick with timelines. Maybe if we had tv camera's rolling??

Anyhow... here is what our kitchen, guest bedroom and bathroom looked like before.  I keep in mind that our house has come a long way because it could still look like this...

or this...

Fortunately, we are here...

Second bathroom.

Guest bedroom.

Living Room.  (Yay for furniture!)

Here is our hold-up...

Kitchen.

We are waiting on our custom cabinets to be made. However, the base cabinets should be installed by Friday.  Once that is complete we can finish up flooring and trim.  Once the upper cabinet frames are in we should be able to call the painter to come and touch up the trim and paint.

Done

Created open concept floor plan

Re-structured kitchen floor

New insulation

New walls

New windows

Installed 3/4 bathroom

Paint

Some flooring

Carpet

Some plumbing

Living room furniture purchased

Some electrical work

Appliances purchased

To Do

Kitchen cabinets

Kitchen counter top

Finish plumbing

Finish flooring

Finish trim

Paint touch-up

Finish electrical

Decorate!!

Tile Decisions

Our home renovation is moving along quite smoothly.  In fact, my last decision (that I'm aware of) is what tile to go with for our backsplash.  I've narrowed down my choices to two options from The Tile Shop.  My two options are shown with the quartz counter top we decided on.

Option 1: Hampton Carrara Smooth Rectified Tile

Option 2: Hampton Carrara Cardine Tile

Our kitchen is a small U-shaped kitchen (we didn't add on) so to help the space look larger we chose a light-colored counter top surface and are going to compliment it with a very light colored backsplash.  The cabinets will be a dark walnut (white is out of the question for us since we live on a farm) and the flooring will be a wood laminate.  I like the classic look of these tile options because I want something that will look nice and still somewhat "modern" down the road. 

I'm stuck - I like both of these backsplash options!  Ahhhh!! What do you think?  I would love to get your opinion so please leave a comment below letting me know what you would choose!

Renovation Game Plan - Guest Bedroom Decor Plan

It's about that time that I start to think about how I want to decorate our renovated home - as if I haven't thought about it already, right?! However, it's putting the vision into play that is sometimes the challenge - like finding the exact item to create the feel you want the space to have.

Oddly enough, the one room I have a clear vision for it our new main floor guest bedroom.  I showed you what was all being done to the new guest room from a construction perspective, here is an idea of how the completed room to look.

  Most of the items I already own but there are a few I need to get including the light fixture (Lowes) and the sheets (West Elm).  The 'Goodnight' wall hanging will be a DIY project so stay tuned. 

For some crazy reason, I want a dark room in the house.  My husband is against it but he'll come around! :)  The room sits on the south side of our house so that sun shines in nearly all day long which will brighten up the space - I'm also going to compliment the space with white bedding, white/gray curtains, white light fixture and some white decor - like the 'goodnight' wall hanging.

If it doesn't work... I can always repaint!

The stories of our old house

We are a week are 10 days into our main floor renovation and we are wasting no time at all!  Here is what has happened so far:

• Removed plaster and lath walls
• Took out the kitchen floor
• Replaced the kitchen floor
• Created a doorway into what will be our 3/4 bathroom
• Adjusted electrical, re-organized light switches, added lighting
• Moved and updated plumbing
• Spray foam insulated our entire main floor
• Roughed in the shower for our 3/4 bathroom
• Met with the cabinet maker
• Took out the rest of the chimney in our basement
• Dry wall will be up by the end of today

What's been more interesting is the story this old home is telling us.  (We were hoping to find an envelope full of money but that didn't happen.)  

Our home was built around 1920 and from what we understand raised a few, rather large,  families (8-12 people).  Some of the wood used to frame the interior walls was used even before this house was built. Check out the picture below...  The white lines and nail holes indicate that these board were used prior to framing up this wall.

There also used to be a door that faced the east.  Do you see how it is still framed in between the patio door and window?

A few other discoveries we've made...

• This bathroom used to be a bedroom.  We found out that because there was another window framed into one of the walls.  Thus the reason we have a humongous bathroom.
• Our master bedroom used to be two rooms.
• The only bathroom that existed in the original house was on the landing of the stairs.
• The kitchen was added on in the 60's or 70's. They were terrible carpenters - only a couple of nails held the floor boards up and the raters above that held on the ceiling  were not even screwed down.  (Seriously??!!)

Next week I'l continue to show you are game plans and a few design boards to give you a perspective of what our space will (hopefully) look like when it's all done!

T-24 Hours Until Home Renovation Begins

Saturday afternoon I was baking cookies and Adam was lounging on the couch when he got a phone call from our contractor saying "Hey, I want to start on your house Tuesday morning!"  Yayyyy!!! (I mean, Holy S*!% this can't be happening, we aren't ready!)

You see, we decided to renovate the main floor of our 1920 farmhouse to create an open floor plan and ultimately create the feel of more square footage. Adam called the contractor on December 30.  They said they would give him a week's notice so we could move everything out and so that Adam could tear down all of the walls, which are still plaster and lath (yep, old).

Our contractor called Saturday.  A week's notice versus just over 48 hours, what's the difference?! I mean seriously...no biggie.  It's not like we didn't have plans to go out with friends or anything.

In that 48 hours we had move everything out the main floor of our house (minus the food in the fridge and our canned goods), took out half of our kitchen cabinets, removed all of the trim and knocked out the walls that separated our kitchen from our dining room.  Ooofta! (Did I ever mention that I'm originally from Minnesota?)

Here is what our house looked like on Sunday morning...

Here is the same view on Sunday evening...

Progress? I'd say so thanks to, probably, the most handy, hard-working husband in the world.

Can you see our vision??  If not, the good news is that this little blog will take on a new topic - home renovation.  Be ready for progress updates.  

Next I'll share what our space currently looks like and identify the changes we'll be making.  Followed by my vision for the new space.  It'll be fun!  

Oh yeah... and if you're looking for a good cookie recipe.  Check out this one!

Beef Roast In the Living Room

Yes, this happened.  I thawed a beef roast in our living room because our kitchen was so incredibly cold.  This is what happens when temperatures plummet to -35 to -40 below with the windchill - yikes!!  Not to mention our kitchen lacks some seriously needed insulation and sits on the northwest corner of house.

Before supper we had to warm up our plates in the oven... no joke!

My husband also found a new use for my hair dryer which he has now claimed as "half his." It works great to thaw out the frozen water pipes in the house and the cattle waters in the cattle shed.  We may need to invest in a second hair dryer, I'm not ready to give up mine yet.

While I found a lot of humor in these few things throughout the day, we are still concerned about our animals being cold and our water pipes bursting and freezing. Fortunately we are warm (as long as we stay out of the kitchen.)

Here's to warmer weather ahead!!

New Year, New Home - A Resolution to Love Your Space!

Happy New Year!  How can it be 2014 already - eeekk!! I just wrapped up one of my favorite years of all time so with any luck that means life should just get better, right?!

On December 30 (no lie) we talked to a contractor about gutting the whole main floor of our 80+ year old Iowa farmhouse, changing the layout to an open floor plan.  A big undertaking but it will be so well worth it to have a better, more open floor plan.  We are both very excited to say the least.  In fact, Adam is building basement storage this very minute...

While we aren't getting an actual new home (I don't want to leave our farm site) it will feel like a new home and I can't wait to share plans along the way!

In honor of the new year and our resolution to love our space, I have a special offer for you - a sale on all Design Your Dwelling design services!!

E-Design Services are on sale for $80/room (originally $100)

Virtual Room Consultations are one sale for $15/room (originally $25)

This offer is available thru January 31.  Email me at designyourdwelling (at) gmail.com and mention the  New Year, New Home offer to get started!

One of my goals for 2014 is to really run with my interior design business.  I love it - it feels so good to help people design a space people are excited to live in!

For more on my design services go here. To see some of the client designs I've worked on, go here.

Cheers to 2014 friends!

My Home Office Reveal

FINALLY I am showing off my home office! I've been hinting at it on Instagram and Facebook so it's about time that I give you the goods. This project has only been in the works for 2 years.  Mostly because I couldn't decide on the color to paint my cabinets until I learned to "Be Brave."

Before I show you the current state, I need to share the "before" picture with you.  It will add a little more shock value so hopefully you wont walk away from this post and say, "hmmph, I expected more..." :)

Yep, that is what we started with, an old Iowa farmhouse basement.  Thanks to my sweet husband for saying "Honey, you need a space for yourself and all of your creative work." Which probably really meant, if I fix up the basement she'll keep all of her crafty stuff out of the dining room. :)  Regardless, I am thankful that he had the basement painted for me and had a friend build custom cabinets as my Christmas present. 

Here you go... the after!

My new decorating motto is "Be Brave" I picked this up from ABChao, a blogger whose Design Camp I attended in Minneapolis.  For this project, being Brave meant painting my cabinets a blue/green color  (Slow Green by Sherwin Williams - SW6456) instead of painting them white or staining them which would have probably been the logical thing to do. :)

There are a few quirks that I wish we could fix like actually putting sheet rock on the walls but we have a small leak on days when we get a really  heavy rain.  I would also love to have the floor leveled but that would take a lot of money which means I would have to starting doing a lot more e-design work. (Feel free to ask, I would love to help you out!)

Regardless of the quirks that still exist, I have fallen in love my stone, farmhouse basement space, that still leaks every once-in-awhile. At least it didn't have dirt floors...

Featured on Tuesdays at Ten June!  Thanks Michelle!

6 Ways to Re-decorate For Free!

I am learning to be frugal when it comes to decorating because this little hobby of mine can get expensive... I also believe that everyone should be able to live in a beautiful space no matter what your budget is so I've come up with 6 FREE (and easy) ways to re-decorate your home!

1. Clean. Anything can look beautiful as long as it is clean.  That means get out your dust rag, sweep, swiffer, mop your floors and clear the clutter!  Seriously, clearing out your clutter will change your life!

Pro Tip: Hide your ugly things inside of pretty things like baskets!

2. Paint. I bet that you have extra paint sitting around your house so I encourage you to use it!  (If not, a trial size from the paint store is right around $5) You can paint anything; vases, lamps, light fixtures, rugs, a wall, jars, furniture... the list goes on and on!

3. Change Your Artwork. You have two options here.  You can physically move your artwork to a new place in your house and re-hang it or you can change out the art in your frames.  The beauty of this is that you can frame anything!

4. Re-Arrange Your Furniture. When I was little I think I re-arranged the furniture in my bedroom at least once a month (it would have been more if my mom would have let me).  A new furniture layout will rock your world.

5. Make Your Bed a Different Way.  Get over the same old way you make your bed - step out of your traditional comfort zone and try something new! For example, fold your your comforter halfway back and show your pretty sheets to the world!  And, while your at it - mix and match patterns and colors.

Pro Tip: Iron your pillow cases and the top of your flat sheet for a clean, crisp, hotel-like look.  It's ok, spoil yourself a little!

6. Create a Vignette. Vignettes are probably the easiest thing you can create because you can use any objects you have around the house. Just find 3-4 objects and put them together on a shelf, nightstand, dresser, counter top, buffet or anywhere else that could use a little spruce up!

Pro Tip: When creating your vignette, think "skyline" - add a range of heights and sizes to your vignette so your eye doesn't settle on just one object.

There you go - 6 ways to re-decorate your home for FREE!  Any others that you would add?  If you plan to use any of these ideas, let me know and send me a picture if you would.  I would love to show off your free home updates! :)

By the way.... if you want a quick free virtual room consult, mention you read this post and send me 4 pictures of your space - one of each wall and I'll send back a few ideas for you within a day or two!  Send your pictures to designyourdwellingblog (at) gmail.com

Home - A Look Back at the Weekend

Good Morning and Happy Easter Monday! I hope everyone had a great holiday weekend spending it exactly as you hoped! :)

I went back to Minnesota for the weekend to spend with my mom and dad, see my grandma and catch up with a few friends. For a short weekend, it was a full weekend and one that was filled with all kinds of emotions.

I hadn't been home since Christmas and there have been some big changes since then;  My Grandma moved into assisted living and my parents have decided to build a new home, which means that the house my dad and I grew up in will be torn down and replaced with a new one.

I am SO excited for my parents - they absolutely deserve their dream home!  They have been married 30 years and have worked so hard farming and raising me and my sisters.  My mom is the happiest, most excited lady you have probably ever met and my dad is excited because she is excited, I know it's something he has always wanted to give her. But, my dad is the more sentimental type.  He grew up this house and raised his girls in the same home.  He has the most memories of us all.  Before I left, my dad had to take my picture in front of the old house, it may have been the last time I see it and the last time I spend the night in it.

The house has been re-decorated and added on to many times to fit our family.  We all learned to walk on the same slanted floors and have kept our same bedrooms, for the most part, throughout the years.  They are already starting to clean out and move out so they can start building this spring.  Every 5 minutes my mom was asking if I needed or wanted something, I even discovered some of the things I had left behind.  At the end of the weekend i had a new, replacement, refrigerator for our kitchen, George Foreman electric grill, and a pair of Carhardt overalls! :)

The new house will have many more memories and is being built to fit a growing family again as we get married and start our own families.  Thus the reason their will be two bedrooms on the main floor - so that their grand kids can be close when they come to stay! :)  (No kids in the works, just so you know!)

My grandma also moved to a new home, assisted living.  I never ever thought my grandma would be there, although she is 93. She was always young, tough and able to take care of herself, it is hard to see the grandma I grew up with get old.  I experienced her age first-hand when I got to her room.  She was napping and couldn't figure out right away who I was and that scared me.  I was trying to hide the tears running down my face for the first half hour I was there.  Fortunately, she came back to herself and we had a wonderful afternoon together over coffee and cookies in their common area and visiting with her new friends.  I seriously spent all afternoon there and if it wasn't for supper time I probably would have stayed longer.  One of the men that was there even knew who I was and that I was the University of Minnesota Homecoming Queen back in 2004.  It was so neat to know that was so important to him because he was a Golden Gopher too.  I asked my Grandma if she was going to stay there.  She said yes, that she thought it was a good idea.  I agreed with her and told her that she needed to so she could make it to our wedding in August, she told me there was no way she would miss it.  I believe her.

My dear friends, Melissa and her husband Rob, were also kind enough to hang out with me on Friday night. I had not seen them since last June. So much changes, and yet stays the same.  I think its because Melissa and I talk so often during the week.

It's amazing how in such a short period of time so much can change.  It's so important to not take time for granted, it is limited.  If not for you, for others.  The memories we have and are able to share are priceless, keep sharing and making them.

Happy Monday!

Linking up with Monday Mingling, YOLO Mondays, Meet Me Mondays, and The Collective Blog Hop.

Winter Farm Tour

Today in Iowa we are preparing for a snow storm so as I was getting ready to go help my fiance prepare for the blizzard I had to laugh at myself just a little bit because of my completely mis-matched winter clothes - a green jacket, black snow pants, red hat, fushia scarf and light pink boots! If only I had a picture to show you... Beyond the flashy red pants, daily make up routine, DIY projects and love for interior design lies a farm girl at heart.  For today, I'm leaving behind the crafty/home design stuff and giving you a quick tour of our farm.

I grew up in southern Minnesota on a family farm where we raised hogs, had horses and grew corn and soybeans.  Now, I live on an Iowa farm with my fiance where we raise a few head of cattle, work for a large agricultural organization and embrace the farming lifestyle all year round.  We live on a beautiful farm site! There is really no other place I could picture living. (Ok, maybe near mountains someday.)

Winter is tough work around here, especially for Adam.  Snow needs to be moved, waters need to be thawed for the animals and they need to be fed daily.  We're also starting our calving season so that takes extra attention.  Here is a winter tour of our farm!

This picture was taken in January!  The picture above was taken in December.  The snow comes and goes here.  Maybe after today it will stay for awhile, we could desperately use the moisture from the snow cover.

These girls are all going to have babies within the next month.

This photogenic heifer is a new addition to the farm as of December.

Meet our first baby of the year! This little peanut is two weeks old and weighed in at 57lbs when she was born. 

And she is just too cute to not take pictures of. 

For those of you that are cat lovers, this is 'Kitty Kitty' she is our original farm cat.

'Bonnie' is Kitty Kitty's daughter.  I couldn't find 'Clyde' though.  I've always wanted a tiger-striped cat so I'm glad she is hanging around! (Yes, we have cats named Bonnie & Clyde.)

I love the type of hard work where you can see progress and know that you are serving a greater good by feeding the world.  I love the animals, the wide open spaces and the serene calm of a summer night on the front porch. That's really at the core of what my world is about!

Have a great Thursday friends!  Stay warm!