Hallways Inspiration

Here is my inspiration board for the hallways.

I need the hallways to be functional drop zones for all our mail, school stuff and everything else that comes into the house. I'm going to be doing a command/organization center on the wall with the wood burning stove.  I think we will probably be using the garage door more than the front door for our everyday coming and going.  The other wall leads right into downstairs so I want to keep the walkway clear but I think this will be a really good wall for displaying our family pictures.

Hallways Before

I'm not really sure what you would call this area so I just call it the Hall.  It's really too wide to be a hall but it's not really it's own room either. It's the space between the Front Room and the Kitchen / Dining Room.  It has the stairs on one end and the entrance to the garage on the other.





 

I'll also be including the Downstairs Landing/Hall and the Upstairs Hall in this label.

  

The Downstairs Landing/Hall has a little bit of space but I don't know what I will use it for.  Maybe a cat climber or a bookshelf?  I'm sure I'll figure something out.  There really isn't much to do in the Upstairs Hall.  However the mirrored wall at the end of it will definitely be going away!

Front Room Inspiration

Here is my inspiration board for the front room.

I really want to have this room be very neutral so I can use it as a base for my seasonal decor.  I like the idea of having things that I can just swap out easily such as pillow covers or a vase that I can change out the filler.  I would also love to display family photos that are from the seasons, so an easy way to change those out would be good.

I think the biggest challenge for this room will be getting the furniture to fill it.  My upright piano will be in this room so I want to work around that for sure.  I think bookcases are a must and I will probably fill them with family albums and photo books.  I don't think the room needs a ton of furniture just somewhere comfy to read a book and for guests to sit when they come over.

Front Room Before

The first room that you walk into is the Front Room.  It is the entryway with the front door and a living area at the very front which is pretty separate from the rest of the house.  I thought about calling it the Living Room or the Parlor, but in the end I settled on Front Room because that's what it really is the room at the front of the house.

The entry area is separated from the main room by tile that flows into the Hall and Kitchen.  That mirror is stuck (glued?) to the wall and came with the house.  There is also a coat closet that you can just see on the right of the bottom left picture. The main room has a really nice large window that lets in a lot of natural light.  As you can see this room is really empty.  That is because I have no furniture for this room.  In our previous houses we only ever had one living area.  This house has two and all our living room furniture has been put in the family room downstairs.  I plan on keeping this room really neutral because I love to do seasonal decor and this room will be perfect for it!

Front Yard & Curb Appeal Inspiration

Here's my inspiration board for the front of our house.

I'm not really sure what I want to do with the front of the house but I'm sure I'll figure it out as I go.  I think that it just needs to pop more.  The house number definitely needs to be updated because it doesn't stand out very well.  (You can't see it in the picture I posted previously because I blurred it out but trust me it blends in anyway.)  I think I want to keep the brick it's original color but maybe add some shutters to make the window stand out more.  Also I want to create some seating.  Somewhere to sit and enjoy the evenings while watching my kids ride their bikes and play.

As far as the yard goes, we love the amount of grass but we want to add a tree and some more color with some flowers.  I'm not sure if the hedges will stay or go.  There is a fountain hidden behind the far right hedges, next to the property line, and I think it will need to go. One thing I do love about the front yard is the curved pathway up to the door so that stays for sure!

You Start at the Very Beginning

Here she is in all her 1970s split level glory...our "brand new" house!  I still can't believe we own a house.  I'm so excited and there are so many projects and things that I want to do to make it truly ours.  I have plans to paint and decorate my little heart out but you do have to start at the very beginning and this is it!