House Tour

 

Wow, it feels like forever since I last posted and, well, that’s because it has been and I apologize. I’ve been so busy trying to get my house “Chelc-like” in my spare time that my blog has been neglected. But I promise to be better! Hopefully.

Like I said I’ve been working nonstop to finish unpacking boxes, getting all the little things in their rightful places, and beginning to renovate. No major renovations as of yet, but painting focal point accent walls and adding pendant lights to my living room are a couple that have been on the top of my list. Don’t worry, blog posts and tutorials to follow shortly.

I realized, however, that before I show you what I’ve done and how I’ve done it, I should show you what it looked like before I moved in and what my future plans are for the space. Now keep in mind, these are just conceptual ideas. Some may turn out exactly how I envisioned, some may need tweaking, and some may completely change as everything develops and I come up with new ideas, or see something AMAZING on Pinterest.

But before I show you my house, can we please talk about my color scheme and how much I’m in love with it? *swoon*

Ok, house time.

Living Room

• The first thing I noticed about my house is the color, or lack thereof. Almost every room has white walls and white ceilings, which isn’t a bad thing because it gives me a clean slate. But also, every wall has textured plaster and the glossy white just brings so much attention to it. I’m planning on a light grey with an eggshell finish to help tone down the plaster and also be a nice backdrop for my wall décor.
• I wanted to bring in my color scheme not only with décor and accessories, but with an accent wall above my fireplace. I thought about doing a chevron pattern but, as much as I love it, it’s been done. I wanted to create something truly unique, something that you don’t see in every home.
• Looking past the painting needs, the other major thing I noticed is that there is absolutely no light fixture. Now this is pretty common in older homes but, because this is where I spend the majority of my time and where I entertain my friends, I maybe, sort of need to be able to see. Above my built in bookshelves are the perfect places for two interesting pendant lights and I’m planning on putting small table lamps behind my sofa on a console table.
• I love that I have a brick fireplace but, with the lack of lighting and ALL of the dark moulding, it makes the room feel 10x darker than it is. I don’t want to paint it and lose the brick look so I’m going to white wash it and then paint the hearth.
• Buying an older home I was really hoping for some beautiful hardwood floors that were original to the house. While I got what I wanted on the 2^nd floor, there’s carpet throughout the 1^st. I assumed that since there’s original hardwood on the 2^nd, there’d be the same underneath the carpet. Well according to my inspector if I ripped up the carpet I would just find the subfloor. I’ll find out for sure when I go to rip it up, but no matter what I plan on having hardwood throughout. I haven’t decided on a color or species yet, and it will ultimately depend on the price, but I’m thinking a dark stained bamboo to contrast the light grey walls.
• My TV, as you can see, is not very proportionate to the surrounding area. I want to mount it to the wall above the fireplace, but I still feel it will appear dwarfish. I plan to buy a better sized TV for here and move the existing up to my master bedroom.
• I’ve been really blessed with having furniture handed down to me and finding ridiculous deals at yard sales. I love the sofa that my mother generously gave me (which my parents got when I was 10) but the upholstery is a faded brown and, thanks to my lovely best friend, has a large burn mark in the center from a space heater. While it’s great for now, this space is just screaming for an L-shaped sectional. I’ve found a couple that I’m obsessed with but I’m not too obsessed with the price. Hopefully I can find some great Black Friday / after Christmas deals!

Dining Room

• This space is going to have the most renovations and additions to make the home more open and easy access. The biggest thing I want to do is push the back wall out 5’ and add a laundry / mud room and a half bath. This will also allow me to have a small balcony space off of my master bedroom.
• This room is also going to get painted grey, but a couple shades darker than the living room and will have board and batten on the bottom portion.
• To have a more open concept, I want to tear out the left wall and add a bar height countertop.

Kitchen

• The previous owner completely updated my kitchen with new appliances, cabinets, backsplash, lighting, etc. and it’s easily one of my favorite spots in my home but everything’s very monotone in color. I knew I was going to paint the cabinets, I just couldn’t choose between white and teal. Well, thanks to my very talented friend, Kendall, I was inspired by one of her renderings for her graduate project and am doing both! The upper cabinets are going to be white and the bottom will be teal with decorative accents of chartreuse.
• When I make the addition of the mud room, I’m going to relocate the door leading outside. This will allow me to add more cabinets and counter space, creating a U-shaped kitchen. And when I add the extra cabinets, I’m going to splurge and get a granite countertop.

Bathroom

• Along with the kitchen, this was the other area that the previous owner completely updated. I don’t have much planned for this space other than adding some storage above the commode. Oh, I’m also going to update my bathroom décor. I think I’ve outgrown my rubber duckies.

Guest Bedroom / Office

• I want to create a space that my friends and family are going to enjoy staying in but I also want them to be able to interact with the space and leave their mark. I don’t want to reveal exactly what I plan to do yet but it’s definitely going to be fun and something my guests are not going to forget!
• To help it be a calming and relaxing environment I’m going to paint the walls a light teal. Probably a shade lighter than the teal in my color scheme.
• Since this is doubling as my office it’s going to be organization central. Being an interior designer I have countless samples of fabric, hardwood, tile, etc. and they need to be filed away properly. I also have a ton of books that don’t fit on the one current bookshelf I have. I’m going to build shelves along the left and back wall for additional storage.

Walk In Closet

• This room was the final sign that this house was supposed to be mine. I had planned on making a small bedroom a dressing room / wardrobe so when I saw that the previous owner had already done it I was sold. Thankfully not much has to be done to it. I’m going to add an area rug for extra coziness and probably add more shelves since I have way more shoes than one person needs. Alright, that was a lie. No one can have too many shoes.

Master Bedroom

• Ahh, my oasis. My bedspread has the purple and grey colors of my color scheme so to compliment it I’m going to paint 3 walls a darker grey and the back wall will be an accent wall with chalkboard paint. This will let me draw my wall décor to my liking and change it whenever I want.
• When I add the laundry room and half bath off of the dining room I plan on making a small deck off my bedroom. I’ll knock out the double window that I currently have and either add a French door or a single door with a small window with reading nook.

Backyard

• This place needs some definite TLC but I have BIG PLANS for this area. First things first, I have to weed out everything and discover what plants, trees, etc. is back in that jungle.
• After the first level is cleaned out it is going to be the perfect area for entertaining. I haven’t found any outdoor furniture that meets my style so I’ve decided to make my own. I’m going to make an L-shaped sectional and a small dining table with built in drink storage.
• I’ve also toyed with the idea of buying a projector and creating a small outdoor theater. But that might wait till later.

As much as I want to do everything right this second, it’s also nice to know that I can take my time and not be on anyone’s schedule. This is an adventure and I want to enjoy it. So long as it’s a space where I can spend time with my friends and create memories, I will be so happy.

Stay tuned for updates and tutorials!