Today is not going to be one of my proudest blogger moments – but I felt compelled to share this post. Regardless of how embarrassing it may be.
Allow me to explain.
A few days ago, a friend from work was showing me some things she wanted to do around her house. We talked about it a little bit, and then she sighed and said, “It must be so nice to have your house all done and decorated.”
Done?
All decorated?
Wait.
What?
When did that happen?
“My house is far from done and all decorated.” I protested.
To which she replied, “Well, it looks all done and decorated.”
I thought about it for a minute, and realized that it probably does look like our house is all pretty from top to bottom. I usually only show pictures of the finished rooms – mainly being the living room, dining room, and entry way, because those are the only rooms even close to being complete.
While I want nothing more than for you to enjoy your visits to this blog and pick up a tidbit of inspiration or two, I also want it to be a realistic and encouraging place. I hate to think that people may leave here feeling discouraged with their home or the progress that has been made.
It takes years, people.
At least it does for us – and there is no shame in that.
So today, I’m going to share with you the good, the bad, and the ugly of the home behind this blog.
This is a judge-free zone by the way – you can’t hold any of what you’re about to see against me. 😉
You’ve all seen the good. One too many times, I’m sure, but here it is again…
The Living Room.
The Dining Room.
The Entryway.
Even the upstairs hallway is taking shape.
But what do you know about the bad?
The Home Office.
Ever since returning to the firm full time, I rarely set foot in this room. It has become a disorganized mess and seems to be the favorite dumping ground for anything we don’t know what to do with. It’s a hodge-podge of furniture and style and is just drab. I talked earlier this year about giving it a makeover – I needed to think through a few things and I’m ready now to make it happen. The next few weeks are going to be about cleaning and purging – it’s all coming out! – and then it’s time for paint.
The Guest Room.
I don’t know if it’s bad – but it’s not good. It’s sporting a half-hearted attempt at being decorated, a wall color that doesn’t jive with the rest of the house, and an overall feeling of the blahs. Sadly, I have new bedding, some revamped furniture pieces, and wall art all ready to go for this room (and have had for some time now) – I just need to pick a new paint color and get to work.
The Master Bedroom.
Ugh. This room. I am still debating on the type of bed I want to get for in here (read that discussion here), so everything else is at a standstill. It’s kind of a sore subject with me – let’s not talk about it.
I’m dreading this next part, but here we go. Moving on to the ugly…
The Bathroom.
We were all excited and ready to have someone else come in and rehab this space for us…until we found out how much it was going to cost. Yikes! I’m sorry, but a room that’s hardly big enough to fit two people shouldn’t cost ten thousand dollars by the time it’s all said and done. Just no. We’re back to the drawing board and trying to figure out a way to make this one happen ourselves. If we had another shower in the house it would be no big deal, but you see how quickly we work on things around here. 😉
The Kitchen.
Oh, the kitchen. The linoleum…the hanging plaster… the bare lightbulb…the ripped contact paper countertops. Really?? Is any of this acceptable? I think not.
The Sun Porch.
This one is probably the biggest disappointment for me. We cleaned the whole space out, installed planks on the ceiling, and then proceeded to start piling all sorts of random stuff out there again (That’s a peek at some of this summer’s treasures! 😉 ). I was so looking forward to enjoying this space this summer and fall, but here we are in August and we haven’t completed a thing on our to-do list. Looks like this one won’t be taking shape anytime soon.
Hopefully this hasn’t left you all running for the hills, desperately hitting your unfollow buttons, but I really wanted you to see that we’re living in a home that is a work in progress – and I’m sure many of you can relate to what that’s like. It’s been almost five years since we moved into this house, and while we’ve accomplished a lot – we still have a ton more to do.
I do get discouraged by it from time to time, but it’s a journey, and a process, and sometimes it’s not going to go as quickly and efficiently as I would like. So what. One day at a time, it will happen.
And while we haven’t done anything close to what we had planned on doing this summer, we have started work on our new front steps. I am super-duper excited for how this one is turning out – but you’re going to have to wait a bit longer to see how it’s progressing. Stay tuned, friends!
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I love this post so much. My business partner Casey and I are home stagers. People always ask us if our homes are beautiful, and we always answer, “No! Our homes look just like yours!” because nobody lives like that. It’s not reality. So I love that you shared this. Kudos to you!
The coffee table in the first photo is beautiful! Do you remember where you got it from?
I found it at an antiques store in Michigan. 😊
Where did you get your living room curtains from?
They are from Home Goods.
I know this is a slightly older post but what color paint have you used here? I love the color combos and simplicity of the design!
I’m not sure which room you’re referring to, but the living room is Edgecomb Gray, the dining room is Cloud Nine and Simply White, and the stairwall, entry and hall are Cloud Cover – all Benjamin Moore. 🙂
I LOVE that you’ve shared this work in progress. It’s heartening and inspiring. Thank you!
Thanks Deb! 🙂
Please tell me where you bought your sectional! I’ve been looking everywhere for one like this!
Hi Linsey! It’s from the PB Basic line at Pottery Barn. We absolutely love it! 🙂
I loved seeing the rest of your house, even though I’m sure it was hard to post about. I dream of living in a completely finished, perfect home but that is a dream at the moment. My mom and I have been living with a semi-destructed kitchen for two years now. We tore down the cabinets separating the dining room from the kitchen and turned the space into an island. But on one side of the island is tile, on the dining room side is hardwood and connecting the two is the subfloor, with just a peek of the original linoleum. So we’ve had four floors in the one tiny space….for two+ years. It was nice to see that as perfect as your house looks, there is a little imperfection behind the scenes 🙂
Thanks Jamie! My house is far from perfect – even the “finished” spaces aren’t as they appear sometimes on camera. Thank goodness for my fuzzy picture taking lol! But if me showing some of the ugly around here helped other people feel less discouraged about all their projects in waiting then I was happy to do it. I can relate to your semi-destructed kitchen – our powder room has been in a similar state for almost three years now. It’s so easy to rip things apart but then once you do, it’s like “Now what?” right? 😀
Hi Tonya, Thanks for sharing your home with us. I love your style and it will be fun to see what you do with the rooms that are not yet done. I finally got a kitchen backsplash installed and we have lived in our home for 10 years. I just could never decide what I wanted. I still have a couple of rooms that are not done and you are right, the ones that are, I’m ready to redecorate!
Take care.
Pat in Chicago
It is a neverending cycle isn’t it, Pat?! And it doesn’t help that there are SO many amazing options out there – I always have trouble making up my mind too! 😀
Hi Tonya,
I so get it. I have lived in my house for 19 years and it’s still never done. There are rooms we did a quick”facelift ” on. Until we had more $ but my youngest is starting college at the end of the month so nothing is happening for another 4 years…at least….thanks for your blog and your inspiration. I love seeing you in my inbox and enjoy the things you share.
Beth
Thank you so much, Beth! I totally understand – every time I think we’re all set to really tackle something big, some other life event/emergency comes up and we have to put it on hold, or scale back. Every single time. It forces us to get creative though, right? 🙂
As bloggers we all know that are homes aren’t perfect. In fact I would say mine is a bigger mess then it was before blogging. Too much stuff in the house and it is always being shoved to this corner or that. But it is a real house, just like yours and very much loved by the people who live there. So that is what we have to remember. Enjoy the rooms that you have finished and look at the rest as a long adventure.
Thanks Mary! We very much enjoy the spaces we have completed so far, and we look forward to the long diy adventure as well – even if there is no end in sight! 🙂
Tonya
I enjoy your posts and showing some little things that can make a big impact because really little things can make your day!!
I had to laugh when I saw your bathroom. Mine is so bad I would truly not let anyone see it. I’m glad I’m blind as a bat without my contacts because I likely would not step in the tub if I could really see it. we are setting out on a small redo with what we can do ourselves. We have our first going off to college and that is an expense!!
Glad I stumbled onto your blog!
Lol Barbara – I feel the exact same way about my tub! Best of luck with your reno – I’m sure even small changes will make big impact. Thank you so much for your kind words! 🙂
Hi Tonya, I think your house is charming, despite what needs to be done. I am glad you posted this….we just bought our first home (3 months ago) and it’s a fixer upper…need I say more!? 🙂
Congrats on your first home and first fixer upper Judy! Having been through two before this one, there is no need for explanation – I totally get it. As overwhelming as they can be, we prefer houses like this one – those that still have all the original charm and just need someone to breathe new life into them. Enjoy the process and try to remind yourself to have fun with it when it seems like nothing will ever go your way. It does eventually – I promise! 😀
Thank you for the reminder that this all takes time and sadly money. I am blown away when I stumble across a blog that has a battered house all finished and decorated in 6 months. Who has so much time and cash to do that?!! I live in a home that I love but definitely needs a lot of TLC. Mostly I try to look at and enjoy our achievements so far. I really do get a kick out of the process of planning and researching for our next project and have learnt that with the delay in proceeding, I often find a better outcome than I first imagined. However, being surrounded by the laughter and company of my family and friends far outweighs any project that I have for our home.
I often wonder the same thing, Min. And when do they find time to sleep? Do they sleep?? Of course we could always do things faster – or cheaper – but we still enjoy other things in life, and prefer to hold out for some things until we can afford to do exactly what we want. You have the right attitude – celebrate those achievements, enjoy the planning and the dreaming for the things still to come, and spend your time making memories with your family and friends in your home. That’s what a home is all about after all. 🙂
Good for you Tonya! Confession is good for the soul. I really enjoyed seeing all your spaces. I hope as you did this post, you realized how very much work you have already completed. I only have a small apartment but I still have a list that needs attention but the days go by and there is always some daily adventure or pressing need that draws me away from my good intentions. 🙂 I’m guessing this post kicked you into seeing that there is something (however small) that you can accomplish on the way to your goals…I am also betting that the new steps will be wonderful and will put a spring in your step! Cheers!
Hi Nancy! We have certainly come a long way since first buying this house – we of course thought we would be all done by now, but that was just wishful thinking on our part. 🙂 We always have the best of intentions too, but sometimes life gets in the way – or just offers up something better to do on our days off. Nothing wrong with that, right? Just wait until you see the steps – I am so excited for how they’re turning out. Hope you’re enjoying your summer!
Thank you for posting this!!! We just moved into a new house and there is so much to be done and so little money to spend on it… I can’t even think about how long it’s going to take to make all of the changes we want to make! I’m adjusting to the idea that our house will be a work in progress for many years to come..but I want to try to really enjoy the process and love our home right from the start anyway! It’s so good to see that we are not the only ones in this situation!! Thanks for the inspiration to keep at it 🙂
Thank you Kristen! Congrats on your new home! Even though our house was a complete fixer from the start, I have never not loved it – even in all its dated, ugly and sometimes nasty glory. So enjoy the dreaming and planning phase – and take advantage of it – I think we sometimes end up with a better result when we’re not rushing into decisions anyway. 🙂
The struggle is REAL, for sure! Ha….we all can relate + appreciate your honesty cuz it does take years of mulling, pondering, trial & error to get your home “just right”. Based on the “completed” rooms, I love your style and can’t wait to see what happens next 🙂
Keep on, keepin’ on!!!!!!
Thank you Jan! The struggle IS real. We’ll just keep plugging away bit by bit – and then once we’re done, we’ll probably start the process all over. Isn’t that how it usually works? 🙂
Thank-you for your honesty, spot on!! Think of the rooms as a blank canvas just waiting for your magic touch. Rome wasn’t built in a day and a home isn’t either! It takes time and money, sweat and tears, ups and downs- and then you’ll probably want to add or change something! Life is a journey, not a destination- even in your home. IT will all be worth it in the end and you will look back at these not so pretty photos and laugh. Enjoy the journey!!
I agree Ellen! It most certainly is a process and a journey – it gets overwhelming from time to time, but I don’t think I’d have it any other way. 🙂
Thank you for showing what it’s really like trying to work on a house! Sometimes it can be very overwhelming. That sink in your kitchen, tho! It’s fabulous! Keep up the great work. What you’ve done so far is fantastic! Can’t wait to see what’s next.
Exactly what I was thinking.. love that sink!
Thank you so much Laura! That sink is pretty fabulous. It needs quite a bit of repair work – but the biggest issue is its size. It’s HUGE – and way too big for our tiny little kitchen. We may have to find it a new home (or store it away for that farmhouse I’m determined to have one day) to make way for more counter space. We’ll cross that brige when we get there! 😀
Thank you for sharing your home. I am in the process of redoing my home after 18 years of living with not only my “what was I thinking” decor choices, but previous owners decor- black toilets, floors and sinks, teal tubs, carpet and counters, and lest I forget – an orange brick fireplace wall 12 ft. wide and 19 ft. high. I am making progress, but it is very slow going since my husband is definitely not a DYI and my skills are minimum at best. Knowing that it takes years, and seeing your unfinished spaces has helped me realize I am not alone in my slow renovation process. I absolutely love your home, and have gotten many ideas and several decor items because of your rooms – jute rugs, dining chairs and gray tufted living room chair, so it’s good to know that you also are dealing with the slow and seemingly unending list of remodeling projects.
You are definitely not alone, Liz! I know social media can make us feel like everyone but us has it all together – but I bet more people are in the boat with you and I than you think. We all make decisions we later on regret. We all get overwhelmed by too many things to tackle. And we all deal with time and budge restraints. I try to remind myself to enjoy the wishing and dreaming and planning phase and focus on the things I can handle right now. I’m so glad you find inspiration here – your home sounds like it’s coming along beautifully!