Who Wants a Tour?

Guys. I’m a terrible blogger. We’ve been living in our new house for almost 5 months and (unless you follow me on Instagram) I’ve barely shared any pictures. At first I put off a tour because there were boxes everywhere and it was a mess. Then it was decorated for Christmas, so that didn’t feel like the right time. And then I ran out of legitimate excuses. So here we are, ready for a tour. This house is new construction, so we don’t have any major renovations planned. At least not anytime soon. Most of our house plans just include making the space feel more like us. It’s a big, blank, off-white canvas!

The downstairs has an open concept, with the kitchen and living room open to each other. I love how open this space is! I can cook while still being involved in whatever is happening in the living room. I also love that I can always see the girls downstairs. It makes supervising them while cooking, cleaning or just sitting at the island drinking coffee, a lot easier. I also enjoy being able to get up to refill my drink or snacks during a movie without hitting pause or missing anything!

There is a morning room off the kitchen, which we are using for our dining room.This space is the perfect size for our farmhouse-style dining table and 8 chairs. I chose this room for the dining room because of the size and because it’s right next to the kitchen. The window above the sink keeps everything open and let’s a ton of light into the kitchen. It’s also great for watching the girls while they finish up meals or snacks. I can leave the table to wash dishes or grab something, but still keep an eye on them. This room is always full of light, which I love for an eating space. Eventually, I will add curtains and art to this room. I’m still trying to decide between neutral curtains or something bold.

The kitchen has a walk-in pantry and a small mudroom area that leads into the garage. Our last house didn’t have any sort of mudroom space, so I’ve really loved this area. We haven’t been coming and going too often, but I know we eventually will get back to it. There are a few hooks for jackets and bags, plus a ton of space for shoes and things under the bench. I’d love to add cabinets or doors under the bench eventually so that all of our junk and shoes aren’t always on display.

The large pantry is wonderful, but we definitely want to upgrade the wire shelves. Then we can add a few more organizational pieces and create an extremely functional (and pretty) pantry.

This kitchen is the kitchen of my dreams. I, of course, love the white cabinets and the more modern pulls on the doors and drawers. The granite countertops are gorgeous. They not only have gray and black veining, but also speckles of deep red and even a bit of yellow/gold. It’s just so visually interesting. I also love the larger tiles in the subway tile backsplash. It puts a bit of a unique spin on a classic look. Our original range was gas, but it was actually defective. The biggest headache of buying this house has been fighting for months to get the range replaced. It ended up being condemned by the gas company, so it was replaced with an electric range. The new range also has double ovens, so I forgive them for giving us a broken stove initially.

I love sitting at the island and drinking my coffee in the morning or working on my computer. Most evenings after dinner Jesse and I sit here together and watch the girls play. It’s the best seat in the house. I found a place for most of my plates from the plate displays in the old dining room here in the kitchen. I mapped out this fun display and I love that it adds a pop of color to a very neutral space. Our handbuilt bar also lives on this wall. It’s a tad bit small for the space, but we needed something there and for now it fits perfectly.

The living room is an excellent size for feeling cozy. I love how our sectional fits into this space so perfectly. I couldn’t live with a giant blank wall behind the TV, so I hung a gallery wall of photos from our trip to Europe, along with a few of Jesse’s abstract art pieces to fill the space. I love how the photos and art look, but we plan to construct some custom built-in cabinets and shelves for this wall. The TV will be mounted to the wall in the center with a row of cabinets underneath it and shelves on either side. We are also weighing the option of adding an electric fireplace beneath the TV with cabinets on either side. I love the look of a fireplace and an electric one would be very low maintenance and easy to install. I also need to hang some curtains in here. I’d love for the living room curtains to compliment the morning room curtains, but the living room will definitely be more neutral. I’m always switching out throw pillows and blankets in the living room, so the curtains will be a neutral backdrop.

Next to the living room is the playroom. This space was originally intended to be the dining room, but I knew the minute that I saw the house plans that it would better serve us as a play space. I hung the custom art that Jesse painted for our old living room in this space because the colors tied in so well with the colors in the rug. The theme for this space is subtle rainbow. The girls have an assortment of their toys in this room, like their play kitchen and doll bed. Most days a small slide also lives in this space. I bought the slide last year when Virginia was under stay-at-home restrictions to be used inside on cold or rainy days. Now, it’s just always out. This space also needs curtains and some more art.

Down the hall is Jesse’s office. I’m not posting any photos inside his office for now because the space is a mess and Jesse doesn’t want it posted right now. It doesn’t have any storage, so there are a lot of boxes and music equipment on the floor. One of our priorities for the coming months is to construct built-ins in this space. Since it’s a smaller space, we’re hoping it will be easier than starting in the living room. Plus, it will be great practice. Jesse wants cabinets on either side of his desk, with shelves above them. The cabinets will give him space to store all of his stuff and the shelves will be full of his books and a few LEGO models. We will also add a small wardrobe to one of the corners beside the French doors. The wardrobe will be perfect for storing some of his mic stands and his guitar. Jesse doesn’t know if he wants a rug or curtains in this space yet. Which is fine, it’s his office.

There is a powder room downstairs as well. It is very low on the priority list, but I’d love to do something bold in the room eventually. Like a fun wallpaper or stencil. Maybe even some board and batten painted a fun color!

Upstairs we have an open loft space, which currently serves as a second play space for the kids. These girls are SO spoiled to have all of this space to play! Since Jesse is still working from home full-time the girls spend most of the day up here playing. We have a TV set up for them to watch movies, plus the other half of their toys live here. I’ve started a Disney themed gallery wall here that I will be adding to over time. We also plan to buy a couch because this space is where all of our bedtime routine happens. The girls tidy up their toys, get ready for bed and then we all sit and read together. The girls also get to watch an episode or two of Bluey before bed. Jesse and I are really tired of sitting on the floor, so we feel like a couch is necessary.

Mara got to choose her room first when we moved in and she picked a smaller room with a large closet. Her favorite toy is LEGO, so Jesse built her a table where she can sit and build her creations. We will be upgrading her to a twin bed soon, so the current layout isn’t permanent. The room also needs curtains and decorations. I’m holding off on those until we get the larger bed in and I have a better idea of the layout.

Bellamy has a larger room, but a smaller closet. She basically only sleeps in here since all of her toys are in the loft. The space definitely needs some decorations and curtains.

The girls share this bathroom. I love that it has double sinks for when the girls get older and both need to get ready for school. I’d love to paint it a fun color, like the Tiffany Blue bathroom at the old house. Plus, it needs (you guessed it!) art and a shower curtain.

We also have a small laundry room upstairs. I didn’t like the idea of the laundry being upstairs when we first moved in, but it’s growing on me. I do laundry while the kids are playing and I can take it right out of the dryer, fold it in the loft and whatever room it goes in is right there. It’s nice not carrying it up and down the stairs. It is difficult to do laundry at night or during nap time since the laundry room is so close to the girls’ rooms though. I’d love to do a fun wallpaper and hang some proper cabinets in this room eventually.

My office, slash the guest room, is also upstairs. I haven’t had my own space since high school, so I love that I have a mom cave now! Currently, this room only has my desk and minimal furniture, but eventually it will have a daybed for guests. I’d also love to upgrade the old glider for a cozy reading chair. Of course I need curtains and more decorations for this room. This room will also probably be in a constant state of evolution. I have free reign over this space, so I will be able to experiment with color, moulding and wallpaper all I want.

Jesse and I’s bedroom is a great size and I’m so excited to turn it into a relaxing space for us. I already have plans as far as art, new bedding and color palette go. We probably won’t be adding a TV to this room, we never used the TV in our last bedroom. Without a TV I’m contemplating creating a little cozy seating area where we can read together before settling into bed. Or where we can throw clothes. Either or.

I LOVE our bathroom with the giant shower. It definitely needs a large rug and some color added though.

The large walk-in closet is an amazing space, but it’s not very well utilized. We would love to build custom shelving for this space, like in our last closet. We want to use all of the wall space in this closet to create functional storage. This includes wall shelves for shoes, accessories and my bags, plus storage for extra bedding. I want the space to be organized and clean cut with a few touches of beauty here and there.

So there you have it! The new digs! We love this house. It’s size and location provide us with a ton of possibilities and space to develop and grow. We are very happy to have found it, even if getting here was a little bit of an adventure.