Welcome to this week's edition of
Introducing Holly from Down to Earth Style
Thank you to Holly at Bella Nest for having me over today.
I am going to show you how I turned my "spec" home in to a "spectacular" home.
My family and I moved here 6 years ago.
When we moved in all the walls in the whole house were painted a creamy white by the builder and although there were some "upgrades" in the home, it still kind of felt like....well, anybody's house.
I love the charming character of homes in Connecticut and I wanted my house to have a bit of that.
So for the last 6 years it's been my decorating "playground".
Welcome ...
This is our wooden screen door that I paint different colors all the time. I took out the screen and had glass made for it. I added iron accents and chicken wire along with our house number and a grapevine wreath that I found at a tag sale.
On the inside I took off the 6 panel steel door and found this single french door at a home center for under $200. I stained it and my husband installed the new hardware. It lets in so much light and I can see the kids outside playing. Our house sits off the road quite a bit so I don't worry about privacy too much but a sheer curtain would be really pretty, too.
Our staircase is a main focal point in the foyer. I painted the stairs ebony and the railing a distressed black. It was originally white and natural oak.
Last fall I stained a checkerboard pattern on the foyer floor.
I added to the molding above our door for a chunky, more custom look.
A very simple shelf added to the doorway in between the foyer and the great room makes a fun space to display seasonal decor.
I love old doors but I keep the half bath door original. For interest I gave it a little guest hook & moss frame. I also switched out all the shiny brass door knobs to dark bronze.
A distressed chunky frame holds a picture of some very important people.
Large scale family portraits are my favorite.
The foyer leads to a great room. You can see some old building materials and reclaimed elements that I have used in this area. I replaced the original basement door with an old salvage find.
The kitchen is what really made me love this house. After a couple of years living here I took out the original island and built a simple one of my own. Then I painted the wood floor underneath.
Across from the kitchen is our family room. The fireplace is the main focus in there.
The fireplace surround was a red brick that always looked too pink to me. I ordered these old ceiling tiles on eBay for $7 each and glued them over it. Then I used wood trim and the back side of paneling to cover the rest of the brick then painted it all white. Later on I added the board and batten molding that goes all the way to the ceiling. A huge improvement...really.
This is the front living room. One of the best things about our home are the tall ceilings.
To accentuate them I hang the curtains high and wide and top each window with a scroll.
Board and batten wainscoting through out the great room and front living room give the house a casual, cottage feel - even though it's a colonial.
One more room I will share is our master bedroom...
Our house is very comfortable and nothing is too nice or expensive so I don't worry about anything getting ruined ... it's a perfect style for our family.
It's a spectacular, earth friendly home with a bit of old charm...
Bella Nest linked up to these great parties:
Very cute ! Love reading Holly's blog!
ReplyDeleteYou should come by and link up to this weeks edition of the Weekend Wind Up!
http://shscraps.blogspot.com/
Thanks! -Amanda
I love Holly's style, she is a fav!
ReplyDeleteWow this house is Ah-mazing!
ReplyDeleteGreat post Holly!
ReplyDeleteLovely lovely... glad I found your blog. The door is amazing.
ReplyDeleteCiao,
Mary
How on *Earth* did I miss this post from my other favorite Holly? Seriously, am I not getting your feeds in my inbox - I better check! Just so we are clear here, I think I found you or you found me via Down to Earth Style. I remember telling Holly she is a Holly collector, I had more ladies stop at my blog named Holly and they came from her site! Love 'ya both.
ReplyDelete~Bliss~