a little bit of history

We have been thinking about how quickly time goes, and how we had forgotten "city life". It's amazing how homeowner ship brings along so many new challenges that apartment dwelling simply doesn't have. From keeping the lawn alive, to not having a super to call in a pinch, the reality is equally overwhelming and rewarding. We wanted to share with you where we lived through the years (almost SIX in total now!), before we landed in the 'burbs and and moved to what we now permanently call home.

 This was a brand new modern apartment with a "backyard" spanning three feet of cement and fence. It’s crazy to look at now and notice, but we had this modern palate, and we were forcing the homey, cozy, vintage vibe into the space. I don’t think we pulled it off very well. This studio had a cut out for a bedroom and super high ceilings. It was a fun place to live and great for company - but we grew out of it very quickly, and move to the place below.

 

This is where we lived for a few years before we bought our home. It was a studio in Brooklyn we turned into a two bedroom with the tiniest little bedrooms you have ever seen. The building was an old ballroom, and we enjoyed the neighborhood very much. It had a cozy vibe to it, and we made it into our home. We made curtains, and art and tried to customize it as much as we could to make it our own. When we realized there was nothing more to do to the space, we felt we grew out of this place as well and “moved on “.

So there is a little peek of the path we lived before we settled down and committed to buying a house. I think no matter where you live, you can make it a home, and there are pro's and con's to every situation. We would love to know from Homeowners: Where did you live before you bought your first house and if your design taste has changed at all? Do tell!

Mudroom Makeover!

Finally! The day has come where we can say "Hey! We finished a room!". It's the smallest room in our house, besides one of the guest bathrooms, but we are proud none-the-less. Here is a breakdown of what we did, how we did it, and what it cost.

We feel like weekend warriors!

The floors were this red-brick style tile. We, no likey. Being we can't go modern with our home, we felt this would be the only place we could use the super-high-gloss white floors, and get away with it. The room is an obvious addition to the house. We suspect in the 70's, it was added on. After the floors I had an idea about custom curtain rods, and Joey totally nailed it. We did a 360 degree custom piece using plumbing pipes and hooks found in the garden section. This gave us a seamless look, which is what we were going for. A little spray paint and measuring did the trick! After that we went shopping for furniture, and found some chairs at Ikea we loved and paired them with a table we got as a hand-me-down from Joey's Aunt. We added some plants and an Ikea piece Joey refinished.

Products and Costs:

Floors: IKEA $30 a box ($120 total)

Chairs and cushions: IKEA $99 each ($198 total)

Lanterns: Home Goods $15 each ($45 total)

Small Table: IKEA $60

Curtains: Target $8 each ($64 total)

Small black ottoman: Home Goods $18

"Curtain Rods": Home Depot $63

Plant and Planters: Home Depot and hand-me-downs from Joey's Aunt

Big Table: Hand-me-down from Joey's Aunt

Total: $568

Future edits:

Replace sliding door with white French doors

Moose Head from Z Galleries

New handles for current French doors

Repaint red door white

Repaint heater covers glossy white

So now our mudroom is a mudroom/breakfast nook! We are so pleased with the results! What will become of the existing breakfast nook? You'll just have to wait and see!

Progress with the guest room!

We have created a plan for the guest bedroom! It is going to be an amazing day when we have completed rooms we get to share! You know how I hate incomplete things....

So here is the plan:

We bought this duvet at Anthropologie and fell in love with it's whimsy "vacation" vibe! This room-shape is very similar to the master bedroom over at the Young House Love blog. We have the same exact ikea wardrobes they used to create this relaxing oasis, and think they had a stellar plan with utilizing the function and creating a really easy breezy design. Our guest room will not be as "spa/ocean influence", but the layout will be similar as far as the designated bed area goes. 

This weekend, progress will be ours! We will keep you posted with photos. In the meantime we are still contemplating how to best utilize the rest of the room. What have you done in your guest room? Do you have photos to share? We would love to have a sneak peak! Share with us! Comment below with links or send photos to joeyandlana@gmail.com!