One Year In: House Tour
I realized when hitting the one year mark of home ownership that I had neglected to post a full tour of the house after I moved in. I've shared it empty and shared a few bits and pieces over the last year, but several rooms have not really been shown furnished. Let's do a walk through!
The front porch has been used a lot in this first year. It's the perfect spot to soak up some morning sun in the winter or relax for a few moments and wave at the neighbors. I'm still on the fence about what I really want for furniture out in this tiny space (glider? rockers? bistro set?); the cheap plastic chairs have been serving me well for now. I do love the bright blue accents on the exterior of the house, and I've tied various shades of blue throughout the interior, as well.
Doors or no doors, the kitchen is lacking in storage space. The massive industrial cart (also inherited from my last apartment) might not be stylish, but it continues to serve as a bar cart and holds all of my pots, pans and small appliances. My great aunt's china is proudly on display in a chalk painted china cabinet that I found on Facebook Marketplace. I've been needing a proper way to store the large collection for years. I love the contrast of the rich blue color, and the restrained scale of this piece doesn't overwhelm the room too much.
Moving from the kitchen into the hallway...or cat racing track. Not much to see here, other than some clutter on the shelves. I did install a Nest E thermostat shortly after moving in. I highly recommend it! With such a long house, the ability to use room sensors to adjust the temperature to particular spaces is so handy.
The guest bathroom hasn't had any major changes. I'm thankful to have two full baths!
The guest room has come together pretty nicely over the course of the year. The painting over the bed came from one of my mother's trips to Haiti, and the colors are perfect for this space. I'm a little embarrassed to admit that this is the one and only piece of artwork hanging on the wall after a full year of living here. I really need to fix that!
A vintage Lane cedar chest sits at the end of the bed and safely stores handmade family quilts and linens.
I found a second-hand chair to fill the corner of the room. I haven't had too many guests, so I sometimes use this space as a reading nook. I'm on the hunt for just the right floor lamp to provide proper reading light. I also plan to install proper window coverings here and in all the other rooms within this next year.
My bedroom features a crisp blue and white color scheme and slightly more formal furnishings than the guest room. I finally replaced some mismatched cheap lamps from college with a matching set of ginger jar style lamps that I found at HomeGoods. These flank the mahogany pencil post bed - still my favorite second-hand find of the year.
Two matching single dressers serve double duty as nightstands. These came out of a hotel, so they are solid wood and granite, very sturdy and very heavy. They were also a bargain at $75 each. I spent a few hours removing tarnish from the brass hardware, but they are otherwise in great shape and the perfect size.
Across from the bed, a small cafe table and an extra dining chair provide a spot to change shoes or scribble a note. I like to place cut flowers from the garden here along with a few houseplants to add a little more life to the room. I'll probably replace the spare chair with something upholstered at some point, but at least this is one less chair tripping people in the kitchen/dining area right now!
The master bath has a new toilet and hardware. The previous owner had left behind a complete set of matching bath hardware that I assume they never got around to installing, so I pulled out my tools and completed that job early on.
The former kitchen cabinet in the master bath stores towels and toiletries.
I've managed to fill the laundry shed with all kinds of tools, off-season items, and garden supplies. It gets a little hot and humid out here in the warmer months, but I'm thankful to have an attached space for both storage and laundry.
My bike also lives here in the shed.
And beyond the shed is my favorite aspect of the house - the backyard and garden.
So that concludes the walk through. As you can see, the house is filled with a mix of old and new (including plenty of new to me finds). I've got lots of future projects and ideas in mind for continuing to make the house my own without losing its historic charm, but I'm trying my best to be patient and really learn what the house needs. Let me know what you think!
The front porch has been used a lot in this first year. It's the perfect spot to soak up some morning sun in the winter or relax for a few moments and wave at the neighbors. I'm still on the fence about what I really want for furniture out in this tiny space (glider? rockers? bistro set?); the cheap plastic chairs have been serving me well for now. I do love the bright blue accents on the exterior of the house, and I've tied various shades of blue throughout the interior, as well.
The living room is full of light, which I love. What I don't love is the hand-me down furniture that I've been living with since, in some cases, my childhood. I'm eager to replace most of the items here, but that will require some significant investment. It's functional for now, but not exactly my preferred style or color palette. Still, the room is comfortable. Just ask Chicory, who spends most of his time here. He refused to budge for these photos.
Next up is the kitchen/dining room. My old dining room table is way too big for the space and constantly tripping people. I hope to replace it with a smaller round table at some point soon. The old drafting table that I inherited at my old apartment fits well as an island and provides additional counter space in the compact kitchen. One year later, I still hate the open kitchen cabinets. Don't do this to your kitchen, especially if you have a cat. That is all I'm going to say about it.
Doors or no doors, the kitchen is lacking in storage space. The massive industrial cart (also inherited from my last apartment) might not be stylish, but it continues to serve as a bar cart and holds all of my pots, pans and small appliances. My great aunt's china is proudly on display in a chalk painted china cabinet that I found on Facebook Marketplace. I've been needing a proper way to store the large collection for years. I love the contrast of the rich blue color, and the restrained scale of this piece doesn't overwhelm the room too much.
Moving from the kitchen into the hallway...or cat racing track. Not much to see here, other than some clutter on the shelves. I did install a Nest E thermostat shortly after moving in. I highly recommend it! With such a long house, the ability to use room sensors to adjust the temperature to particular spaces is so handy.
The guest bathroom hasn't had any major changes. I'm thankful to have two full baths!
The guest room has come together pretty nicely over the course of the year. The painting over the bed came from one of my mother's trips to Haiti, and the colors are perfect for this space. I'm a little embarrassed to admit that this is the one and only piece of artwork hanging on the wall after a full year of living here. I really need to fix that!
A vintage Lane cedar chest sits at the end of the bed and safely stores handmade family quilts and linens.
I found a second-hand chair to fill the corner of the room. I haven't had too many guests, so I sometimes use this space as a reading nook. I'm on the hunt for just the right floor lamp to provide proper reading light. I also plan to install proper window coverings here and in all the other rooms within this next year.
My bedroom features a crisp blue and white color scheme and slightly more formal furnishings than the guest room. I finally replaced some mismatched cheap lamps from college with a matching set of ginger jar style lamps that I found at HomeGoods. These flank the mahogany pencil post bed - still my favorite second-hand find of the year.
Two matching single dressers serve double duty as nightstands. These came out of a hotel, so they are solid wood and granite, very sturdy and very heavy. They were also a bargain at $75 each. I spent a few hours removing tarnish from the brass hardware, but they are otherwise in great shape and the perfect size.
Across from the bed, a small cafe table and an extra dining chair provide a spot to change shoes or scribble a note. I like to place cut flowers from the garden here along with a few houseplants to add a little more life to the room. I'll probably replace the spare chair with something upholstered at some point, but at least this is one less chair tripping people in the kitchen/dining area right now!
The master bath has a new toilet and hardware. The previous owner had left behind a complete set of matching bath hardware that I assume they never got around to installing, so I pulled out my tools and completed that job early on.
I've managed to fill the laundry shed with all kinds of tools, off-season items, and garden supplies. It gets a little hot and humid out here in the warmer months, but I'm thankful to have an attached space for both storage and laundry.
My bike also lives here in the shed.
And beyond the shed is my favorite aspect of the house - the backyard and garden.
It has come a long way from the overgrown mess that existed when I moved in a year ago!
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