Today I'm sharing with you guys Hazel's favorite 8-month-old activities, because I bet I'm not the only one out there trying to keep my increasingly-busy baby occupied! If you're like me, you...
My Baby’s Favorite 8-Month-Old Activities
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Season 2 Episode 12: Story Book No More
Project Overview
The Home Owners
Helen, Her 2 Daughters, and Grandma
The Budget
$85,000
The DL
Helen is raising her two daughters in this house and following a recent divorce, she is ready to open a new chapter in this family home. She no longer feels that the home represents her life or her family, with its overgrown, storybook exterior, and dark, low-ceilinged rooms.
The Plan
I wanted to help Helen and her girls turn a new page in their lives by brightening up the exterior of the home and updating the heavy, dark finishes. Inside, I want to update the floor plan by removing an excess of pony walls, posts, and soffits, and update the decor to represent Helen’s fun, stylish, eclectic cottage style.
The Inspiration
S2 EP12 Inspiration
The Exterior
S2E12 Exterior
Before this exterior felt heavy and dated, with its overbearing roofline, overgrown landscaping, and gingerbread style. In order to have the outside of this house match the humans who lived within, I wanted to update and feature the front door, streamline the roofline, and create a front patio gathering spot. In the end, a light purple dutch door is the icing on the cake of this sweet little eclectic cottage.
S2EP12 Exterior Gallery
Special Project | DIY Porch Swing
This was such a fun, easy project that adds so much personality to the front entry. I particularly love the texture and visual interest the rope sides add to the vignette. The following is a DIY Tutorial of how Zach (Well Done Building & Design) and I made my notebook sketch come to life.
E12 DIY Porch Swing
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The Kitchen
S2EP12 BA Kitchen
Before, this kitchen felt small for the home. In order to expand its footprint, we reclaimed the space dedicated to the dining room and turned it all into one big, bright, updated, cottage kitchen! We called upon our best hardwood floor installer to match the original floors from the living room, and having this material continued across the entire first floor landscape worked wonders. Handcrafted tile backsplash, custom shaker cabinets, chrome and acrylic hardware, and brushed nickel faucet fixtures all contribute to the carefully mixed decor, with a custom reclaimed wood range hood as the centerpiece to the room.
Kitchen Specs
E12 Kitchen Specs
S2EP12 Kitchen
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The Living Room
S2EP12 BA Living Room
Removing all the little pony walls, soffits, and posts made all the difference in creating a bright, open floor plan. A fireplace refresh instantly updated the space and created an attractive focal point that actually…wait for it…works! Because every cozy cottage absolutely needs a functioning fireplace! (Remote Control Log System for Fireplace: Backyard Expressions | Fireplace System: Real Fyre)
S2EP12 Living Room Gallery
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The Dining Room
Special Project | Hand Blown Chandelier
I visited local glass blower, Siemon & Salazar, to help create a truly custom lighting fixture for the dining room. Helen’s taste is eclectic, and the bespoke art of glass blowing embodies that aesthetic perfectly. Each individually blown glass pendant is a unique piece of art in and of itself; hung together in a cluster, the impact is simple, yet breathtaking. A true piece of functional art.
E12 Glass Pendants
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Shop the Look
This project could not have been made possible without our amazing vendors as well:
Contractor Services: Well Done Building & Design | Custom Address/Planter: Brass Junkie Inc. | Custom Glass Pendant Fixtures: Siemon & Salazar | Remote Control Log System for Fireplace: Backyard Expressions | Porch Swing : Old Tech. Design | Fireplace System: Real Fyre | Garage Door: All County Garage Doors