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The Living Room [Little House Series]

Welcome to our Little City House, as we call this home. :)

It’s been a year and a half since we moved from the Small Town Deep South to Big Northern City, so it’s been quite the change. Besides culture, changing churches and communities and moving almost a thousand miles away, another change was our house. Our little Cottage was a hard thing to leave behind, but it was just a house, and a home is really where my family is rather than what a particular house is like.

But first, let me just dispel a myth that people may think about bloggers:

Myth: Bloggers think they have the perfect house; that’s why they post about it and take pictures and put them on Instagram and blog about them.

Truth: Some bloggers may think they have a perfect house, but most live in a less-than-perfect place. The struggle to compare is real, wondering what we have to offer compared to someone else, but the reason I share is because, I’m learning. Contentment is a thing I’m constantly learning, maybe just like you. But I’m also learning joy, and how if we wait until things are perfect to share our lives, well, then we’ll never share. And if we try to be like someone else, we’ll never be the person God made US to be, and we’ll never share the gift of who WE are to the world around us. As a friend recently said to me, “The world is striking, but I know it’s more about having eyes to see it than anything else.” So so true.

So I share because of the journey, because we’re all on it, and because I’m cheering for you – whether you’re in a house you love, or wish you’d be someplace else, or have other challenging circumstances in life: I’m cheering for you. It takes a village, you all. We’re not meant to be alone. A blog is a very very small part of what a village is like because it should never replace real-life community, but if you’re here, then our villages interact and intersect, and I wish you all the best! Let’s have eyes to see the beauty that is around us.

So, after all that, welcome to our little city house! :)

I say “little” because when you step in the front door, you’re exactly 12 steps from the back door. It’s really not that big: downstairs are two rooms: Living Room and Kitchen/Dining Room. It’s skinny, tall (three stories high) and narrow. But it’s home! When we first moved in, I was thinking, “Six months. I can’t live in a place this small more than six months!!” It’s already been a year and a half, and although I don’t see this as a fit for us forever, I’ve found myself thinking recently, “You know, I actually kinda like this little place.” ;)

So now for the little tour… The living room is the front room, and through it is the kitchen. The stairs to the 2nd and 3rd floors go off the living room also. It’s a busy room, and basically a thoroughfare to everywhere else in the house. :)

You step in the front door, turn to the right, and here you are:

The function of the room is simple: it’s where we hang out, it’s where we sit with our friends when they come over, it’s where family life happens before school, after school, and on evenings and weekends. We needed a place that is very functional, practical, but because I like pretty things, I also wanted it to be beautiful. Another thing that was important was that it wasn’t a cluttered room. I like cozy and hygge (favorite word of the year), but because our house is small, it feels overwhelming if the rooms are too busy.

 

So keeping it neutral felt like a good choice. We painted the walls, sanded down the floor and restained them, painted the trim white, and painted the front door black inside and out.

Navy and Gold are new color crushes, so I found pillows at various places (Goodwill & Target mostly in those colors, and added some toss blankets to cozy it up. Pillows are such a fun way to change up a look – and I have some florals that I can’t wait to put out for spring and summer!

Our living room is just that: a living room, not a formal place at all. I’m one that likes to sit on a couch and pull up my feet, and then have a blanket to cozy up with, especially on chilly mornings as I sit with my coffee. I’m a mix of wanting things clean but also wanting the cozy factor – which is basically what Hygge is. (Such a fun thing to research, if you haven’t already known about it. The Danish people are inspiring.).

Oh, and let me tell you a story about our couch!!! The gorgeous tufted one with nailhead trim? Yes, that’s the one. :)


Soooooo, we purchased a sofa and loveseat when we first got married, and it served us well for almost 11 years. We used them hard, the kids used them hard, and we had one certain spot we’d sit on the sofa: the left side by the armrest. Every. Single. Time. It was as if there wasn’t even more room on the couch, because we’d always sit there if we could. Finally, it was getting to the point where I would have a back ache if I spent more than 15 minutes on the couch. Granted, it might have had something to do with the fact that I was pregnant with my 4th baby, but still…. ;) All the more reason for a couch with great back support, right?

I’m an avid Craigslist fan, so I searched from time to time for a “tufted sofa with nailhead trim” but something to match that rarely came up, and if it did, it was always so expensive. As in, a thousand dollars more than I wanted to pay.

But one night, late, I did a quick search and saw something pop up. I looked at it, and it had only been posted 15 minutes before. I sent her a quick message, telling her I was interested, and thought to myself I’ll talk to my husband in the morning and see what he says. ;) (note to other wives: this only works when you’ve already been having conversations about these sorts of things ;)) 

Next morning, Ben said it looked like a great deal, and if we sell our current couch (because it really was in decent condition, I just really wanted a new couch ;)), then it will come out almost the same in the end. So, long-suffering husband that he is, drove me the hour and a half to pick up the sofa, just days before Jack was born. And there it was brand new in the packaging: the person who had purchased it hadn’t measured her space, and so when it got there, it didn’t fit. So instead of returning it, she sold it for $800 less than she bought it for (I know this because I saw it for sale on Overstock ;)).

So there’s my couch story. You know how there are certain things that happen that you just KNOW God was caring about you, even if it was something almost silly? This was one of them. God cares about tufted, nail-head trim couches, because He cares about me.  I’m super wowed.

Both of the girls take piano lessons, so making room for a piano was important. We are re-homing our baby grand piano (so sad), but knew we needed something that was space efficient for our home.


My husband was super honored his European mount deer head made the cut for decor.

Also, our kids are never the nosy neighbors in the block.


And just a couple of details…




// Home is wherever I am with you –  my motto when we moved. Home was family, not just a house //

And let’s talk practical for a second, since small spaces can be challenging.

Right inside the front door we have a large basket, where everyone takes off their shoes when they come inside. The basket is a collection spot, and it gets emptied by the kids regularly and the shoes taken to the proper rooms.

Also, just inside the door is a very small closet, the only closet downstairs. We use this for winter coats (changed out to lighter wear in the warmer months), & vacuum cleaner. This winter I actually kept a lidded laundry basket inside the closet and it’s where we kept all our gloves, scarves, and winter hats & beanies. It was a great solution to the layers that need to be gotten out all winter.


We have one bookshelf in the living room too, which holds books, Bibles, kids’ books, and two small baskets of toys for the baby and the 4-year old.

And that wraps it up! Happy weekending from the folks at the Little City House.


 
Sources:

Wall Color: Fossil, by Benjamin Moore
Trim Color: Simply White, by Benjamin Moore
Front Door Paint Color: Grey Metal, by Behr Marquee
Coffee Table: West Elm Outlet
Jute Rug: Overstock.com
Sheepskins: IKEA and Target
Gold Bell: Amazon
Tufted Sofa: Craigslist, but originally on Overstock.com
Gold and White Print by the stairs: Aimee Weaver Designs

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Decorating with Neutrals

I am honored to be collaborating with Daughters of Promise, and contributing to their blog this week with an article on home design!

Here is an excerpt:

I believe that God – as the Master Designer – created each of us in His image with an inner artist, and that comes out in so different ways for each person! For some people that comes out in the way they serve their family with food, arranging and preparing the meals with great love and care. For others, it could be the way they can set work aside and play with their kids, investing their time and energy into creating fun things together. Another woman may love to see what she can design and fashion for her kids to wear, enjoying the process of styling and putting outfits together. Someone else may be an incredible artist with words, writing beautiful things that are rich or lighthearted, and that bring life to the people around them. There are endless ways, really, and the various ways artistry is shown is so beautiful and fascinating!

The artistry of decorating my home, and more importantly, making it a place where my husband and four kiddos feel welcome and safe, is a passion of mine. I don’t even think I’m the best at it – but I love to make my home a beautiful place, a reflection of the beauty of God. I don’t think there is just one right way to do it – even within décor there are so many various styles that people are drawn to, and that also shows the beauty of uniqueness in the way God created us!

I want to talk about a current design style that I’m enjoying right now, and that’s one of a neutral palate. When I was first married I loved colors on my walls, and various themes through my house. Perhaps it’s the combination of my own tastes changing, being influenced by the Southern, or even the soft Coastal culture I lived in for almost ten years that has changed what I prefer. Or maybe it’s even the fact that I have four kids, and when they are bustling and loud and bursting through the house, I like to have my surroundings at least be serene and restful.

…

The end goal is not to have the most fashionable house,
or the most popular Instagram pictures,
but rather to create a sanctuary
for you and your family.

And you can read the rest of of the article here, including how to choose Paint Colors and Finishes, Adding Textures for Warmth, and How to Make Your Own Design Board. :)

Head over to the Daughters of Promise blog to read the full article. :)

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The Little House Series [Introduction]

 

I blow the dust off this blog, look over a few things, and smile. This has been a place of meeting such great women, of new friendships birthed, of a few stories and a bit of life from my family shared, and it’s special. It’s been a good break, this year and a half of hardly posting at all, of months passing without me even logging in. Sometimes stepping away is the best thing we can do.

august-flowers-023 august-flowers

 

It’s been a season of incredible change for us the past 18 months. Selling our much-loved cottage, moving 800 miles, renovating a little city house, having our 4th child… I wasn’t sure if blogging was still something for me. Maybe it was over, just for the season of our life at the Cottage, and since the Cottage is gone, blogging is gone too?

But I’ve still been writing. Journaling, writing down thoughts for myself, even if no one else sees them. Writing is just part of me, whether or not it’s public. I expect it’s like that for a lot of people.

And lately I’ve been wanting to resurrect this blog again. Not in the same way that I blogged before, with an old cottage, our “dream home,” of DIY’s and projects, but rather coming from a completely different perspective. We’re in a temporary house right now, small. It’s cozy, but challenging for the size of our family. It’s not our forever house, but we’ve been here a year, and may be here a while yet.

 

rainbows-of-color

The blog-world is filled with stunning homes, people’s dream homes. Their forever homes, where they have everything exactly as they want it. And I’m happy for them! Don’t we all wish for that? :)

What’s been on my heart to write about is different though… What if we aren’t in our dream home? What if we struggle to make the space work? What if a room gets rearranged 5 times and I cry tears of frustration because I just can’t make it work?! What if there are 12 steps from your front door to your back door, and your master bedroom is on the 3rd story and your laundry is in the basement? hashtag legs of steel

summer-zinnias

All of this has been me. Sometimes still is me. But I am determined to find a place of contentment, of not just enduring, but of thriving, right here and right now. I’m guessing there are probably a lot of other women in the same place, who have amazing strength and have chosen joy and have thrived in places that others have overlooked. Women who make a tiny space a sanctuary, where sunbeams dance even in the smallest of homes, and hearts sing and are glad because of the peace that is found in the heart of the Homemaker. And there are others who have a hard time, who wrestle and struggle, and think happiness won’t come for them until they are in the place of their dreams. Or at least, a place that has a yard bigger than a postage stamp, or more than one bathroom for a family of 6! Or maybe you’re perfectly contented, and wonder what all the fuss is about. ;)

Wherever we find ourselves, I’m wanting this to be a place of encouragement, of linking arms and encouraging us to BE the women that truly make our homes what they are.

What I’ll be doing the next few weeks, perhaps months, is what I’m calling “The Little House Series.” Things I’m learning about small spaces, both in soul and practically, and sharing real parts of my own journey of choosing joy and contentment. Looking forward to chatting soon.

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Master Bedroom Before & After

I think this is the only room in the house I haven’t done before & after pictures of, and I wanted to document this yet before we move! :)

The master bedroom seems to be the hardest room to pull together. Often it’s the most neglected room because it’s the least visible to guests, and so the focus goes to the room that are seen more easily.

But I wanted to make this room be a restful place, a room where we could walk into and feel that it’s a sanctuary. For us women, sometimes we tend to make it look a little too feminine, and I didn’t want my husband to feel uncomfortable in his own bedroom. :)

master bedroom in whites and blue

 

Living in an old house gives some great bones to work with. When we first started working in this room, it was covered with old 70’s paneling on the walls, and with sticky tiles on the ceiling. We were going to remove the sticky tiles and paint the wooden ceiling underneath it, but were going to leave the paneling behind and simply paint it. But after tearing out a small section to work on an area, Ben discovered beautiful old boards behind the paneling! So of course the paneling came down too.

Master, before:

March 2010 017

February 2010 036

So, we painted the ceiling a bright white, and I love it.

We painted the walls an off-white creamy color, and then sanded the walls to expose the grain.

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Isn’t it lovely?! Some people have asked if the walls are just primed and need to be painted, so perhaps it’s a little rustic for some people. Our furniture is a bit more traditional and formal though, so I think they work together well.

But taking down the paneling exposed this beautiful brick fireplace! It’s the backside of a fireplace in the music room, and was covered with chipping grey paint. Ben worked so hard to get the paint off of it and expose the original old brick.

IMG_7511

The wooden floors were sanded and restored, and then stained and sealed.

Master bedroom, after:

The sheer panel above our bed was part of our wedding service, as two banners that two boys ran down the center aisle during “Chariots of Fire” processional. I love having it in our room, remembering that special day.

master bedroom

The room is simply decorated, but I added a few personal touches, like framing our wedding invitation.

framed wedding invitation

master bedroom vignette a chair to catch it all

side table

monogrammed pillow

It was last year before I finally decided what to do with this blank space about the two doorways. I wanted something very special, something to do with marriage, but couldn’t decide what. I finally chose to write the traditional marriage vows on a long piece of luan wood, and I loved how it turned out. Marriage is such a beautiful thing, and I wanted the beautiful but practical reminder to love, until death parts us.

wedding vows in the master bedroom

for better or for worse

desk with decor

wooden wall, and candlestick holder for jewelry

 

This has quite possibly become one of my favorite rooms in the house. I love the clean feel it has, the hardwood floors, and the wooden walls and ceiling. It has so much texture, and I love that!

But mostly, I love that it feels like a retreat, a restful place. This room I try to keep the cleanest of all; no extras or  junk that can easily pile in other places of the house.

I’d love to hear from you! What is it that makes a master bedroom special to you all?

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The Cottage {Exterior, Before & After}

Since the remodeling upstairs and adding the three dormers last fall, I’ve been wanting to do a before & after post of the outside of the Cottage, just to show the hard work that my husband has done!

This spring, with the fresh, bright-green growth of the trees:

cottage exterior

The dormers aren’t too visible in this picture, but I like that it shows the fence that we added soon after we moved here (after our one-year old gave us a terrible scare on the road), and the arbor Ben built that mirrors that design of the front porch.

But this is the house when we first bought it. Um, yes. It was sad. Very very sad.

Before: Winter, 2010

cottage exterior before

cottage side before

Having a husband who not only can do anything with wood and construction and is so gifted with working with his hands, but who enjoys it as well, is so wonderful. He has transformed this place into a beautiful cozy home.

After: Spring, 2015

cottage exterior front view

cottage exterior and white picket fence

 

Changes we’ve made:

-Painted the entire exterior of the house
-Painted the metal roof
-Added wooden shutters
-Added three dormers (which look as thought they’ve always belonged here in the first place)
-Painted the front porch, pillars, and columns
-Added the picket fence and arbor
-Added landscape

cottage with the morning light

This little cottage has been a beautiful haven for us the past 5 years that we’ve lived here. It’s seen our daughter take her first steps, it’s seen us bring our son home from the hospital, it’s been filled with tears and laughter and memories and sentimental things we’ll remember forever. We’ve learned to know some of our neighbors, and some of them feel like family and I love them dearly! We’ve lived in the city, and I’ve absolutely loved it – we can walk to the coffee shop/ice cream shop, I’ve probably run a rut down the streets where I do my running loops, we are right across the street from the park and the pool… It’s been such a beautiful season, and a beautiful gift to live here.

I’ve alluded to it sometimes, but it really is true: we are moving from our beloved little Cottage at 341 South. The house sold quickly – the first people to look at it bought it – but I feel jealous over it, like no one else will ever be able to love it like we do. :) But the Lord is directing us to a different place, and so we’re following, with both sadness and anticipation. Sadness for what we’re leaving behind (the cottage, yes, but more importantly, relationships, which are far more valuable than a house), and also anticipation for what the Lord has ahead for us.

It’s been a time of much emotion for us as we do the “lasts” – last beach day, last ladies’ get together, last pool day, last….. We will be entering a different season for our family, and we ask for prayers as we transition. It’s been busy for the kids, and anyone with children knows that they do best on a very normal schedule. Ours have been anything but normal the past few months, so we’ve had some challenges with that and helping our kids walk through this time, while processing ourselves. I hope to pop in here a few more times in the next week or two, just so that I can document a few more things for ourselves, but we’ll see. :)

Happy Tuesday, Lovelies!

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Outdoor Living {Before & After}

If you ever come to my house and I don’t answer the front door, this is where you’ll find me:

Patio Complete 048

 

I never knew that an outdoor space could feel like another room in the house, but this area does. I think it’s the pergola that gives it a “room” feel, and even though there are no walls or privacy fences, I can still sit there and feel like I’m in my personal outdoor living room. I cannot even tell you all how much I love this space!!

A huge part of that loving comes because of how improved it is. If you’ve been following the Cottage blog for any period of time, you know we bought this house as a foreclosure, at a time when it needed a lot of work. The inside was our focus for the first couple of years, and finally last spring we started doing more outside projects. Our front porch was first, and then, on July 4th weekend a year ago, we started the back patio.

My husband is very careful to do things debt-free, and so we have not done some of the bigger projects around here until recently, after we were able to save up for them. So that makes the finished product even more exciting. When you wait for something, it becomes even more special! :)

This is what it looked like for the first 4 years we were here. Lovely in its time, but with many years of wear and tear the boards were rotting and falling in, and they gave many splinters to poor bare feet!

{Before, July 2014}

back porch before

deck - before

 

Soooo, the perks of having a husband who can do literally ANYTHING with wood are pretty awesome. He can envision something, and make it and built it. I can decorate it when it’s finished, but he’s been the vision behind most of what we’ve done here at the Cottage. He’s really great like that.

So, to give a little perspective of where this is (and there were some people who thought this is the front porch – no, it’s the back deck, off the back/side of the house :)) , this is the view from the front of the house.  The back deck is only slightly visible, so it gives a very private feel sitting back there.

 

cottage front view

First off: tear off the old deck, beginning on July 4th, 2014

tearing it down

The process of tear-out was quick and easy, and then the building took a bit longer because of working at it evenings and weekends for several weeks a month or two. The entire process from beginning to end, including staining the wood and all of that, wasn’t finished up until November. So! We don’t do everything super fast around here. ;)

The little man was so thrilled with his apprenticeship to construction.

little mancub daddys helper

And I even got out there with a drill – because my husband taught me to love that kind of thing too. :)

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And things slowly started taking shape…

learning that work is fun

backporch living

The first dinner on the patio – enjoying it even before it was completely finished because we were just THAT excited about it.

first dinner on the new deck
Art time – outside! When they find me outside in the mornings, sometimes they’ll bring their own things outside and we’ll all be together for a while.

mornings on the porch art on the porch

 

Break time.

taking a break

And adding the final touches  – finishing the pillars, putting lights on the pergola, staining the wood, planting ferns and shrubs in planters…

I love lots of whites indoors, but out here, I wanted lush green and full of color. It feels like my happy place.

Patio Complete 032 patio pillars

 

{And after, July, 2015}

Unless it’s raining, this is where you’ll find me, every morning. I’ll even wipe off the raindrops from the table and chairs if I need to, so that I can use this lovely spot. My Bible, a hot cup of coffee, and quiet time outside = the best way to begin a day!

My view from the kitchen door. I mean. I cannot even resist going out there. My love of running is even being affected because I just want to BE HERE.

the patio room

 

morning quiet time

Patio Complete 035

 

French-pressed café al fresco, anyone?

 

cafe al fresco

And these little cuties that sleepily join me after a while… ♥♥  Sometimes it all feels like a beautiful happy dream, these moments of my life, with my precious children.

morning risers

 

Sometimes I can hardly believe this is the same location; same outdoor furniture, same potted plants, but a whole new design.

Patio Complete 038

 

Friends and visitors are welcome! :)

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A Little Boy’s Bedroom

a peek in the room

 

So when the attic renovations were completed, and a bedroom was made upstairs for the little girls, a little boy suddenly had his own room. For the first time in his nearly-three years! We won’t really discuss whether or not he especially liked this idea, but we can mention that because of having only two bedrooms for all of his life, until now sleeping alone wasn’t an option for him. Now that it IS an option, I’ll venture to say that “fun” and “exciting” wouldn’t really be the vocabulary of choice to describe his feelings on sleeping alone, although he is so proud of his room. Perhaps he spends more time playing in this space than actually sleeping? Who knows. :)

Last fall I showed a few pictures of this room when all three kiddos were sharing. And now it’s a space just for Hudson. Yes, it is completely possible for three children to share a bedroom, AND to be organized [mostofthetime] meanwhile. However! I have been so amazed at how two extra bedrooms really do give so much breathing room, and how things can feel so much more organized!! And I’m all the more grateful now for the extra space, rather than just taking it for granted.

So this space for Hudson is simple, and I don’t have a lot of pictures.  I wanted a neutral and understated theme, with room on the floor for Legos and train tracks and those boy toys that we now have. :) I also wanted items that I could use in various ways in the future, not just “baby boy room” accessories.

Hudson’s bed was a toddler-size bed we found at an antique shop when Zoe was a baby, and it has been a treasure ever since! Why don’t they make things as awesome anymore, I have no idea.

It took a bit of effort to make it look boy-ish in that corner, but a few little touches and it came together.

  an antique toddler bed

the old bed

special friends

decor with oars

cross blanket

Opposite of the bed is a large wall map and a teepee – and yes, the kids play that they are Indians [just as I had hoped they would use their imagination]. But Hudson has been found to take naps in there as well, and it’s a fun little hide-out too.

 

teepees and big maps

the fireplace wall

a little teepee

teepees and big maps

teepee and map art
And a little pail of tennis rackets sits in the corner as well.

a collection of tennis rackets

And that’s our little boy’s room. Sometimes the most simple is the best of all. Or maybe it’s the more kids I have, the more I like things simple (i.e. less clutter)? Either way, there it is! :)

Happy Tuesday, friends!

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Sources:
Bed: antique store
Light fixture: yard sale
Swiss Cross Blanket: amazon
Black and White Aztec pillow: IKEA
Teepee: made by us
Black and White Wall Map: Urban Outfitters
Black and White Cross Rug: Urban Outfitters
Cardboard Deer Mount: Little Wanderers (out of stock) but similar found here