Demo Days

Back to work on the farmhouse...

I had some really cute helpers demo some of the walls and kitchen cabinets. It was a dirty job but it was satisfying to get a dumpster full of old plaster, trim and other misc. garbage.

I won't bore you with all the demo photos of each room but here's an idea of what it looked like naked.

Upstairs we uncovered a signature by the person who probably built the house. We had one like it in our old house that we framed out. But this one was too far gone and crumbled into pieces. I did get this picture though.

The upstairs closet that used to be super dark and creepy....now empty and far less scary!

In the kitchen, we uncovered old oak floors! They had a large patch missing tho so they will get covered up. :(

On the rest of the main floor, we found fur floors which were probably the original subfloors.

Here is the pile of false floor torn up and the kitchen floor exposed. I'm pretty sad we couldn't use it.

Here's a better picture of the kitchen floor.

This process seems easy but with baseball, softball and tball, it was quite a challenge to complete! One dumpster gone, several more to go!

Switching Gears

I wrote previously about also acquiring a lakehouse early last year. I thought in honor of the 4th of July holiday, we'd switch gears and I would give you a virtual tour of what it looked like when we bought it.

It's a cute little 1920s bungalow about four blocks off the water and six blocks from downtown. I affectionately named it the Blue Bungalow however my family is split in deciding if it is in fact blue or grey.

So summery, huh?

It has a big front porch which is a fun area to relax. It's in need of some repairs so that's on the list to improve.

When you enter the front door you are in the long narrow living room, which is a trick to lay furniture out in-

In my opinion, the previous owner had everything turned around. But you'll have to wait to see what I've done with it.

Then you walk through old pocket doors to the "dining room" which I had big plans for...

It had a lovely island that I knew we could reuse. It also has hardwood floors throughout the home which we'll revisit in another post.

Just off the dining room is what the previous owner used as the laundry/dressing room which also includes this small bath. It's kind of strangely laid out but we plan on turning this room into another bedroom/living space.

Lastly on the main floor was the kitchen which was super small, almost like a butler's pantry and very dated. It was clearly done in the 90s.

Going up the stairs, there's a closet and window on the landing and a beautiful old staircase. And then a window at the top of the steps looking out our backyard.

The house sits on a corner lot, so there's lots of yard considering it's in a lake town. Which is good because we have a big family and two big dogs. :)

At the top of the steps is another full bathroom but it's under the eaves, so it has sloped ceilings.

Going down the hall are three bedrooms, two across from each other and the master is at the end.

Both bedrooms were painted the exact same green. And both had carpet and nice-sized closets. All the bedrooms have sloped ceilings as well.

The master is fairly spacious. It can fit a king-sized bed and the front windows look to the south, the direction of the lake.

This is looking out our back door from the kitchen. And then there is an old basement that doesn't really require a tour.

If you know me, I can't leave well enough alone. :) I can see what a place should be and its potential. There have been many changes since we first toured the property. We've been busy!

It isn't much, but it's ours. And it truly is my happy place. I can't wait to show you all the projects we've done to it and many more to come! Hope you've enjoyed your tour!

Not So Modern Farmhouse

Let's talk a little bit about the whole modern farmhouse movement. Do you all follow Maria Killam? She's a designer based out of Canada I enjoy for her love of color.

She is also a huge proponent of timeless design. Her tagline is "to love your house forever." For example, not following trends in places that can't be changed easily like tile and flooring. And one of her biggest design proponents is finding the undertones of colors to help you match fabrics, tiles, paint, etc. together. She sells a color wheel for just this purpose.

But mostly she hates on this movement to paint the world black. And I find it so entertaining because I really do feel it's a cop-out. In ten years when this movement has past, are you really going to want to repaint your stone or your siding to a different color from black?

For example, the black faucet and black hardware on the cabinets in this picture keep your eye roving for a place to land.

Tell me where your eye goes to first in this picture?

Your eye is immediately attracted to the darkness of the countertop. (Not a fan of that backsplash. Yikes.)

How about this picture?

It creates a very moody atmosphere, right? Now compare that to the picture below-

I realize that black is the bold choice. And it absolutely has a place in design. But the way that it is being used now is just a trend that in five years you are going to hate. Take the use of your black SPARINGLY. Trust me.

Anywho, I digress. The farmhouse movement is really starting to get dated. People are throwing out their signs with words on them, their galvanized decor and the all-white color scheme. If you love those things, please keep them. I truly think you need to decorate for you, not for trends. But if you are over those things, I'm here to tell you the trends now are more for color and a more traditional look- stained wood, traditional furniture pieces, patterned curtains. People are tired of changing things every few years for the latest trend. And while we'll never get away from trends, trust me, this black-and-white thing is definitely a TREND.

So plan your homes for more timeless decorating and something that, dare I say it, is a little boring in an adorable way. Think Erin Napier of Home Town.

If you want more about the timeless, traditional look that's becoming trendy, you can check out my Pinterest board, Grandmillenial.

Check Out Pinterest Here

Our modern farmhouse just won't have the black-and-white features that would probably fit the current trend. I'm going for more timeless and boring so I will "love this house for a long time."