We're home owners! As you may remember a couple weeks ago, I lamented how we had just about lost our dream home, and we were kind of rightfully bummed about it. There were some issues with the appraisal and those issues were directly related to the listing agent dropping the ball and our agent not holding her accountable, and I could go on a pretty nasty tirade about it all if I allowed myself, but I can't imagine you would enjoy that much. Regardless, things did turn around and we closed this past Friday morning. We move in a couple weeks, give or take. We have a lot to pack, a lot to buy, a lot to sell and some minor things to do around the new place once the electricity is turned on today. Mike and I have already fought 76 times over paint colors, couches, decorating styles, etc. I thought buying the home would be the tough part but apparently moving in without killing my husband is going to be the true test.
I've been reluctant to talk about the house because you will never meet anyone in your life more superstitious or more in fear of The Jinx than me, but now that we have the keys in hand and the mortgage in our names, I think it's safe to say we can discuss our home!
We don't have much to do in order to make it move-in ready, but I'd like your opinion on a few things, Internet. Perhaps you can help curb the number of times I growl at my husband, "You have the worst taste on the planet."
First, here's the exterior:
I've blacked out the listing agent's name and number. I will not give her business if I can help it.
There isn't much to do in terms of landscaping, thank god. Have I mentioned Texas can get a wee bit warm in the summer months? Have I also mentioned our summer months run from May through November? But the entire yard is about a half acre, so we have to fix the broken riding lawnmower the house came with. Or hire a mowing service. Guess which one I'm for?
We'll be painting the front door red and adding a bench to the front porch.
I don't have a picture of the side yard, which also has a porch (with a swing) that runs the length of the house (it's just to the left of the trellis).
I would like to eventually plant both a vegetable and an herb garden somewhere.
This is the detached garage to the right of the front door. It has an unfinished loft atop it, and we'd like to eventually add plumbing and convert it to a guest room or, eventually, Kyle's room when he's older and needs to avoid his parents as much as possible.
You can also, just barely, make out a red shed that sits in the backyard.
This is the living room, and the room you first walk into from the front door. The wall color is a deep mustard yellow, and I like it. But I'm wondering what color couch to purchase for the room. We're getting rid of the Craigslist couch and love seat we've had for more than two years that were worn out and old when we bought them and now are nicely accented with spit-up and crusty formula stains! Lovely. We want to replace the couch with something affordable, comfortable and compatible with the unique colors of the room. We'll probably take down the curtains that came with the house (in this room, at least), so ignore those.
This is the middle room, and I've taken such a horrible picture, you can't tell that it's a somewhat awkward layout, and we're going to have to get fairly creative here. We're moving the fireplace somewhere else in the house, and we're putting Mike's fish tank (seen here) in that space instead. I'd also like to add a bistro table or a chaise lounge or something to add a little substance to this room so it doesn't end up being the landing spot for all of Kyle's toys. What do you think? (The wall colors are staying. We're going to be bold up in this home.) The room extends to the left where there are double doors leading to the side porch/yard, and there are also stairs to the left of the kitchen and to the right of the double doors that lead upstairs to a loft, an exposed wardrobe and a full bath. (Nothing needs to be done upstairs, thankfully.)
Our kitchen. I really love this room although some semi-major updates have to be made. We'll eventually (or soonish) need a new stove and dishwasher. We're changing the cabinet hardware, as well. Also, there's a wall of cabinets to the right of the entrance that I completely cut off in this picture, and, MY GOD, could someone teach the 27-year-old how to take a decent picture? Those cabinets are an awful bright yellow/almost neon green color that we will definitely change. But, to what? White to match the other cabinets? Or an accent color that goes with the kitchen color palette? Personally, I'd like to use chalkboard paint on those cabinets and use them as a creative outlet-type space where we can leave passive-aggressive notes to one another ("Wow, the trash doesn't smell at all! We should leave it where it is FOREVER."). Or love notes. Whichever. What do you think?
And I'd also like to eventually add a nice, eye-catching backsplash to the wall, but what won't clash with the floors?
This will be Kyle's room, and not much is changing in here except the purple will be changed to a lightish green that matches his room's decor and hopefully much more sleeping will go down in this new home. Sleeping through the night sleep. RIGHT KYLE?
And our room. We're changing the yellow to a light neutral khaki with a brown accent wall. We're also painting our adjacent bathroom a light, light cream and steel blue/gray combo (there's a chair rail in the bathroom so the two-toned color combo will work well there). We fought long and hard over these colors, so no input needed here. Sending us back to square one is NOT GOOD FOR THE RELATIONSHIP. Trust me.
But, we're getting rid of our head- and foot board. I'd like to get really creative with what will go above our bed. Either a line of hanging pictures or a ledge (both looks I can't find pictures of, of course).
Better pictures of everything to come, so your input can be based on things like actual photographic proof of our home and not my poor descriptions of things.
Regardless, we're all pretty stoked about this new chapter in our lives. Especially Kyle who thinks if we bought him a house for his four-month birthday, what the hell are we going to produce for month five! (Hugs, Kyle. That's all Mama and Pops can afford now.)
I suck at choosing colors (Our walls are off-white), but I LOVE your house! Congrats, Jennie :)
Posted by: Angella | Monday, June 08, 2009 at 12:43 PM
The house is beautiful! I am very impressed. And I love the bold colors. I have no advice for you though because we are facing similar questions with our house and we have NO ANSWERS. NONE.
Posted by: Jess | Monday, June 08, 2009 at 12:46 PM
Congrats again! So exciting! When do you guys move in?
Posted by: Jen | Monday, June 08, 2009 at 12:49 PM
Yay! Congratulations! You'll have a grand time feathering your new nest. Can't wait to see more pics.
Posted by: Jenny | Monday, June 08, 2009 at 01:08 PM
OHHHH!! I am so jealous!! Your house is SO CUTE! So much personality!! So excited for you and SOOOO jealous! Wish I was moving into an adorable house with a red shed in Texas!! My fave is the kitchen floor. Love it.
Also? Men need to learn to never, EVER argue with their wives about decorating or paint. I think Dr. Phil said that once. :)
Posted by: Manda | Monday, June 08, 2009 at 01:11 PM
OMG!! It's gorgeous! The garden! The porch! The swing! The cool black and white floor! It's PERFECT! I love it and I'm so, so happy for you guys. Thrilled. (Ok, now I have to read the words of the post besides "porch" and "swing"). xoxo
Posted by: Anonymous New York | Monday, June 08, 2009 at 01:24 PM
It's beautiful! I love it. Congratulations!
I have no advice other than a neutral colored couch, because you might get tired of the living room wall color and you'll want to be able to keep the couch. And please, please paint the kitchen cabinets the same white as the other ones.
Enjoy the super cute house!
Posted by: Kristen | Monday, June 08, 2009 at 01:35 PM
Kristen, I take it you're against the chalkboard paint? Well, I won't invite you over then as I think that's the way we're leaning ;)
Posted by: She Likes Purple | Monday, June 08, 2009 at 01:50 PM
OK, the couch. Definitely neutral, but I have to say. MICROFIBER. We got ours at JC Penney (so it was a decent price), and when you have a baby, the microfiber is awesome. Also, if you have pets. Because pet hair doesn't get worked into the fabric and vacuums off easily, and baby messes—of any kind, I'm talking poop to puke to milk and whatever—will rub off with (wait for the irony...) BABY WIPES! No joke.
Posted by: Erin | Monday, June 08, 2009 at 02:04 PM
Congratulations on your new house! What a task with a new baby. Which is the reason for my post. Your obsession with him sleeping through the night is putting some big expectations on someone so tiny. Imagine trying to sleep all night on a liquid diet. Granted, formula-fed babies are known for sleeping longer than breastfed babies, but I'm here to tell you, it's a HUGE mom myth that a child under one year can or should do that. A diet that mainly consists of solid food around 1 year seems to coincide with better sleeping. Makes sense, no? Have no expectations and therefore you won't be disappointed is the attitude I had to adopt. I have a 17 month old who still wakes up once a night!
Posted by: Anonymous New Mexico | Monday, June 08, 2009 at 02:07 PM
It's BEAUTIFUL, honey! I can't wait to see more pictures, and I think the chalkboard paint will be awesome. I'd love to do that somewhere in my house, but I can't find a good spot. =)
I'm so EXCITED for the four of you. I bet Molly is going to love the extra space.
And yay for a picket fence!
Posted by: Elena | Monday, June 08, 2009 at 02:16 PM
Anonymous New Mexico: I emailed you directly but please keep in mind I use sarcasm in my writing. My kid eats when he's hungry, and I don't expect him to curb his hunger because his mom misses sleeping through the night. I hope, sure, but I don't expect.
Posted by: She Likes Purple | Monday, June 08, 2009 at 02:26 PM
What an adorable house. Looks like a great settings for lots of terrific memories. Congrats!
Posted by: Kate | Monday, June 08, 2009 at 02:26 PM
Super cute.
Posted by: slynnro | Monday, June 08, 2009 at 02:29 PM
love it!
and I'm SO jealous of all the GREEN. those kinds of homes do not exist in toronto.
Posted by: ali | Monday, June 08, 2009 at 02:39 PM
What a beautiful house Jennie! I love the idea of chalk board paint for the kitchen. Also, I think a neutral couch color would work great. We had really bold paint in one of our homes (a similar yellow) and our neutral, sort of brown/gray couch worked great in the space.
I am in love with your beautiful dark hardwoods! And huge/flat yard! So awesome.
Posted by: Anna | Monday, June 08, 2009 at 02:54 PM
I think the couch could go a couple different ways, a brown shade to be more traditional and you can add accent pillows to blend the wall color and maybe some reds in with it. I happen to LOVE red with mustard colored walls. So, if you aren't afraid of color (and you said you were going bold) a red microfiber couch would be great in there. Throw a rug on the floor with reds, browns and gold in it to tie it all together. Whatever you decide, at least you know IT'S ALL YOURS!!!! Congrats! Oh yeah, I almost forgot, the chalkboard paint sounds like a great idea.
Posted by: Gretchen | Monday, June 08, 2009 at 02:56 PM
Congrats again! All of my ideas from yesterday apply even though I read the walls as orange rather than yellow. I would stick with a brown/tan couch and use other items to bring in color. I got yellow couches once and got tired of them FAST- and the couch is a lot more money than a few yellow pillows. You know? I second the microfiber- a baby wipe takes off everything from the kid gunk to pet hair.
Chalkboard paint sounds awesome! Just dont get too excited and add the magnet stuff to it. From what I've read that's a 100% FAIL rate.
Posted by: Christina | Monday, June 08, 2009 at 04:13 PM
Congrats Jennie! It looks so cute! Can't wait to see what it looks like after you are done decorating.
Posted by: Heather | Monday, June 08, 2009 at 05:08 PM
It is so cute!!!!
Posted by: Natalie | Monday, June 08, 2009 at 05:30 PM
It like you found a little English cottage in the middle of Texas - I'm in love with your new home. Congratulations!
Have you seen this?
http://www.rustoleum.com/CBGProduct.asp?pid=128
Or this?
http://www.dryerasemagic.com/
It's WHITE paint that turns into a dry erase board surface. Not sure how well it works, but I'm thinking of using it for an entire wall in our office. YOu could have white cabinets AND leave passive aggressive notes. ;)
Posted by: TUWABVB | Monday, June 08, 2009 at 05:32 PM
WANT. KITCHEN.
And now I sort of want to paint my entire house with the dry erase paint that last comment mentioned. HOW COOL IS THAT?
Posted by: maggie | Monday, June 08, 2009 at 06:07 PM
Congrats! The new house looks adorable!:)
Posted by: Erin | Monday, June 08, 2009 at 06:24 PM
Congrats! It must be pretty powerful to think how far you and Mike (and Kyle) have come. Beautiful lot from what we can see too :)
Posted by: lindsay | Monday, June 08, 2009 at 10:58 PM
Oh. My God.
You have a white picket fence!
You remain the most adorable person I know.
It is just stunningly lovely. I'm so happy for you guys! The HUGE garage and loft is to die for. And honey, you make sure you thank SOMEONE everyday for all that kitchen cabinet space. Good luck with all your decorating - I will be insanely jealous if you beat me with all your painting and renos.
PS I've lived in my house for nearly five years, so I'm thinking, considering the bedrooms in my house are the same colour they were when I bought it, you're the winner.
Posted by: Stephanie | Monday, June 08, 2009 at 11:18 PM
Your house is like my dream house! seriously! It's so adorable with a front porch and picket fence! I love the garden and you are so lucky to get the total package with a completed garden. Wow!
And if you don't paint that chalkboard paint in your kitchen, I am going to drive my ass over there and do it while you're sleeping. That kitchen is just begging you to put chalkboard paint in it!
Posted by: Steph | Tuesday, June 09, 2009 at 12:00 AM
Your house is so beautiful, Jennie. I love it! Gosh, I so want to invite myself 3000 miles south and come visit. I love the yard, it just looks so happy and cheery. I also really like the blue color in the middle room, it's bold and lovely. And a big space too, lots of room for your little guy to play soon. Congratulations, it is a beautiful home!
Posted by: Dianna | Tuesday, June 09, 2009 at 12:34 AM
It's perfect. So perfect. I completely understand why this is your dream house.
My couch suggestion is one with a white slipcover. Craziness right? Nope, you can always pop off the slip cover and wash it and BLEACH it if you need to and if things get super crazy you can always get a new slipcover without having to worry about replacing or reupholstering an entire piece of furniture!
And I love the idea of a chaise lounge in the blue room. Check out the sofa that MAdeByGirl just got: http://madebygirl.blogspot.com/ (Scroll down to see the lovely yellow-ness).
Posted by: Julienne | Tuesday, June 09, 2009 at 07:13 AM
just gorgeous. Congrats, I'm so happy.
And for some reason I'm highly amused we bought houses on the same day. I don't know why.
Posted by: jodifur | Tuesday, June 09, 2009 at 07:58 AM
that was supposed to be so happy for you! Typing too fast.
Posted by: jodifur | Tuesday, June 09, 2009 at 07:58 AM
congratulations!!
Posted by: kristy | Tuesday, June 09, 2009 at 08:03 AM
What an adorable house! If I could find something affordable like that in the DC area I'd be in business... but no such luck. So jealous (but not jealous enough to move to TX;)).
I love that you are keeping the bold colors and the kitchen floor is awesome! I'd go with the chalkboard paint or the dry erase paint mentioned above.
Posted by: K | Tuesday, June 09, 2009 at 08:45 AM
That house is so darling it just makes my heart swell. I WANT ONE JUST LIKE IT! Seriously. That is like my ideal house.
Idears
1)Chalkboard paint: Yes, yes yes a thousand times yes!! (it does come in both black and green and I think either would work)
2)Backsplash: white ceramic tile laid in a subway pattern would be easy to keep clean (seal the grout) and not clash with the floor or the cabinets, it would also keep with the style of the floor tile. alternately a glass mosaic would allow you to bring in another accent color.
3)The nook: a table with a checkerboard or backgammon table painted on it and two chairs for a games area.
4)Couch color: a slip cover white (cool crisp and easy to keep clean) or a deep red to pop off of that mustard color.
5)Headboard: I would vote for something padded against pictures simply for ease of reading and comfort of reading in bed. It's hugely easy to make your own.
6)I also vote for staining the floor in your bedroom so that it matches the floor in the rest of the house.
I can't wait to see it when I come visit and would be happy to help paint or with any projects you would like help with, I can cut in free hand with no taping FYI.
SO THRILLED FOR YOU!
Posted by: Raven | Tuesday, June 09, 2009 at 09:55 AM
I'm delurking to tell you that your new house is super beautiful. It makes me almost want to move to Texas. I am a HUGE fan of the chalkboard paint cabinets idea, that sounds so fun.
For the backsplash idea in the kitchen, I think if you did something in a solid color tile (like red, green or blue) that has a raised pattern or design/image on it, that could be really cool and not clash with the floor. The floor is awesome.
By the way, also, you are an amazing writer and your honesty throughout your pregnancy and new motherhood has been really incredible to read. I think you are doing a fantastic job and Kyle is totally adorable.
Posted by: Askew Adventures | Tuesday, June 09, 2009 at 10:18 AM
CONGRATS! The house is just adorable. Sounds like you have a good handle on the changes you want to make, although it looks like you have very little to do, overall. One thing we've learned from being homeowners is that less is more when you are doubting things. And focus on one project at a time, lest you overload yourself and end up abandoning everything due to anxiety/stress/lack of time.
As for couch suggestions, I highly recommend a darker leather; we have a brown nubuck set and it's really stood the test of time with our two dogs and years of wear and tear.
I love the idea of chalkboard paint on the random cabinets in the kitchen. The black will go great with your floors and break the room up a little.
Good luck getting packed and settled in! And remember: moving is always better with a cooler of icy beer. Just sayin'. ;o)
Posted by: AmyB | Tuesday, June 09, 2009 at 10:28 AM
Your house? IS BEAUTIFUL!!! How lucky are you guys to have found a house that you have to do almost nothing to? I love it! My opinion on the couch is that you should go with something neutral, more specifically a brown leather. You'd never have to worry about stains and you could put it atop a nice rug and the room would look amazing. IKEA has a great leather couch that's comfy and affordable: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/80107506 The chalkboard painted cabinets are going to be fantastic - definitely do that! Congratulations on landing your dream house! I think I speak for everyone when I say that we can't wait to see the finished product!!
Posted by: Katie | Tuesday, June 09, 2009 at 10:36 AM
First of all, I love, love, love your new house - it is AWESOME. Congratulations!!!
I think this type of couch would look good:
http://www.ashleyfurniture.com/Showroom/Showroom.aspx?PageId=Showroom&CategoryID=1&ItemNo=5790038&SetDomTab=1&SeriesNo=57900&CollectionId=&style=&PageNumber=1&IsClicked=1&CatPageNumber=3
Posted by: Cheri DeLurker | Tuesday, June 09, 2009 at 11:18 AM
Congratulations! You had me at porch (two!). Seriously, I base my love of a home on whether or not is has a porch. Would you poke me in the eye if I suggested an off-white couch? I also second the other Katie's suggestion about brown leather. A little more baby friendly than off-white.
Posted by: La Petite Chic | Tuesday, June 09, 2009 at 11:55 AM
How sweet it is! Congratulations, it is like a really great episode of house hunters where they get the coolest house. Yay!
Posted by: sensibly Sassy | Tuesday, June 09, 2009 at 04:45 PM
LOVE the new house! and i'm so jealous!! it's adorable. and you guys deserve it :)
(i suck at decorating, so i won't bother you with my sucky advice.)
Posted by: auntie | Tuesday, June 09, 2009 at 05:09 PM
It's adorable! Can't wait to see the decorations that you choose! I'm terrible at it, so I don't have any advice or suggestions! :)
Posted by: Rachel | Wednesday, June 10, 2009 at 09:22 AM
It's amazing! Congratulations!
Posted by: Moose | Wednesday, June 10, 2009 at 12:22 PM
Have I mentioned that I love your (new!) house? (Because I'm totally thinking of pitching a tent in the middle of your kitchen. That wouldn't be inconvenient, right?)
Posted by: Kerri Anne | Wednesday, June 10, 2009 at 02:45 PM
Love the new house. How exciting! I've just been reading through your previous posts that mention buying a house, and I can so, so relate. We're in the middle of that right now (due to close in about 2 weeks), and I don't think I've ever been so stressed. It's ridiculous! Congrats on making it to the other side!
Posted by: Jessie | Wednesday, June 10, 2009 at 03:11 PM
yay! Congrats on the house!
OK, so colors.
For your mustard room couch, I'd suggest something dark green. Not quite hunter, but something with a brownish green hue. Our living room is similar and our couch is from Lazy Boy, the colors looks great.
Cabinets: I'd suggest going with the same white as the other ones and maybe add a splash of color by getting some funky knobs. I also really like your idea of chalkboard paint!
Backsplash: that floor is going to make it tough. What about some imprinted metal? something like this: http://www.aldonchem.com/mt-metal-tile.htm
Whatever you chose, it won't matter because your house is a house of love.
Enjoy it!
Posted by: Beanie | Thursday, June 11, 2009 at 12:14 PM
Oh, I forgot. Be wary of leather with a dog that gets up on the couch. It's cheaper to get a cloth one and pay the extra couple hundred bucks for the stain protection.
Posted by: Beanie | Thursday, June 11, 2009 at 12:15 PM
Congratulations!! Looks absolutely amazing. I would go with a neutral couch, like gray. Boring, but with a nice throw blanket, or area rug, you can pull in (or tie in) more colours. That's all I've got! :)
Posted by: Jenny | Thursday, June 11, 2009 at 03:34 PM
I LOVE the house. A lot of character. Congrats. Uh...and you pretty much suck as a person for even thinking your baby will ever sleep again in your life. I mean, God, it's just sleep. And never mind that Maslow placed sleep on his Hierarchy of Needs Pyramid at the FUCKING BOTTOM (right along with food and water). That's right. Sleep. Food. Water. I for one, could take or leave any of those things. So get over it.
Posted by: Holley | Thursday, June 11, 2009 at 09:50 PM
ADORE the house! Very cute with lots of personality. And I'm late to the suggestion game (and didn't read the prior comments as carefully as I should have) but I'm going to second or third the microfiber couch. With dogs (and I assume similarly with small children) it is golden. As for color, we just purchased a neutral green couch (pale but not lime-y) and are painting our living room a mustard-y color. It looks great with our big paint test swatches. Also, for backsplash - I vote for pressed tin. Would fit with the look of the house and not clash with the floor. Ok, I'm done. Probably not too helpful to you, but lets me exercise my inner-hgtv freak without spending any more money :)
Posted by: notylia | Friday, June 12, 2009 at 07:51 PM
Are the unseen cabinets the same shape/style as the ones that we can see? If so, what about painting the trim white and painting the flat centers with a layer of magnetic paint and then chalkboard paint?
Posted by: Sheila | Saturday, June 13, 2009 at 09:26 PM