The Before

When I walked into this house for the first time, I immediately saw all the dark woodwork.  I am a fan of white woodwork so this was a huge problem for me.  This house already has less natural light than our previous home because of it's layout and window sizes.  The dark woodwork just amplifies that issue.  

As I sit here and look around I can see the changes taking place.  I can see more light.  Maybe it's my age or just the stage of life that I am currently in.  Or maybe it's the fact that I am home every day teaching my kids and working on the house.  Whatever the reason, I am definitely craving more light....more sunlight...more white...more lightheartedness.  

Today I want to show you a few before pictures of our home.  We have already made some changes but there is still so much to do.  These are some of the pictures taken when we came to see the house.  

Front Room or Formal Living Room

Kitchen

I think the combination of the dark woodwork, dark cabinets, stained carpets, and outdated linoleum paints a pretty grim picture.  It was very hard for me to imagine this as my dreamed of cottage.  That's where the visionary in me had to kick in and take over.  It was either that or get very very sad. 

Little by little transformations are taking place around here, in our home and in our family.  We have begun remodeling. We are growing together here.  That makes it worth all the effort.  I hope to show you the process as we go along.  Some things are already completed, but there is still so much to do.  It is definitely about finding balance between working, cooking, family time, household projects, outside activities, and resting.  That is possibly the biggest challenge we face. 

Beginning

My home is where my heart is.  It is where I live each moment, teaching my three children, preparing healthy plant-based foods, decorating and re-decorating until I get it right, and trying to do the best I possibly can on a budget.  I love to thrift shop and yard sales are a thrill for me.  I call it my therapy. It allows me to bring home something that excites me and create a unique mix and match look in our home.  It allows me to just let down and search out what exactly I want my home to reflect.  Have I figured it out yet?  No. Ask my husband.  But I am working on it, one beautiful re-purposed piece at a time.  

We moved last March from a bungalow style home built in 1900.  It was small but cozy with lots of character. It was a great home for our family for almost 10 years.  However, as the kids grew, the house seemed to get smaller and smaller along with the yard.  It was time to leave the busy street setting and search for something with more space...and more places to decorate.  Never could I have imagined buying the house we are currently in.  But, here we are.  Our house is a 1978 Tudor style home that still looks like the 70's. Really, it hasn't been changed at all.
 Honestly, when I walked in I said I could never live here.  It was too dark...dark paint,ugly wallpaper everywhere, and dark glossy woodwork.  Awful.  Made me cry...a lot.  It really did.  I even panicked.  How could I leave my beautiful white woodwork and french doors and hardwood floors?  In the end, the location won out and here we are.  I have to say, I do love the quiet neighborhood and having a big yard. I really do. So...here goes making this house into a cottage, one thrifted piece at a time.