The Shack

In 2007 my husband purchased this lovely gem of a home.

Looks so inviting, right?

Actually, when I came around in 2010 I was thrilled to learn he had bought this house. Ironically it was my childhood best friend's house. I spent countless hours playing Barbie's and torturing her older brothers in this home. You can imagine the trip I took down memory lane.

As nice as memories are, there are some things you just can't preserve. Like that lovely burnt orange paint and the stained brown roof. So Danny and  I updated the outside of the house some.

We replaced the roof, repainted the exterior,  pressure washed the driveway and exterior of walls, revamped the flower beds, and corrected a water problem in the front yard. It isn't perfect, but we have come a long way.

Let's take a look inside.

But first....let's take a second to adore the fact that I put a sign on our carport door. It just makes it feel more...official.

Here are two images of the  living room. When the home was purchased it was full of dark wood paneling, trim, and cabinets. I swear this house had not been updated since the seventies.

It took me months YEARS to figure out what to do with this living room. With it's odd shape,  high ceilings, and weird window placement it was a tough canvas. We originally painted the room light tan (I swear it turned more peach) because of the phobia we had of dark surfaces. I was cruising through Pintrest one day and saw a lovely cozy dark living room and decided it was worth a shot. Worst case...I had to repaint...again...and again...and again...

This is what I came out with.

I painted the kitchen blue, painted the trim white, replaced the counter tops, repainted our old ugly kitchen table (I will blog about that later), painted the living room back dark (after the peach), built a new mantel, and opened the bar up. My favorite part of the living room is how I finally figured out a way to place the furniture in there. Behind the couch is a fabulous dresser that is painted blue and serves as a toy boy. I love how we have defined entry ways now and a cozy seating area.

Oh yeah...we added a custom bench (thanks Pop) by the fireplace. It is actually turned to fit under the window! Great storage for our cords and computer modem...and a perfect place for the boys to sit and stare out the window!

The best part about the living room....the FAUX FUR RUG! Yes it is wonderful! The coffee table doubles as an ottoman for us, I am considering covering it. The boys typically use it to lay on and watch TV.  And if you didn't notice...we replaced all the flooring with ceramic tile that looks like hard wood! It is WONDERFUL!

Here is the only picture I have of the dresser...you see the detail and color! It is SO awesome! Best toy box ever!

Here are a few other updates in the kitchen and living room area...

I installed under cabinet lighting in the kitchen. Super easy, LED light strips and a few wires. It makes a HUGE difference in our small kitchen.

We have plans to continue to update our kitchen, but in the meantime we have this random white splash guard thing behind our stove. I could have painted it, and still might...or may remove it. Until I decide I stuck a family monogram up there. I actually REALLY like it...if you can't tell I am all about a home being personal.

* It drives my grandmother CRAZY that I keep dog treats next to the coffee and sugar on our counter. She swears I am going to accidentally grab one and eat it. 

Here are a few other before and after pictures of the hallway and hall bathroom. I will post pictures of the boy's rooms when I finish them. We are redoing both rooms currently. (check back for pictures of their AWESOME new beds)

Since this post is getting long I will leave you with those pictures for now. Besides...I have to go finish things for Houston's new bedroom :)