If you’ve been hanging around for a while, you’ll remember that, about this time last year, Max and I began our big remodel process! Even though *you know what* took a big toll on getting anything accomplished in 2020, thankfully we were able to complete the project without too many snafus. So, without further ado, let’s dive into this long-awaited post: our Home Remodel Reveal!
First, check out some “before” photos to get a feel of what we had to work with. Then, scroll through the section entitled Home Remodel Reveal to see the “after” photos, and read more details of furnishings, paint colors, and more. In order, I’ll walk you through the living room, patio, kitchen, entryway, guest bathroom, laundry room, and home office. It’s a full tour, minus our master bedroom/bathroom, and the garage. And, let’s face it – the garage is pretty boring anyway!
Just so you know, this post contains affiliate links and is in part of a paid promotion with Select Blinds.
Buying Our New Home
Max and I loved our first home, but after seven years, we needed some extra space. We really wanted more natural light, an attached garage, and a larger living room area. We were elated to find this spot – it checked all the boxes, and more! However, nothing is ever truly perfect. We decided right away that the place needed a gut job.
The “bones” were good, as the saying goes, but nothing had been updated since the ’80s. We are talking pink paint everywhere – even the ceiling. And, where there wasn’t a groovy hue covering the walls, you can bet there was wallpaper. Yikes.
Check out some of these “before” photos taken from the real estate listing to see what we were in for!
“Before” Photo Descriptions:
- The guest bathroom on the downstairs level. It was carpeted (YUCK) and had a small square shower in the right corner, leaving wasted space next to the toilet. See the transformation below.
- The master bathroom on the upper level. And, yep – that IS wallpaper – covering all the way up to the vaulted ceilings. Also, carpet there too. I don’t show more master bed or bath photos in this reveal. However, we removed the wallpaper, painted a beautiful cream color called “Marshmallow” and I laid and grouted 1’x2′ peel and stick vinyl tiles that look like white marble. Eventually, I plan to paint the cabinets black and replace the sinks/hardware for a dramatic, chic master bath.
- The living room, featuring a section of the pink ceiling. See the transformation below.
- & 6. The kitchen, fitted with old cabinets, weak lights, cracked tile, and more wallpaper. See the transformation below.
- Our master bedroom. Once again – wallpaper! Ugh! I don’t show finished master bedroom photos in this reveal, but we painted the walls “Aesthetic White”, and replaced all of the carpets with a deep and cozy dark brown. Eventually, we hope to replace our current bedroom furniture set, but that is a project for another time!
Home Remodel Reveal
So, here it is – our finished home remodel project!
This shot encompasses the entire main living room.
Lower Level: The front door and garage door are shown in the back towards the left, across from the kitchen. Sliding glass doors and our patio are shown on the right edge of this photo. Behind the camera is a hallway leading to the office, guest bath, and laundry room.
Upper Level: On the right is our loft/guest bedroom. Following the hallway on the left leads to our master bed/bathroom.
We furnished the entire lower level with Shaw LVP flooring in Almond Oak. We wanted a dusty brown/gray color and it is perfect! Almost all of the main walls are painted with Aesthetic White 7035 by Sherwin Williams. Here are some more shots of the color in different lights and against other shades.
Now, let’s get into the good stuff!
Living Room Details Featuring Select Blinds Custom Blinds & Shades
This portion of the post is sponsored by Select Blinds.
One of our favorite parts of the home was this huge set of sliding glass doors. Hello, natural light! However, large windows necessitate custom window treatments, and I really had no clue how to shop for blinds, especially with doors of this size.
So I contacted Select Blinds to help! I chatted with Mark who was super helpful in narrowing down what we could do and what we wanted to do. Once we ordered some samples and looked at them next to our flooring, we settled on the Textured Vertical Blinds in Whisper White. We love the chic, subtle texture and the slightly off-white color that adds the perfect contrast to our slightly-less white walls. It’s a long-lasting, great neutral palette that I can envision us loving for years to come!
Then, Mark helped me through the online purchasing process! It’s super easy to choose your customizations (we wanted the right stack location and the rounded corner valance!) Thankfully, Select Blinds custom-makes the vertical blinds, so we were able to have a perfect fit on our over-sized window.
Once the blinds came in, we read through the easy-to-follow instructions and hung the track. It only took a drill and a screw gun – super simple. Then, each of the blinds clicked into place on the track. The whole process took less than an hour and transformed the whole room!
We LOVE having the option to fully close the blinds, pull them open all the way, or tilt them from side to side. I use this a lot of times to direct the sunlight on a bright afternoon when I want to take photos of food!
In addition to vertical blinds, Select Blinds has so many options – drapes, curtains, panel blinds, mini blinds, shutters, and more. Be sure to check them out for all of your window covering needs!
Our little patio area! I love sitting out here to study or work in the summer and fall. We ordered this 4-piece deck set from Amazon and the rug from Home Depot. In the spring, we hope to furnish it a little more and spend even more time in this cozy little outdoor spot! I’m still on the hunt for some gorgeous and unique outdoor pillows!
Back inside the living room, near the landing of the stairs, I created a little sitting nook! The painting is from Home Goods, the chairs were a Costco deal, and the end table is from Joss & Main. Unfortunately, I don’t have links to any of these three items.
Here’s another shot of the living room and my favorite skylight! Love all that natural light streaming in all day. Our couch was a custom order from a local furniture store when we first got married, so I don’t have a link or brand for it. We actually want to replace it sometime, too, with a piece a little more modern and less bulky. The rug was another Home Goods find! Love that store! But, again, sorry, no exact link. Here’s a similar one from Amazon.
Another shot through my skylight…
… and the natural wood hand railing! This is probably the only thing in the entire home we didn’t repaint, resurface, or replace! LOL!
Moving On With The Tour… Next Stop: The Kitchen & Entryway
Welcome to my favorite spot in the entire home – my kitchen! Besides the guest bathroom, this was the most extensive area of remodeling.
We replaced the old cabinets with the help of Oberling Cabinet Company. They’re a local company, so if you’re in the Northeast Ohio area, be sure to check them out! I chose a combination of closed cabinets and open shelving, for the perfect balance of aesthetics and organization.
My favorite geometric pendant light fixtures in the entire world hang beautifully over our island counter. I ordered these off of Wayfair, and they’re still in stock – so hurry and grab them if you’re in the market!
Then, to contrast the white cabinets along the wall, and to add a splash of color, we chose a gorgeous gray-blue cabinet color for our island. I love this pop of color and the contrast between the dark cabinets and the light countertops (quartzite from a local shop) provides a beautiful depth and dimension to a neutral room. Again, thanks to Oberlin Cabinet Company!
I’ve always preferred gold to silver in most cases, so we decided to accent our kitchen with warm gold hardware. I ordered these modern and chic pulls from Wayfair.
I love my kitchen! It’s my happy place. And, it’s where the magic happens for my website! LOL. I spend a lot of time here.
To continue the gold hardware theme, we ordered this matte gold kitchen faucet from Home Depot, made by Glacier Bay! I love it! We also installed a matte gray/black granite single bowl undermount kitchen sink, which I love because it’s huge and flat – makes for easier cleanup. Plus, the darker color is unexpected and adds a chic element – as opposed to stainless steel (in my opinion, of course, hehe.)
On the opposite wall of the kitchen, next to the front door, Max and I decorated with a little wall ladder shelving system, like this one. We probably will replace this at some point with something a little nicer, but for now, I think it’s a cute and helpful ‘catch-all,’ for guests to place their keys, for example.
On our mirrored wall under the stairs (one other component we didn’t replace from the original house-design) we placed our bar. This doubles as extra storage for kitchenwares and miscellaneous trinkets. We purchased this before we were married from a local furniture shop, so I don’t have a link for it.
Some might say the mirrors are a throwback to the ’80s, but I personally love them! They reflect so much light, and it makes my living room into a little mini dance studio – great when I’m working out to a YouTube video! 🙂
Guest Bathroom & Laundry Room
Here’s a shot of the guest bathroom – yes, this was the one with awkward wasted space and unfortunate carpeting. Everything in this room came from Home Depot or Lowe’s. Eventually, I hope to put a glass door on the shower and add some bathroom plants and teak decor, but for now, it works. And, better yet – all the space is properly utilized. 😉 We chose a blue-gray for the wall color to add some variety, but mirror the hues from the rest of the lower level. It’s very calming.
Our laundry room is situated at the end of the hallway on the far end of the downstairs. It’s nothing special yet, but isn’t that At Home gold faux-skin rug so cool?! Perhaps one day I’ll paint these cabinets and replace the silver clothing rack with something more permanent, but for now, I’m happy!
Home Office
Last, but definitely not least, one of the final elements of the home remodel: the office! Since Max and I both work from home, this area is very important. We both share the same office – and love it!
Our electric, adjustable height standing desks from Amazon are essential! It’s crucial to get up and stand periodically throughout the day, so these come in super handy. Shown above is my set up. I work from a MacBook (floating via an adjustable laptop arm) but connect it to a curved monitor (held in place by an adjustable monitor arm) to maximize workspace! Doesn’t that clean desk just make you so happy?! Of course, the pink Pebble Logitech wireless mouse and keyboard just complete the deal. 🙂
On the opposite wall, Max’s workstation mirrors mine. He also floats his monitor for an ultra-clean desk surface, but it is connected to a custom-built PC. We purchased both of our chairs from Costco.
On the same wall as the doorway, we placed a mini credenza/filing cabinet from Wayfair. This creates a good home for the printer and miscellaneous office knick-knacks/paperwork since we prefer a sleek, minimal look on the desks.
A cute little window is opposite the wall with the filing cabinet. Eventually, I hope to fit a little window seat/storage bench underneath, but I haven’t found the perfect one yet.
That’s A Wrap For The Home Remodel Reveal – For Now!
I hope you enjoyed our home remodel reveal! You all were highly anticipating this blog post, so I’m glad to finally be able to share it with you, for the most part.
I share a lot of behind-the-scenes shots of our home on my Instagram, so be sure to follow me there to see more!
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Take care guys! Until next time…
XOXO
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