Yesterday marked two weeks of being in our new house, so we thought it warranted an updated glimpse into each room’s progress… or lack thereof.
On one hand we feel very accomplished for having already tackled things like painting Clara’s room, buying and assembling a new bed, removing a bunch of bi-fold doors, raising our shower curtain, and unpacking everything – especially considering we were tied up with family stuff for a few days over Christmas. On the other hand, we’re still feeling pretty unsettled. Most of the important stuff has found a place in our new abode (not that it will necessarily stay there for the long haul), but the house is still riddled with piles of things waiting for a home (think picture frames, tools, rugs, etc). Here are some of the rooms that are looking the most presentable so far.
The living room (aka the future dining room) is finally cleared of boxes and we even organized some storage in the base cabinets of those built-ins (although the objects on display are just shoved there, so don’t judge the arrangement just yet):
Here’s the kitchen:
And the family room:
Next we have the sunroom:
And Clara’s room (curtains are up, but there’s no art or new light fixture yet):
Here’s the hall bathroom:
And the guest room bath:
The master bathroom:
And the main hallway:
Then there are the rooms that are semi-functional, but still feel pretty darn disheveled. Like our master bedroom (we have yet to organize the closet, work out a nightstand solution, purchase another dresser, etc):
The office (see that pile of tools in the corner, yeah- they need a home):
And the laundry / mudroom (which is in desperate need of some more built-in storage and a few organizational solutions):
Then there are the close-the-door-when-people-come-over rooms that are basically not at all useful yet… and therefore have become dumping grounds for items in limbo. Like the guest room that we revealed this morning (who wants to stay over in there?):
And the playroom / future kids bedroom (yikes- not so kid friendly yet):
So that’s how things are looking two weeks after moving in. Clearly there’s lots left to tackle and we’re actually working on a giant to-do list to share with you guys (and to help my type-A wife feel more organized). Then it’s off to Home Depot for some supplies…
Psst- You can check out Day One pics here, you know, just for fun.
Eeeeeee!!!!! I can’t WAIT to see what you guys do!!! Your house is ADORABLE even as a semi-functional space! I can’t WAIT to see it assembled!!!!!!!!
I think you two have done a remarkable job in just 15 days. Between Christmas celebrations, Clara (!!), and constructing a bed you can colour me impressed!
Can’t wait to see what you do with the place! Are you planning to tackle one room at a time, or start painting the rooms, and placing things as you go?
Hey Laurajane,
We definitely plan to skip around and do things in real time, so instead of working on one room for a month straight we’ll bounce around and do things that are higher on the priority list (or things that we’re just in the mood to tackle). Keeping things fun and taking on small bite-sized tasks really keeps us motivated and helps us to feel less overwhelmed, so we definitely recommend that approach!
xo,
s
Does it feel like you’re a mile away from the tv in the new, big family room? You’re off to a great start!
Hey Laura,
Yes! Gotta get that solved… someday. We’re upgrading to a sectional that we’ll probably float a bit closer to the tv. And maybe down the line we’ll get a slightly bigger tv and craigslist the current one.
xo,
s
You make my Type A personality very happy! You also make me very motivated. Thanks for continuing to inspire… seriously.
And you must have quite a faithful following if you receive so many comments on hanging a current rod for crying out loud! I mean that in the nicest way possible! Well done peeps!
You really have accomplished a lot only being there 2 weeks!
Even now your place looks great! :)
VERY impressive! And I looove that first picture. Gorgeous room.
It looks really nice already… really!
Your doing fine. I moved in with my husband over a year ago and we are still organizing and rearanging. We haven’t done any renos. It all takes time. I now the frustrated feeling of just wanting to get something big done.
Honestly, it’s looking great so far! You’re the only people I know that can make wood paneling look stylish :)
My first comment. Yay! First let me say that your new house really has a lot of potential! I’m very excited for the fresh start you have given yourselves. My question though is very past due… the floor cushions you have in your new sun room and have had for a while: where did you get them? I am looking for some floor cushions for my house and have been unable to find pretty/functional/awesome/cheap ones. Any ideas? Thank you!
Hey Amanda,
We got the floor cushions at Target and eventually replaced the original tan covers with chocolate brown ones from Bed Bath & Beyond (we just go square shams and stuck the inserts inside).
xo,
s
Not to detract from all of your hard work (great job guys!), but do you find your new washer and dryer clean Clara’s cloth diapers as well as your set in the old house? Just curious…
Hey Jennifer,
Surprisingly, we haven’t noticed any difference! They come out just as clean as the old ones did. Thank goodness!
xo,
s
hehe the things in the shelves over the doorway look like a moustache
Now this is what I call real life. Love it! The posts might not be as substantial as us YHL fans are used to….but all the reasons we love you guys (the hilarious banter, the 90’s references, and the jokes) are all still there, along with the work with what you have and get ‘er done attitude! Way to go! =)
Looks great! With running your business/blog, taking care of the family and enjoying the holidays, you seem to be moving right along!! Thanks for keeping us inspired!
The exposed brick in the sunroom…are you thinking about painting it white? Why or why not? Just curious :)
Hey Victoria,
Yup, we’re planning to paint it because we love the charming look of painted brick and we think it’ll really unify that sunroom with the adjoined family room (which already has white painted brick).
xo,
s
First of all, I hope this doesn’t sound odd, but I feel like we’ve all moved with you. Daily I anticipate what progress will be made on the new house. Secondly, it’s great to see the house evolve. I found your blog early this year when so much of your old house was already done. It’s great to see how much work needs to be done and that these changes unfold over time. Makes the rest of us feel like you’re in the same boat we are! Best of luck!
s
Has it been 15 days already?? It’s looking great guys. You’ve gotten a heck of a lot more done than I ever would have!
Can I just say that I like that yellow bathroom. Perhaps the picture does not capture the color correctly but somehow I find it appealing. I am looking forward to what you do with your rooms but for now, the guest bath looks good.:)
Wow, you’ve made some great progress! I LOVE how you’ve done the built ins in the future dining room, even if they’re not going to stay like that. I especially love the bit above the doorway!
You are making great progress! Off-topic question: When you bought your West Elm daybed did you buy it with the mattress or did you purchase that somewhere else. That bed is on sale right now and it says it accomodates a twin day bed mattress. Is that different from a twin mattress? I can’t decide whether to buy the complete set or just the bed frame and purchase the mattress later.
Hey Karen,
We actually got the mattress from a thrift store that sanitizes them before reselling them. Sounds kind of gross, but it was like new when we got it – and it was only around $20.
xo,
s
Ok, up until I got to the box/guest room and the kids room photos, I was starting to think you were completely inhuman! Most of the rooms in my house didn’t look anything like that 2 MONTHS after I moved in! Very nice progress so far. Don’t you feel that it’s somewhat easier to move into a space where you can fill the rooms vs. a place with brand new rooms that you didn’t have before? I felt that way when we bought our house coming from a teeny apartment – like what do I DO with these spare bedrooms!
Hey Kim,
Yes! We are definitely dealing with a bit of that! We also have a totally different scale than our last house (bigger rooms) so some of the things that we thought might work (console tables and rugs) are waaaay too small, so we’ll have to craigslist them and invest in some bigger items to make sense of the new rooms. But we love a challenge! We’re having so much fun trying to figure out our new house.
xo,
s
Sherry – the big turquoise vase on the coffee table in your livingroom (future dining room) – is that the same one you spotted in a house crashing post a while back and loved? Where did you find it? I love it! The place looks great guys, especially since you had a lot of non-house stuff going on in the last two weeks!
Hey Laura,
We’ve had that big glass vase for a few years now (it’s from ZGallerie) but we’ve seen similar versions at TJ Maxx, Marshalls, and HomeGoods. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Wow….amazing how much of a difference the furniture makes. I never thought to think that even before the nitty gritty down and dirty DIY renovation stuff sometimes just re-arranging furniture makes all the difference in the world.
Good job! YAYS! Let’s roll out the renos!
This house has gorgeous bones. I can’t wait to see what you guys do with it!
Even your clutter is somehow a cute mess! :)
I particularly love the sunroom. I’d never get anything done if I were you – it’s far too tempting to sit there and look out the window all day!
I’m really impressed you’re as settled in as you are with the holidays and everything. But can I just say … I can’t WAIT to see what you do with that kitchen. Not my fave right now, but brimming with potential!
Excited to see how it looks in a few years. I don’t know that I would have had the vision to tackle it. I think painting the paneling would be my first job. I know that it will look amazing when you get done.
You guys have real gumption to unpack all the little decorative things too – all the vases, and ceramic animals. What made you decide to unpack before painting, floor refinishing, etc? How will you deal with doing renovations around these items? (I’m asking because I still have little things in boxes myself).
Are those TWO ceramic dogs?? :)
Hey Amy Good House,
We always do big renovations waaay after living in a house for a while, so we never wait ti unpack before taking them on. The reason we believe in waiting, is because by living in a house for a while we have learned that it helps us see what we’d like to change so our renovations are a lot more functional and tailored to our needs. So we’re going to wait a while to refinish the floors. And we knew even painting all the rooms would take us a while so we didn’t want to wait to unpack everything until then. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
p.s. Yup, we have two not-real dogs (one is concrete and one is ceramic). I need help!
ok, we moved a month ago and it’s not half as organized as yall’s place. we’re in a temp apartment but still…color me impressed!! can’t wait to see the new project develop!
Is it weird that I’m totally digging that light fixture in the main hallway? I know it’s super vintage (nice word for “old-fashioned”,) but I’m loving the idea of that for an eclectic style house!
Hey Candace,
We love it too! Originally we wondered if it would fit in with our furniture and other fixtures, but now we definitely plan to keep it!
xo,
s
some sick part of me is enjoying seeing your house not looking magazine perfect–it gives me hope that my not so perfect house might one day achieve petersik perfection. hang in there sherry–i’m a fellow type “a” and the in-between stages are hard for us. :)
Helloooooo crisp white paint!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It’s coming along so nicely <3
xoXOxo
Amazing! How you did all this in 2 weeks while managing the blog and sneaking time away from your precious daughter (and son) is mindblowing. Keep up the good work!
It’s like a giant I Spy book – “I spy a ceramic white rhino that used to live here, who is to say where it will be in a year…a white parsons desk and ottomans galore, a green hide-a-bed…we can’t wait to spy more!”
Lookin pretty darn good to me!
All of those rooms are looking pretty good, but when I got to the sunroom, all I could think was, “Man, this room is going to transform A LOT after that brick is painted.” That may be the most cosmetically pleasing update you do. What do you think? Was that one of the best cosmetic updates you did in your last one, too?
Hey Beth,
Oh yes- painting cabinets, brick, and paneling are huuuuuge makeovers that only take a day or two (sometimes even less) and cost very little money. We’re big fans of all three!
xo,
s
Love that yellow rug. Where can I purchase it?
Hey Lauren,
We got it from Pottery Barn a while back (it’s called the Moorish Tile rug) so maybe try ebay? Good luck!
xo,
s
Looks great so far! Can’t wait to see more changes you make! I was really surprised to see BTW that you were nice enough to give up the washer and dryer you had at the old place? It looked so nice! Do you plan to get a newer one?
Can’t wait to see more pics! :)
Hey Jen,
We’re planning to wait for a killer sale and upgrade to front loading stackables like the ones we had at the old house. We hear February is a good month for super deals on appliances- fingers crossed!
xo,
s
Oh my…someone is going to need a bigger TV.
We moved in mid-September. We still have 20 moving boxes in the middle of our dining room. I bow to the two of you. We are *clearly* inferior.
:)
knowing where to start is always the hardest part for me…so im excited to be on this journey with yall from the “beginning” per se’ …that was the looong way of saying …
im eager for the “to do” list!
xoxo
You guys are doing an amazing job, especially during this crazy time of year.
The built ins in the living room are awesome, great score.
Funny, when I first saw a picture of the den with that parque floor and dark wood beams I wasn’t too crazy about it. But now that I see it with some furniture in place and a light of light coming in I really dig that room.
Thanks for sharing!!! I’ve been wondering how things are coming along!! So exciting to see it all unfold!
day 15 looks pretty good. i’ve been here for almost a year now, and the guest bedroom is still storage. :/ yikes!
We moved at the end of September and *still* have that close-the-door room, though ours is more full of wedding presents that don’t have a designated home yet. Eventually that room will be our office. You guys are doing really, really well!
Also, so excited that we got two square leather storage ottomans for Christmas. My husband told his family (our generous gifters) that I wanted them after seeing them in John & Sherry’s house. Of course then I had to explain about the blog and how you guys were not in fact our real life friends. (I wish!)
That dark crown molding is very pretty!
Slow and steady gets it ready. I love the sun porch. I would like to be curled up there now with a good book and a cup of tea. susan
I have been following for a while now and much to my hubby’s dismay, I am going to tackle some DIY projects around the house,lol.
I love your old and new house and I only have 1 thing I would change in the new house…. I would want to move the rug in the playroom to the family room. I just love it and I wouldn’t want to hide it in a playroom.