Young House Love

Home Decorating & DIY Tutorials

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First House Vs. Current House: One Year Later

Q: I just read an old post of yours where you compared your last house to your current one – and it looks like you preferred the old one in some ways because you had done more renovation, etc.  I think it would be awesome if you did a do-over of that post now that it has been so long and you’ve done so much to improve your new house! – Thanks for all the inspiration, Sarah

A: You’re right, it’s high time we revisited this weird little comparison of our first house and our current one, so let’s get right into it. It all started when someone (ironically also named Sarah) said this about a year ago: “I love your videos and it’s crazy to see the difference in YHL style from the first house to this house! If you wanted to do a side-by-side of rooms past and present, I wouldn’t hate it :)” We decided we wouldn’t hate it either, so we had some fun with it. And now over a year later it’s baaaaack. It’s a battle to the death. First house vs. current house. Cue the dramatic music and picture me singing while Simon Cowel says “you sound like a dog trying to lay an egg.” Of course it’s kind of an unfair fight since we’ve only been in this house for 20 months and it took us four and a half years to finish our first one (and we definitely expect this one to take us a few more years since it’s bigger and we have crazier plans) but on the other hand, after over six years of figuring out what we love and learning by trial and error, we’re definitely in a more confident place than we were when we started out, so some things haven’t taken us as time to figure out. Oh and we stole most of the current house pics from our House Tour page, hence the big “progress” label on the bottom of those. Anyway, it’s on:

The Front Yard, First House:

Final Exterior After

The Front Yard, Current House:

House Front Prog

Winner: The first house. Our current yard has definitely improved by leaps and bounds from the bushy overgrown lot that we inherited (you couldn’t even see the house from the curb), but our first house took us over four years to upgrade it from this craziness, so we’re guessing we still need a few more years with our current one (from other angles it still looks pretty rough).

The Front Porch, First House:

Picture 3

The Front Porch, Current House:

Painted Door Prog Porch

Winner: Tie? We actually would give the front door win to our second house (we loved the red but we lurrrve the yellow) but we still have big plans for boxing out the porch columns and staining the concrete and doing about a million other things at our new digs – and the hanging ferns and tan-and-cream stripes on the first house’s porch were a few of our favorite things. So… lame, but let’s say it’s a tie for now.

The Living Room, First House:

Picture 8

The Living Room, Current House:

Living Room Prog1

Winner: Our current house. Although we’re still hoping to upgrade things (like converting an old dresser into a media stand, etc) we never really used our formal living room in the first house (we had a den for TV watching and chillaxing), so we feel tons more at home in the current living room where we can sink into our giant sofa and zone out.

The Kitchen, First House:

Picture 12

The Kitchen, Current House:

Kitchen After1

Winner: Our current house. This might be a you-have-to-be-here-in-person thing, but the floor plan and smaller size of our first house’s kitchen just felt a lot more closed in and separated from other rooms and the new kitchen is truly the heart of our home (with two giant openings leading to the hall and the dining room and two other doorways that connect it to the office and living room). It’s hard to explain, but when I’m sitting at the peninsula approving comments while Clara plays on the rug by the fireplace and John cooks up something yummy for dinner, it’s just a nice place to be.

The Hallway, First House:

Picture 15

The Hallway, Current House:

Hallway Prog 1

Winner: Current house. We’re so thankful to have a nice wide, light-filled hallway. And the giant family gallery of frames just does it for us.

The Spare Bedroom, First House:

Picture 18

The Spare Bedroom, Second House:

Picture 19

Winner: The first house. Although this picture is stolen from an old post about how messy the playroom was before my mom helped me clean it, once again it looks almost this ca-razy (and has a lot more major furnishings in there since it’s full of secret book projects, hence the need to use an old pic). So yeah, the clean little room with a daybed and a desk made me a lot less sweaty and clammy. Someday I will show this room who’s boss. Until then, the door will remain firmly closed.

The Nursery (Formerly The Third Bedroom), First House:

Picture 20

Picture 21

The Nursery, Current House:

Claras Room Prog

Clara Room Prog1

Claras Closet Progress1

 Winner: Current house. But it was a hard call. We loved the room that we took Clara home from the hospital to so much. It just was such a sentimental space. But the bigger closet in the current room (which Clara now uses as a reading nook) gives her newer room the edge. And we can’t wait to do a bit more in here, like add crown molding, paint the ceiling, refinish the floors, etc.

Our Bedroom, First House:

Picture 26

Picture 27

Our Bedroom, Current House:

Bedroom Prog Benches

Sink Nook Prog

Winner: Current house. Although the built-ins that we created with doorless Ikea wardrobes to flank the bed in our first house (and to provide some much needed storage) will always have a special place in our hearts, our new bedroom is easily the coziest room we’ve ever slept in. Especially since we rearranged everything and painted the walls a dark and moody color. And of course having a walk-in closet and a bathroom that’s actually connected is a huge step up in the function department.

The Main Bathroom (located in the hall), First House:

Picture 31

Our Bathroom (actually attached to our bedroom this time), Current House:

Bathroom Prog1

Winner: First house. By a mile. We loved that complete bathroom gut job more than words can say. And although we did some small easy upgrades to our new one, it doesn’t doesn’t make us feel quite as shiny and proud as the first one did after a few months of serious work. But there’s a chance that we’ll love our current one more someday (perhaps after we redo the flooring like we’ve talked about) just because it’s attached to our bedroom and doesn’t have to be shared by everyone else in the house.

The Office/Guest Bedroom/Playroom, First House:

Picture 34

Picture 35

 The Office & Guest Bedroom (which are now separate rooms), Current House:

Office Progress1

Picture 37

Winner: Current house. The office in our first house was such a great multi-tasking space, but it was teeny and it made us feel a little cramped when we were all in there. And when guests came to town it was hard to do blog stuff (which definitely doesn’t stop on nights and weekends) since the office was occupied by family & friends. So although our first home’s office/playroom/guest room was such a fun space, it’s a lot more functional to have a separate office with a nice built-in desk and our own cheerful guest room (with its own attached bath) for guests.

The Den, First House:

Picture 40

Winner: The first house. 1) Because our current house doesn’t have a den, and 2) Because our first house’s den was one of our favorite rooms ever – so cozy.  Although the room that we call “the living room” in our current house could have been a secondary living space/den, we opted to turn what used to be a formal living room into a spacious dining room to accommodate our huge family who couldn’t squeeze into the dining room behind it (which we made into the office). We don’t regret our decision to just have one huge casual room for TV, reading, playing, & hanging out, but we just have a special place in our heart for the comfy den that our first love – er, house, offered. I remember sitting on that sofa holding our newborn baby with Burger to my right and John to my left like it was yesterday. Sniffle.

Dining Room, Current House:

Dining Prog1

Winner: Current house. 1) Because those curtains are my babies and we’re enamored with the dark teal color that we painted on the back of the built-ins, and 2) Because our first house didn’t even have a dining room (it just had a dining nook in the corner of the living room). Well, originally it had a small dining room off of the other side of the kitchen but we closed off that doorway to turn it into a third bedroom which later became the nursery since we needed that space far more. It’s all much more clearly explained here.

The Laundry Area, First House:

Picture 45

Laundry Area, Current House:

Laundry Room Cork Prog

Winner: The current house. We love our new laundry space. Even though it’s narrow and we don’t have a surface for folding, it just feels happier. Plus we don’t have to fight all of our normal human urges to resist clutterering up a big long counter near the door like we did in our first house (it was always full of incoming or outbound stuff). And it’s more fun to fold laundry in front of the TV on the sofa in the living room anyway.

The Hall Bathroom, First House:

Picture 48

Hall Bathroom, Current House:

Picture 50

Winner: The first house. The stripes and the fun glass chandelier were so charming, and we loved the pedestal sink and the pocket door too. But the new hall bath isn’t just a toilet – there’s a tub in there, which is where Clara takes all of her baths. So maybe the current house wins for function but the first house wins for sweetness? Either way, that blank slate of a bathroom in the current house is begging for some love, so we’ll count this as a point for the first house until we tackle the new one, since that was our first instinct.

The Sunroom, First House:

Picture 52

The Sunroom, Current House:

Picture 54

Winner: First house, all the way. We have about ten million things on the list for the current one though, so maybe in a year or two it’ll give our first one a run for its money…

The Patio, First House:

Picture 55

The Patio, Current House:

Patio Progress11

Winner: Current house. Just because it’s more spacious and cozy/shaded. But most of all because we did it ourselves (we hired out the first house’s patio since we were three weeks away from our backyard wedding and worried that if we tried to DIY it we’d get married next to a half-finished mud pit).

The Deck, Current House:

Deck After2

Winner: Current house. 1) Because we didn’t have a deck in our first house and 2) because John built this one with his bare, manly hands and I got to get it furnished. We can’t wait to stain/seal it and fix a few more things up out there (ex: hide the utility box, hang some shutters, paint the siding so it feels more balanced, etc).

The Basement, First House:

Picture 59

The Basement, Current House:

Basement Progress

Winner: First house. Because we’ve obviously spent a little more time on the first one. Haha. But you never know what we’ll do down there with our current one as soon as we can make it not resemble a pile of junk…

The Backyard, First House:

Picture 61

The Backyard, Current House:

Picture 62

Winner: First house. We still miss that lovely flat grassy area surrounded by pretty woods. Someday we’ll hopefully make a little grassy spot for Clara and Burger to romp (after lots of transplanting, I imagine).

So there you have it. I think the final tally is 10 to 8 with our current house squeaking ahead by two (last year when we did this our first house got a 9 and our current house got an 8 since we didn’t have the deck in the mix yet). It’s interesting to see how our style is gradually evolving (more color/contrast/risks), although we’ll always have a soft spot for the tone-on-tone look of our first baby- er, house. And as for what’s still on the agenda at this place, here’s a big ol’ rundown that we shared a few months ago. What do you guys think? Have you ever looked at photos of your current house next to photos of a previous house to compare what you liked or disliked about them? Isn’t it funny how a new house is a chance to completely reinvent yourself, yet you’re usually working with a lot of existing furniture, so it still has “glances” of your first house going on?

Psst- Check out a full source list for where we got nearly every last item (and what paint colors we used) in our first house here and our second house here.

Comments

  3. Alana @ Domestic Bliss Diaries says

    This may sound a bit crazy but, what about turning your “junk room” into a room-sized “accessories-and-projects-waiting-to-be-finished closet”? As in, buy some “inventory shelves” and let it be your own home interiors boutique of sorts? Then, whenever another baby joins your family, move your “boutique” into the basement (which you can renovate to look like a store). Again, I know it may sounds crazy, but I’ve seen other bloggers create their own decorating storage in a cabinet and keep things that are out of rotation.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Always a possibility! The funny part is that it’s like a landing zone for future projects and to-be-finished projects, but it’s so full that we can’t do much in there. Maybe someday we’ll get it cleared out!

      xo
      s

  4. Mallory says

    I sure do love the coziness of your first house! And I love seeing how you use the same furniture and decor/accessories from your first house and now in your current house. I’m excited to see the DIY project on converting a dresser into a media stand. I’m interested in doing that to mine! This was a fun post to read!
    xo, Mal

    Reply

  5. Lynn @ Our Useful Hands says

    Yeah I figured the new house would win. For a growing family, people don’t usually go down in size or space/function when buying a new place. This made me think of what would our old apartments/rental homes score be compared to our new 1st house and it would be a total blowout of this house winning. It would be like 100-zilch. All because landlords be trippin’… :o)

    My best, Lynn
    *side Q: have you guys ever painted while it’s raining? Or do you subscribe to the notion that it’s a terrible thing to do? I’ve done it with dry weather and I don’t think damp weather should be too bad just for touchups right?

    Reply

  6. Andy says

    Have you considered letting Clara pick the wall color for the hall bath? It’s just paint & easy to change when y’all get around to overhauling the room.

    Reply

  7. Laurie says

    Not a huge guess over who would win the better house contest for me. Our first house was a 1,500 sq ft two story townhouse. Second house is a 3,000 square foot ranch that we have completely remodeled. HOWEVER, still have a huge soft spot for the first house because it WAS our first house and it had awesome walkability to restaurants and shopping. Our second house is a great neighborhood to walk IN,there just really isn’t anything to walk TO. The townhouse was definitely more urban living and probably not as ideally suited to raising a family so the ranch was the way to go. This was a fun post, I love both houses but I think the current house gets the edge for me because Clara is growing up there and I think her laughter is imprinted on your walls.

    Reply

  9. Ann Marie says

    I totally forgot about your first house’s hall bathroom – the stripes are so sweet! Your first house is Pottery Barn magazine worthy, but the new house is so YOU (and still very much mag worthy, just now it’s a quirky, artsy mag!). We were recently going thru old pictures and my husband spotted his old orange La-Z-Boy and claims he hardly remembers owning it…I remember it being a fight to get him to get rid of it! Oh, how time flys!

    Reply

  10. Jillian@TheHumbleGourmet says

    It’s funny, I have such a soft-spot for your old house, even though I’ve never been there myself. I think because I was following it from fairly early on, so it feels like something I was a part of. Does that make sense or does that make me a stalker? ;-)

    Reply

  11. tae says

    it is AMAZING what you two have accomplished in your house in just 20 months! The kitchen, the patio, and the deck are such significant upgrades! And I am truly wow-ed at how well your bedroom finally came together. you rock!

    any clues about what the next big project on your list is?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Oh yes, we call it the playroom but it’ll eventually be Clara’s big girl room when we hopefully expand the family in a little while (the nursery is just the best room for a crib, so it’ll stay in there).

      xo
      s

  13. Heather W says

    Sherry, I would love to see a post in regard to meals that you and John enjoy or make for yourselves. It seems you try to stay healthy and I would love some ideas…. I get bored esating the same things and would love some ideas on how you both mix it up for meals or what your go to’s are at the store etc. I love to try new foods and ideas. Thx.

    Reply

  14. skye @ neathering our fest says

    Hey guys! I have a random question about your old bedroom – the thought JUST occurred to me after reading this post even though I’ve seen it just about everywhere. :)

    What did you do for bedside tables to hold a clock and a glass of water when you just had the built ins there?? It just hit me that I don’t see one there! Maybe I missed that somewhere? I love the idea but I gotta have my glass of water and an alarm clock! :)

    Reply

  15. Sabrina says

    I was wondering what will happen when you finish all your rooms? I know that a home is always changing but do you think you guys will ever be done with this house and want to move on to another? Or maybe you would want to DIY a vacation home? Jersey shore summers? ;)

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We think in a few years we’ll hopefully go in on a rental or a vacation house. We have been saving up towards that dream for the past seven years or so (John’s dad has owned property John’s whole life and it helped with his retirement and sending his kids off to college) so we’re holding out hope that we can make it happen!

      xo
      s

  16. Heather W says

    Sherry I love your choice in colors for your home and especially your front door. Do you think the color on the door should also reflect what is going on inside like your door now??? Also would love your suggestions on color. I have a brownish brick home with a front porch in white with almond siding and dark grey shutters. I know you can say what would work for sure but what your intials thoughts would be would be very helpful… Thanks so much…

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I think the door can be any color you love and it’ll probably connect with something inside if you just add a pop of that color (ex: an accessory on a console that ties in with the door). I would go red with your door. Sounds like it could be awesome!

      xo
      s

  18. Mary says

    Is it on your agenda to do anything with the wood parquet floors? Where I’m from no one has those and it always surprises me when Candace Olsen leaves them. I imagine they’re valuable and people keep them because it’s too expensive to put in solid hard wood like they used to. But does that retro look bother you in your ‘sassy’ styled home? Or does it not look retro when you live in a region where they’re common? Thanks!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We’d love to refinish them in a dark mocha color so they’re less choppy and worn looking. Typically any flooring that is solid wood is usually of value to a home, and ours are kinda charming sometimes. Haha.

      xo
      s

    • emily says

      I live in DC and my old apartment had parquet floors with a really dark finish. It always surprised me to see the disdain for parquet given the parquet in my place, because I loved it! Sure, it wasn’t the most expensive floor that the place could have had, but I was happy with it!

  19. Vikki says

    So…random thought. In your bedroom, you have that odd little space where John’s dresser is currently. Have you ever considered doing built-ins there? It just seems like such an odd space.

    Reply

  20. Belen says

    In your first house, how much space did you leave between the floating shelved and the chairs in your dining room (or what would be the minimum)? I’m thinking of doing the same, but I have limited width in my dining room area.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We always wanted to add some wainscotting in a room or two and do some hallway things (small shelves at the end of the hall with lots of small cute things on them and little frames, etc). We also wanted to build a pergola around the garage with pretty flowering vines growing up it.

      xo
      s

  23. Maggie says

    That was a lot of fun! I guess our new home wins for us, though miss old home (still to be sold) as younger daughter was born in our bedroom there (home birth!). Oh, and we had such lovely sunsets from our living room there too. Nothing like sitting by a roaring open fire in winter with a glass of wine and watching a gorgeous sunset!

    But we have a garden here, so despite the gruesome biting things out there it still wins over a tiny walled back yard. Maybe!

    Look forward to your next projects(s), always interesting and fun and full of ideas. :-)

    Reply

  24. Lauren@FilingJointly says

    My very first apartment in Chicago was a studio and I had this sort of orange and teal theme going on. Looking at pictures of it now makes me groan, though at the time I considered changing my major from accounting to interior design. Because I was pretty sure everyone would have wanted to hire the girl that thought it was a good idea to have a poster of Orlando Bloom on the inside of her pantry door.

    I love this post btw, I especially love the patio picture with the blue flowers and red chairs. You guys have gotten so much done in such a short amount of time, it’s ridiculous.

    Oh and Sherry – I think I may have outdone your Carebear underwear story this week. http://www.filing-jointly.com/2012/09/i-am-never-taking-all-of-my-clothes-off.html NOT my finest moment.

    Reply

  25. Lindsay says

    Sherry- Do you read Better Homes and Gardens? I got mine in the mail yesterday and on page 36 or 38 there were these beautiful white chairs with the same type of pattern as your green living room rug I think. I just loved it and had to share :)

    Reply

  27. Kate says

    Could you show us a wide shot of your house on the side with the newly finished deck? I am curious to see what the deck looks like from the outside!

    Reply

  29. kelsey says

    After going through the comparisons of your first home and your current home… how in the world do you have such an immaculate house (minus a room or two)? I have a 2.5 year-old, but there is hardly a way for me to keep up with the regular cleaning, dinner, and updating the house. I have so many things I’d like to do to our house, but so many things I think I shouldn’t do because the 2.5 year-old could terrorize and destroy any or all of it. How do you manage it so beautifully?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Oh we’re normal. It definitely gets messy! We just try clean up before snapping shots to share with the world. Haha. But it’s definitely messy all the time. We have a two year old! Haha.

      xo
      s

  30. Diana says

    Thanks for your house comparisons… so fun! When my kids were young they would always wax nostalgic about their first house. They had so many happy memories there. (I know how you feel about the den and your memories of Clara as a new baby.) Even though the new house was twice the size, they would ask us, “Why did we have to move?” Now many years later,and many improvements later, we have just as many happy memories here… but there is always something special about that first house.

    By the way, love your post about Granny’s bathroom. She is so sweet; I think everyone who read your post loves her too! Give her a hug for us next time you see her!

    Reply

  31. Traci Curtiss says

    Hi! First, I have to tell you that I really enjoy your blog. Found you a couple of months ago and have been devotedly following ever since. You guys are SO inspiring and I have found that I love all your decorating choices and your humor. This is actually the first time I’ve commented, mainly because I’m usually speed-reading to finish a post because my almost-3 year old and 18 month old are in need of me for food, diapers, or removing them from the top of furniture that they’ve somehow managed to climb! Love the comparison of your first home to your current one. I’d read it previously, but enjoyed reading it again with your updates. I found your first home lovely, but am with the others, and ‘luurv’ the current house! I think it is the use of more color, and just what you’ve done with altering the layout that is so cool! I look forward to watching your home continue to evolve! One question, I think the light fixture in your hall – the one you can see in the photo of the deck – is just so sweet, did it come with the house, or did you pick it up somewhere?

    Reply

  32. Heather says

    I have to say, your blog gets me SO excited to purchase my first house with my soon-to-be husband (16 days!!). I love your positive, go with the flow attitude. I’ll surely be referencing your archives for DIY help :-)

    Reply

  33. Kym says

    Your kitchen speaks to me….it says “I miss the blue chairs”. Maybe that’s just me speaking. :) Seriously, though, I loved those blue lab stools in that space. I like the brown ones, but they just aren’t the same. Just one opinion, though….I am obviously not the one making the decisions. :) I love seeing things side by side here…I can see how your style has been honed bit by bit, as well. :)

    Reply

  36. Genevieve says

    I’m a fairly new reader and was wondering where you got your sweet little yellow radio that’s in your kitchen? Apologies if you’ve mentioned it’s source somewhere before – I just can’t seem to find it! Thanks!

    Reply

  37. Lisa says

    Love this! What a great idea. I agree that a home with a big, connected, open kitchen is the best and is truly the heart of the home.

    Sherry – a technical blog question. When you have some many links to old posts, what is your method of organizing your old post links so you don’t have to go searching through the whole blog for those hyperlinks?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I just use our search bar and try to remember the name of posts or specific words in them (ex: I’m looking for a post about our new stools so I’ll search: new stools swivel craigslist). Hope it helps!

      xo
      s

    • Lisa says

      Lol! Well, that’s pretty simple. My nerdy self would make an excel spreadsheet with date, title, and add’l notes, plus hyperlink. Super nerdy!!!

  38. Kristin says

    Great post! I had a blast trying to decide which you guys would choose and which I would. Love to see what you’ve done, but I think my husband is getting worried about the considering looks I’m giving our own house.

    Reply

  40. Paige @ Little Nostalgia says

    I’ve been reading your blog for years (since before Clara was born!) and it’s amazing how much I forgot about your first house. Like the striped hall bathroom and the basement: totally forgot those existed! And I remember LOVING your first office when you added those long shelves, but now I look at that picture and wonder how you guys worked in there all day. It’s so much smaller than I remember!

    Do you ever look back at pictures and realize you’ve forgotten some details about the first place?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Haha, yes! We always quiz ourselves on things like “do you remember which direction this door swung open?” or “what did we keep in the cabinet to the left of the sink?” just to see what we remember!

      xo
      s

  42. how2home says

    Love this post! It’s interesting to hear your thoughts on which room of your current home vs. your previous home you like better. Its fun to see the differences :)

    Reply

  44. Jenny says

    Are you ever tempted to repeat things from the first house in the new one, like the subtle stripes in the half bath? Does having an audience effect your decisions in that respect? Just curious! xox

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Oddly enough I think once we do something for a while we are excited to try something else. I think we’ve been tempted to do stripes again somehow, but we talk about doing them differently (more colors, thicker or thinner, vertical instead, on a ceiling, etc).

      xo
      s

  45. Colleen says

    This makes me so sad because we need to move to a bigger/different and I dont think I’ll ever love our next house (whatever it is) as much as our first house! I guess it’s kinda like first love!

    Reply

  46. Rebecca says

    This was so cool to see! I really enjoyed seeing the difference. And, much as I love your current house, I’ve discovered that your first house is much more my style (not to say your current place isn’t awesome–but it’s more of that “oh my gosh, that’s so cool, I’d never be able to pull it off” kind of awesome!). So fun to see the evolution of your tastes!

    Reply

  48. NYer says

    so I’m really curious which room would win if you put your old den up against your new living room (which seem to have similar functions, even tho the names are the not same)? (and I love this post, thanks!)

    Reply

  49. Jenna says

    Wait! You didn’t show the dining area in your first house! I always loooooved that area with the floating shelves.

    Anyhow, I love both of your homes. I love what you do with them. I love how you express yourselves. It’s so inspiring!

    Reply

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