This house crashing adventure in Northern Virginia had us drooling over materials and finishes, especially in the kitchen and the bathrooms. Talk about a gorgeous place to come home to. And here’s Melissa The Homeowner now, so let’s go in.
Her house was actually built in 1940, but she and her husband Jim added an awesome addition to the back of the house in 2009 which included a new kitchen. And it just happened to be one of the most amazing ones we’ve ever been in. So we’ll cut right to the chase. You can see it down the hallway near the front door…
… and it’s glorious. Is it not? Everything from the thick crown molding and the vintage-esque lights over the island (from Amazon) to the crisp subway tile and gorgeous glass fronted cabinets had us at hello.
We also really loved the black honed granite counters paired with the white cabinets and the stainless steel appliances. And that hood was amazing. Jim actually made it. Yes, it was fantastic. And the pot filler was snagged for around $75 on clearance when Home Depot Expo closed. I think hoods and pot fillers like this are what dreams are made of.
The kitchen opens up to a family room on the other side of the large multifunctional space. And yes, you can watch TV on this flatscreen while cooking. Life is good for Melissa. We especially loved the striped tone-on-tone drapes (from JC Penney) and the cozy gas fireplace. This is one of those awesome family homes where people really live (see the toys tucked into that corner on the right and all the books on those built-ins on the left?).
The back of the house shows the 2009 addition that we mentioned (the kitchen and that family room were added along with a main bedroom and bath upstairs). Which means Melissa and her husband got to create this gorgeous back patio with nice wide steps leading out to a grassy play area for their son and daughter.
There’s also a more formal living room in the front of the house, and the fireplace was especially lovely thanks to the crisp lines of the mantel.
Here’s another little stolen detail, just a quick shot of a frame arrangement on the stairs leading up to the second level (she got the M at Ross for $6). So personal and sweet.
Here’s their son’s room which had custom floor to ceiling built-ins that Jim actually made himself. Talk about getting tons of function out of one wall. And the rocking horse was DIYed by Jim’s father (handiness runs in the family).
And here’s their daughter’s room with a charming cherry branch mural on the wall (from ebay) and a DIYed nightstand by Melissa (don’t you love the large white stripe down the center?).
Their main bedroom is airy and welcoming with a nice peaked ceiling and lots of windows.
The bed even had sort of an exotic vacation vibe going on. Ooh la la.
But that bathroom is really what brought me to my knees. Look at that gorgeous giant sink vanity topped with more black honed granite (just like the kitchen countertops). And the floors. They killed me.
Here’s a closer look. Marble basketweave (from The Tile Shop). I was in heaven.
There’s also a basement with a giant playroom that was in progress when we crashed. But it has since been officially finished and it. is. awesome. Check it out here. And here’s the sweet little basement guest room (complete with a headboard that Melissa DIYed and bedding from JC Penney)…
… and an equally charming and cheerful guest bathroom (with towels from Bed Bath & Beyond and art from Target).
So thanks a million to Melissa and Jim for inviting us in and letting us snap away! There’s not much that we love more than snooping around a lovely house like hers! And since we definitely didn’t capture every detail (or even every room) be sure to head over to Melissa’s blog for more photos and details. Hooray for hump day house crashings!
Psst- Wanna virtually poke around a ton of other awesome casas? Click here for eye candy galore.
What a lovely house. You guys are lucky, most people need to wait for open houses and you get invited to check them out :)
If in Ottawa, Canada, you are welcome to our place…a little far I know, but we drove down to Virginia last summer for our vacation, so you never know ;)
Wahoo! You never know….
xo,
s
Beautiful home! I loved the classic details throughout and the great striped curtains in the family room.
Love the guest suite! Great colors.
Beautiful! I particularly loved the kitchen, living room, and bathrooms. And the exterior of the addition looks great, too! Nice work!
You might want to check this out:
http://dwellerswithoutdecorators.blogspot.com/2011/03/9-inspirational-bedroom-makeovers.html
I believe your house/home photography has been misused?
Thanks so much Kendra! Does anyone know how to contact the site author directly? We’d hate to leave a comment saying “that’s our bedroom, blah blah blah” if we can do it more subtly via email. Haha. Or feel free to comment for us since we’re shy. Haha.
xo,
s
The link from this blog takes you to zooz furniture, where several of your photos are posted without credit.
http://toronto.zooz-furniture.com/project_of_month/detail/2
It says the site was created by Jane Somerville and the contact email is
[email protected]
Thanks so much!
xo,
s
Wow, you guys are little detectives! Thanks.
xo,
s
Some of their bigger stores actually carry them. I bought mine at Pentagon Row for the locals reading this!
Power of the Internet! I see they changed it already!
Yay – they fixed it. The pics now credit YHL.
Sweet! Thanks so much for the help guys!
xo,
s
The zooz site seems to credit it if you look deep enough.
http://toronto.zooz-furniture.com/project_of_month/detail/2
Yup they updated it a few hours ago. Yay Zooz!
xoxo,
s
AMAZING! The sophistication combined with warmth combined with beautiful color combined with a sweet family vibe…ayayay! This classic/traditional look has never been my personal taste but seeing this house makes me want to convert! You know you nailed it when lovers of everything “modern” want to run out and score an antique or three…:)
Love that kitchen!
Gorgeous kitchen! Thanks for crashing this one. Here’s to “Hump Day House Crashing!” LOVE IT!
Good grief, that kitchen is a-m-a-z-i-n-g! They did a fantastic job! Love that guest room, too.
I love getting a peek into other people’s houses. This home is so charming, I’m especially loving those tile floors in the master bathroom!
Beautiful – the kitchen is what dreams are made of. Hoping Melissa can share where she got the towel rack (above the toilet) in the guest bath. I was JUST thinking about getting one yesterday after seeing the same style in a magazine (with no source).
I was wondering the same thing. Love that towel rack! It looks very hotel chic.
Here’s the link on Amazon. What a deal at less than $15! http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002YK4YHE/ref=as_li_ss_til?tag=ho068-20&camp=213381&creative=390973&linkCode=as4&creativeASIN=B002YK4YHE&adid=0DGR5C76GMHBK6T0V06N
one word.. LOVE!
What a great house!
I’m with Sherry on the bathroom. I kept thinking what a perfect house…lay out, lighting, windows…and then the bathrooms. Love it! I wish I still lived in the South or on the East coast where house have such great character!
LOVE LOVE LOVE those coral towels and bird combo and the three framed pics hung above that fab headboard. Inspirational. Well done!
Just beautiful. I just love seeing how people with gorgeous houses like this one splurge on some things like flooring while buying other things like artwork at Target. I have the same bird print! That’s my favorite part of house crashing, seeing how people blend pricier elements with bargain buys and DIY projects.
Thanks to YHL for the crash, we loved meeting you and Melissa has been talking about you guys since you left. Also, thanks to all of you for the nice comments about the house. Melissa puts a lot of time into making our house a home and I think she is remarkable. Without her I would be eating off a TV tray and sitting on bean bags. For those of you with questions in your posts I know Melissa will answer every one of them but right now she is on a plane coming home after a long business trip.
Thanks again to YHL and (shameless plug for the woman I love) for more on our house and Melissa’s design ideas check out her blog at http://houseography.blogspot.com
Jim
Aw Jim, you’re sweet. Thank YOU for inviting us into your lovely home. Loved every minute of it.
xo,
s
Someone is wearing their charm bracelet!
I want to live here. I love it when a place is gorgeous and yet homey at the same time. It’s as if the home is working with the inhabitants, instead of the owners living there in spite of the gorgeousness.
Mmmmmmmmm.
(No really, I’m close to being inappropriate over the kitchen and the built-ins in the basement.)
Hilarious! Thanks!!!
Oh, those built-ins are just stunning. Thanks for the tour and the links to Melissa’s blog!
I cannot wait to try out that DIY headboard! Seriously, you guys are amazing and a great inspiration!
It was soooo easy!
Oh my goodness, I am so envious! That house is beautiful.
I’m dying to know about that ottoman in her living room. I’m looking for one just like it. I live in town, Melissa, if you ever want to change it out… :)
It’s from JC Penney, but it was on clearance (anyone sense a theme?!). They often have similar ones on Overstock though.
Wow, her guest bathroom and bedroom have so much light, it would be hard to tell that they were both in the basement!
I now have kitchen & bathroom envy!!!
I’d love to know the name of the paint color in that first interior picture- I love it!
Paint colors are all here – http://houseography.blogspot.com/p/sources-for-stuff.html
I love love love that house. I want everything in it. They did an awesome job.
That house is amazing! I love Melissa’s style and clean aesthetics! The real question is: Where does she put all her stuff!?! Everything is SO neat!
Just on the other side of the camera :) My house is not looking like this right now!!!
Wow – that IS a gorgeous kitchen!
what a beautiful house…
that kitchen is my new inspiration!
I think I’m in love with that kithen! And the bathroom floor tiles! Swooooon :)
I just love this house. No detail is left unfinished and the palate is so welcoming. It looks so cozy and live-able, but straight out of a magazine also. If I could live in a house just like this.. :)
I am in total agreement that black grout is a wise choice with white subway tile. We went that route. People thought it was weird. . but I was like white is GOING TO GET DIRTY PEOPLE! I stand by my choice and am glad to see that I’m not alone.
Yup, totally scarred for life by our original counters with white tile with white grout – thank goodness we had almost no counterspace!
i officially have a crush on that kitchen.
So warm and cozy, definitely a well loved and well lived-in house. The marble basketweave tile is stunning, and I love the white kitchen cabinets with the dark counters. Maybe when/if we close on our house (fingers crossed) you can come crash ours! Central Jersey too far?
You never know, we might be there someday!
xo,
s
Thank you so much for posting your fabulous house crashing adventures, I’ve had a blast looking at all of them… This one was definitely one of my faves.
The entire home is stunning! And what a talented hubby!
Beautiful, beautiful job from start to finish. You are to be commended!
One of my absolute favorites of your house crashing adventures! I am in love with that house! I would never leave that kitchen/family room area! Thanks for sharing!
Great house crash! And Melissa, I LOVE your home! You and I have very similar taste and the front of our houses are almost identical, haha! (Although ours was built in 1937 and is down in Richmond- plus no beautiful addition- boo!) I’m drooling over your kitchen and pretty much everything else. Beautiful job!
pretty sure your house was featured on msn’s lifestyle page– take a look at the third picture :)
http://lifestyle.msn.com/your-home/designer-in-you/staticslideshowtkt.aspx?cp-documentid=27930341&icid=LIFESTYLE2>1=LIFESTYLE2
Haha, yup that’s us! Thanks for the link.
xo,
s
Gorgeous!!! The whole house is just gorgeous!!! And I’m in love with that master bathroom. That is some eye candy!!! Thanks for sharing with us. Melissa, you have a gorgeous home….thanks for sharing it with all of us.
Gorrrrrgeous!!!
I love house crashes! Keep them up!
Beautiful home! I love the addition and how the new and old blends together outside. And of course the drool factor from the floors- ah the bath floors- yes please!
Too funny I was like hey I just saw that M at Ross… Anyone who lives in Philly that M was there last week if you need it!
I can’t believe Jim actually made the hood! And the bedroom built-in?! What an amazingly talented couple!
That kitchen makes me weak in the knees!
Really liking that kitchen! It is so clean and crisp – what is the silver attachment under the hood of the stove? Mysterious object!
Meagan
http://www.rowhousenest.com
That’s a pot filler! A magical water line so you can fill pots with water to boil right there on the stove. Amazing.
xo,
s
Love it!
Do you knkow where she got the shelf over the toilet in the guest bathroom?
Here’s the link – http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002YK4YHE/ref=as_li_ss_til?tag=ho068-20&camp=213381&creative=390973&linkCode=as4&creativeASIN=B002YK4YHE&adid=0DGR5C76GMHBK6T0V06N
Major bargain at under $15 and perfect for small bathrooms!
After reading all the comments mentioning the Target bird print, I had to scroll back up and check it out. Imagine my surprise to see that I too have that print in our bathroom. I can’t believe I missed it during my first couple of views. Too funny!
Beautiful home. I love the house crashing posts!
First, thank you for doing this website – love your ideas and those of your house crashing hosts.
Second, Melissa’s daughter’s bedroom is really similar to my daughter’s and I would love to get a cherry branch mural like hers. I searched on Etsy but wasn’t sure I was looking at the right thing. Is this a vinyl cling “sticker”? If so, was it pretty easy to apply and should it be pretty easy to remove? Melissa, do you recall the source?
Thanks!
They are actually from ebay. There are several but this one is the one I think – http://cgi.ebay.com/CHERRY-BLOSSOMS-MURAL-ART-WALL-STICKER-DECAL-deco-/200590164074?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2eb41b006a