Young House Love

Home Decorating & DIY Tutorials

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A Beautiful House Tour In North Carolina

We’re back with another house crashing adventure from our recent road trip through Charlotte, North Carolina. You already caught a sneak peek of the amazing kitchen, so we’re back to fill in the blanks. And oh man, this family couldn’t have been sweeter if they were made of sugar. Seriously. And their completely transformed 60’s ranch couldn’t have been more charming. Even the outside had us at hello (you know we love a brick ranch).

Hc Exterior

Since they tackled such an amazing makeover, we decided to toss in some before pictures to show you just how far Kristen, Stan, and their one year old son Davis have taken it (well, Davis was in the belly most of the time- they worked hard to complete their renovations just days before he was born). And in baby compatibility news, he and Clara got along swimmingly. Cute, huh?

Hc Portrait

Here’s the photo we shared in last week’s sneak peek, but now we have actual info for ya. Like that gorgeous oversized lantern above the island is by Troy Lighting (here’s a link), the vent hood is a GE Profile 36″ island hood, and the butcher block counter is from Locust Lumber (right outside of Charlotte).

Hc Kitchen Light

And look at the spread they tossed together to greet us! Nuts, chocolate candies, ice cold grapefruit drinks, and even animal crackers for the kids. Did I mention this family was sweeter than sweet?

Hc The Spread

Of course I played the role of Debbie Downer by suggesting that we wait to eat/drink so we could snap our photos beforehand. You don’t wanna know what that island looked like after we snacked (just picture scrunched up napkins full of half nibbled animal crackers, a few matchbox cars, and a bunch of empty glasses).

So we ran around grabbing photos as fast as we could (animal crackers awaited!). Here’s a wider view of the lovely kitchen that leads out into their family room:

Hc Into Family

And this is what the kitchen looked like from the same angle before they started their renovations about a year and a half ago:

Kitchen Before

Pretty darn amazing, eh? Here’s the other view of the kitchen from the now-adjoined family room (well, I guess it was always adjoined, it just had a tiny door and now has a nice wide opening).

Hc Into Kitchen

Here’s the same angle before the makeover:

Looking Into Kitchen Before

Any open jaws? Ours totally were when we checked out those before pics. Here’s a nice shot of the whole family room now, complete with pillows and table lamps from Target and a handsome worn leather chair from the Mitchell Gold outlet in Hickory, NC.

Hc Family Room

Just for fun, here’s a before shot of that room. Isn’t it stunning how much some light paint (with primer) on that paneling did for the room (Kristen actually followed our tutorial). And of course that big opening to the kitchen changed the space immensely too.

Fam Before

But back to the room as it looks now, I was in love with the casual and welcoming mix of textures and furnishings. Nothing was matchy-matchy but it all felt layered and inviting. Like the big patterned rug (handed down from Stan’s mom and dad) along with the old chair that Kristen recovered using this navy geometric fabric. The red side table was a an old secondhand wood one that she transformed with red spray paint (True Red from Lowe’s) and some spray on high-gloss finish (for a lacquered look).

Hc Chair Table

Kristen also let us poke through some other rooms in the house, even though they’re still a work in progress. Look how sweetly this little guest room is coming along. I love the matching headboards (another lucky hand-me-down from Stan’s parents) along with those fun pillows from West Elm and the cheerful rug from Crate & Barrel. I’m sure when Kristen finishes up in there it’ll look even more amazing.

Hc Guest Room

We also snuck some shots of Davis’ nursery because there were great ideas all over the place. See the fun patterned curtains? Kristen made them with fabric from Duralee. And since she’s such a fan of layering cheerful textiles, she brought in another pattern (from Etsy, called Teeny Tiny Zoo, in the color “Pool” by Alexander Henry) for the pillow and even covered her drum shade with it (for anyone who wants to cover their own lampshade with fabric, here’s a tutorial we wrote a while back).

Hc Nursery2

We also loved the DIY-ability of these awesome painted canvases. Kristen got them from this fun boutique (actually as a gift from a friend), but you could print out animals, cut out their silhouettes, trace them onto canvases, and fill in the space around them with paint in varying tones for a similar look.

Hc Nursery3

The mobile was also adorbs. Yup, I said adorbs. Anyway, it was made of felt by Eleni Creative, and worked so well with the fun animal fabric… which Kristen used as mats behind some sweet baby photos that she framed above the crib. Genius.

Hc Mobile Frames

So there you have Kristen, Stan, and sweet little Davis’ lovely house in Charlotte. Thanks so much for letting us swing by and share the photos! Let’s bring down the house for the whole fam and play our usual what’s-your-favorite-part game. Ours were that amaaazing lantern hanging above the island in the kitchen, the fabric covered shade in the nursery, and that awesome navy chair and red end table in the family room.

Psst- Still in a snooping mood? Check out a ton of other houses that we’ve crashed right here.

Psssst- John and I saw Bridesmaids this weekend (our second movie at a theatre since Clara was born!). 1) It was hilarious. 2) I had lots of fun noticing a heart shaped earring and short skirt pattern when it came to Kristen Wiig’s wardrobe. 3) I wanted every single dress that her rival was wearing. Anyone else?

Comments

  1. Jen W. says

    Love the whole house, but the kitchen really caught my eye! Especially the light fixture, love it!
    When I saw it, I got a little *click* in my brain that said “You saw this just the other day!”. So that led to a shopping backtrack session, until I located the fixture that had caught my eye a few days ago.
    It’s smaller, I believe, but less expensive, for sure! I had been considering it for my entryway.
    http://www.shadesoflight.com/iron-x-lantern-with-round-drum-shade-2-for-199.html
    Similar, huh?

    Reply

  4. Natalia says

    Their house looks great! Do you know, on the chair with the pattern fabric, is that upholstered or is that just a slipcover? I love the fabric and pinned it so that I can use it on a future project!
    thanks!

    Reply

  6. Sara says

    Their house turned out great! Good Job!

    Are you guys planning to use the same technique you used in your old house on your paneled walls in the kitchen? Or are you going with a more eco-conscious option? I’ve sort of been holding back on a painting job to see what you do. I’m hoping this home tour got you guys motivated to tackle that job soon!

    Thanks for all your hard work!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We’re definitely hoping to avoid the nasty fumes of oil-based primer with the bean around (it’s hard because we don’t want to do something that doesn’t work and then have to redo it all anyway)! We’re still researching options, but we’ll be sure to share all the details when we make a decision and get ‘er done!

      xo,
      s

  7. Bonnie says

    I’ve been wanting a front door like theirs! Do you know where they got it? I’ve seen them a lot in the South, but not so much in Northern Virginia. Hope they will let us know!

    Reply

    • Kristen says

      Hi Bonnie,
      Sorry for the terribly late response. I wish I had better news but I searched for any info I could find and came up empty-handed. It was here when we bought the house. Wish I could be of more help!

  8. Julie says

    I loooove the kitchen redo! I’ve been toying with the idea of taking out the wall between our living room and kitchen, so I’m totally drooling over the before and afters. I’m just worried because our dining area is already open to the living room, so opening up the kitchen would make the main area of the house one giant room. I think this could either look airy and open, or totally funky. I’m concerned it would feel like the kitchen was invading the living room…or that bacon grease would somehow get on the couch somehow (shut up, I love bacon, it’s an issue!)

    For those worried about painting panelling, I recently painted over panelling in our super retro guest house and I think it came out great. Our panelling was super rustic and uneven, and I was nervous since most of the tutorials I’ve seen involve painting over smooth panelling. It definitely doesn’t look anything close to drywall, but painting it white gave it kind of a beachy cottage feeling. I’m not sure I’d dig the look for an entire house but it works for our guest house.

    Reply

  9. natalie@abungalowproject says

    i love this! are their kitchen backsplash tiles subway tiles or brick? we have brick in our kitchen with ugly, dark black mortar, and i’ve been debating for a year whether to paint it white or wait till we can tear it down. i think they did a great job and love following your wonderful projects and posts!

    Reply

  11. Kim says

    Hi, I love the renovation! I was wondering about the wood paneling. We just purchased a cabin with the fake wood paneling. Would your technique work with the fake stuff, and how well does it keep? Can the paint get scratched off easily? Thank you so much!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      If you use good primer it should last as well as any painted wall for a very very long time. Our paneling was fake in our last house and after 4.5 years it looked as good as the day we painted it. Hope it helps!

      xo,
      s

  12. Christine says

    I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE the area rug in their living room!!! Any ideas as to where I could get one similar?

    Reply

  13. Brandan WH says

    Loved, loved, loved the pictures mounted on the fabric in Davis’ room. Totally plan on stealing that. I also liked how the big chairs in the living room didn’t match. I’m not a real matchy matchy person, so that just solidified my arguement!

    As for Bridesmaids, I think I laughed so hard I cried twice in the first 20 minutes. I totally plan on seeing it again in the theatred. The cop was entirely TOO cute and that accent was just adorable! Glad you got to see a movie in 2011!

    Reply

  15. Cristina says

    Loved this post from yesterday! Sorry for the late question, but I’m wondering if they will share the paint color of the dining room. It’s gorgeous … like everything about this renovation!

    Reply

  16. Laura says

    Love their renovation! The nursery is adorable! For anyone looking for the Alexander Henry fabric, it is actually called 2D Zoo. Teeny Tiny Zoo is, well, a teeny-tiny version of the print! I made curtains for my daughter’s nursery with this print in the primary colorway.

    Reply

  17. Cyan B says

    Okay, so this comment has absolutely NOTHING to do with this post. But I really wanted to tell you that I am redecorating my living room based on your guest room. We just got through painting two of the walls the exact same color. We are getting new light beige couch and chairs Thurday. And I am sewing my own curtains and pillows (using your post to help me firgure it out) soon. We are also painting our console table that we keep near the front door a gorgeous shade of green, a la your headboard. I can’t wait to see the finished product. I’ll be sure to send you pics. Thanks for the inspiration! I am so excited!!!

    Reply

  18. Molly P-H says

    I’m so inspired by this kitchen! Thank you YHL and Kristen — and for answering the readers’ questions that were the same as my questions :). We hope to do something similar with our kitchen/den (knocking down the wall, putting a bar with hood between the two rooms) and this post really helps me envision it. Plus we’re trying to do it fairly affordably (relative to the value of our home) and Kristen has inspired me to rethink some affordable options like white cabinets, white subway tile and the-black-granite-I-can-get-from-Lowes :). Thanks again!! Molly in FL

    Reply

  19. Angie says

    Kristin,

    I was wondering where you got your extra long curtain rod and the rings to hang your living room curtains? House looks fabulous!

    Reply

    • Kristen says

      Hi Angie! Thank you so much for your sweet comments. I got them at the infamous Mary Jo’s fabric store that Sherry has mentioned a few times. They have everything!

  20. Andrea @ DwellRepurposed says

    My lil man’s bedding is “Joshua” from Bananafish and is the same fabric as Davis’s nursery! I absolutely LOVE it! I couldn’t have picked a better fabric for our nursery! The best part is I scored the whole bedding set for $60 on ebay and it retails for over $300!!

    Reply

  21. Mrs. RJ says

    I absolutely love your kitchen renos. That is exactly what we want to do to our bungalo to open up the kitchen and the living room. I am just hoping that it is not a supporting wall .. :P

    Reply

  22. Angie says

    Oh and one other question… what black color paint did you use for your island? We are painting our 60’s kitchen later this week and have already torn down half of a wall like yours. So much better:)

    Reply

    • Kristen says

      That is so exciting! I hope we get to see pics of it! The island is actually stained a very dark brown. Our cabinet guy did it for us before he installed it.

  23. Dawn says

    They make high gloss finish spray paint? Cool! I have two end tables I want to paint black with a high gloss finish, and also do a flower pattern on the top with stencils of some sort like I saw in another of your house crashing posts. I was wondering how hard doing a high gloss finish would be, apparently not that hard at all!! You guys are awesome and I enjoy your blog so much, even though I can’t do much to my apartment, (can’t paint walls, boo hoo) you have given me so much inspiration on how I might be able to turn a boring cookie cutter apartment into a homey space. Thanks guys!! :)

    Reply

  26. Nicole says

    Been on vaca and catching up with your blog… missed you guys!
    Anyway, I was hoping Kristen could provide the name of the nursery fabric she used on the curtains. I see it’s Duralee, but am having trouble finding it.. would looove to use it in my son’s ‘big boy’ room! Thanks so much.

    Reply

  27. Chelsea says

    Howdy,

    I’ve followed your blog for a few years and you’ve always been so gracious at responding to questions/favors to take pictures. MUCH appreciated!

    My husband and I are in the hunt for a lot out in the country and in the meantime we are designing a floor plan for our future home.

    I love how their kitchen and living room is so open but still feels like two defined rooms. Any chance we could some how get in contact with them for a floor plan or more pictures? I can see a bit of a dining area is that their only dining area?

    Thanks a bunch!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Isn’t their layout awesome? We don’t share email addresses or anything like that for privacy reasons, but maybe if Kristen and Stan drop back in to check on questions they’ll post a link or more info about their floor plan for ya? Good luck!

      xo,
      s

  28. Beth says

    I know this is a late comment but I was in your room gallery looking for some front porch inspiration. Do you know the color of their front door? Our brick on our 60s ranch has similar colors and we’re struggling to find a great shade for the door! Also, Sherry and John can you recommend any websites/blogs with design inspiration for exteriors and/or front porches for old ranches? Our porch is similar to yours and I know an upgrade is on your to do list, so I’m hoping you know some good sources! Everythig we find seems too high end for our old little house, so we’re feeling stuck!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Here’s hoping she stops in with that info. As for a website/blog with design inspiration for exteriors and or front porches for old ranches, I haven’t come across anything like that, but I do like to just google search things (and click “images”) so maybe that method will work?

      xo,
      s

  29. meg says

    I don’t believe the green fabric used as panels in the baby’s room is by Duralee. I believe it is Barclay Butera.

    Reply

  30. Callie says

    I love this renovation! My old ranch is veeerrry similar and my husband and I are planning to open it up as well. What I would like to know is (maybe from the owner), does the kitchen just open up to the living room, or does it also open up to a dining room as well? Ours also opens up to a dining room and we also have the long wall splitting the two living rooms. I wish I could see pictures of the other side of these rooms! We are wanting to open it all up, but we need some inspiration to start! Thanks!

    Reply

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