It’s hard to believe we’ve already been here a month! And let’s not sugar coat things… this house is looking pretty crazy right now. Blue trim out the wazoo, wallpaper at every turn, bright salmon living room walls, old carpeting that still covers the stairs & our closet, and a whole lot of furniture that we just plopped down on moving day (so it’s safe to assume that nothing is staying where it is for the long haul, this is just where it landed). On one hand it’s like “moving day literally feels like yesterday” but on the other hand, in a few rooms (especially the ones upstairs), we’re like “wow, it’s hard to remember what this looked like before” – which is a funny little Bermuda Triangle to be living in. But enough chitchat, here’s how our house looks one month in.
The foyer:
The kitchen:
The table’s way too small, but thankfully it looks a little less crazy than it did on moving day…
The sunroom:
The office:
The living room:
The dining room (confession: nothing has changed in here since day 1, so we used the same picture):
Here’s the half bathroom:
… which is definitely looking a little lighter and brighter than the wallpapered version we started with.
The guest room:
This is one of the rooms that has come a long way. Here’s how it looked a few weeks before we moved in:
The hall bathroom:
The spare room / possible future nursery…
… which looks a little different than the mauve-trimmed carpeted room we started with.
Clara’s room:
This one has come a long way too. Here’s what we were dealing with a few weeks before we moved in:
Our bedroom:
Which is definitely a far cry from this pre-move photo:
Our bathroom:
It’s fun to scroll through this post to see how it looked on Day One too. We definitely still have some just-moved-in moments going on. Like this kitchen cabinet full of a jumble of tools:
Our closet needs some help too…
But overall, for a month in we’re just glad to have gone from seeing this when we walk up the stairs…
… to seeing this…
The hallway is definitely the most dramatic change so far. It’s sort of like Old Carpet With Blue Trim And Wallpaper Central when you’re climbing the stairs, but when you get to the top it feels clean and new. I let out a giant sigh every single time I go up there. And yes, that railing is SCREAMING for an upgrade. But even though we’re faaaar from completing any space at all (it usually takes us around two years just to paint every room), it’s nice to see that we’ve checked this stuff off:
- ripping out a bunch of carpeting
- installing hardwood floors upstairs
- painting the doors and trim upstairs
- adding new doorknobs
- removing wallpaper from the half bathroom
- removing the doors between the foyer/kitchen/living room/dining room
- getting some tree work done
- removing the glass shower doors and re-caulking our bathroom tub
- hanging curtains in the guest room
- stripping old carpeting out of the sunroom
- installing new blinds in all of the bedrooms and bathrooms
We’re slowly starting to feel like this is our house. And we’re deeply and hopelessly in love with it (blue trim and all!) along with our new hood. Seriously, you might need an anti-nausea pill if I keep gushing. I know we’ve learned never to say never (thanks Beibs) but you’d have to drag me kicking and screaming from this place. I’m about to get a “Be Mine Forever” tattoo on my forearm…
Psst- If you’re wondering what our plans are for each space, chances are we haven’t fully fleshed them out yet, but this giant to-do list should help. We prefer to research/plan things as we attack them, so we promise to share every detail with you guys as we go!
Kim says
What type of curtain rods do you use? Are they a mix of cafe rods from Target in ORB and rods from Lowes in ORB? I’m having the hardest time picking subtle yet substancial curtain rods!!
YoungHouseLove says
Home Depot has nice chunky oil rubbed bronze ones so that’s what we got for the guest room. The ones in Clara’s room are from Target and are a little thinner.
xo,
s
Liz says
It looks awesome so far! I wonder if it’s just me, but the bedrooms upstairs look so light and airy with all of that natural sunlight coming through the windows! I know the rooms still need to be painted, but they look great so far.
Erin says
I love watching you transform the new house! I am learning so much from you as you tackle each project and appreciate that I can reference them later when I need to tackle a similar project (like re-caulking a bathroom!).
Question about your woodwork: You have two different types, some painted and some stained. Do you plan to repaint everything? Or leave some stained and some painted? I have a mixture as well and was curious what your thoughts were on the mix-mosh. Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
We prefer white trim so we think we’ll eventually paint it all. Although we don’t mind rustic wood beams in some instances :)
xo,
s
Stacey @ Not Just Baby Brain says
You’ve certainly made a lot of progress in a short amount of time! Have you thought of switching the dining room and kitchen tables? The dining room table would certainly fill the kitchen eating area nicely.
YoungHouseLove says
We actually aren’t sure that would fit (we want to turn those windows into French doors someday). Who knows where we’ll end up though!
xo,
s
Shannon {Our Home Notebook} says
I love seeing this house become yours. What a difference in the upstairs bedrooms! Thanks for the reminder that it takes time to make a place into home and that’s okay.
Mary says
Wow guys! I feel like your house looks so much more put together than mine and I’ve lived here almost 2 years! The only room with any pictures on the walls is the baby’s room, but she only has towels up for curtains. All of the other rooms have curtains (not towels) without pictures. Best of luck as you continue to put your house together!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yeah we have naked walls in every room! I think that’s normal for a while :)
xo,
s
Kerry says
Wow! I’m in my “new” house for 2.5 years now and STILL looks like I just moved in! I still have boxes, carpeting that needs to go, the kitchen to be replaced, etc. Great job, guys!
Christine @ Practical Decor says
I love these posts so much, because it shows how you can live in a home and evolve with it, even when it doesn’t look exactly how you might want it to ultimately look. Sometimes I feel a little overwhelmed with how much we’ll have to do when we move into our first home in a couple of weeks, but I’m trying to remember to just enjoy the process and it’ll all come together little by little! Congrats on the one-monthiversary!
Jenn @ Home Style Report says
You guys have done so much! I seriously admire your ability to contain you paint brush! I painted our entire house before we moved in and we’re already on our second color in half of the rooms (some of that was necessity after water damange but still)! I like that you’re pacing yourself. How are you liking the new floor plan and having two levels?
YoungHouseLove says
So far we really like it! Seems easier to separate work (downstairs) and relaxing (upstairs).
xo,
s
Wyndi says
Love the new place and all the updates! Question…how do you pick your paint colors? One of your older posts mentions sticking to just a few colors. Do you have an overall look in mind or is there another method to the madness?
YoungHouseLove says
We have no idea what we’ll do here yet. I think we have to check out how swatches read on the walls (the lighting really affects what looks best).
xo,
s
Patty@homemakersdaily says
Looking amazing! You guys have gotten a LOT done in a short amount of time.
We’re hoping to do the same soon. Our house is on the market and as soon as it sells, we’re looking for another fixer upper. It’s a lot of work but the results are worth it!
Kitty says
Hi, I think you guys are great and I have always admired your work ethic and creativity. Your blog is the first thing I click on when I fire up my Internet each morning! That said (uh oh), I am bummed that you really haven’t shown much in the way of decorating. If you were doing this after work, that would be one thing, but because you are full time bloggers, I guess I have higher expectations. Most of your posts lately have felt a bit filler-ish (not that that’s a word, ha ha). If you aren’t ready to pull the trigger on a particular room, could you at least toss your readers a bone and share a mood board, or maybe some paint swatches? Please and thank you from a frustrated loyal reader.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the kind words Kitty! As for our new pace, we chatted here about how we’re committed to really thinking things through and not rushing through this house, so it’ll be more like the pace of our first house than our second one. Everyone’s comments on that post really confirmed that this direction is what’s best for our blog and our family, although we know it will disappoint some readers (we’ve learned that it’s nearly impossible to please everyone).
We’ve been sharing thoughts/plans for rooms as we go in posts like this and this (they each have links to inspiration rooms and potential layout/paint color ideas like you’ve mentioned wanting to see). And if you check out the bulleted list at the end of this post it shows what we’ve done in the past month. It’s a lot more than we expected and we’re so grateful to have knocked it all out!
xo,
s
Linda says
Me again – IMO, YHL the blog is a full time job in and of itself – never a missed day, when it’s late by 10 minutes readers are horrendously worried that something has befallen the Petersiks, and reading/responding to comments alone is a full time job for one person. I’m always amazed they get as much done in the ‘remodeling’ arena as they do. Especially since they need to stop and document along the way. Actually, that’s one of the things I like about YHL – the blog itself is so professionally done, just ‘like a real job’.
And, in all honesty – I like the ‘realness’ that they may not be sure what color paint will work best in Room A or D.
I get that some blogs do seem that they’re just a ‘do it when I feel like it’ approach that seems nothing like an actual job. That’s not the impression I have of YHL.
Joan says
We have the exact trash compactor in our house! Before we even moved in I declared that it would be the first thing to go… 4 years later it is still in place, with our garbage can sitting in it. I can’t think of a way to get rid of it without leaving an empty spot in the cabinets until we eventually redo our kitchen (which will probably be quite a while)!
Mary | lemongroveblog says
Your house has so much natural light in it! The upstairs definitely has come a long way! One step at a time – you’ll get there!
Leah says
The million dollar question…… What is the next project? No matter how little or big!
YoungHouseLove says
Filling in the deck hole from the tree that came out. And probably painting more blue doors and trim downstairs. Not sure where else we’ll bounce around. Maybe more wallpaper stripping?
xo,
s
Lil says
Lookin’ good! I can’t believe you guys are still living with the overspray from painting the doors on your walls. *smile*
Painting soon?
YoungHouseLove says
As soon as we figure out what colors we want we’ll be all over painting those rooms! We just don’t want to rush into picking something that we don’t end up loving and have to redo. So we’re going to think about it for a hot second before diving into the paint cans :)
xo
s
Lynn says
It looks great for only a month in. It’s hard to live in a construction zone but always well worth it in the end. I love those built ins in the dining room. I can’t wait to see more of the after photos. Nice job as usual :)
KatK says
In the office, on Clara’s desk, do you know the brand of the wooden ball run toy? The green/orange/yellow/red ramp thingy? I got one at a thrift shop, and would like to get one for a friend, but there’s no markings on it except “made in china”! Thanks!!
YoungHouseLove says
I think it’s from Bed Bath & Beyond (and is also on amazon.com). John’s mom got it for Clara for her birthday – or was it Christmas?
xo
s
Jessie says
Wow! I can’t believe the difference between the rooms you have worked on and the ones that are untouched! Haha. You guys are great at seeing a house’s true potential!
Sarah says
Ya know….a lovely home with great bones and cool furnishings of good design makes for a nice house done or not. Like the way you get a feel for things before moving forward too. Good lessons here!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Sarah!
xo
s
Karen Q. says
1 month already?! Wow time flies! It looks amazing- such a transformation already from where it was. Rockstars! :)
Amanda says
I really like the green rug in the master. It brightens up the feel in there. The grey rug has always been a little too moody to me. But I was also heart broken when you painted your old kitchen blue because the grellow seemed so much happier. I’m all about warm tones as opposed to cool.
Jenny says
I liked the grellow better too, Amanda–but from reading all the comments when they changed it, I think we’re in the minority. I painted the kitchen cabinets in our beach condo that color and we love it…even with the “bisque” appliances and countertops that came with the place!
MelanieL says
I’m loving all you’ve done, the place looks great considering “THE LIST”!
Anyway, I saw where you said Clara is the Mayor of the new hood…that’s what we say about our 7 year old son (3 when we moved in)! We live closer to the entrance of our neighborhood so everyone has to drive by and when he’s out playing it’s like a revolving door of people stopping to chat with him, little treats, invites to come swim, etc…I love that our neighbors have embraced him, and the rest of us so warmly:)
YoungHouseLove says
So cute! I love that!
xo
s
Bree says
I don’t know how you folks can stand that pink living room. It would have me clawing my eyes out after 2 days! You’re a patient lot. I probably would have broken down and painted the sucker something else at least until I came up with a game plan.
I know you guys have a plan and a priority list though! I’m excited to see how this house magically morphs into a young house love house!
Amanda says
I tried to look it up on the source list with no luck- where is the grey chair in the living room from? It looks like it matches Karl perfectly!
We’re buying our own Karl this month and are hunting for a nice chair to accompany it.
YoungHouseLove says
That was from Joss & Main a while back. It used to sit in our kitchen across from the fireplace.
xo
s
Crystal S. says
I just wanted to leave a little comment for y’all. I work at a craft store in Wilmington, NC and I’m definitely a crafty person. We are, and have been for the past year, improving our house. A Halloween party is the catalyst for all the upgrades, and it’s my main goal to have everything or most of the stuff done by Halloween.
The main point of my comment was that I love your blog so much! I get home from work or when I wake up, I check e-mail and other internet stuff, and then I think, “Oh! Younghouselove has updated their blog today!” and on the weekends I get a little sad there is no update, but I totally understand your reasons behind it. I just wanted to tell y’all that I love your blog and look forward to it every weekday, and use your projects as inspiration to upgrade my house!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Crystal! You’re so sweet! All the best of luck with everything!
xo
s
Aly says
I’m lovin the color scheme i see happening in the master. That green rug looks awesome with your headboard.
Maria says
I just notice the bath where you stripped the paper. I’m dying to know was it papered behind the tank? Did you peel around it? remove the tank? or is there remnants of the papered past lurking behind the cammode??? Do tell, please.
YoungHouseLove says
Thankfully it was only about an inch of overlap behind the tank so I could get my fingers back there and yank it off!
xo
s
Emily says
It is looking great! Those hardwood floors make such a huge difference, I love them. We have been in our house together a year and just finished up our guest room, just in time for family to come in town. It is so nice when a room is complete!
http://lovepastatoolbelt.com/?p=1554
Jen says
Where did you get that beautiful rug in your bedroom?
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Jen! That’s from Joss & Main a while back- maybe a year and a half or so?
xo
s
Rebecca Lately says
I love seeing posts like this!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Rebecca! Last week a bunch of folks were asking for photos of each room just to see what landed where, so a One Month In post full of pics sounded like fun to us.
xo
s
Lauren says
I have to say that I am so excited to watch you transform this house. I started reading your blog after your last house looked pretty much done. Although you kept making changes they weren’t as significant as something like changing a blue trimmed hallway to what it looks like now. I cannot wait to watch the transformations…and hopefully picking up some tips for my house along the way. Good luck!
Sarah says
It’s amazing how much flooring and paint can transform something so much. I love how your hallway looks now!
My husband ripped out part of our original (and worn out) 1940s metal cabinets over the weekend so we can open up the wall between our kitchen and living space and we’re having a what were we thinking moment. No turning back now!!
Julia says
Everything is looking great! I noticed in your living room you have your couch backed up to those gorgeous windows… do you have a problem with glare on your TV when it’s daylight? I have a similar set up in my living room, with the windows behind the couch and thereby facing the TV, and we have noticed that during the day the glare is so bad, we can see our own reflections and the reflections of the windows behind us more clearly than we can see whatever is playing on the TV. Do you guys have this problem? I’m just curious if other people experience this, or have found anyways to deal with that problem (other than just moving furniture around, because the way our living room is set up, there’s really no other good way to configure the room). Good luck with whatever project you are tackling next!
YoungHouseLove says
Thankfully we have the sunroom behind the living room so we don’t have any direct sun coming into those windows. It has been awesome – no glare or anything. But maybe get faux wood blinds to close for glare reduction and layer in some curtains for softness?
xo
s
Tirsa says
Good going guys.
I maybe in the minority here, but every day I keep hoping that you will post how you have painted one room- just one room. Ha, ha. (It must be because I still miss your old house so much and can’t wait to see you transform this one. I know, I know. Transformation takes time… :) ) Anywho, so far I’m in love with the hallway and the area rug switcheroo. :) And yes, I’m chomping at the bit to see what you do next.
julie g. says
I’m excited and exhausted all at the same time looking at all of the photos. I only virtually know you and I feel like we just did so much work on the other house and now it’s time to start all over!
Emily says
That master closet pains me; I can only imagine what it does to you. When you’re ready, promise to check out elfa from The Container Store as one of your three quotes. I’m telling you, you’ll be BLOWN AWAY! I know there isn’t one in Richmond but there’s one in Tyson’s Corner (soon to be in Reston, too) and Raleigh. Surely one of those is worth a road trip sometime this year?! And, since design is free, you can always have it designed and order it when it goes on sale at the beginning of the year…kinda like the end-of-year books you guys produce.
YoungHouseLove says
Sounds awesome!
xo
s
Megan @ Rappsody in Rooms says
Wow! Look at all you have accomplished! That’s pretty amazing! So fun to take a look back. It’s amazing that just having nice modern furniture gives the house a whole new look already, outdated background and all!
Jessica W says
OMG. My inlaws have BLUE TRIM too! (and I dread the day I have to paint it….because I know no one else will.)
Kara says
You have so much progress already! I am looking forward to the updates! Love the new house!
Kelly says
Did you have to sell part of Karl? It looks like one side is missing?
YoungHouseLove says
We explained that in this post for ya: https://www.younghouselove.com/2013/06/honey-i-shrunk-the-sofa/
xo
s
Eri says
One month already? Can’t believe that! And I like the pace you are working on this house — we can instantly tell from the blog and instagram you four are really *enjoying* it, including the hood, even if there may not have occurred much diy work yet (and it’s only yesterday you moved in dude!) That’s to me what makes your blog even more enjoyable to read. “House love” is not just about diy projects only. I love your love :)
Oh and by the by in my browser the wall color of the hall bathroom looks like kinda grellow your second house kitchen used to have. Kinda like that, though different paint colors get in and get out of your palette every moment now until you settle on the first final one, I’m sure. Looking forward to seeing the color scheme for this house!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Eri! We definitely are trying to soak up the summer and really think about stuff before rushing into “doing mode” – sometimes you have to let things percolate so it doesn’t all turn into “first attempts” that you end up doing over later anyway :)
xo
s
Sam says
THANK YOU for posting a photo of your bedroom, showing that you don’t have to have two matching night stands! I won a hard-fought text battle about this over the weekend, when I fell in love with a retro-looking night stand at Love of Jesus thrift (it’s now at my house, waiting for a new coat of paint). I plan to use another medium-sized table (also from LOJ!) on the other side.
Chaucea says
*shocked gasp* You… have a TV in your bedroom! O.O *tsk tsk tsk*
YoungHouseLove says
Heck yeah! It’s not hooked up to cable so we just watch movies up there on the weekends so far, but we love it!
xo
s
heather says
Fantastic! I am excited for you guys and look forward to all the changes! Thanks for bringing us along for the ride! (Stalker alert) Too bad I don’t live close to you or I’d offer to help paint. I just love painting because of the dramatic before and afters…although I’d still make you do the set up and clean up. That part is the worst!:)
Sam says
THANK YOU for posting a photo of your bedroom, showing that you don’t have to have two matching night stands! I won a hard-fought text battle about this over the weekend, after I fell in love with a retro-looking night stand at Love of Jesus thrift (it’s now at my house, waiting for a new coat of paint). I plan to pair it with a medium-sized table – also from LOJ!
YoungHouseLove says
Wahoo! LOJ!
xo
s
Lindsey says
Fantastic post!
I just wanted to mention how much I love the fact that you take the time to read & answer so many comments that come flooding in. I’ve read your posts in the past that says how much time you really do spend checking and reading everything that we all have to say. I know it takes up so much of your time. But when I read through all the comments on all your posts it’s like an extra added bonus, a behind the scenes look at your home.
THANK YOU!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw you’re very welcome Lindsey. We love you guys, and chatting with you is the fun part. We want this to be a little conversation, and not just us talking “at” you guys.
xo
s
Maureen says
Ouch. Those salmon walls hurt my eyes.
We’re house hunting now, and you guys help me to remember to look beyond the ugliness. And oh my, have we seen some ugly! Thanks!
Dawn says
I have two questions (and a continual drool over the changes in your upstairs hallway). :)
1. What is that skinny dishwasher looking thing in the kitchen? A trash compactor? You have probably already explained this and I missed it – sorry. :)
2. How do I subscribe or whatever to my own comment to see if there is a reply to it? To date, I’ve only left maybe a handful of comments, but I’ve never been able to find them again because you get so many (luckies!).
Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
Yup, that’s an old broken trash compactor! As for seeing your replies, we have tried to enable a plug-in that helps with that and it crashes our site. Wish we could get it running! As soon as we do there will be that option below your comment :)
xo
s
Mike Grant says
Nice job guys. I am curious how you handled the transition at the top of the stairs with the new hardwood. I can’t see in the photos what that looks like.
YoungHouseLove says
Here’s a post with that info for ya: https://www.younghouselove.com/2013/06/details-details/
xo
s