4.28.2016

Thoughts for Thursday: Home Renovations- The Dream vs The Reality

About a week and a half ago I met with the builder for our kitchen and first floor renovation so that he could take some measurements.  He brought his interior designer with him which I was not expecting at all.  She was very nice but was throwing questions and ideas at me left and right that I wasn't prepared for.  While I wouldn't say I clicked with the interior designer right away she did bring up some really good points that have stuck with me ever since our meeting.

As I was describing my dream house and the way I want it to feel I was telling her and showing her pictures of houses that I loved.   The problem is that I love love love the craftsman style houses like this one below.  








 This is newly built house that just sold in Northern Virginia last year. First of all it's way bigger than my house and worth a whole lot more money, but it pretty much has everything that I'm looking for in a house.

The biggest problem though besides the fact that it's a $3 million house and not even close to where I live is that it's a craftsman style house.  I live in a colonial.  A very traditional colonial house.

 While I can have lots of features of my dream house the interior designer was explaining to me that I should respect the style of my house and modernize it from there.   It was something that I hadn't given much thought to honestly but now I really get it.   Maybe one day I will get to live in my craftsman style house but for now I live in a colonial and there are tons of way for me to update it without completely breaking the bank and trying to make it something it isn't.   So back to the drawing board I went.

If you follow Elements of Style, Erin and her husband bought a colonial in New England a few years ago and I think she's done an awesome job of updating it while respecting the fact that it's a colonial. I've been scouring her book and blog for inspiration and it's helped a lot.  

So I've been spending the last week on Pinterest looking for updated colonial ideas and I've found a lot of stuff that I really like, as far as floors and mouldings go.  My kitchen ideas don't really need to change it's more the design elements and details that I needed to tweak.   Once we hear back from the builder with the designs and plans I will share them with you all. I cannot wait to see what they come up with!

Happy Thursday Friends!


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18 comments

  1. I like your home! My brother's house is more along the lines of a craftsman style. Good luck with your renovations!

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  2. I love the look of your house. Traditional is my jam :)

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  3. Craftsman style houses are my dream house style, too. Everything about it I love! But I think your house is gorgeous as well! I'm glad you're embracing what you have and working around that--I'm sure the Pinterest process has been fun too :)

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  4. Ooooh the Dream vs the reality haha.. Happens to me all the time.. My dream house is still in the works. Love the look of your colonia style house. We love brick!

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  5. That house is beautifully and I'm sure yours will be too! We are in the process of moving so I have so many ideas of things in head it's hard to get them all going in one direction. Beautifully Candid

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  6. I am with the designer and have been trying to tell Rob that when you buy a house, you need to stick with the era/feeling of the original house. For example, he wanted to knock out the beautiful screened in porch and put in a "Caribbean" themed patio. Hahahaha. Going to check out that blog...

    BTW - there are some beautiful craftsman at great prices in Takoma Park...it's up and coming :)

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  7. I'm sure whatever you do will be amazing! You have great taste :)

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  8. I am always drawn to craftsman style homes as well. My dream is a giant wrap around porch (one day. one day) I love your home though and I have no doubt your kitchen remodel is going to be gorgeous!

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  9. I gravitate towards craftsman style houses too! But around here you don't see too many of them. Good thing is you will be able to find lots of ideas for colonials too :)

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  10. That is a gorgeous home! I can't wait to see what you come up with! We just bought an old brick colonial and are in the process of doing some renovations/updates before moving in. Going to have to check out Elements of Style for some inspiration. : )

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  11. We just moved into a colonial house too! Can't wait to see what ideas you have for your house and to check out Elements of Style!

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  12. That house is gorgeous but, no doubt whatever you do to yours it will be just as beautiful!!

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  13. great blog and the house is super cool.
    http://digitizingzone.com

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  14. I realise how stressful the entire process can be, Natalie, but I bet you're also extremely excited to see what the "new" house looks like in the end, huh :)

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  15. Best of luck as you move forward! I'm a sucker for traditional homes with modern design updates...I know you will find a style that fits both your home and the things you love!

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