Here are several of my favorite construction and decor details!
This "family" sign is above our menu wall in the kitchen. The photo was taken before my son's graduation party began.
Our architect and friend Louis DeLaura designed built-ins all the way to the window. We wanted to make use of the 4 feet of space from the front of the built-ins to the exterior side wall of the new family room. Most of the built-ins would fit until the stairwell along this wall. Our lead guy, Steve Croushorn of Countryside Construction Company, fashioned this closet and made the doors so that you'd never know it was a closet from the outside. Love this!
Our lower deck is a bit over 32 feet long. Enough said. But if you look at the top left of the picture you'll see a wood door. This crawl space has a concrete floor, light switches and outlets and we use it for storage.
I love the way Steve Croushorn fashioned the new banister to mimic the construction of the rails of our six year old addition which we call the great room. The french doors (above pic) lead into the great room.
We wanted to put a dividing wall into this front room to create a proper foyer, however our budget was large enough with other priorities. Right now, I use a room divider to create a foyer and a play area for the boys. I love the fact that I can stand at the kitchen sink, see who is driving up and watch the boys play.
See that mirror? Our old side door used to be there. I never liked entering the kitchen directly from the outside. Now this wall is a wonderful banquette that is perfect for serving large crowds. And I can look outside and watch the kids play basketball while I cook. The cabinets are from Reico and give me much needed storage. With a large family, it's vital that we can spread out in the kitchen. I love the new granite. It took me a long time to decide how to coordinate with the older speckled granite. CogwellStone supplied our granite. They have great selections!
I see this picture (below) and immediately want to go sit outside. I love, love, love this look. I got the idea for the black paneled door from a picture on Houzz. The stone below the columns compliments the color of the Trex decking. Builder's Lighting did a great job helping me find the lighting that would give Craftsman-like character to this 1970s ranch.
I decided that turquoise would be one of my accent colors in the new family room.
Most of our curb appeal pictures aren't wide enough to include the mud porch. What a needed area! This is our main family entry and I can set up a chair in the shade while the boys are on their bicycles! (This is an older picture, the driveway is now paved.) Thanks again to Jefferson Area Builders for a fantastic job on our project!
Curtains from World Market and the sofa from Ashley Furniture. Table from Ikea.
Below is a $2 find at the SPCA Rummage Store.
Decorating our master bedroom was so much fun. The goal was to have a cozy and romantic retreat. Check out more bedroom pictures here:
