If you’ve been following me on Instagram or on my Pinterest board, you probably know that I’m in the process of selling my current home. I haven’t yet shared many details as to why I’m selling and to where I’m heading, so I thought I’d take the opportunity to do so! I had my current home built a little over 5 years ago and while I love it’s adorable charm (and the fact that it’s super energy efficient since it’s a new build), I’ve always wanted to live in a neighborhood as well as have a bit more space. Every couple of years or so I buy and renovate a ‘flip house’ as a little side business, so I’m always scouting the MLS for homes with great potential. A few months ago I found a fixer upper in a great neighborhood that’s only 3 minutes from my current home.
The new house has a ton of equity potential and some features that I couldn’t afford if I was building again from scratch. For now, I’m planning to buy it, live in it, complete the renovations, then possibly sell it a few years down the line (we’ll see)! I enjoy the challenge of taking a home in need of updating and turning it in to something beautiful and inviting, while at the same time building equity. I’ll share more interior photos once everything is official in a couple weeks, but for now, here are some design boards I’ve created (using the Morpholio App on my iPhone) from which to draw inspiration as I begin to tackle renovations.
Living Room Inspiration
The new house actually has two living rooms, one as part of the main living space, and the other is a sunken living room with a fireplace that was added as an addition at some point. I am SUPER excited to have a fireplace that’s similar to the one pictured above…well it will be similar once I paint the brick white and stain the wood mantle! I already own the striped curtains from Marshalls as well as gray IKEA sofas and a similar coffee table so I’m off to a good start! I will be installing new flooring throughout the main floor and am leaning toward Pergo ‘Southern Grey Oak’ laminate flooring. The chair pictured above is from Target and the rug is from Overstock. I’m going to be on the prowl for vintage furniture from my local thrift stores to use in this new house! I’m leaning toward ‘Repose Gray‘ by Sherwin Williams for the wall color in this space.
Kitchen Inspiration
The vibe of the new house is definitely leaning toward the whole ‘farmhouse/rustic’ style ala Fixer Upper. I’m really feeling neutrals at this point in my design life. Pops of color can be brought in through seasonal decor. I’m going with a simple white subway tile backsplash in the kitchen and want to keep the walls a very light gray. I’m hoping for a farmhouse sink and so far this IKEA sink seems to be the most affordable. I’m torn between going for granite countertops or sticking with the more cost-conscious laminate, particularly because I have laminate in my current home and it’s so pretty, most people think it’s granite! Either way, the counters will be very light and bright, as seen in the top right image from Liz Marie Blog. I’m going to build a huge kitchen island similar to the one pictured above that will double as a table because I’ve found that whenever I’m entertaining, people ALWAYS congregate around the island yet they never sit at the dining table! The black barn light is from Northern Tool and the faucet is from Amazon. I already own a vintage black kitchen scale purchased at my favorite local vintage shop!
Master Bedroom Inspiration
Luckily, all of the second floor bedrooms as well as the staircase have hardwood flooring. The floors will be refinished using Minwax ‘Classic Gray‘ stain, which will look nice with the Pergo flooring being installed on the first floor. The wall color for the master bedroom will be Sea Salt by Sherwin Williams. I’ve used this color in the bathroom of my current home and in a couple of the flip houses and I love it! It’s a pretty green-gray color that reminds me of the beach and sea glass! The bed pictured above is from Target but I’ve found a very similar bed from WalMart that’s half the price so I may choose the latter. The rug pictured above is from Pottery Barn but they no longer carry it…I’m on the hunt for similar, budget friendly options. The bedding swatch pictured is from the set I already own, purchased from Home Goods last summer. Last year I purchased a vintage chandelier similar to the one pictured and it’s been in my basement just waiting for it’s debut! It will go up in my new bedroom for sure!
(Walmart bed, half the price of the Target bed but not sure if I’m in love with the ‘sleigh bed’ look)
Full Bathroom Inspiration
This new house has a half bath on the main floor and one full bath upstairs where the bedrooms are located. I’m going to swap out the single vanity for a double, which will certainly add some functionality to the space. The vanity pictured is from Wayfair, however, I’m going to keep shopping around to find something similar at the best price. A floor tile that looks like wood will be installed, which will go nicely with the soon-to-be stained hardwood floors upstairs. The bathroom will be painted the same color as the master bedroom (Sea Salt) and the same subway tile used in the kitchen will be installed as the shower/tub surround. I already own the striped shower curtain from West Elm as well as the towels from Walmart. I designed and painted the large Emerson quote pallet sign and it’s in use as decor in my current bathroom. The rustic wood mirrors from Lowes will add some warmth to the space. I can’t seem to find the link to the light fixture pictured by I will shop around for something similar when the time comes.
The next couple of months are going to be VERY busy as I work to renovate this home before moving out of my current home. There are three remaining bedrooms, a half bath, a dining area, and another living room for which to create designs, not to mention the exterior which will receive a totally new paint color as well as a farmer’s porch on the front! I’m hoping to do my first Facebook Live video with a house tour when I officially get the keys in a couple of weeks, so pop on over and follow that page if you’d like to check it out! Thanks for following along on this new adventure!
In my experience, furniture from Target is more expensive, but it is far better quality than furniture from Walmart. My son's first dresser came from Walmart and didn't even last six months before my husband had to reinforce the drawers. I eventually replaced it with one from Target and I couldn't be happier. It's been more than two years and the Target dresser still looks brand new.
That's a really great point! Thinking I'm going with the Target bed after all! Thank you!
I can't wait to see what you do with your new home! You decorated and renovated your previous home beautifully. We used repose gray and sea salt in our house and LOVE the colors. So light and bright!
Forgive me if this is too nosy, but how do you financially tackle such projects?? I too am a teacher looking to get into buying a "fixer upper" and recruit my skilled uncles and dad to essentially flip it for me, however, the biggest /only issue is financing. How did you get started??? I recently went from teaching catholic school to public school barely making anything to making a decent wage for a gal rollin' solo, but now I'm wasting 2k on rent alone each month and have nothing (equity) to show for it. Any budgeting/finance suggestions for where to start or what to look into so I can make this happen?