It’s Reveal Day!
Except, this is not HGTV and I am not all dressed up, ready to be surprised with a perfectly designed, sparkling clean dream home.
I’m in bed in day old sweats and drinking water to compensate for the food fest I threw for myself this weekend. 
Anyway.
I have to apologize in advance for all of the photos, I just can’t stop.
So, wanna see one half of our open concept floor plan?
Here it was before: 
  (as always, keep an eye on the front door, back sliding door and windows so that you can keep your bearings when we hit the After photos)

I’ve had a few questions about the natural light in our home and if it’s a result of editing – none of the before photos are edited so you can see what we saw when we first walked through the door.

I could never understand the pillars around the front door. 
When you walked in, you smacked right into them.
take a gander at the interesting angle and the uh, custom shelving (?) to the left of the mantle. 

the space below is the only space in the entire house where we actually added walls. 
I wanted a play room for the baby and couldn’t imagine what we would do with a formal living room (the intended purpose of the space with the windows). 
And here’s a little snippet of the during….
walls going in
(and old appliances waiting to be dumped)
 
pillars going away and paneling demolished
 
And now, the After
all photos by Christa Rene Photography
all sources at the end of the photo onslaught 
The view from the front stoop:

We decided to dry wall off the weird brick fireplace angle and rip out the fancy built in shelving. 
We actually kept the original mantle – after a good shot of pledge, she was too pretty to remove.

I’ve been asked a ton about the fireplace color – it’s kind of a funny story – the fireplace was a happy accident. We were going to paint the fireplace brick the same white as the trim and moldings (Ben Moore Chantilly Lace) but I happened to drop by just as the painters wrapped up priming the brick. 
I loved the white washed look and asked them to leave it, so the color is actually just two coats of primer! 
Our dining room table may be one of my most treasured possessions as Justin and our friend Mark built it. We designed this room specifically for this table and the rest of the style elements were chosen to break up the dark wood of the floor and the table. 
If you look closely, you can see that the fabric of the chairs is actually two different colors – the arm chairs are grey velvet and the middle seats are an oat colored cotton. 
| silver bowl | candlesticks |

We swapped out the old sliding door for a double french door to our back patio space and I love how much light shines in. 
I can’t wait to show you guys the kitchen so that you can see the impact of these chandeliers with our (gigantic) kitchen pendants!

A metallic cow hide rug isn’t for everyone, but the shape of this space was tricky thanks to the slanted brick hearth, so a regular old square rug just wouldn’t cut it. I love how it highlights the dining space but leaves the rest of the area open for traffic. 
P.S. there’s a sneak peek of the playroom through the french doors

and a little glimpse of our kitchen lighting! 

I created an entry space using my mother’s childhood vanity (gussied up
with a healthy coat of spray paint) and baskets to catch dog toys and
extra blankets and pillows. Mixing styles and price points with vintage pieces and heirlooms might be my most favorite way to decorate.
Ok, so what do ya’ll think? Most of this space was decorated using items that we’ve owned from our previous moves – I think just the lighting, dining room chairs and the DIY art over the fireplace are new (and previously we had not a single chair for our dining room….classy, class, class).

Let me know if you have any questions about anything – and nope, we didn’t use a designer or decorator!
Sources
Wall Paint Color: Benjamin Moore Marilyn’s Dress
Trim Color: Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace
Dining Room Table: DIY by my husband using this tutorial
Dining Room Chairs and Arm Chairs: World Market
Metallic Cowhide Rug
Chandeliers: I purchased mine through Ferguson via my lighting guru Caroline
Striped Poof: Target
Marquis Letter: Hobby Lobby, similar
Grey Sofa: West Elm
Mantle Art: DIY by moi, framed at Hobby Lobby
Glass vase on mantle: Pottery Barn
Silver Bowl and Candlesticks: Pottery Barn
Entry Way table: vintage, my mom’s old vanity from childhood, spray painted Navy
Baskets: Home Goods
Lamps: Target, old
Mirror: Hobby Lobby similar
Glass Vase: Pottery Barn
Silver Tray: Pottery Barn
Lucite Candlesticks: Target  
Navy Octopus pillow: Target, old
Navy Circle Pillow: West Elm, old 
Play Mat Flooring: best purchase ever, Amazon
Hardwoods: Lumber Liquidators