Our First Home and First Home Renovation--Part 1

After months and months of searching, we finally bought our first home at the end of last year and have been renovating it!  


It was built in 1919 and is in a style called Post Colonial Renaissance.  Our neighborhood recently became a Historic Preservation Overlay Zone (HPOZ) so as we renovate the outside, we have to keep it to the original design of the house.  Inside is a different story...


We just finished renovating the inside of the house. I tried to keep the original architecture of each room but modernize it through color and the new wood floors we put in.
(Also, I finally figured out how to rotate the pictures!)


Below are before and after pictures of the bar area, fireplace/living room and the dining room. Hope you enjoy!  Our first home is our biggest labor of love, challenge of our creativity and pressure on our budgets!

This is the fireplace when the old owner was living here. Can I emphasize how much I HATE blinds! U-G-L-Y!!

Before the chaos, painting, etc.  The quiet before the storm.

This is what it looks like now!  The walls are painted a taupy grey color and the fireplace and moldings are white.  Right now we are still figuring out where to put all our lamps so excuse the mess :) Friday Khalo is guarding that part of the room.

The wall between the dining room and the kitchen was taken up by this larger than life built in buffet/credenza with a ghastly mirrored arch.  I don't think this picture really shows how ugly the cabinets or the mirror really were.

This was the only major wall we knocked out in the house but it creates a more modern flow in the house.  We created an archway but debated just blowing the whole wall open.  Maybe I will do that in 10 years.

Here is a closeup of the arch as well as our new chandelier. You will notice that I LOVE chandeliers. They make me happy so I have them in every room.

This is the bar area before we did anything to it. The owner of the house before was really using it as storage.

The demo crew tore all that 70's cabinetry out.

Ta-Da!  Here it is now with granite countertops, a sink, wine cellar and a min-fridge!  This was my husband's little pet project since we both like to drink and entertain.