Inspiration For My Renovation
Hi. Last week I gave an Update On My Renovation and shared the not so rosy state of the exterior (due mostly to hiring the wrong company) and the fact that our finalized interior renovation proposal came back more that fifty percent higher than the initial estimate (which of course was already too high). After John saw the number he left the meeting. I went through the proposal with the builder and dropped some of the items on our list and now we are waiting to see what those changes will do to the overall cost. No matter the scope of the project, the start date for the renovation will be January 2023. Now, I have some new things to focus on in these posts lol: exploring materials that are less expensive and still achieve the overall look I want. I tell people all of the time, changes and unforeseen issues in design and renovation are blessings in disguise and now I am telling myself the same thing. I do not want to change the design per se, I can look at different finishes and fixtures though to reduce cost. If that doesn't get us where we need to be, well....I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.
For today, I will start with the outside.
This is how my backyard currently looks. I have mentioned before that we transplanted all of the boxwoods from around the yard to create a border for the patio. John called it an experiment and it's looking more and more like a failed experiment by the day. I won't even talk about the grass.
This gorgeous, gorgeous house's backyard is giving me major inspiration for the next "experiment" around the patio! I love the idea of having a border of limelight hydrangea closest to the wall with a border of boxwoods in front of them. The limelights will grow relatively quickly and help to fill in the space while the new, little boxwoods, that we will no doubt need to purchase, grow over time.
photo source
We also have a border of roses around the patio, closest to the patio stones. One is even blooming - a bright spot! See what I mean about the boxwoods!?! Yikes.
I really think the three layers of plantings would look beautiful. I love the look of a full garden. I just need to make sure it wouldn't be too crowded for healthy plant growth
This back yard wall is also really pretty. I am a fan of tall, flowing grasses too. In case you cannot tell, my heart resides in New England when it comes to exteriors. You can take the girl out of Connecticut, you cannot take the Connecticut out of the girl.
photo source
Another desire of mine is to have stepping stones surrounded by grass in two spots in my yard. One set that leads from the side entrance to the deck and the second set that leads from the patio to the backyard.
These are the stones from the patio to the backyard as they look today. Yikes. Our neighbor's yard looks lovely though, doesn't it? I'm not even going to show you the other set - safe to say, it is another yikes!
This is how I want them to look! There is definitely work to be done here! We will have the end of the patio border with boxwoods, roses, and maybe limelight hydrangeas on the right side leading to the yard and we plan to put a firewood holder on the opposite side for the fire pit that will eventually be in the center of the patio. Day by day, right?
photo source
Another thing I shared in last week's progress report post was the sorry state of the front stoop. Sorry indeed. We are having the stones ripped up and re-done.
We need to make sure that the slight overhang of stone on the edges is done so that they are solid. This stoop below provides major inspiration for that, it sure is pretty.
Duke Design Group, photo source
I am feeling a bit exposed as the curtains are fully open now on the yard. Going forward I certainly hope all of the pictures shown of the exterior in this post series are improvements only!
Moving to the inside. In my last Inspiration post I gave myself the deadline of June 30 to determine how I was going to paint the stairs in my house. So.... I still look at painted stairs for ideas (and a bit of self torture). Mostly I fall in the camp of all white.
I am still not one hundred percent convinced though. If the walls all around the stairs are going to be white, stairs painted a color like this beautiful blue below would make a tremendous impact and statement. Tick, tock....one month to decide. Please let me know in the comments what you would do!
I absolutely love the look of the open cubbies on this island. Would it be crazy to have one set of open cubbies on my kitchen island? The dust is a con, the character is a pro. I have to think about everything I plan to store in the island - which is a lot - and what from it would be attractive in the open. I have time to think on this one. (If you want to see the kitchen design rendering for the renovation, you can find it in this post.)
In the vein of beginning to look at fixtures and finishes that may be a cost savings, I saved this image of a one-piece shower and tub fixture for the hall bathroom. I know when we found out we were not going to live in our new build Holland house I switched the bathroom fixtures to be one-piece exposed plumbing fixtures because it was a cost savings. Perhaps for this house too, and this one sure is pretty.
photo source
I have to start sourcing and pricing lower priced floor tile options for the master bathroom too and I thought this floor was very attractive. Do you like it?
Light & Dwell, photo source
There you have it. This is where my head is today. I will be back tomorrow with a Book Report post.
Until then, thank you for being here today, Kerry
