To Sum It Up

So this is where we are...

Foyer - warm and inviting!

A view from the foyer into the the living room - through beautiful french doors.

Another view from the Foyer into the living room.

Our Gorgeous Oak Stairs.

Our lovely dining room with a view into the living room.

A view from our dining room, through the living room and into the foyer.

Our living room.

Right now, "Open Concept" homes are all the rage. What I love about our house is it does feel very open but  it still has all of the charm and cozy feel of a country Victorian home.

I recently finished the floors. I love painted floors because they are so easy to maintain. This floor has a few coats of paint and a couple of layers of polyurethane to protect it from spills. The best part, if it gets scratched all I have to do is a little touch up here or there.

Finally Spring Air Has Given Me A Boost

MASTER BEDROOM

It’s come a long way from the dingy dwelling stuck in the 70’s - with its endless wallpaper and old carpet.  Not quite done yet.  Still needs a few coats of paint, a ceiling light fixture installed and window treatments… but you get the picture.

Coming along nicely.

Before picture - you can't really see from this photo but
the walls were entirely covered with  old wallpaper. 

NEW ATTIC WINDOW

At the end of summer I purchased a new, very large, window for our attic. The view from up there is spectacular: facing south, over the town and valley to the green hills in the distance. One day I hope to make the entire third floor into a master suite – but that will be quite an undertaking – adding a bathroom and bringing everything up to code, adding floor supports, etc. Until then, the attic will be mostly used for storage or a place for the children to hang out. But the old windows had to go… they were practically falling out on their own and allowing way too much heat loss.

Well, this past week I finally found someone to install them.

Now look at that view!

A view from our new attic window (5 food wide and 5 foot tall).
It will be much more beautiful in a few weeks when everything is green - but you get the picture.

I will need to add trim around the outside to match the existing trim, but progress has definitely been made.  (Can you believe this photo was taken on March 23^rd?)

Millerton - More Progress to Share

Good friends make everything better.

My dear friend Emi is truly a kindred spirit. Born and raised in Romania and 13 years my junior younger, it could seem an odd paring. One of the many things we both enjoy is painting (although she prefers oils). So when Emi offered to help me paint my upstairs landing I jumped at the chance - happily agreeing to supply the wine.

Painting is fun, but with a great friend, some wine and conversation, it's off the charts!  

             Here is a BEFORE photo.                           And here is an AFTER photo.

View from the bathroom when I bought the home.
Notice the "wood" paneling
and wall-to-wall carpet.

The same view but now the walls are painted,
the beautiful hardwood is exposed.

View from bedrooms toward bathroom - north facing.

I love the upstairs landing -- I know, odd thing to love about a house. But it's so expansive and the wood is beautiful. A ton of light flows from the south facing windows. I'm looking for just the right bench, to put where the trunk is, because it truly is the perfect spot to stop, relax and read a book (or have a glass of wine). :)