My Home Then and Now

As I was cleaning out some drawers this past week, I came across old photos of our home. They were taken before we moved in 16 years ago when our home was newly built and staged by the builder.  In celebration of our home’s “Sweet 16,” I thought it would be fun to share the photos so you can see the changes we’ve made from then to now.

I’m not calling these photos before and afters.  With the exception of our kitchen and master bathroom remodels, which were extensive but relatively quick transformations, the rest of our home has been slowly evolving over the past 16 years.  I’ve made many changes over the years, some big like our kitchen and bath remodels, but many small cosmetic changes, too.  I hope you enjoy seeing the transformations!   

Living Room

Then

I remember walking into our home for the first time.  I fell in love with the beautiful craftsman millwork throughout the home, the open floor plan, and all of the windows that let in tons of natural light.  I love old historic homes, and even though our home was a new build, it had those pretty details, but also a modern and functional floor plan for our then young family.

Now

Here is our living room now.  We’ve added window treatments, new paint, and a custom surround over the mantle for the television. I recently gave the fireplace stone a little facelift, too.  It’s actually a peel and stick vinyl material, but it looks and feels just like honed carrara marble.  I was never a fan of the shiny speckled granite, but I also didn’t want to rip out the entire mantle to replace it.  So, this was a good solution for now.

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Living Room Sources

Sofas | Coffee table (no longer available) | Striped jute rug (similar) | Leather club chair (vintage) | Blue and white vase | Round end table- Wayfair | Curtains – Ikea Ritva | Woven shade – Select Blinds Woven Shades in “Bali Sand” | Paint color – Benjamin Moore “Dove Wing” |White knit throw pillows | Lamp – HomeGoods

Kitchen and Dining Room

Then

I’ve always loved a classic white kitchen.  To me, they feel timeless and always fresh.  I loved the simple white shaker cabinets in the kitchen, the large window over the sink, and the large island for casual dining. 

Now

We remodeled the kitchen about 8 years ago.  We kept much of the original white shaker cabinetry, but added custom trim to the top and bottom.  I also removed the double ovens (I rarely used both ovens and they took up a lot of space) and removed the stovetop from the island.  I replaced them with a larger range and hood which were placed on the outside wall. 

We added new quartz and marble countertops, a subway tile backsplash, window treatments, light fixtures, paint, and a new farm sink and gooseneck faucet.

Sources

Dining table | Cafe chairs – Restoration Hardware | Host chairs – thrifted with Ballard Design linen slipcovers | Wood bead chandelier | Round marble and wood serving board | Jute rug | Globe pendant light – Shades of Light | Paint Color Benjamin Moore “Dove Wing”

Entry

Then

This is the entry space in our home all staged by the builder.  What do you think of those Grecian statues in the windows, lol? Notice the two different paint colors on the walls, too.  

I loved the grand 9 foot door with the two windows on each side.  The french doors open into our home office.

Now

I just recently painted our front door.  The white door needed a refresh after 16 years, and I decided to switch it up with a color.  It’s a pretty warm gray by Benjamin Moore called “Rockport Gray.” We added a new light fixture, new wall paint, window treatments, and the planks and hooks in the corner for our coats and bags.

 

Entry Sources

Striped throw rug | Door paint color – Benjamin Moore “Rockport Gray” | Wall paint color – Benjamin Moore “Dove Wing” | Woven shades – Select Blinds in “Bali Sand” | Black lantern – Ballard Designs

Den

Then

The area we call our den is a small space next to our kitchen at the back of our home. It opens up to the back yard, and is a nice cozy space to watch television or relax.

Now

Simple cosmetic changes have transformed this cozy area.  We’ve added paint, window treatments and a new ceiling light fixture.

Den Sources

Arched mirror | Sectional | Rug | Beaded chandelier | Coffee table – Pier One| Paint color – Benjamin Moore “Dove Wing” | Roman shade – SelectBlinds classic roman shade in White Linen

Master Bedroom

Then

This is the single largest room in our home. I loved the spaciousness of this room, the high ceiling and all of the windows that make this room so open and bright.

My son Eli (who is seen crawling in the photo below) was almost one year old at the time.  He was still crawling but took his first steps just after we moved in.  He’s a teenager now, and much taller than I am!

Now

We’ve added new paint, window treatments, a ceiling light fixture, and new carpeting.

Sources

Carpet – Shaw carpet, Adam’s Crush, color is Pearl | Wall paint – Benjamin Moore “Dove Wing” | Linen wing bed – Wayfair | Roman shades – SelectBlinds classic roman shades in natural linen | Curtains – IKEA Ritva| Chandelier – vintage | Night stand | Linen quilt

Master Bathroom

Then

I fell in love with the claw foot tub, and the large corner windows.   The tub is classic, timeless and a beautiful statement in the bathroom.

There’s baby Eli again!

Now

We remodeled our bathroom about 10 years ago. The vintage style clawfoot tub was the inspiration for the rest of the bathroom.  I chose materials that had a vintage feel.  Even though the remodel was 10 years ago, the classic materials keep it from feeling dated. 

I was never a fan of the beige ceramic tile and faux slate floor tile.  We chose to use classic white subway tile with light gray grout for the shower walls, marble basketweave tile on the shower floor, and carrara marble tile flooring on the rest of the bathroom floor. We replaced the wall sconce lights, painted the walls, replaced the showerhead, and added a glass shower surround with a cleaner looking frameless surround.

Bathroom Sources

Wall paint color – Benjamin Moore “Classic Gray” | Clawfoot tub – Kohler | Window shade – SelectBlinds classic roman shade in white linen  | LaJolla basket (similar)

Thanks for taking a walk down memory lane with me! I hope you have enjoyed seeing how the rooms in my home have transformed over the past 16 years.  

Susan