#it’s literally overhanging our back porch

[sunnibits]

so so happy that our lilac tree is starting to bloom!! it’s so crazy how fast it’s grown this year, I swear just a week ago it only had little buds of leaves on its branches, and now it’s almost finished opening up!!!

[baby-triumphant]

12 w isaac and wes!!!

these Guys <3 post season 9 elections. contains minor body horror-y elements related to 1) blooddrain (vampire teeth) + 2) wes being a fish man

12. "Are you okay?"

"Are you okay?" Wesley asks, and tries to stifle a laugh when Isaac looks up at him with the most pitiful expression Wes has ever seen on his face.

"I can't make them go away," Isaac says, the words garbled around the massive teeth that now inhabit his mouth. "Wes, I can hear you laughing, it's not funny—"

"Yes it is." Wesley sits next to him. The back porch behind the kitchen is sheltered from the light drizzle by a short overhang, but Isaac's hair is still plastered to his forehead with rain like he'd just been out running. It does nothing to diminish his kicked-puppy look, despite his brand new oversized vampire fangs. "Okay, fine," Wesley says gamely. "How do you want me to help?"

Isaac sighs, frustrated, and shrugs.

Elsewhere in the Fire House, Ruthless shrieks obscenities, undoubtedly because a crow has dive-bombed xem. Isaac and Wesley both ignore it. Caleb has been siccing the crows on Ruthless and Rivers every time they start fighting, which happens more often than Wesley had realized now that Ruthless is conveniently supplying an alarm for whenever it happens.

Justice has been entirely unaffected by the decree; she hadn't needed an oxygen mask before, being made out of marble, and she for sure didn't need one now. Sometimes Wesley catches her leaning over the stove with her mouth open, swallowing the gas flames, but that's none of his business. And aside from the copious amounts of bird guano they've had to start literally shoveling onto the compost pile, Caleb is entirely gleeful about their new friends.

Isaac, though.

Wesley knows his friend doesn't like to admit he's struggling, even though Isaac should know better than anyone that it's okay to need help because he helps so many people. Despite his humility in action there are some things Isaac remains proud about, and that's not a bad thing. Wesley kind of wishes Isaac had mentioned he'd been struggling with the teeth before, though. Wesley knows a lot about teeth.

"You're tensing," Wesley tells him. Isaac's fingers—with long, black points tipping his newly blackened fingers, like a blacksmith wrought cast iron into claws—are flexed in his lap, and there's a grinding sort of tension in his jaw, like he's hungry. "You have to relax. It's a body awareness-slash-mindfulness thing. If it helps, you can kinda... clench the muscle, I guess, and then intentionally relax. I had to do it a lot."

Isaac thinks about it, then nods; Wesley watches him at it for a while, and then the teeth fold away reluctantly, fingertips returning to their normal. "That's a lot better, thanks. Hey, remember Claire? They were in our Spanish class sophomore year, I think they played the flute?"

Wesley blinks. "What about them?"

"They thought you were going to eat them that one time. Like, they were seriously convinced," Isaac says. "Were you just—stretching?"

"Oh," Wesley says.

He hadn't eaten lunch often around their peers, preferring to eat in the Spanish teacher's room because, firstly, Sra. Martin was a real one, and secondly he knew the way his jaw unhinged scared people. He'd been distracted and thoughtless when Claire had walked in on him in the otherwise empty Spanish classroom doing a mindfulness exercise. He hadn't meant to scare them; their reaction had been a little hurtful, but that had happened a long time ago.

Not worth thinking about, now. "Yeah. They'd be too big for me to eat, anyway. Whole, at least. I told them that! And they didn't believe me!"

Isaac massages the corners of his jaw with the fleshy pads of his fingers and sighs, standing up. He offers a hand to Wesley, who levers himself to his feet. "I didn't think I'd be thinking about whether or not I could eat people, too," he says, looking morose.

"Well," Wesley says, and thinks about the colossal carp he kills and leaves on the shore as feasts for the seabirds; thinks about the food Chicago imports, trundled in on heavy railcars; thinks about Isaac, occupying a new position on the food chain. No moralizing about it, just a fact, and Wesley has always done well with objective truths like these: "It's good to know what you're capable of. And everything's gotta eat."

[thebifrostgiant]

If You Know Where to Look - Part 19 (1/2)

Summary: in which you do some studying and pick a fight. A fire is started.

Part 1 / Previous

Read on Ao3

Word Count: 2,220

Rating: T

Pairing: Loki/Reader

*

Chapter 19: Nothing at All Is Hard to Find...

The walk back to the inn is long, and your feet plod mindlessly, suddenly reminded of how tired you are. The scarf, a soft woolen thing of deep green, keeps the worst of the wind’s chilly little fangs from your ears and nose — even despite the wind, your neck is rather toasty — but your fingers are still stiff to aching and your toes aren’t too far behind. It’ll be good to be back at the inn. You’d like nothing more than to take a nice hot bath and bury yourself under the thick quilt of your bed and drift off to the familiar, comforting clicking of the heater, snug and safe and so deliciously warm. Thinking about that makes you move a little faster.

[[MORE]]

And then it starts to rain.

Cold, wet, lashing drops of water come upon you all at once, pattering against the earth and your jacket, and you’re soaked within seconds, gasping like you’d plunged headlong into an icy river.

Loki looks at you with an expression of similar shock, and after a moment, literally frozen, you both begin to run, as fast as you can over the slick grass, skidding, trying to cover your face with your hands to keep the stinging rain out of your eyes.

Lightening slices the sky with flashing fingers, and you run, if possible, even faster, cursing and spluttering in the impossibly cold water tumbling down.

When you reach the inn, you stumble up the steps, immensely grateful for the lip of the roof overhanging your heads, and you clasp the railing tightly, gulping lungfuls of air. You take a moment to just breathe, dripping all over the porch and shivering, and you catch Loki’s eye.

He’s also breathing heavily, teeth bared against the cold, cheeks red and his hair- his hair is plastered to his skull, clumped against it tightly and it-

You laugh.

“What?” he asks, plainly unsure what is particularly funny about being caught in a horrifically cold thunderstorm. Even he looks like he’s feeling it, arms wrapped tight against his middle, jacket saturated, making him seem smaller than usual and-

“I’m sorry!” you gasp, wide-eyed and grinning. “But you just-“ Another peal of laughter escapes, and your sides heave with it. “You look like a drowned rat!”

For a moment, you think he might be offended, and it’s almost enough to make you stop laughing. Almost. But then he crosses his arms, raises an eyebrow, and pointedly looks you over. Right. You’re not looking much better at all right about now.

“I know, I know!” say in emphatic delight, still terribly amused. “I do too. I feel like a drowned rat!”

And even he’s biting his lip, shaking with quiet laughter, until your teeth are chattering too hard to stay outside.

Stepping into the inn feels like stepping into an oven, and it’s almost too hot, but it’s blissful. You stand there a moment, soaking it in, beads of water trailing from your hair down your face and neck.

Loki puts his hand on your shoulder, giving it a little push.

“Quick,” says he, “before our dripping floods the floor.”

You giggle again at that, and skitter up the stairs faster than Ratatoskr on his way to gossip with the eagle.

You peel off your jacket once you’re in the room, boots kicked off by the door, and hang it over the curtain rod in the washroom. You grab a fluffy towel and toss Loki the other, and rub dry your face, your hair, your arms, until you’re merely damp, and on the way to warming up.

“That was,” you say, still vaguely out of breath and much calmer now, but smiling, “exhilarating.”

Loki huffs, what might be amusement or incredulity, and pulls the towel away from his face to give you a bemused look.

“That is... one word for it.”

“Don’t tell me it was too cold for you.”

“I thought it was lovely,” he says, and it’s not even a good lie, not at all. But his eyes are mirthful, and so brightly green that you nearly find yourself staring.

“So...” you say, innocent and guileful, “You’re saying you don’t need any hot chocolate to warm you up?”

Loki grimaces, caught in a trap halfway of his own making, and you cannot help smirking just a little bit.

“You know me,” he says lightly, far too lightly, “I would never say no to the finest beverage in all of Midgard.”

“Do you think Kathy will make us some if we ask nicely?” you ask, already turning toward the door.

“I suppose we shall find out.”

***

In the end, you don’t even have to ask Kathy, because the kitchen has little packets of cocoa already prepared, and it’s only a simple matter of heating some water in a kettle before you’re able to inhale the rich, sweet aroma of the chocolate and suck up the warmth of the mug through your hands. Loki, of course, belies his words by opting for leftover coffee from breakfast, although you cannot begrudge him, not when he is holding it close to his face and letting the steam wash over him with a tiny smile.

You shuffle into the main room, with all the patterned couches and organized clutter, and settle in an armchair near the hearth. There’s a soft brown knitted blanket draped over the back of it, and you wrap it around your shoulders and snuggle down with your drink. The rain sounds pleasant and soothing from in here, the rumble of thunder far from frightening at this distance.

Loki wanders into the room a short while later, his hair still damp but looking much less ridiculous, in deep black waves about his face.

“You’re not going back to our room?” he asks, forehead bunching at the center.

“It’s warmer out here. The heater in the room isn’t on at the moment,” you say by way of explanation.

“Ah,” he says. “You’ve been paying attention to that?”

“You don’t find it distracting?”

He shrugs elegantly, and softly walks to the other armchair tucked up close to the fire.

“I’ve learned to tune things like that out.”

“It woke me up the first few nights,” you admit. Loki had slept like the dead right on through. “But I kind of like it now.”

You look into the flames, watching them leap and flicker, ever-changing and steady. The firewood crackles and pops, shifting from time to time and releasing sparking ashes and settling once more. The smoke curls high and out the chimney, and the soft orange glow bathes the area in warm light.

Energy and light, Loki had said. Nothing more. Energy and light and so much potential.

You sip your hot chocolate, feet curled under you and cozy, staring at the fire for a long time.

“Research?”

Loki’s voice pulls you from your trance-like state, and you blink, feeling suddenly quite sleepy.

“Hmm?” You don’t follow.

Loki tilts his head to indicate the fireplace.

“You were studying it.”

The side of your mouth tugs up in a grin.

“That’s one way of putting it.”

Figuring it out, more like.

You catch sight of the book in his lap, surprised. One of the leftover ones from the library, which you’ll need to return at some point, come to think of it.

“And you? Why are you still reading that thing?”

“Not research,” he says, folding the book closed with a finger to mark his place, and shows you the cover, embossed leather with gold letters titled A Guide to Runes, Spells, and Potions. “I just found this one rather interesting.”

You nod, and the moment slips into a thick and comfortable silence. Your eyes find the fire once more.

“It’s what lead me to you, you know,” you say quietly, after a long while.

Loki looks up from his book, shadows pronouncing the confused frown on his face.

“What did?”

“Fire,” you murmur, watching the hearth. “The fire Bǫlverkr and Lyngvir lit. I followed the smoke.” You turn your head and watch the dance of the flames reflected in Loki’s wide eyes. You smile softly.

“That’s a lot to attribute to mere happenstance,” he whispers.

“I know.”

***

For all the tenderness in the way Loki had spoken about magic, you wouldn’t have guessed that trying to practice it would have you near tears. You blink viciously, and bite hard at the corner of your lip, willing them away. But hopeless, choking frustration has lodged itself like a burr in your chest, growing bigger with each passing day, each new attempt the same as the last. It’s been weeks, and you have managed to do nothing.

“Maybe I just can’t do this,” you say without inflection, even though the thought makes your eyes sting once more.

“You can,” Loki says immediately, somehow managing to remain calm about this. He sits with his legs crossed, indifferent to the cold ground or the dirt. “Try again.”

You do not want to try again. You want to be done trying, you want to just do something already. And, shamefully, part of you just wants to give up. At least with the books, you had something to show for all the uselessness of the endeavor.

You turn away from Loki, and scrub a hand furiously over your eyes.

“How long did it take you to conjure fire?” you ask, even though you know you are stalling, because you just, just can’t right now.

Loki looks sheepish. He runs his fingers through his hair, tucks a stray dark lock — loosened by the faint breeze — behind his ear.

“A few days.”

“Days,” you repeat, the lump in your throat sinking deeper. “I’ve been trying again for weeks.”

“And you’ll get it eventually,” he says. “I had the benefit of being taught by one of the most gifted magic users in all the realms.” He’s got that wistful sort of look in his eyes again, just for a moment. Then he snorts, cracking a wry grin. “You’ve just got me. I cannot even show you how it’s meant to be done.”

“Easier than explaining it?” you ask with a watery half smile, reluctantly reassured, just a little.

“Very much so.”

You nod, once, and remind yourself to breathe. You widen your stance and lift you arms yet another time.

Fire, you try again. Sparks rising in the heat. The golden waver all around. Changing, resilient, beautiful. Only, something shifts in your mind, and you picture a sharp white-blue flare, gone in a blink, but the afterimage in your mind like you’d stared at the sun. Lightning was fire, was it not? Once it struck, it could engulf an entire forest in an ever-hungry, ever-spreading flood of flames, a wildfire from a single branch. Energy and light and heat, and sound too. The thunder was merely the voice, the echo; the true power was in the frightful streaks of lightning, both deadly, and inspiring a sort of awful reverence. Power, and a soul, and magic.

You hands shake, and your eyes fly open, and for a moment you watch them, waiting.

There is nothing.

And like that, what little motivation, what tiny thread of hope had been renewed, wilts utterly. Cracks. You clench your fists, but they still shake, and you shove them in your pockets so you don’t have to see them.

“Sit.”

You jerk your head up, startled. You’d almost forgotten that Loki was still here. Still watching. Seeing yet another failure. It just makes you feel worse.

You stare at him, torn between irritation and a fragile sort of need, but for what, you’re not at all sure. You don’t understand how he isn’t ruffled by any of this, how he can sit there like you’ve all the time in the world to figure it out, like it’s just a trivial matter, insignificant, and not a way home. Eventually, you’re sure, he will run out of patience. You know he wants to go home as badly as you. To see his brother again. His parents. Eventually, that composure will crack, like day old ice beneath your feet. And that... You wet your lips. You don’t like that thought.

But for now, his gaze is steady, as immovable as the ash tree he leans against. It’s like he has become part of the forest, like he belongs there, among the fallen leaves and moss-flecked rocks, with only his eyes and scarf as vivid contrast to all the brown and grey and dull orange of autumn.

He reaches a hand up toward you, never blinking, and you hesitate only a moment before pulling your own out of your pocket and letting him take it, letting him tug you down beside him so your back is against the strong, straight trunk as well. The smell of leaves is stronger down here, warmed by the dapples of evening sunlight that reach this little glade. You lean your head back against the tree, and your eyes fall shut without you even meaning to let that happen. Some of the tightly-wound chagrin loses its footing.

“I chose this place for a reason.”

You open an eye to give Loki a long, measuring look, but what he meant by that, he does not say.

(2/2)

__________________________________________

*Tag List*

@steve-rogcrs @ps-ghost @ha-tep @professionalphangirluniverse @whosaidididthat

[kondo-hijikata]

Pairings: Established Kondo/Hijikata Rating: M Summary: It's simple. Peddle medicine and find purpose. But after Hijikata is caught in a downpour that leads him right into Kondo's arms, he realizes things are a little more complicated than he'd like to believe. [AO3]

.*After the Rain*. Prologue

Ishida Village, Sato Dojo - 1852

Kondo’s gaze pierced a mishmash of farmers from the head of the training hall, the sea of drab attire they comprised appearing almost refined when compared to their abysmal posture and form.

“What are you here for?!” Kondo rocked forward and heaved his shinai with powerful skill, his words echoing off dark cedar walls and rafters.

A chorus of voices filled the air, ranging from the charismatic, “Becoming strong!” to the whiny, “Aghhh, I don’t even know…”

“This is our territory!” Up front, the shinai sliced the thickness of summer heat over and over. “It’s on us to look after our families, our land.” Swoosh! “The Tennen Rishin Ryu will help you do just that.”

“Yes!” yelled a young man with fire in his eyes, “Young Master!”

“Put your backs into it! Check that grip!”

Again, the replies came with an equal balance of determination and complaint—and that’s when Kondo’s lips twitched in satisfaction and he looked off to the side. Meeting his gaze, Sato Hikogoro’s chin fell with a strong nod.

“Keep at it,” Kondo commanded and then strode off to join his friend, raising an arm on the way to dab the sweat from his forehead. Upon his arrival, he cast another glance to the new recruits and then returned his attention. “Quite an animated lot you’ve attracted, Hiko-san.”

“Reckon they’ll be in good form shortly if they regularly attend practice…and I’m sure they will.” Sato shrugged with a fond huff. “I know a thing or two about farmers, after all.”

“And these are Ishida Village farmers we’re talking about. Now that’s really something.” Kondo gave a jovial slap to Sato’s shoulder. “Really though, great stock. These guys will do well. I have faith in that.”

A smirk graced Sato’s face while he nodded once more. And just as his lips parted to speak further, his chance was stolen by the crashing of a wooden sword against the floor.

“My arms!” A middle-aged man had dropped to his knees by this point, while his shinai rolled off and his expression twisted in agony. “I can’t anymore!”

“Hey!” Sato’s shout thundered over the background noise of collective exertion. Grabbing the shinai from Kondo, he stamped to his rightful place at front and center to lead. “The Young Master is here to visit our dojo! Stand tall and show him what you’re made of, come on!” With perfect form, he took up the repetitions. “Prove to him that you’re worthy of learning his fighting style. For Tama!”

“For Tama!” came the crowd’s bellowing response.

The man who’d fallen groaned loudly, his shoulders and head drooping before collecting himself. Rising back to stand, he adjusted the sword in his grasp, repositioned his feet, and with a deep cry, rejoined the flock. “For Tama!”

Pride blossomed within Kondo’s chest. Sato had been a friend for years at this point and his dedication to this so-called farmer’s swordplay earned him the privilege of opening and instructing at his own training hall. His success story was bred of dedication and an obsessive nature of never quitting.

While he continued to observe in satisfaction, Kondo’s thoughts took him on a quick trip through the memories of his own tale…how he’d come to be adopted into this life of leadership and training by Kondo Shusuke, and the key individuals, like Sato, whom he’d met from such fortune. That list of auspicious encounters certainly wasn't exhaustive, and as if fate were at work yet again, he felt the prodding of intuition: a sensation of eyes on him.

Kondo looked toward the doorway and as suspected, found himself being watched with enamored curiosity—but the moment their gazes met was the same that Hijikata averted his own. He pivoted on feet light as air and vanished from the entrance. An affectionate smile pulled outward to Kondo’s cheeks and after glancing over everyone hard at work once more, he strolled out to the porch.

August hung stale and heavy, but unlike the dojo, the outside world had the luxury of a light breeze…among other pleasant things.

Hijikata sat with his legs draped over the edge, and he peered over his shoulder when Kondo’s bare feet pounded heavy steps across the wooden floorboards. Dropping to sit as well, Kondo reached over and brushed a stray lock of hair behind Hijikata’s ear before his palm met the porch.

They remained in pleasant silence for several moments with elbows grazing one another, until Kondo’s hand inched its way toward Hijikata’s and their pinkies touched. “Big thoughts today, Toshi?”

“Heh. Maybe.”

“Maybe…” Kondo echoed and lifted his chin to take in an azure sky just beyond the overhanging roof. “Is that…maybe considering training at your brother-in-law’s fancy new dojo? Since it’s literally just outside your own room?”

Hijikata’s lashes fell and he shook his head. “Nope.”

Of course, that was the answer Kondo expected. He swayed to the side and played along, however. “Mm, why?”

With his shoulders lifting, Hijikata’s face fell to the side and over an exhale, he supplied, “Blame yourself for that one.”

Kondo’s attention instantly snapped back to him, caught off guard by a potential jab of serious criticism. “Me?” A slow blink. “Why?”

“Kondo-sensei, Kondo-sensei. That’s all I ever hear anyone calling you.” A soft huff rolled off Hijikata’s tongue. “If I make that kind of commitment, I’ll have to call you that too.”

Closing his eyes, Kondo relaxed and his laugh resounded through the garden. “What’s this strange conversation?!”

Hijikata’s pinky rose then and settled back over the one next to it. “I prefer calling you Kat-chan, Kat-chan.”

With a chuckle, Kondo looked down to their entwined digits and then found Hijikata’s eyes again. “If that’s all that’s stopping you, Toshi-san, I’m pretty sure an exception can be made…”

Naturally, there was more to the story. Self-doubt and a little healthy competition…the necessity of feeling and being necessary in one’s own way. It wasn’t all so simple, and Kondo knew that fact as well as he knew the young man at his side. They were both eighteen years of age and had been close for some time now, despite walking paths that were similar yet also different. At the surface, a dojo heir and textile shop apprentice seemed to not share much in common, but a mutual goal was indeed there: it was the desire for each to make something of himself, and leave his mark on local lore to never be forgotten.

In any case, Hijikata grinned in kind and peered out across the colorful arrangement of flowers that his sister had planted before the dojo’s grand opening. “I’ll consider it." A beat. "You know, between sewing up fabrics and selling fine haori.”

Kondo’s hand fully covered his then. “Good enough for me.”

It wasn't the first time that this conversation rose from the ashes. Nor would it be the last.

Chapter 1 >>

[sussex-nature-lover]

Monday 15th June 2020

More News of Youngsters

Let’s start today with a NESTWATCH because something’s going on in our front porch. We’ve left the box undisturbed since Tracy’s nest was predated

Obviously we tidied up the forest of extra materials because the porch was pretty full, but the box we left.

On Saturday we noticed that it now looks like this

Photo taken in the porch

So something’s going on.

Below is Sunday evening. It looks slightly different again today. No sign of who the builder is as yet, but I’m keeping watch.

Photo taken from the Hall through the window

In other news the House Sparrows are still in and out of the side wall box all the time and Daisy Waldron is still in situ.

I say in situ, but when I checked just before I got a pre supper shower last night, she wasn’t there on the nest. What was there, was a bobbing head and pair of eyes looking back at me, or at least I think that’s what it was. At first I thought there were two, but it’s really hard to see. No pics because I was on my knees leaning on the window sill and peering through moving foliage. I did try, but it was impossible.

At the end of the garden there’s a good view of the Rookery accommodation. My goodness they’re all noisy today.

and at the nearest pond, which is literally a couple of minutes stroll, five if you get distracted en route 

...this is what passes for a nest, although, to be fair, it looks to be doing its job.

The pond was quite calm and we only saw a couple of ramblers - kept a good social distance between us but we did pass pleasantries. About a third of the circumference has overhanging Willow and other shrubs at the bank side and there are plenty of House Sparrows nesting. We watched the youngsters trying out their flying and furious fluttering as they hovered wondering where best to land. The Coots were out on the water teaching the little ones how to dive and choose weed and there seemed to be a Grebe (?) of some kind too, although it was awfully hard to pick out as it kept diving out of sight.

Looks more like the Loch Ness Monster in miniature

The small pond a little further on appeared empty at first but there were Moorhens and Ducks at the edges

It’s amazing that for somewhere so quiet, there’s always something going on.

Much like our own garden, it’s peaceful, but never dull. This morning I had a morning in bed after waking at 03.45. The dawn chorus was beginning to rev up, Song Thrush and Blackbird of course, and a few other voices I couldn’t pin down. Next time I woke up I didn’t feel too clever and was in the midst of a cold sweat. The OH came back up stairs and informed me that I have a rash on my face. I can’t see that it’s spread but my face still feels warm. I hadn’t used any creams or cosmetics and I can’t remember the last time either of us were close to anyone but each other. Strange. Annoyingly my lounging around meant that I totally missed today’s excitement. The white deer was in the garden briefly. I’ve never seen it this side of the lane before.

I hang on to this photo because it makes me smile so much - who says there’s no such thing as a unicorn.

And finally, I could frame this photo as a Do You Know What This Is? but if you’re following a nature Blog and if you’ve been paying attention, I think you have a very fair chance of working it out for yourself.

Clue

Keep following for more thrilling developments in the days to come.

[additionallysad]

House Crashing: A Family-Friendly Whole House Renovation http://ift.tt/2mqaahg

We’ve shared this glorious back porch on Instagram twice (during the holidays, seen below, and last summer, seen here), which belongs to our good friends Carey & Jordan. And based on the reaction to just this view alone from you guys, we figured we should do a good old fashioned House Crash so we can show you guys more of their beautiful home. They’ve also got some really great tips about what wears well with kids and dogs (and what they wouldn’t do again), which was especially helpful since we’re currently mulling over some bathroom renos. But enough jabbering, let’s get on with the tour!

similar storm door / similar black sconces / string lights

Carey & Jordan used to live right behind us (Carey was actually one of the first neighbors to come introduce herself with a giant plate of cookies, which we basically inhaled while laying hardwood floors upstairs). But they recently moved to another house in our neighborhood because of their family of five needing a little more space. Jordan runs a renovation company here in Richmond called Spruce RVA, so it’s no surprise that their own house went through quite the transformation. For instance, here’s what that back porch area looked like when they bought it. Now scroll back up for the after. I’ll wait.

AMAZING, AMIRIGHT? Sorry for the caps lock, but IT’S SO GOOD. We took these pics back before all the leaves left us in the fall (come baaaaack leaves) so I’m thrilled to finally get this post together. Makes me all breathy and drooly all over again. Attractive visual, eh? That old garage that you see above was converted into a downstairs master bedroom since they often have both sets of their parents staying with them, so they needed more bedrooms. And the reason they didn’t mind losing that garage is because Jordan is awesome, and he knew he and his crew could design and construct a new detached garage nearby – with a second floor office for Jordan’s business.

At first glance, the exterior of the house (besides the new garage) doesn’t seem wildly different from how it looked when they purchased it.

But upon closer inspection, you’ll notice the little details they added to amp up it’s original charm. They built out the columns to be a bit chunkier than the original ones. They added some dentil molding along the roofline (I KNOW I’M SHOUTING AGAIN BUT I CAN’T EVEN HANDLE HOW GOOD THAT DENTIL MOLDING LOOKS). They also swapped the double doors for a single door with sidelights. Another neighbor of ours always complains about her solid double-doors making her foyer dark, so this is a great solution to let in more light.

And no, Carey doesn’t decorate with pumpkins year round, they’re just further evidence that these photos were from October. Nothing like getting into the Halloween spirit on the last day of February! UGH, BUT LOOK AT THE BLUE CEILING. AND THE BLUESTONE PATH.

similar black planters / door knocker / similar lantern sconces

The porch ceiling is Crystal Springs by Benjamin Moore, and the door is Poppy by Ben Moore by the way. The white siding is just the stock white that comes with Hardiplank (Arctic White).

The detached garage also acts as a nice anchor to their outdoor patio area, which is what you see when you stand at that pretty back door I’m always Instagramming. Jordan is a trained landscape architect and Carey studied urban planning, so we love that they thought to carve out some space within the paver patio for greenery.

string lights / similar black sconce / similar lantern sconces

Since the back door is the family’s most used entrance, it opens into a spacious mudroom with a nook for each of their three elementary-aged kids. Picture this loaded with a lot more boots and scarves in the winter, except that it has been so unseasonably warm lately here in Richmond, it probably looks like this again.

rug / round baskets / hooks / rectangle baskets

The mudroom leads into the open kitchen & family room (that red door is also Poppy by Ben Moore). The previous owners had already put the family room addition on the house, so Carey and Jordan’s main challenge here was to update the kitchen to be more functional for their family.

stools / rug  / faucet / pendants / dishwasher / sink

One of the coolest things was that they wanted to reuse all of the original cabinetry, but reconfigure some things a little. Well, they found the contact info for the original cabinet maker in one of the drawers, so they hired him to help match some new stuff with the old stuff he built decades ago! It looks so great and you’d never guess some is new but most of it is old!

Here are some of the before/progress photos that that Carey sent us. They were pretty happy with the overall layout, but just wanted to make the stove and the island area work a little more seamlessly.

They moved the island overhang to the far side of the island in order to seat more people and make better flow to the fridge, and they traded their dark counters for a lighter granite (super durable and not too expensive – it’s really close to the stuff we had in our first kitchen!). They also lightened things up by swapping the black appliances for stainless steel. Jordan doesn’t like to send a lot of stuff to the dump, so he sold some of the old stuff that they replaced (old appliances, some old windows, etc) so others can use them instead of trashing them.

stools / pendants / mixer / flour & sugar jars

It was so smart of them to make that a lovely little accent with some tile laid in a herringbone pattern over the stove. And yes, that awesome original cabinet maker made that amazing hood for them! Those thick corbels look like one of those giant blocks of cheese THAT I WANT TO EAT. I WANT TO BITE THEM. I CAN’T STOP.

stove / kettle / mixer / knives / cabinet knobs

The bright and cheery kitchen also leads to the nearby dining room, which is painted with a moody greeny-teal color above the wainscotting (Rookwood Sash by Sherwin Williams). The hutch is a cool secondhand find from a local place called Epoch.

similar china cabinet / rug / cabinet pulls / cabinet knobs / microwave

Carey used an eclectic mix of furniture in the dining room, which simultaneously seems grown-up, but not too serious – and works for her three young kids. When I asked her about how the rug held up with kids and food she said it’s been great. It’s wool and has that faded weathered look so that helps.

rug / table / end chairs / white chairs / similar gourd lamps / similar chandelier / gold mirror / sideboard

I love how the bamboo frame of the mirror over the sideboard ties into the lattice on that chair in the corner. It’s all a mixture of stuff that she either bought secondhand or found in accessible stores like Pottery Barn, Target, and even PB Teen, yet it all totally goes together without looking too matchy.

rug / end chair / similar corner chair / acrylic table / similar gourd lamp/ gold mirror

Beyond the dining room is a more formal living room that I like to call Carey’s “White Rabbit” because she pulled this room out of a friggin’ hat. It essentially only had legos on the floor right after they moved in (I don’t have a before picture but you guys can picture that, right?!), and then I visited a little while later and boom, it looked like this.

acrylic console / gold lamp / gold mirror / rug / similar pink chair/ stick accent table / gold frames

She said she literally didn’t buy a single thing except for the woven ottoman under the acrylic console, and the rest of the stuff was all things she already had (in the attic, or borrowed from other rooms that didn’t need them as much). She just dragged them all in here, moved stuff around a while, and it worked. Gotta love an almost free makeover.

As part of the make-it-work effort, Carey repainted this old dresser, which works so nicely with the gold accents around the room (she forgets the paint color, but September Skies by Sherwin Williams would be similar). Girl committed to not spending a lot on this room and using her wits and what she had around, and I LOVE that about her.

similar dresser / similar hardware / gold mirror

Also you’ve probably noticed all of the live plants around the house. Carey is the plant whisperer. And I am very very jealous. She makes me LOL when she calls me and says “I went to the greenhouse and the guy there introduced me to my new favorite plant!” Although now that I think about it I’m kinda like that with paint brushes. Also: they built these built-ins and are gradually filling them up with books. Standing ovation. Love the brass pulls that tie into the little wood table-turned-plant-stand.

plant stand table / brass knobs / similar frames

I also love that Carey and Jordan are brave. They could have painted their bathrooms, but they opted to try some fun wallpaper in there instead. They’re a smart place to dip your toe into the wallpaper waters because it’s much cheaper than doing a big bedroom or living room – and small rooms like these are great candidates for doing something a little different. This is their downstairs powder room, right off the main foyer.

wallpaper / toilet / buffalo print / similar foyer rug

Upstairs the hall bath, which is shared by two of their kids, sports this fun graphic chevron wallpaper, which strikes a nice balance of formal and playful. I also asked how the wallpaper is holding up in the bathrooms. Carey says it has held up perfectly (no peeling from hot showers or kids spilling on it or scratching it). She said the only issue has been that she’s scared to hang pictures on it because it means making a hole that will always be there – ha! But it’s pretty great on its own. She also mentioned that the dark granite counter in here works so well with kids (it was a remnant so she saved a ton of money that way).

wallpaper / floor tile / hardware / mirror

One tip Carey has for anyone else redoing their home is that although she was warned that marble can stain and be high maintenance, she thought it wouldn’t be too bad in the bathroom on the floor (nobody even has shoes on in there!), but if she could do it all again she’d go with something else. Turns out toothpaste spills and any other liquid that gets on the floor can soak in and stain or leave a mark, which she doesn’t love. Good to know!

Off of their oldest daughter’s room is an ensuite bathroom since it was the original master bedroom. For that room they chose this happy cherry wallpaper and the counter in here is a Cambria quartz remnant so it holds up super well (no staining issues like the marble floor tile) and again by finding it as a remnant at a local stone yard, she saved a lot of money.

wallpaper / similar hardware / faucet / similar mirror /

Perhaps my favorite room in her entire house is their new master (remember, this is where the garage used to be). They were able to carve out this beautiful nook for a big soaker tub along with a nice bright walk-in shower that’s off to the right. ALSO THAT BASKETWEAVE ACCENT TILE. HUBBA HUBBA. (*wolf whistle*)

cast iron soaker tub / basketweave accent tile / main floor tile / similar vanity / tub faucet 

John was talking to Jordan and fishing around for some reassurance that maybe a bath tub wasn’t really that useful (podcast listeners know we’ve been wrestling with the tub-or-no-tub debate for our own master bathroom reno) and John thought he’d get a helpful answer when he asked “So do you guys actually use that very much?” Jordan said “Oh yeah! Carey uses it just about every day!” Nice try, Johnny boy (insert laughing face emoji next to a bath tub emoji here). I’m back on the I-want-one train btw.

So there you have it. A lot of rooms, nooks, and crannies in Carey and Jordan’s lovely home. They’re super inspiring renovators and awesome friends and neighbors, so we’re so grateful they let us slip through and take these pics while our kids ran amok in the backyard (they left some pretty epic chalk drawings behind since we were there a lot longer than we thought! ha!).

If you want to see more of our House Crashing adventures, you can check out the whole collection of ’em here.

*This post contains affiliate links 

The post House Crashing: A Family-Friendly Whole House Renovation appeared first on Young House Love.

[vincentbnaughton]

House Crashing: A Family-Friendly Whole House Renovation

We’ve shared this glorious back porch on Instagram twice (during the holidays, seen below, and last summer, seen here), which belongs to our good friends Carey & Jordan. And based on the reaction to just this view alone from you guys, we figured we should do a good old fashioned House Crash so we can show you guys more of their beautiful home. They’ve also got some really great tips about what wears well with kids and dogs (and what they wouldn’t do again), which was especially helpful since we’re currently mulling over some bathroom renos. But enough jabbering, let’s get on with the tour!

similar storm door / similar black sconces / string lights

Carey & Jordan used to live right behind us (Carey was actually one of the first neighbors to come introduce herself with a giant plate of cookies, which we basically inhaled while laying hardwood floors upstairs). But they recently moved to another house in our neighborhood because of their family of five needing a little more space. Jordan runs a renovation company here in Richmond called Spruce RVA, so it’s no surprise that their own house went through quite the transformation. For instance, here’s what that back porch area looked like when they bought it. Now scroll back up for the after. I’ll wait.

AMAZING, AMIRIGHT? Sorry for the caps lock, but IT’S SO GOOD. We took these pics back before all the leaves left us in the fall (come baaaaack leaves) so I’m thrilled to finally get this post together. Makes me all breathy and drooly all over again. Attractive visual, eh? That old garage that you see above was converted into a downstairs master bedroom since they often have both sets of their parents staying with them, so they needed more bedrooms. And the reason they didn’t mind losing that garage is because Jordan is awesome, and he knew he and his crew could design and construct a new detached garage nearby – with a second floor office for Jordan’s business.

At first glance, the exterior of the house (besides the new garage) doesn’t seem wildly different from how it looked when they purchased it.

But upon closer inspection, you’ll notice the little details they added to amp up it’s original charm. They built out the columns to be a bit chunkier than the original ones. They added some dentil molding along the roofline (I KNOW I’M SHOUTING AGAIN BUT I CAN’T EVEN HANDLE HOW GOOD THAT DENTIL MOLDING LOOKS). They also swapped the double doors for a single door with sidelights. Another neighbor of ours always complains about her solid double-doors making her foyer dark, so this is a great solution to let in more light.

And no, Carey doesn’t decorate with pumpkins year round, they’re just further evidence that these photos were from October. Nothing like getting into the Halloween spirit on the last day of February! UGH, BUT LOOK AT THE BLUE CEILING. AND THE BLUESTONE PATH.

similar black planters / door knocker / similar lantern sconces

The porch ceiling is Crystal Springs by Benjamin Moore, and the door is Poppy by Ben Moore by the way. The white siding is just the stock white that comes with Hardiplank (Arctic White).

The detached garage also acts as a nice anchor to their outdoor patio area, which is what you see when you stand at that pretty back door I’m always Instagramming. Jordan is a trained landscape architect and Carey studied urban planning, so we love that they thought to carve out some space within the paver patio for greenery.

string lights / similar black sconce / similar lantern sconces

Since the back door is the family’s most used entrance, it opens into a spacious mudroom with a nook for each of their three elementary-aged kids. Picture this loaded with a lot more boots and scarves in the winter, except that it has been so unseasonably warm lately here in Richmond, it probably looks like this again.

rug / round baskets / hooks / rectangle baskets

The mudroom leads into the open kitchen & family room (that red door is also Poppy by Ben Moore). The previous owners had already put the family room addition on the house, so Carey and Jordan’s main challenge here was to update the kitchen to be more functional for their family.

stools / rug  / faucet / pendants / dishwasher / sink

One of the coolest things was that they wanted to reuse all of the original cabinetry, but reconfigure some things a little. Well, they found the contact info for the original cabinet maker in one of the drawers, so they hired him to help match some new stuff with the old stuff he built decades ago! It looks so great and you’d never guess some is new but most of it is old!

Here are some of the before/progress photos that that Carey sent us. They were pretty happy with the overall layout, but just wanted to make the stove and the island area work a little more seamlessly.

They moved the island overhang to the far side of the island in order to seat more people and make better flow to the fridge, and they traded their dark counters for a lighter granite (super durable and not too expensive – it’s really close to the stuff we had in our first kitchen!). They also lightened things up by swapping the black appliances for stainless steel. Jordan doesn’t like to send a lot of stuff to the dump, so he sold some of the old stuff that they replaced (old appliances, some old windows, etc) so others can use them instead of trashing them.

stools / pendants / mixer / flour & sugar jars

It was so smart of them to make that a lovely little accent with some tile laid in a herringbone pattern over the stove. And yes, that awesome original cabinet maker made that amazing hood for them! Those thick corbels look like one of those giant blocks of cheese THAT I WANT TO EAT. I WANT TO BITE THEM. I CAN’T STOP.

stove / kettle / mixer / knives / cabinet knobs

The bright and cheery kitchen also leads to the nearby dining room, which is painted with a moody greeny-teal color above the wainscotting (Rookwood Sash by Sherwin Williams). The hutch is a cool secondhand find from a local place called Epoch.

similar china cabinet / rug / cabinet pulls / cabinet knobs / microwave

Carey used an eclectic mix of furniture in the dining room, which simultaneously seems grown-up, but not too serious – and works for her three young kids. When I asked her about how the rug held up with kids and food she said it’s been great. It’s wool and has that faded weathered look so that helps.

rug / table / end chairs / white chairs / similar gourd lamps / similar chandelier / gold mirror / sideboard

I love how the bamboo frame of the mirror over the sideboard ties into the lattice on that chair in the corner. It’s all a mixture of stuff that she either bought secondhand or found in accessible stores like Pottery Barn, Target, and even PB Teen, yet it all totally goes together without looking too matchy.

rug / end chair / similar corner chair / acrylic table / similar gourd lamp/ gold mirror

Beyond the dining room is a more formal living room that I like to call Carey’s “White Rabbit” because she pulled this room out of a friggin’ hat. It essentially only had legos on the floor right after they moved in (I don’t have a before picture but you guys can picture that, right?!), and then I visited a little while later and boom, it looked like this.

acrylic console / gold lamp / gold mirror / rug / similar pink chair/ stick accent table / gold frames

She said she literally didn’t buy a single thing except for the woven ottoman under the acrylic console, and the rest of the stuff was all things she already had (in the attic, or borrowed from other rooms that didn’t need them as much). She just dragged them all in here, moved stuff around a while, and it worked. Gotta love an almost free makeover.

As part of the make-it-work effort, Carey repainted this old dresser, which works so nicely with the gold accents around the room (she forgets the paint color, but September Skies by Sherwin Williams would be similar). Girl committed to not spending a lot on this room and using her wits and what she had around, and I LOVE that about her.

similar dresser / similar hardware / gold mirror

Also you’ve probably noticed all of the live plants around the house. Carey is the plant whisperer. And I am very very jealous. She makes me LOL when she calls me and says “I went to the greenhouse and the guy there introduced me to my new favorite plant!” Although now that I think about it I’m kinda like that with paint brushes. Also: they built these built-ins and are gradually filling them up with books. Standing ovation. Love the brass pulls that tie into the little wood table-turned-plant-stand.

plant stand table / brass knobs / similar frames

I also love that Carey and Jordan are brave. They could have painted their bathrooms, but they opted to try some fun wallpaper in there instead. They’re a smart place to dip your toe into the wallpaper waters because it’s much cheaper than doing a big bedroom or living room – and small rooms like these are great candidates for doing something a little different. This is their downstairs powder room, right off the main foyer.

wallpaper / toilet / buffalo print / similar foyer rug

Upstairs the hall bath, which is shared by two of their kids, sports this fun graphic chevron wallpaper, which strikes a nice balance of formal and playful. I also asked how the wallpaper is holding up in the bathrooms. Carey says it has held up perfectly (no peeling from hot showers or kids spilling on it or scratching it). She said the only issue has been that she’s scared to hang pictures on it because it means making a hole that will always be there – ha! But it’s pretty great on its own. She also mentioned that the dark granite counter in here works so well with kids (it was a remnant so she saved a ton of money that way).

wallpaper / floor tile / hardware / mirror

One tip Carey has for anyone else redoing their home is that although she was warned that marble can stain and be high maintenance, she thought it wouldn’t be too bad in the bathroom on the floor (nobody even has shoes on in there!), but if she could do it all again she’d go with something else. Turns out toothpaste spills and any other liquid that gets on the floor can soak in and stain or leave a mark, which she doesn’t love. Good to know!

Off of their oldest daughter’s room is an ensuite bathroom since it was the original master bedroom. For that room they chose this happy cherry wallpaper and the counter in here is a Cambria quartz remnant so it holds up super well (no staining issues like the marble floor tile) and again by finding it as a remnant at a local stone yard, she saved a lot of money.

wallpaper / similar hardware / faucet / similar mirror /

Perhaps my favorite room in her entire house is their new master (remember, this is where the garage used to be). They were able to carve out this beautiful nook for a big soaker tub along with a nice bright walk-in shower that’s off to the right. ALSO THAT BASKETWEAVE ACCENT TILE. HUBBA HUBBA. (*wolf whistle*)

cast iron soaker tub / basketweave accent tile / main floor tile / similar vanity / tub faucet 

John was talking to Jordan and fishing around for some reassurance that maybe a bath tub wasn’t really that useful (podcast listeners know we’ve been wrestling with the tub-or-no-tub debate for our own master bathroom reno) and John thought he’d get a helpful answer when he asked “So do you guys actually use that very much?” Jordan said “Oh yeah! Carey uses it just about every day!” Nice try, Johnny boy (insert laughing face emoji next to a bath tub emoji here). I’m back on the I-want-one train btw.

So there you have it. A lot of rooms, nooks, and crannies in Carey and Jordan’s lovely home. They’re super inspiring renovators and awesome friends and neighbors, so we’re so grateful they let us slip through and take these pics while our kids ran amok in the backyard (they left some pretty epic chalk drawings behind since we were there a lot longer than we thought! ha!).

If you want to see more of our House Crashing adventures, you can check out the whole collection of ’em here.

*This post contains affiliate links 

The post House Crashing: A Family-Friendly Whole House Renovation appeared first on Young House Love.

[northerngenius]

January 21, 2017 - Preservation Pub - Knoxville TN

Good ol’ Knoxville! We parked the bus at a Planet Fitness. Danny Amanda Matt and Lacey went in for a work out and shower. I decided to tagalong with Bobby and walk about a mile to a nearby park. There was so much goose and duck poop everywhere, and gnats, but I eventually found a place to sit and relax. Bobby found a cool spot to put up his hammock across the way. 

I was missing Meghan’s face, and talking to her in general, so we facetimed for awhile. I never do that, so it was refreshing, and I got to show her all the ducks and the sunset from the park. She was chilling at here apartment just being cute. 

After we walked back to the bus, we had to get over to Market Square to start loading out our gear to Preservation Pub. They have an alleyway for bands to unload easier right into the venue, but our bus doesn’t fit. So we carried most of our stuff over the bricks and cobblestones and loaded in through the front past all the people just standing at the bar. 

The sound guy was almost 3 hours late, but thankfully Bobby was able to get us set up to start on time. There’s a weird crowd there, one minute its empty and people are only half paying attention, ten minutes later its a full house and you can barely get through to the bathroom line. 

My friend TJ made it in time to hear our last song, he bough us a round of left hand nitro milk stouts. I actually didn’t want to drink much that night after the bartender was aggressive towards me when I asked for one of our complimentary draft beers. She just yelled from across the bar “what band are you in? there are 3 bands tonight”... and of course everyone in ear shot stares at me now like i’m trying to pull a fast one or something. So i just say “the one that was just on stage”, she then asked the name of our band... just goes to show how much attention she pays to the music she books. Or maybe i’m just invisible on stage.  Or maybe both! Meh. 

After the show TJ, Matt, Bobby, Amanda, and I drove up to the rooftop of the parking garage TJ parked in. We played guitar, smoked, the majority of us were wearing leather jackets randomly. All while snap-chatting the Knoxville city skyline. Soon after everybody was lame and went to bed, i left with my buddy and went to his friends house, met his roommates Heather & Manuel. On the way we stopped at Sonic and I got to try “ocean water” for the first time. mmmm.

The weirdest thing happened on their back porch!! There was this brown thing hanging in the corner of their overhang. They were saying it was a pine cone, but how it moves to different corners every other day and it’s haunted. I got really close to it and noticed it might be breathing. 

“THE PINE CONE IS BREATHING!!!”  (thats’ not a pine cone, i think its a bird)

THE PINE CONE IS A BIRD?! ---- then,  literally flies away!! 

After that magical experience, TJ drove me back to the bus, and even adorably told me how he really liked seeing me again, and how I pretty I looked. He asked if he could kiss me, and i said yes.  He’s a sweet guy, we love a lot of the same bands, and he has that southern gentleman thing going for him. I still just think of him as a friend, but it was nice to end the night with a fleeting moment like that x) 

[vincentbnaughton]

House Crashing: A Family-Friendly Whole House Renovation

We’ve shared this glorious back porch on Instagram twice (during the holidays, seen below, and last summer, seen here), which belongs to our good friends Carey & Jordan. And based on the reaction to just this view alone from you guys, we figured we should do a good old fashioned House Crash so we can show you guys more of their beautiful home. They’ve also got some really great tips about what wears well with kids and dogs (and what they wouldn’t do again), which was especially helpful since we’re currently mulling over some bathroom renos. But enough jabbering, let’s get on with the tour!

similar storm door / similar black sconces / string lights

Carey & Jordan used to live right behind us (Carey was actually one of the first neighbors to come introduce herself with a giant plate of cookies, which we basically inhaled while laying hardwood floors upstairs). But they recently moved to another house in our neighborhood because of their family of five needing a little more space. Jordan runs a renovation company here in Richmond called Spruce RVA, so it’s no surprise that their own house went through quite the transformation. For instance, here’s what that back porch area looked like when they bought it. Now scroll back up for the after. I’ll wait.

AMAZING, AMIRIGHT? Sorry for the caps lock, but IT’S SO GOOD. We took these pics back before all the leaves left us in the fall (come baaaaack leaves) so I’m thrilled to finally get this post together. Makes me all breathy and drooly all over again. Attractive visual, eh? That old garage that you see above was converted into a downstairs master bedroom since they often have both sets of their parents staying with them, so they needed more bedrooms. And the reason they didn’t mind losing that garage is because Jordan is awesome, and he knew he and his crew could design and construct a new detached garage nearby – with a second floor office for Jordan’s business.

At first glance, the exterior of the house (besides the new garage) doesn’t seem wildly different from how it looked when they purchased it.

But upon closer inspection, you’ll notice the little details they added to amp up it’s original charm. They built out the columns to be a bit chunkier than the original ones. They added some dentil molding along the roofline (I KNOW I’M SHOUTING AGAIN BUT I CAN’T EVEN HANDLE HOW GOOD THAT DENTIL MOLDING LOOKS). They also swapped the double doors for a single door with sidelights. Another neighbor of ours always complains about her solid double-doors making her foyer dark, so this is a great solution to let in more light.

And no, Carey doesn’t decorate with pumpkins year round, they’re just further evidence that these photos were from October. Nothing like getting into the Halloween spirit on the last day of February! UGH, BUT LOOK AT THE BLUE CEILING. AND THE BLUESTONE PATH.

similar black planters / door knocker / similar lantern sconces

The porch ceiling is Crystal Springs by Benjamin Moore, and the door is Poppy by Ben Moore by the way. The white siding is just the stock white that comes with Hardiplank (Arctic White).

The detached garage also acts as a nice anchor to their outdoor patio area, which is what you see when you stand at that pretty back door I’m always Instagramming. Jordan is a trained landscape architect and Carey studied urban planning, so we love that they thought to carve out some space within the paver patio for greenery.

string lights / similar black sconce / similar lantern sconces

Since the back door is the family’s most used entrance, it opens into a spacious mudroom with a nook for each of their three elementary-aged kids. Picture this loaded with a lot more boots and scarves in the winter, except that it has been so unseasonably warm lately here in Richmond, it probably looks like this again.

rug / round baskets / hooks / rectangle baskets

The mudroom leads into the open kitchen & family room (that red door is also Poppy by Ben Moore). The previous owners had already put the family room addition on the house, so Carey and Jordan’s main challenge here was to update the kitchen to be more functional for their family.

stools / rug  / faucet / pendants / dishwasher / sink

One of the coolest things was that they wanted to reuse all of the original cabinetry, but reconfigure some things a little. Well, they found the contact info for the original cabinet maker in one of the drawers, so they hired him to help match some new stuff with the old stuff he built decades ago! It looks so great and you’d never guess some is new but most of it is old!

Here are some of the before/progress photos that that Carey sent us. They were pretty happy with the overall layout, but just wanted to make the stove and the island area work a little more seamlessly.

They moved the island overhang to the far side of the island in order to seat more people and make better flow to the fridge, and they traded their dark counters for a lighter granite (super durable and not too expensive – it’s really close to the stuff we had in our first kitchen!). They also lightened things up by swapping the black appliances for stainless steel. Jordan doesn’t like to send a lot of stuff to the dump, so he sold some of the old stuff that they replaced (old appliances, some old windows, etc) so others can use them instead of trashing them.

stools / pendants / mixer / flour & sugar jars

It was so smart of them to make that a lovely little accent with some tile laid in a herringbone pattern over the stove. And yes, that awesome original cabinet maker made that amazing hood for them! Those thick corbels look like one of those giant blocks of cheese THAT I WANT TO EAT. I WANT TO BITE THEM. I CAN’T STOP.

stove / kettle / mixer / knives / cabinet knobs

The bright and cheery kitchen also leads to the nearby dining room, which is painted with a moody greeny-teal color above the wainscotting (Rookwood Sash by Sherwin Williams). The hutch is a cool secondhand find from a local place called Epoch.

similar china cabinet / rug / cabinet pulls / cabinet knobs / microwave

Carey used an eclectic mix of furniture in the dining room, which simultaneously seems grown-up, but not too serious – and works for her three young kids. When I asked her about how the rug held up with kids and food she said it’s been great. It’s wool and has that faded weathered look so that helps.

rug / table / end chairs / white chairs / similar gourd lamps / similar chandelier / gold mirror / sideboard

I love how the bamboo frame of the mirror over the sideboard ties into the lattice on that chair in the corner. It’s all a mixture of stuff that she either bought secondhand or found in accessible stores like Pottery Barn, Target, and even PB Teen, yet it all totally goes together without looking too matchy.

rug / end chair / similar corner chair / acrylic table / similar gourd lamp/ gold mirror

Beyond the dining room is a more formal living room that I like to call Carey’s “White Rabbit” because she pulled this room out of a friggin’ hat. It essentially only had legos on the floor right after they moved in (I don’t have a before picture but you guys can picture that, right?!), and then I visited a little while later and boom, it looked like this.

acrylic console / gold lamp / gold mirror / rug / similar pink chair/ stick accent table / gold frames

She said she literally didn’t buy a single thing except for the woven ottoman under the acrylic console, and the rest of the stuff was all things she already had (in the attic, or borrowed from other rooms that didn’t need them as much). She just dragged them all in here, moved stuff around a while, and it worked. Gotta love an almost free makeover.

As part of the make-it-work effort, Carey repainted this old dresser, which works so nicely with the gold accents around the room (she forgets the paint color, but September Skies by Sherwin Williams would be similar). Girl committed to not spending a lot on this room and using her wits and what she had around, and I LOVE that about her.

similar dresser / similar hardware / gold mirror

Also you’ve probably noticed all of the live plants around the house. Carey is the plant whisperer. And I am very very jealous. She makes me LOL when she calls me and says “I went to the greenhouse and the guy there introduced me to my new favorite plant!” Although now that I think about it I’m kinda like that with paint brushes. Also: they built these built-ins and are gradually filling them up with books. Standing ovation. Love the brass pulls that tie into the little wood table-turned-plant-stand.

plant stand table / brass knobs / similar frames

I also love that Carey and Jordan are brave. They could have painted their bathrooms, but they opted to try some fun wallpaper in there instead. They’re a smart place to dip your toe into the wallpaper waters because it’s much cheaper than doing a big bedroom or living room – and small rooms like these are great candidates for doing something a little different. This is their downstairs powder room, right off the main foyer.

wallpaper / toilet / buffalo print / similar foyer rug

Upstairs the hall bath, which is shared by two of their kids, sports this fun graphic chevron wallpaper, which strikes a nice balance of formal and playful. I also asked how the wallpaper is holding up in the bathrooms. Carey says it has held up perfectly (no peeling from hot showers or kids spilling on it or scratching it). She said the only issue has been that she’s scared to hang pictures on it because it means making a hole that will always be there – ha! But it’s pretty great on its own. She also mentioned that the dark granite counter in here works so well with kids (it was a remnant so she saved a ton of money that way).

wallpaper / floor tile / hardware / mirror

One tip Carey has for anyone else redoing their home is that although she was warned that marble can stain and be high maintenance, she thought it wouldn’t be too bad in the bathroom on the floor (nobody even has shoes on in there!), but if she could do it all again she’d go with something else. Turns out toothpaste spills and any other liquid that gets on the floor can soak in and stain or leave a mark, which she doesn’t love. Good to know!

Off of their oldest daughter’s room is an ensuite bathroom since it was the original master bedroom. For that room they chose this happy cherry wallpaper and the counter in here is a Cambria quartz remnant so it holds up super well (no staining issues like the marble floor tile) and again by finding it as a remnant at a local stone yard, she saved a lot of money.

wallpaper / similar hardware / faucet / similar mirror /

Perhaps my favorite room in her entire house is their new master (remember, this is where the garage used to be). They were able to carve out this beautiful nook for a big soaker tub along with a nice bright walk-in shower that’s off to the right. ALSO THAT BASKETWEAVE ACCENT TILE. HUBBA HUBBA. (*wolf whistle*)

cast iron soaker tub / basketweave accent tile / main floor tile / similar vanity / tub faucet 

John was talking to Jordan and fishing around for some reassurance that maybe a bath tub wasn’t really that useful (podcast listeners know we’ve been wrestling with the tub-or-no-tub debate for our own master bathroom reno) and John thought he’d get a helpful answer when he asked “So do you guys actually use that very much?” Jordan said “Oh yeah! Carey uses it just about every day!” Nice try, Johnny boy (insert laughing face emoji next to a bath tub emoji here). I’m back on the I-want-one train btw.

So there you have it. A lot of rooms, nooks, and crannies in Carey and Jordan’s lovely home. They’re super inspiring renovators and awesome friends and neighbors, so we’re so grateful they let us slip through and take these pics while our kids ran amok in the backyard (they left some pretty epic chalk drawings behind since we were there a lot longer than we thought! ha!).

If you want to see more of our House Crashing adventures, you can check out the whole collection of ’em here.

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