I began this blog back on Christmas day in 2009.
We were just beginning an attic renovation, and that started a decorating & design bug I just can’t shake. And for the record, I think Matt’s caught it just as much as I have. We just finished building a bed for Grayson’s room, and he’s already ready to make him a chest of drawers.
Man, that man.
I could use one build-free week around here.
When the bug caught, we were sucked in….to creating spaces that really reflected who we are, what we love.
It took about a year and a half, working nights and weekends, for us to finish most of the house. Yes, I said most.
Wanna know how we did it?
We honestly began to think about all of our travels, places we’ve visited, homes we’ve stayed in. I wanted to identify the places I felt most at home in, the ones that felt alive to me, made me breathe easier. And truthfully, the ones that compelled me to write and create.
Many of the places were coastal stops, but not all had super-beachy decor. Some were mountain lodges or friends’ homes, but they all had a few things in common.
- white walls
- texture, texture, texture (like seagrass, sisal, linen)
- pops of color & beautiful fabric
- casual elegant spaces
- a little bit of junk & a little bit of ballard-like glam
- natural wood tones mixed with painted furnishings
- a cooler color palette warmed with those natural tones
Master Bedroom (this one’s still in progress)
In the kitchen, we started with a painted door for the laundry room, and once it was painted, I knew it was time to paint all of our main living area walls white. That door had to pop.
We first removed the doors to our cabinets, bumping up the cottage in our kitchen. There’s plenty more I’m going to do in here…one day. I’ve got marble countertops (or some kind of knock off) on the brain, as well as pendent lights over the bar, decorative supports under the cabinetry, painting the island, and maybe a glass tile backsplash.
The living room is one of the most dramatic. I’m sure you’ve noticed a before trend….LOTS of red, dark, traditional furniture, and well, brown.
Here’s where I’ll say there’s nothing wrong with red and brown. It’s just all about balance, and our eyes floating around a room. Red and brown don’t have to be dominant to be great….just the opposite, in fact.
Now that we’ve worked on creating a blank slate, I’m on the lookout for more pops of color against the neutrals. If I’d ever make myself learn how to sew, I’d just whip some pillows up asap.
I guess I’ve gotta do it.
We also changed much of our existing furniture….by painting a few key pieces, it changed everything, and truly celebrated the remaining original wood pieces.
I’m not done with that either. Rumor has it there may be a coffee table headed to yellow in the near future.
You guys know our latest makeover….the dining room. It was a big one, and once it was complete, I looked around our home and it felt so us….complete.
Then I walked into Grayson’s room and the guest bathroom.
Game on.
Love it all. My questions are — when do you find the time and come up with the money?!?
haha, Kacey! Well, we’re quite thrifty…I promise. And our house stays fairly un-neat, if that makes ya feel any better!
shaunna
I love your blog! Very inspiring. I was wondering about the beautiful curtains in the living room and bedrooms are they Ballards?
Lovely. I especially like the fact that even though you still have a list that you’d like to tackle you’re enjoying everything that you’ve done. Warm, comfortable and welcoming. Just what a family home aspires to be.
Thanks!! It’s truly what we want for our home, so we’re happy with it!
shaunna
Love the transformation, Shaunna!
Amazing! And maybe I should just plan a couple days to come down and we can make pillows together! 
You better do it SOON!!! That would be a blast!!
shaunna
oh, your home is simply gorgeous!!!!!!
Thank you, Stefanie!!
shaunna
Wow, what amazing transformations! And all in a year and a half -truly impressive! Love your blog and all the inspiration it provides! Liz
Thanks Liz!!!
shaunna
All of the “after” shots make me so contentedly happy. Big, happy sigh.
Thank you, Gretchen…that’s kind of how I feel. Sigh.
shaunna
love love it all… you’re my true inspiration for my own home… love all the white with pops of beautiful pastel colors.. so light, bright and airy. the dark heavy days are gone… light is here to stay… you go girl… thanks for the tour.. xo Patty
What kind things to say, Pat! How sweet…i do feel quite sunshine-y in here, now.
shaunna
absolutely beautiful! -same kind of changes going on around my home. Don’t you just love the new freshness of the lighter colors and white! I couldn’t agree more on how the red and brown is so much better in small doses. And by the way – I could teach you to sew pillows in less than 30 minutes – they are the first thing I learned to sew.
Taking the doors off of kitchen cabinets? Totally blew my mind. I never would have thought of it, and it looks sensational. What a fab way to smarten up a kitchen in an older house if you didn’t have money to get a new kitchen done. Thanks for giving me a great idea.
Hi Shaunna,
Your blog is truly my favorite! I am so inspired. I can’t wait to see how the rest of it turns out.
Emily
You have had a huge impact on my design style. I love textures and cool palettes with pops of color too and your home provides amazing inspiration.
Simply—Gorgeous!!!!!
so beautiful – reminds me of Europe…..chic but not too formal…love it!:)
Make those pillow! It’s sew, sew, easy… hardy-har-har…
Absolutely beautiful, Shaunna! Let me tell you, if I can learn to sew, then you can too! I thought for the longest time that since my mom could sew, then I didn’t need to learn how. Sew (ha!) wrong! I’ve now made pillows, clothes for my daughter, and a very involved quiet book! It has been so much fun knowing how. I’m actually appliquéing Xmas shirts right now!
Thanks for being such an inspiration to me and countless others! Keep it up!
Beth
Your house is gorgeous! I was in awe seeing the before and afters. I used to not be a fan of so much white in one room but, seeing this makes me realize it makes the room so pretty.
Brilliant! I love the work you and your husband have put into your home. We have been working on our 1867 Victorian for … eh… forever. I think there are always paint brushes drying by the kitchen sink. I just started my own blog to document more recent changes. Thanks for the inspiration! Now off to find the link to your ebook.
I’m taking a chalk paint class this friday and have several pieces of furniture in the queue. Ooo, I can’t wait.
~Morgan
Just finished reading your ebook. It is wonderful. I love all the great tips and your pictures are fantastic.
Thanks for the inspiration,
~Morgan
Thanks for sharing all your rooms. I’m like you, transitioning a darker color scheme to light and bright!
When we renovated (built in a garage) a couple of years ago we replaced our oak cabinets for white in the kitchen, added beadboard a few places and painted most of our wood trim, repainted our walls, etc. We’re not “DIY” so we hired someone to do most of it. Now, I love my home!! Like you, I still have a few more projects. I’m actually repainting my dining room this week because I just didn’t “love” the color we picked before because my husband didn’t get the whole “white” thing. 
Now my dining room will be closer to what I envisioned. I just have to figure out what to do with my chandelier which I still love but has shiny brass. Blach! Have you spray painted a light before? Any recommendations? 
Honey, if you lend me that handy husband of yours, I’ll sew you all the pillows you want.
(I’d lend you MY husband in return, but nothing would get done. We’re older than you, and he’s OVER this home ownership/upkeep stuff…)
Debbie,
This made me laugh out loud in the pick up line at my son’s school yesterday. They probably thought I was going crazy, chuckling in the car all by myself. So funny. And you come on anytime and sew those pillows…I can hire Matt out.
shaunna
Wow, I had no idea your aesthetic was so different in the before shots! I had only found your blog fairly recently so I thought you must have always had that look going. Neat to see how brave you guys were to tackle completely changing your entire house & look and that it paid off so big! Congrats!
Absolutely wonderful transformations. What a difference paint and some lighter furnishings can make. Very motivating to see these pictures. Also, congratulations on your successful blog.
wow! beautiful! i especially love the headboard/iron gate piece behind the bed in the guest bedroom. and i love the idea of having a “writing room”! so creative.
thanks for sharing!
lora
Your home is lovely. The attic is an especially amazing transformation! What type of staircase do you have leading to the attic now?
Hey Haley!
It’s just a simple staircase…we had that built into our garage when we built the house. We simply closed it in with a door when we renovated. I’m thinking of doing a video tour so folks can get a layout of our home.
shaunna
Absolutely, lovely! The transformations are amazing! Congratulations on such a successful blog! Thanks for the inspirations!
I’ve drooled over your writing room and used it as in a blog, but I’ve never seen your cabinets before. I love that you removed the doors – that looks wonderful and your dining room – totally rocks. Congrats!
Looks absolutely amazing! You are one talented woman!
xo
I love the before and afters all on one page!!! Everything is so beautiful!!
The playroom QUESTION……how did you do those floors or what kind are they???
please do tell……
I”ve seen this question asked before and can’t find the answer.
Hey Kathy! We found our floors (laminate) at a lumber liquidation center…on clearance and being discontinued. If I ever run across them again, I’ll let y’all know!
shaunna
Love this post! I love before and after and you have been so busy. I love your color scheme. I, too, gravitate to neutral and beachy colors. Did you make the storage in the playroom? I’d love to get better storage for my kids’ playroom. Your house is so beautiful and your blog is such an inspiration.
We did make the storage in the playroom, Danielle! You can find a similar plan on ana-white.com. We just made ours a bit deeper and taller so it would grow with the kids a little longer. Thank you for your kind words!
shaunna
Finally I get to see it all! WOW! I am so impressed. I am doing my best with my rental, I can’t wait until its my own home. I am trying to use your house as a guide! YOu have great taste!
What an inspiration you and your hubby are….just. wow.
You guys are amazing.
Beautiful photos! Can I ask what color your kitchen walls are?
Sure, Julianna! They are Benjamin Moore White Diamond…it’s a soft white with gray undertones rather than yellow. Love it!
shaunna
It’s all so beautiful. I love your style. I’ve actual pinned a couple of your pics on Pinterest because I love them so much.
I love what you have done to your home. I can be a bit of a perfectionist and I used to keep saying to myself it needs to be pretty (good) not perfect. Now when I do something, I say “that’s perfectly imperfect!” Sure if we all had unlimited funds, we could have whatever we wanted for our home but I find most of us on a budget have to rely on really good imagination, some hard work, and just a small dose of blog inspiration.
Cheers Kylie
I love your transformations…..gorgeous! I am a wood tone kind of gal so I keep my brown wood. My furniture is neutral and change out pillows and accessories according to seasons in the master bedroom and living room. I love change and pops of color. Like others in blogsville I love to change things up ALOT. I see many blogs with the white walls and white furniture and just melt but with 6 grandkids just not practical for this Gma to worry about. Again, love you home and always look forward to reading what you are up to.
Love it all! My favorite color scheme is white with pops of blue, aqua, turquoise, etc. totally what you have all over!
Absolutely beautiful! I currently leave in AZ and am in the process of moving back to our home in TX. The house is 14 years old, and never has been “fixed” up! I’m looking for to doing so and following your blog has given me many, many ideas. Thanks so much for sharing your home with us and allowing us to “be” a part of your life!
Debbie…that’s so sweet! I love having you guys to share it with. SOOO much! Good luck with your fixer-upper…sounds perfect!
Love it all! When you decide to take your creativity on the road, let me know. I know of a house in need of some help.
)
Wow! Such a transformation. You are lucky that you have a house with such great detail to begin with! Would you share the info on your white paint choice? My sister an I were talking just this afternoon about painting my main areas white! It is hard to get just the right white… please, do tell!
Wow! Just beautiful! You are lucky that you have a house with such great detail to begin with! Would you share the info on your white paint choice? My sister an I were talking just this afternoon about painting my main areas white! It is hard to get just the right white… please, do tell!
Sure! All of our trim is bright white, and any white wall in our home is Ben Moore’s White Diamond. LOVE it…it’s a soft white with more gray than yellow undertones. If you need a warmer white, try Ben Moore’s Moonlight White. Good luck!
I am in love with what you have done with your home. Being that I rent, am in college and have only my income to work with I also learn to get crafty. I grew up in Hawaii, so i try to keep my home with the ultimate beach vibe. I will say that my son does have one wall painted primary color green (grass green) and it works. I am also into my bedroom being more pinks and grey then white and grey which is what my living area is. Yet, I am still working on the foyer…and ideas?
Wow, I admire your progress. That you and your Matt are on the same page is an encouragement to us other DIY couples. Thanks for the comprehensive update. Jo @ Let’s Face the Music
I agree that your home is truly an inspiration for me and what I’d like to do with my home. I love the color you painted your door in your kitchen! Picking paint colors is my worst fear…why I have grey walls! Do you still have that color swatch color by any chance? I can’t wait to start on the projects in my home!!
LOOOOOOOOOVE!!
love your house! can you tell me where you got your family rules sign? thanks so much!
cara
Thanks for sharing all the pics of your lovely home. I love the cottage vibe! I am going for an eclectic-farmhouse-cottage vibe in my house. I like everything you have done so far but Isimply adore your writing room! I can’t wait to see what’s next!
I’m clicking away at your pictures while having a glass of wine.. everything looks great! I’ve got the same love for DIY and redoing pieces. Check out my blog.. http://www.casettabianca.blogspot.com ~
I always love looking at your gorgeous home but seeing the before after all together is just amazing! The two of you have created such a gorgeous space for your family!
XO
Kristin
Oh my stars!! I just can’t stop coming back to your blog, I love everything about your house. I had never seen the before pictures, but that is exactly what my house looks like, all the very dark furniture with tuscan yellow, orange and tan walls. I want your place!! LOL Its overwhelming to me because I don’t know where to start working on my house.
I have started using some chalk paint which I love thanks to you!! Used the Old Ochre, thinking it would make the transition better with the dark colors, but it is still looking a little washed out!
Your attic transformation is awesome, I have seen those pictures lots of times but never realized it was the attic. Is your house a one story??
You are so adorable and such an inspiration!! Thank for sharing!!
Cristiana
Your home has just taken top spot for the most favorite blogger homes. Your aesthetic is so very pleasing to me and I totally get the light, natural elements, painted and wood, slight beachy vibe you have going on. Just Gorgeous!!!
Oh my gosh I LOVE your blog. I love your dining room makeover. We had a built in window seat (bead board and all) in the breakfast nook in our last home (that I built…
but financial times got crazy a few years ago and, after three years, I am finally feeling the strength to try again – starting over never looked better after reading your blog.
Thanks so much – what an inspiration.
Merry Christmas!!!
Claire
I simply love your transformation pages!
I live in Denmark and have just found a place, where I can buy Annie Sloan chalk paint.
Have just ordered today for the first time – and look foreward to begin my own “transformation”..;o)
- Have lots of brocante from France, which I have been collecting for many years, – think that will make a great combination!
Kind regads, Mette
Absolutely love it all, but here’s a challenge…I dare you to paint the wood entertainment center in the living room. In my opinion (which doesn’t carry any professional weight), that’s the only thing amiss.
haha, Jan, I don’t think I could get away with that. My husband built it for us….plus, I love the contrast of all the white and the darker wood tone. Thanks for the challenge!!
shaunna
Do you have any ideas for a painted brick fireplace?
What’s the secret to living with white furniture? I hate slipcovers but maybe if they were made specifically for the furniture that I had? AND…you can make pillows. Just buy placemats and open one end…stuff ‘em and hand sew that end.
I love your dining room table! I have always wanted a rustic table that seats about ten comfortably! It looks perfect for family game night! <3
Hello, I just love what you did to the attic (but not only!). You have such a good sens of easthetics ! I wanted to let you know that I featured a picture of the playroom attic on my blog today:
http://petites-inspirations.blogspot.com/2012/02/transformation-dun-grenier.html
Bravo !
I just love your house and renovations as well!! Great job! I love how you incorporated lots of blues/turquoise, my fav!! We just sold our home and are living in a duplex until we find something affordable and like!! I can’t wait, you have deinitely inspired me with your hive (home)!! again great job and can’t wait to see more!!
*definitely
You’re house is BEAUTIFUL! I Swear, Keith(my long term boyfriend) and I are currently renovating our own home, and it’s a wonderful experience. Hard work definitely makes the heart grow fonder.
We recently just bought a few Wall accessories and even our headboard for the guest room from wakeupfrankie.com. They’re beautiful!
I love your work! Keep it up! :]
OMG!! i just found this page and i can’t believe it. i agree with all the above comments. we just had our living and dining rooms painted and i’m not thrilled with the color, but we spent $1000 to have it done so it’s going to be a hard sell to talk my husband into a redo. the family room needs to be done first. can you share the other colors you used? i also want to do the same furniture you have in the family room and i was wondering where u got yours?
sorry for the long post-i’ve never been this inspired before!
thanks!
Wooow! what an awesome transformation.Great job done .Best of luck for your future endeavours.