Let’s Set the Mood…Board

We. Can’t. Believe. It. Renovation will begin on our 1915 craftsman home. We have been waiting for this moment for years, and it is finally here. We are FINALLY getting our hands on a renovation of our own!

This home has been cared for throughout the years, but a lot of its original character had been covered up with the trends of the decades. Linoleum and wallpaper found its way inside. Carpet covered up wood floor. Ceiling tile lined the kitchen. Did we mention several layers of wallpaper?? Because of the upkeep over the years, it was hard to believe that our home was over 100 years old! Even more than that, the house was listed as a craftsman, and over time, those craftsman features got covered up too. It felt more like a home stuck in the 1950’s versus the 1910’s!

Our first mission was to understand the structure of the home. So, naturally, on a date night, we headed out there on demolition duty! To our surprise, we found wood flooring throughout the first floor (SCORE!) and beadboard ceiling underneath the foam ceiling tile that covered half of the downstairs (PRAISE JESUS)! BUT the best discovery?? (Wait for it… drum roll, please…) SHIPLAP! Yes, we have genuine shiplap in our home, and you better believe we will be exposing as much of that shiplappy goodness as we can!

With all these amazing finds, the characterization of the home as a craftsman, and the age of the home, we knew we wanted to pay homage to its past. We didn’t want to bring in modern design and make it into something that it was never intended to be. Instead, we hope to bring a vintage aesthetic with modern amenities.

We plan on bringing back the woodwork – shaker cabinets, stained wood built-ins, chunky craftsman trim everywhere. We also plan on keeping the colors neutral and light BUT with green being our statement throughout. And yes, we will be working to keep the beadboard ceilings and the wood floors wherever we can

While planning all of this can be fun, it can also be SUPER overwhelming. So, I always like to start with a mood board. One to set the stage for the exterior of the home, and one to serve as the foundation of my color choices on the interior. I like to keep things simple and choose a neutral palette that you can build upon. To keep everything cohesive, I usually build a color palette and stick within that range of colors. For our home, you will see a lot of whites, grays, greens, and wood tones. It kind of reminds me of being in the woods, which is one of our favorite places to be.

The house isn’t very large and has 8ft ceilings. To trick the eye into thinking there is more space, I choose white paint everywhere.  To keep it from feeling like the doctor’s office, the warmth will be coming from the wood floors and the deep stain we chose for the wood accents and built-ins. We are pulling the dark green from the exterior of the house into the interior – with fun pops of green in the cabinetry, wall treatments, or wallpaper! So excited to see these mood boards come to life! We will definitely be sharing the progress along the way!

Sincerely,
Tim & Heather