home tour sneak peek #2: living and dining rooms

I’m all fed and stuffed.  More like overstuffed ...



... and thought I’d share a few more shots of our home. My plan is to get “before” shots of the entire house before I drag out my Christmas decorations.


And keep in mind that the living and dining areas are going to get a major redo after the holidays.

So say you were sitting on the couch in our living room …



This is what you would see now …



My house is “railroad” style in that the rooms are stacked one after the other.  That’s city living for you.

On the right-hand side is the entry that I spent countless hours redecorating this past spring.  I’m very proud of the results.  It’s next up for a full “what I did and how I did it” tour.

To the left is a glimpse of the dining room.



I found that chandelier in a Home Depot sale aisle many years ago. It’s definitely going on craig’s list when I redo the dining area after the holidays …

I have big changes in store. Board and batten on the walls. New paint colors. New coffee table and fan. Maybe some chalk paint on that giant armoire. New dining room chandelier. White spray paint for the picture frames and a change of subject matter …

I took some shots of Lake Michigan on an early morning this past summer and plan to print, frame and hang these in the living room.

Oh, and “the-Nate-Berkus-would-be-horrified” fake flora and fauna must go!

This pass-through area -- which when we first moved in was our back door entry and now connects the dining room to the family room addition -- is much more in keeping with the décor vibe I’m going for …


Mike and I installed the board and batten here, as well as in the teeny tiny powder room that is on the other side of that chalkboard door (you can find out how I made that here), last spring.

Just that small area was a lot of work …

... I can only imagine the time commitment in the dining and living areas …

I’m tired just thinking about it.

Naturally, I’ll bring you along for the ride.