Monday, January 05, 2009

A Tour of Our Remodel

Home RemodelI've been promising this for months and months (trust me--no one has been more frustrated over the issue than I) but last weekend we finally had things finished enough to take you on a tour and as an added bonus you get the benefit of our Festive Christmas Decorations (which are coming down today by the way).

There are still two closet doors to put up and paint, a piece of trim, some steel cables and two pieces of floor glass to install but other than that it's all done.



It's funny, I've never ever thought of our home as our Dream House--it's just not glamorous enough for that and would have to include a jacuzzi tub--but we've been here for seven years and now that we've fixed it up here and there it really does feel like ours to the point that I'm becoming quite attached to it. It finally feels like our thumbprint is on the whole thing and that the house really and truly represents our family.

I love seeing the kids enjoying their new space, they've really taken to it. Spencer's working on a big project at his desk every day now and Grace has got a spot for her easel. Now if I can just get them to keep it clean . . .

Home RemodelIt was funny--we had the electrical inspection last week and the inspector took one look at the rooms and said, "Did Black + White design this?"

When we said yes he said, "They always do interesting designs."

So you can design for yourself what you think--but as for us? We're in love.

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Technorati tags: architecture, remodeling

60 comments:

Michelle Glauser said...

It looks really cool! I love the pine, black, red (downstairs), and lights!

Michelle Glauser said...

Oh, and P.S. I would loooooove to have a heated floor. You are so lucky.

Robin said...

It looks fabulous Michelle - I really love the three different colored desks, and what fun to have a heated floor too.

The tour was great, it really gave a sense of the space.

Jolanthe said...

Love it, Michelle! :) The kids room is great with a desk area for each of them. And love, love, love the pocket door to separate the rooms. We have something similar in our house plans too. :)

Jolanthe

NorahS said...

Beautiful! So many cool ideas and I love all of that closet space!

Blog O' Beth said...

What a great tour! I have the exact same rug (with the leaves) in my family room too. How funny. I feel like I should have brought a house-warming present. LOL. Your kids must love their rooms! So very cool!

Mom24 said...

Very, very nice. I am truly jealous. Thanks for sharing.

Amber M. said...

Looks so great. So glad the mess and headache is over!

P.S. I love Bridge on the River Kwai, too!

Superdumb Supervillain said...

That lazy susan is so cool!!! I love all the light and pale wood and cabinets galore.

Annette Lyon said...

So glad it's done! Lovin the knotty pine.

Heather said...

I love it. Those lights are really cool too. I'm really jealous of all the closets. Someday we hope to put an addition on our house too.

Anonymous said...

This is soooo interesting!! Thanks for taking us on a tour!

Anonymous said...

How nice that you could overcome the headaches and sores pots and have such a beautiful space for your family. SO much organization. I love to see how you live.

Melissa said...

I was having a hard time envisioning it with the pictures, but the video shows it off beautifully! And it is beautiful! I love the knotty pine, too, and the kind of modern features (handles, lights, etc.) My husband and I often "battle" over traditional versus modern, and I really like the way your design incorporates some of both. Thanks for sharing your lovely home!

Anonymous said...

Congratulations on your "new" home!

My favorite part is the beautiful diffused light windows in the kids room. What a neat idea! How nice to have a desk right in front of all that light. Plus I think your living room is just lovely with the tree and beautiful wreath:)

Take Care,

Trixie

Abby said...

Wow I love your house! What an awesome design!!

M said...

Beautiful, Michelle! What great concepts!

karen said...

Your renovation is fabulous! What a great thing to have it make your house a home, too - what a wonderful feeling that must be!

Chilihead said...

I loved watching your video! It was good to hear your voice again. ;) The renovation looks gorgeous and, although it was frustrating, was a raging success. I absolutely love the floor lighting and all the frosted glass.

Mirien said...

Thanks for the tour--what a great space for the kids. It looks very European to me. Clean, organized, uncluttered, and classic. But please tell me that your kids' rooms and desks don't always look that clean. It would make me feel better.

John and Laura said...

What a beautiful home! Thanks for the video tour. I could never figure out exactly how the addition was going to work in my head. Now I got it!

Kathryn said...

I love the lazy susan, the cool Enterprise lights and the frosted windows. It makes me really excited to have my own home to do up someday! Thanks for the tour! :-)

ames said...

Very slick! I would die for that much natural light in my house, especially my studio space. And the storage space! Job well done!

Montserrat said...

GORGEOUS! My daughters and I are really loving the sliding door divider between their rooms. And I love the knotty pine.

Sam said...

what a fabulous home!! I love the child friendly space and the den that you have!

Just how long did you have to live with sawdust in the house though?!?

Amateur Steph said...

Wow! I love it. The sliding door and new desk space for your kids is amazing.

An Ordinary Mom said...

How awesome! Am I jealous? Of course, but in a good way :) !!

AlaneM said...

It's beautiful Michelle, I love the kids rooms!

Anonymous said...

I love the amount of workspace in the new addition and the pocket doors - super cool! Congrats on being DONE!

Laura said...

Great video! Thanks for sharing your home with us. All the closet space is to die for!!

Tim Appleton (Applehead) said...

I like the black carpet. there's more than I thought. It looks good.

Anonymous said...

Your remodel is fabulous!

Patois42 said...

Oh, how fabulous. Well worth the wait, I hope you're thinking.

carrhop said...

Congrats! Everything looks great--and I bet you're loving that tankless water heater!

Blessings!

Kathy S said...

So happy for you Michelle! Your addition and all of the storage ideas are very European; the use of space is terrific! Enjoyed your video very much...especially your concise, very educated narration. You are living proof that not all of the women in Alaska speak like Sara Palin! Ha Ha!
ps: Your children seem to mind you very well. What do you feed them?

Melissa-Mc said...

Everything looks amazing. I am salivating over your craft closet :)

Anonymous said...

What kind of window coverings do you have to keep the midnight summer sunlight out?

Mandy said...

When I was watching this I thought, Oh, that floor looks cold! And right then you said it was heated, PERFECT! Looks great!

Scribbit said...

We don't have any window coverings. I know that might sound weird but you get used to the light I guess. I'm kind of waiting to see if it's an issue at all this summer--if so I might have to rig up a curtain in the room itself.

Dawn said...

What a GREAT job ~ beautiful!!

Maddy said...

Fantabulous! Need a lodger?

I have always hated pocket doors which I never knew existed until we moved to the States. Finger guillotines.

However, the frosted variety have sold me = off to Home Depot tomorrow! I'll replace them all and light will again be ours.

Loved hearing the singing hum!

Cheers

Owlhaven said...

looks awesome!!!!

MAry

Omah's Helping Hands said...

I love your house! All that knotty pine. That's always been a favorite. Heated floors, floor lights, then the kids area! Wow! How cool! You're whole house is gorgeous.

deedee said...

Thanks for the tour. Was that snow seen in the summer view of the sidewalk?

Flea said...

Your house is beautiful! I love the Enterprise lights. And the kitchen. And the floor glass. All of it!

Amy said...

I am loving it- it is just beautiful! I love your color choices- it looks like my kind of style. I know that is a lot of work behind all of you so CONGRATS on your new space!!

threesidesofcrazy said...

It turned out great! I love the light and bright atmosphere. And being another cold weather friend I LOVE that built in turnstyle for the hats and mittens LOL. I get so tired of them laying everywhere and no one being able to find them!

Barb said...

Absolutely wonderful, Michelle. I love all the windows, all the light and especially all the knotty pine. Beautiful!

Anonymous said...

Thank you for giving us a feel of what it's like to live in the house that Scribbits built -- you make a fabulous tour guide -- it really is a dream home. Congratulations!

Anonymous said...

Michelle, your home turned out just beautiful! Well worth all the aggravation and waiting. I love all the clever ideas such as the floor to ceiling lazy Susan, hidden outlets, etc.

AND - I loved the zoom in on Lillian's painting! It fits the space just great!

Anonymous said...

Wow ... the house looks amazing!!! I am so sure you will be happy and blessed there! What a wonderful space for the children!

Stephanie Wetzel said...

I love how you locked yourself out of the house. I would totally do that. ;)

With the remodel, I think all the light coming in is GREAT. Was that the goal, living up there in the arctic? And I so want radiant heat.

Must feel great to finally be "home".

Anonymous said...

Love your new addition- very modern - very cool!!! My favorites are the floor lights,pocket doors and separate kids' desk areas. Your children played their parts very well!! Also love the black carpet - word of advice- NEVER get a white dog (or cat!) LOL

miriama said...

OMG. Your place is amazing. Even though you kept us updated it still was a surprise to see the furnished product.

I mean that in a good way, you know! :)

Marketing Mama said...

Wow, that was really cool. Love the windows and the lighting - and it's really cool how the black paint ended up working so well and doesn't look out of place at all! Black carpeting seems even more bold, but looks like it works for you, too! Congrats on being almost finished!

Alison said...

I finally got a chance to watch this. It looks awesome!

jean said...

I love the new addition. Thanks for the tour. Where did you find those ceiling lights? I really like them. Very unique (and yes, they do remind me of the Starship). I have to say the black carpet isn't what I expected. I thought it would make the rooms so dark and absorb the light but it really pulls everything together. Congratulations on it and thanks again for the tour.

jubilee said...

Love the idea of heated floors. And am in love with all the natural light!

32 Flavors said...

Beautiful! I love the floor glass, what a great idea. And all the little details...Thanks for sharing this with us.

Anonymous said...

I love it! It looks a bit strange from the outside when you first see it, but once I saw the amazing use of space and materials on the inside, I began to like the outside too. What a great use of light. The kids must love their new desks.

Do you have built in step stools in the closets or do you just keep one handy to get to the top shelves?