If you’re new here or if you haven’t visited in while, you may not realize we sold the yellow brick home this past year and moved into another charming 1920’s red brick home in early fall! We actually purchased this home in fall of 2022 and spent the past year and a half working on renovations. While we STILL aren’t finished, and some rooms are far from fully decorated, I managed to pull together some of the living spaces in time for the holidays, and they are continuing to evolve as we move into spring. Even though we aren’t quite ready for that big full home tour before and after reveal post, I am happy to invite you in to see some spring peeks.
After having to take a break last year in preparation for moving, I am so happy to once again be joining my friend Marty of a Stroll through life and 23 other bloggers from the annual Spring Home Tour! If you are coming over from Pasha is Home or just happen to be stopping by for a visit, I am truly thrilled that you are here! I have soo much to share and catch up on! You will find links to all the fabulous tours at the end of this post. *This post contains affiliate links.
We’re going to skip my “messy-not-ready-for-spring-yet-porch” and hurry past the “not-quite-there-spring foyer” and head straight on into the cozy spring living room for today’s tour. Grab your favorite cuppa and enjoy!
When most people move from winter to spring decor, it often means switching out heavier fabrics and warmer colors with light and airy fabrics, and pastels hues, or bright, cheery pinks and yellows. However, I have just been enjoying the visual warmth and coziness of the rich, rusty tones of my floral pillow covers and velvet curtains so much since moving here, that I decided to make them work for early spring, especially since we can still experience cold weather or even snow all the way through April.
Because I consider green a neutral and a year-round color in my home, as well as pops of blue and white, I think it keeps those warmer colors from feeling overtly “fallish.” Garden-inspired accents are also staples of my year-round decor, and of course those always speak to spring.
A major decorating and life simplifying goal when we moved was to create a cozy, vintage-traditional aesthetic that would work year round with only minor seasonal changes. Rather than using a lot of mass produced seasonal decorations like I did years ago, I now prefer to use items I already have in new ways as the seasons change, then simply add in a few special holiday or seasonal pieces.
While I didn’t want to spend a lot of money on any new seasonal decor, I knew I needed just a few simple accents to pull a spring look together if I wanted to keep the warm orange tones.
I found some sweet little orange velvet carrots at Hobby Lobby which were a perfect accents since I am still using the rusty orange velvet curtains in the living room. I also found some beautiful and realistic, white real touch tulips or my spring styled tray. All of the other elements in the tray are favorite items I reuse over and over in different ways.
When we moved here, I downsized a ton of seasonal, store-bought decor, but this mossy bunny with a carrot was a keeper. He also helped with “spring-i-fying” the living room, along with the velvet carrots, and favorite coffee table books with gorgeous seasonal images on the covers. Claus Dalby’s new book Containers In the Garden is a stunner!
I will be sharing more about what’s on my March coffee table in a new monthly coffee table series starting this coming Monday.
Up until last week I was still on the fence about whether or not I should go ahead and switch out the burnt orange velvet curtains and the same pillow covers I had shared on my fall tour for different spring curtains and pillows. I was starting to stress about wanting to have a brand new look for this tour, but I just wasn’t ready to spend additional money or time on those items yet. Finding this adorable and inexpensive needlepoint tulip pillow was the final accent I needed to just follow my heart and keep enjoying the colors I already have and am loving right now.
Follow my heart I did, and it led me to remembering this sweet picture of my baby boy in a patch of identical orange-red tulips on his first Easter! He is no longer a baby, in fact he is currently 12 hours away in Hyde Park, New York at the world’s premiere culinary school, The Culinary Institue of America. Oh do I miss him more than words! I am so excited that we will be traveling to spend Easter there with him this year!
The day I took these photos was in fact very spring-like, with sunshine, warm temperatures, birds chirping and daffodils starting to bloom. With the sunshine pouring in and a few simple touches of spring decor, it felt like spring time indoors and out!
This is my favorite view from the loveseat, looking over to my beloved organ, a family heirloom that finally found a perfect spot in this home just a week or so before Christmas.
The organ was a gift from my grandfather, who was my first piano teacher. He purchased it for me when I was just four years old (it was already over 100 year old at the time.) I have had it in my possession for about 10 years now, and I always enjoy decorating it with a couple of nods to the season, just like my grandmother would do when it was in their home as I was growing up.
Even though I don’t have a dedicated music room in this house, it is an obvious a music teacher lives here!
We have two nearly identical mantels, one in the foyer and this one in the living room. Each one is decorated a little differently, but I am using blue and white pottery and brass on both mantels for a bit of visual flow and continuity between the rooms. The two ginger jars (similar here), center chinoiserie planter (similar here) and brass candle holders (similar here) are classic and elegant pieces I have chosen to be the foundational items on this mantel year round. I will simply change out flowers or add other seasonal touches.
Here is a peek of the foyer mantel and round table. I had just started the colorful tulip bouquet and hadn’t even really spaced them out yet, but I decided to keep it real and let you peek into the spring foyer to see what I am working on even though I didn’t get it all styled and photographed for today’s tour.
Here is a view from the foyer into the living room as the sun starts to set in the evening. I am excited to share more of the spring foyer in an upcoming tour post.
Back to the living room, I was loving this mantel but still felt like it needed either a wreath on the mirror or taller orchids to fill negative space and provide interest, so I went thrifting this past weekend to see what I could find.
I ended up scoring a preserved boxwood wreath for just $3 at an antique mall! I tied it on the arched mirror (similar here) with a daffodil-yellow velvet ribbon. It works for me!
A little green bottle filled with a trio of fresh daffodils picked from a patch I inherited here in my new garden adds an additional pop of spring cheer to the mantel.
I will keep some vintage St. Patrick’s Day postcards on display through the holiday, then switch them out for antique Easter postcards. I will probably add some additional little Easter touches such as pretty decoupaged eggs.
Battery operated candles are pretty much mandatory for me as far as creating a cozy, elegant ambiance no matter the season.
Here is a view looking into the kitchen from the living room. Again, I am still new working out the best time of day for lighting and angles when photographing all these new spaces, but I’ll figure it out eventually! What I am loving right now is seeing my new vintage thrifted mid-century barstools, just scored for just $15 each!
Well there’s a pretty long checklist of details to “finish” this brand new kitchen install ( a still-a-mystery-to-me backsplash, larger crown moulding, ceiling treatment, cabinet hardware, more cabinet details, painting the island??? window treatments and the list goes on) BUT I am embracing the beauty of what IS finished so far. I am going to do a couple of spring kitchen posts next week with more rooms shots and details about all the progress and seasonal decor.
More about our kitchen reno and decor, like my husband’s amazing faux finished copper range hood and my seasonal faux florals and spring vignettes…
More about my husband’s work including custom cabinetry and how I added sentimental beauty through his stunning oil paintings….
Spring and Easter styled trays and baskets, branches and blooms…
Cabinet hardware and cabinet feet will be installed next week. I can’t wait to share some before and afters!
Friends, theres a whole lot more yet to come in sharing how we are making this wonderful old house our home sweet home! Please do subscribe by email to see more and stop by for a visit anytime!
I hope you have enjoyed seeing our new home as it is so far with touches of spring decor! Now the tour continues over at The House on Silverado. If you missed any of the other fabulous homes on tour this week, you can check them out via the links below.
Thanks for visiting and happy spring!
A Stroll Thru Life – Worthing Court – StoneGable – Decor To Adore – Peacock Ridge Farm
Tuesday March 5th
White Arrows Home – Thistle Key Lane – Calypso In The Country – Eleanor Rose Home – A Pretty Life In The Suburbs
Wednesday March 6th
Whispering Pines Homestead – Our Southern Home – Thrifty and Chic – Bluesky At Home – County Road 407
Thursday March 7th
It All Started With Paint – Bungalow 47 – Lyndale Drive – From Farmhouse to Florida – My Thrift Store Addiction
Friday March 8th
Pasha is Home – Follow The Yellow Brick Home – The House on Silverado – My Family Thyme – Rae Elizabeth’s House
In the realm of homeownership, the quest for added space is perpetual. Whether you’re expanding for a growing family, enhancing your lifestyle, or preparing to sell, the importance of an additional room cannot be overstated. By adding more space to your home you can increase its value and make it more appealing to prospective buyers. Even if you are not considering selling, an extra room could be a game-changer when it comes to comfort.
Yet, where do you start when it comes to home extensions? Building a new room, such as a kitchen extension, can be a lot of work. On the other hand, you do have some unused areas readily available for conversion and upgrade. Basements, often relegated to mere storage or forgotten spaces, hold immense potential for conversion, adding not just square footage but tangible value to your property.
Why the basement is prime real estate for conversion
When contemplating home improvements, the allure of the basement lies in its existing infrastructure. Unlike building an extension from scratch, your basement already exists, offering a blank canvas for creative reinvention. Here are three compelling reasons why the basement is ripe for transformation:
Your basement is a pre-existing structure, eliminating the need for costly construction projects. With walls and a floor already in place, you’re halfway to realizing your vision. Even if you don’t have a full basement, you probably already have a crawl space, which can be transformed as part of adding a basement to a house.
For many homeowners, the basement remains an underused asset, relegated to storage or miscellaneous clutter. Converting this space unlocks its full potential, adding functional square footage to your home.
Properly insulating your basement not only regulates temperature but also enhances the overall comfort of your home. By insulating walls and floors, you create a cozy retreat insulated from external noise and fluctuations in weather.
Transforming the basement: From concept to creation
Embarking on a basement conversion journey involves a series of transformative steps. From excavating the crawl space to fortifying the foundation and adding insulation, each stage is pivotal in realizing your vision.
If your basement is a crawl space, you will need to dig it out, as this will lay the foundation for your basement conversion. This step will ensure the structural integrity of the foundation is paramount, safeguarding against potential issues down the line. But the good news is that you can retrospectively add a basement when there is only a crawl space.
Proper insulation is key to creating a comfortable and energy-efficient space. This will make sure the basement is usable. But the good news is that when you Insulate walls, floors, and ceilings, you can get rid of a major moisture problem in modern houses. Unfinished basement are a frequent cause of issues. And if you find anything wrong in the basement, it’s wise to get experts in to fix it before you start any work then wet basement repair should be the first thing you do, otherwise any decoration you add will be ruined.
To minimize the risk of moisture-related issues even further, it’s wise to call a local waterproofing company to fully waterproof your basement and protect your foundation.
Remember, the basement wasn’t built with adequate ventilation and lighting, so these are essential for creating a welcoming environment. Install windows or vents to promote air circulation and maximize natural light, transforming your basement into an inviting oasis.
Transforming your basement into a home gym
A home gym offers unparalleled convenience, allowing you to prioritize health and wellness without leaving the comfort of your home. Say goodbye to costly gym memberships and crowded workout spaces, and hello to personalized fitness routines tailored to your preferences.
What you’ll need: Equip your home gym with essential fitness equipment such as cardio machines, weights, and yoga mats. Consider incorporating mirrors to visually expand the space and create a motivating workout environment.
Boost productivity with a home office
With remote work becoming increasingly prevalent, a home office is no longer a luxury but a necessity. Transforming your basement into a dedicated workspace enhances productivity, offering a quiet retreat free from distractions.
What does this project need? You need to furnish your home office with ergonomic furniture, ample storage solutions, and technology essentials such as a reliable internet connection and adequate lighting. Personalize the space with inspiring decor and greenery to foster creativity and motivation.
Add an entertainment room
An entertainment room serves as the ultimate retreat for relaxation and recreation. Whether hosting movie nights with friends or indulging in immersive gaming experiences, this multifunctional space promises endless entertainment possibilities.
This is your sign to install a large screen or projector for cinematic viewing experiences and surround sound systems for immersive audio. You can finish the space with comfortable seating options and accent lighting to set the mood for movie marathons. You may even be able to find cinema seats in auctions!
Designing a dedicated gaming room
A gaming room gives your family a dedicated space for indulging in their favorite games, be it video games, board games, or specialized gaming activities such as DnD or Warhammer craft. You can elevate your gaming experience with a customized setup tailored to your preferences.
What makes the perfect gaming room? You want to equip your gaming room with high-quality gaming consoles or PCs for video games and comfortable seating options, and storage solutions for organizing game collections. If you are building a space for board games, it needs to have a large table, and potential an area for crafting, especially for roleplay and build scenarios.
Add a cozy guest room
Finally, you can offer a welcoming retreat for visitors, ensuring their comfort and convenience during their stay.
Your guest room doesn’t need much except for a comfortable bed, linens, and bedside amenities to create a cozy home-away-from-home ambiance.
Building a stand-alone studio
Similar to a guest room, but you can make the space go further with its own amenities, making it ideal for guests or potential Airbnb rentals. With a private entrance and essential facilities, this self-contained home can become an Airbnb sensation.
Bear in mind that to design a stand-alone studio with a functional layout, you need to incorporate essential features, such as a bathroom, kitchenette, sleeping area, and an independent entrance.
In conclusion, converting your basement into a functional and inviting space is a transformative endeavor with endless possibilities. Whether you’re seeking to enhance your lifestyle, increase your home’s value, or accommodate changing needs, the basement offers a versatile canvas for creative reinvention. From home gyms and offices to entertainment rooms and guest quarters, the only limit is your imagination. Embrace the journey of basement conversion and unlock the full potential of your home.
