home renovation

how changing our door knobs completed our home renovation

December 17, 2018

changing door knobs front door handle satin brass

// we chose emtek’s baden front door set //

When we first started our remodel, the last thing I was thinking about was choosing new door knobs. That wasn’t even on my “to-do” list. It wasn’t until our painter asked me if we were taking off the old door knobs that I even thought about it! Although they never made the list, in the back of my mind I never had plans to keep the existing door knobs, which were ’90’s bright brass, round door knobs. They fit the house before our renovations, but definitely not after!

When I started looking for door knobs, I fell in love with Emtek Products. I never knew how much I could like a door knob – the things you don’t realize until you are knee deep in renovations! One of the things that I love about Emtek is that you can mix and match most of their door knobs, rosettes and finishes. You’re able to create your own custom combination to fit your home. There are so many different options in style of the actual knob (or lever), rosette and finishes, but as soon as I saw the crystal knob I knew that was it! Because we went with brass fixtures in our kitchen and bathrooms, I decided to use brass for our door hardware, too. I love the warmth it brings to an otherwise all white house.

Here are images from our new house and some from the original house. I wish I would have thought about taking better pictures of the previous door knobs, but like I said, I hadn’t even thought to add them to my list! In the end here is what we chose for our new house:

Front Door

Baden Tubalar Entryset in Satin Brass with Breslin Lever

// love the satin brass with our navy front door //

// baden tubular set in satin brass //

// a close-up of our front door hardware //

changing door knobs front door before picture

// the house when we bought it – original door hardware //

Interior Doors

Modern Disc Crystal Knob with Rectangle Rosette

changing door knobs bathroom door knob crystal and satin brass

// i love these door knobs //

// we used the modern disc crystal knob for all our interior doors //

// the view into william’s room //

// master bathroom //

// one of the only pictures of the original door knobs – this was from when we bought the house prior to any updating //

Exterior Doors

Breslin Lever in Satin Brass with rectangle rosette and Square Deadbolt

changing door knobs levers for outside doors

// we opted for levers for all exteriors doors because I typically have at least one, if not two babies in my arms and levers are easier to open //

Doors to Master Bathroom and Study

These are a smaller version of what I chose for the larger doors on our home. Love the small crystal knobs!

// we chose this smaller crystal knob for the master bathroom doors and into the study //

// a detail shot //

Bathroom Accessories

We sourced all towel bars, towel hooks and toilet paper holders from Emtek. They have a great selection of styles, and again, you can choose the finishes and mix and match.

// favorite room in the house 😉 //

// love that you can choose from a variety of rosettes //

Door Stops and Hinges

These are the things you really don’t think about (or at least I didn’t), but updating all our door stops and hinges really make a difference in the overall look of our home.

Cheers,

Stia, Jean and Katherine

Thank you to Emtek for partnering with us on this post!

Photography: Audrie Dollins

boys’ bathroom reveal

November 27, 2018

// the after of the boys’ bathroom //

It has been a long time coming, but we are thrilled to be sharing the boys’ bathroom reveal! This is the first of many projects we’ve undertaken in our new house. Being that this is the first home renovation my husband and I have done, I was clueless about where to start. Thankfully, we had two months from the time we closed on the house until we hired a contractor. While we found the difficulty in finding a contractor frustrating at the time, that extra time was exactly what we needed to start to look for ideas, find inspiration and make plans for when we would finally be able to start our renovation.

Knowing that we would be replacing all the floors, renovating two bathrooms (we still have one additional bathroom left to do), renovating the kitchen and redoing the built-in and fireplace in our family room – I started to look around for ideas involving tile. While searching for tile stores, one of the ones that came up was Floor & Decor. Floor & Decor also came highly recommended from a few friends that had recently completed some home renovation projects. Floor & Decor is a flooring store that carries every type of tile imaginable; marble, ceramic, porcelain, travertine, etc. In addition to tile, they also carry wood floors. Basically, Floor & Decor is a one-stop shop for everything you need related to tile and flooring and the prices are unbeatable. A huge plus when you see how expensive flooring can be!

boys bathroom reveal visit to tile store

// headed to Floor & Decor to look at tile //

Our first (of many) visits to the store was to focus on the boys’ bathroom tile. This was the most fun project for me out of the whole house. I’m not sure if it’s because it’s a smaller space or that it just came together easily! Floor & Decor has great displays with every tile in inventory and there is a free onsite designer that helped me with my vision. She helped source product, select grout and everything was ready that day for my contractor to pick-up. The whole process was so seamless!

// Floor & Decor has so many options to choose from //

// Henry helped me pick out tile for the bathroom 😉 //

// ended up choosing the far left and love it! //

I knew I wanted to do a mosaic tile on the floor. The first tile I found was a honed hexagon marble tile. I loved the shades of gray in the stone and the fact that is was honed and not polished was a huge selling point for me. I do not want to risk my boys slipping on a polished stone! After looking at a hexagon ceramic tile, penny tile, and a smaller polished hexagon, I ultimately decided on the first honed hexagon tile and I am so happy with our choice.

// the bathroom when we bought the house //

// and after! //

My next decision was what to do for the shower surround. With the bathroom being on the smaller side, I knew I wanted to do something light. I brought home a lot of different white tiles (Floor & Decor accepts returns on non-installed products, which is a huge plus!) to hold up in the bathroom and next to the boys’ countertops. In the end, I selected a simple, white 3 x12 tile in the color meringue. We took the tile all the way up to the ceiling in the shower and I love how that really opened up the space. Because I wanted to do wallpaper in their bathroom, I ended up carrying the tile completely around the bathroom up the walls to about 3 feet. That way I can easily wipe off the tile vs. wallpaper from their dirty hands! We used the matching pencil liner to finish out the look. We also built in a small marble niche for the boy’s shampoo, conditioner and body wash.

// another before shot //

boys bathroom reveal shower tile to ceiling

// and the shower after! //

boys bathroom reveal white subway shower surround

// we chose a 3 x 12 white subway tile and brass fixtures //

marble shower niche boys bathroom reveal

// love the way the niche turned out //

I am so happy with the way their sweet bathroom turned out! I love the floor tile and the wainscoting around the room, the touches of brass add some warmth and the wallpaper adds the perfect pop! It’s come a long way since the first time we saw the house back in May! What do you guys think of the before and after? I’ll be sharing all the details as far as counters, plumbing, mirrors, towels, stools, etc, so stay tuned!

// details of the sink area //

// another before shot //

boys bathroom reveal subway tile backsplash

// from the hallway //

boys bathroom reveal white tile wainscoting

// we did a 3 foot wainscot around the bathroom and love the way it turned out! //

Cheers,

Stia, Jean and Katherine

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Floor & Decor. The opinions and text are all mine.

Photos by: Audrie Dollins

home renovation update

September 24, 2018

|checking up on the home reno|

pink hard hats // blue tank // white jeans // sneakers // jeans // white top // sneakers

It’s been about a month since we shared what we plan on updating in our home, so I thought I would give another quick update. Now that demo is complete, things are starting move quickly and I can’t wait to start seeing some of our finishes installed! Our kitchen and bathroom faucets won’t be delivered for 4-6 weeks, so those will be the final pieces installed before move-in. We’re crossing our fingers that we are moved in a month from now!

KITCHEN

The wallpaper is down, the island is gone and we are getting ready for our countertops to go in (which I finally made a decision on!). Our apron front sink was delivered last week and our contractor will start to work on the cabinetry to get it installed. I still need to choose a backsplash; I’ll decide once the counters are installed this week. I’m dying to see the progress once the counters go in and the cabinets are painted!

MASTER BATHROOM

The master bathroom is well on it’s way. They have reframed the shower, moved the plumbing, built our vanity, added new outlets for two sconces and we are ready for tile. I’ve selected our faucets, shower fixtures, bath tub and tub filler. The tub should go in soon, but we will be waiting 4-6 weeks for the faucets. Now that I’ve chosen countertops, I’ve made a decision on floor tile and have almost decided on shower wall tile!

BOYS’ BATHROOM

The boys’ bathroom is ready for tile and countertops! I’ve selected countertops for their bathroom and I’m working on finalizing the floor tile and shower wall tile. We’re also planning to do a wainscot of tile around the whole bathroom. I’m still looking for the perfect wallpaper to go above the wainscot! I want do something fun for the boys, but not cutesy. It may be hard to find, but I’ve actually seen a couple of patterns that almost fit the bill.

FLOORING

Our floors are in! This has made a huge difference in our house. We ended up going with a 5″ white oak and so far I am so glad we did! I still need to choose a stain – so let me know if you have any suggestions!

FAMILY ROOM

We had a very random half wall/window. We knew the wall needed to go, but thought we would have to leave one column. Our contractor was able to add enough reinforcement beams into the ceiling and now we have nothing there. It has opened up our entire house and we love it. We re-did the built-in, our tv will now be set up above the fireplace, we redid the fireplace surround and have fireplace tile picked out. This room is the focal of the house and we want it to be very cozy and comfortable. I can’t wait to see it painted and the tile in!

FAQS

Why did you choose nail down hardwoods vs. engineered?

We originally thought engineered floors would be the only thing that fit our budget. Our contractor’s floor sub gave us a great price on the nail down hardwoods and even though we aren’t planning to sell anytime in the near future, we have heard that nail down hardwoods are more valuable for resale. When we realized we had to replace our baseboards anyway, (which had to be done if we did nail down floors) it was an easy decision. I am so happy with our floors!

What color are your floors?

We went with white oak in a 5″ plank. I have yet to decide the stain. Will keep you posted!

What did Caleb care the most about in the renovation?

Our master bathroom shower was tiny. He wanted to enlarge it enough that his elbows wouldn’t hit the glass when he was washing his hair. Thankfully, that was an easy fix!

What has been the most stressful part of your renovation?

Bathroom tile. There are so many options and I have had the hardest time making a decision and sticking with it. I have lost sleep over it! Floor & Decor has been my go-to and I have been there grabbing samples the past week. I am so excited to see some of my selections installed this week!

Who is doing your bathroom reno?

Our general contractor is overseeing our entire project. If you’re local, I’d be happy to share his contact information. He’s been great to work with!

How did you figure out budget for reno vs house?

We had X amount of dollars to spend and whatever we had left after we bought the house we could spend on the reno.

What do William and Henry think?

Henry could care less. William is concerned why our house is so dirty. They both have been great sports throughout the whole process, but we all can’t wait to see our house done!

What was the most important part of the reno for you? Your must-do?

My must-do was removing the half wall/window. Taking it down has changed everything!

Why did you choose this house for reno?

It was in the right neighborhood, with the schools we would like our boys to attend. It also is .5 miles from my parents and I love that my boys will grow up in the same area that I did! It also hasn’t been updated in 25 years, so we aren’t redoing someone else’s updates.

Are you working with an interior designer?

I’m not. While at times it’s been hard, I know what I like and the look I’m going for. I’m just praying it all looks good together when all is said and done!

What paint colors did you choose?

I have yet to choose a single paint color for our house. Since this is the last thing we will be doing, I am going to wait for everything to be installed and then chose!