Happy 2023! I’m starting the year off fresh and I’m so ready to dive into projects in our new Southern home. There is so much I’d like to accomplish! From big projects like adding windows to our prep kitchen space, landscaping, and furnishing our front room….to smaller details like layering decor and patterns into our current design. The list is long and can sometimes be overwhelming! With that in mind, I think it’s good for me to take a look backwards. SO MUCH was accomplished in 2022 and I want to be sure I appreciate how far we’ve already come with this house!

A recap……

We closed on our new build home in December 2021. Prior to that we were living in a temporary apartment rental for 6 months since our move from California. Our new build was a big, plain, white and basic space! But the bones were there. The floorplan was a main selling point for this house, and I just knew with our personal touches we could turn our builder basic house into the home I envisioned. All of the photos below are super quick snapshots from my phone, so while they aren’t the best, as I added them to this post it really did amaze me to see just how far we’ve come!

We spent Christmas 2021 in California and came back just before the new year to projects already starting in our house. We focused our time, energy and budget on the kitchen and family room. We replaced our kitchen cabinetry to make room for more substantial appliances (this range!!) and added cabinetry to the area behind our kitchen as well. We also closed off a door in our family room that led to a small deck. This gave us room for beautiful built-ins and a new fireplace. The deck is now accessible from our guest room only which I think is such a nice feature for visiting friends and family!

I’m not going to lie, it was a LONG process. We created a temporary kitchen in our basement, but it was pure chaos and definitely delayed the feeling of “home” which we were craving so much. Remember, by this point we had already been living in an apartment for close to 6 months! Finally though our kitchen started to take shape and we knew it would all be worth it in the end.

One thing that really took a while was finding our marble slabs for our countertops! We had carrara marble in our old home and I knew I wanted a similar look in our new kitchen. I went to every slab yard in the Nashville area looking for these! I finally found the perfect set of honed carrara slabs at Triton Stone. If you’re local and in the market I highly recommend them, they had a great selection and were super helpful. The day they were installed felt so monumental, even Brad got in on the action and helped out! I think I held my breath the entire time.

By February…our lanterns were hung and we got running water in the kitchen.

Meanwhile the living room started to take shape with a rug, furniture and the beginning of our built-ins!

April…we got our counter stools! They were a splurge and we waited FOREVER for them. Thankfully they were totally worth it and I love them so much! Plus the cushions are upholstered in Brooke and Lou’s life friendly fabric so the kids can spill on them and I won’t stress.

And on April 9th the moment of truth finally came, our range arrived and was installed! Friends, that was over 3 months WITHOUT a proper range or oven at our house. At the time it was all a blur and I’m not even sure I realized until I put this post together just how long it actually was! We had ordered the range in August 2021 while we were still in the apartment. Good thing I love it!! The mix of metals is what did it for me!! The brass detailing is just so good.

At the end of April we had the shelving re-done in our pantry to accommodate small appliances and give us more storage. Honestly it’s the non-glamorous projects like these that make such a big difference in day to day living! Having our larger toaster oven and coffee maker, both which we use every day, tucked away in the pantry is so nice!

Finally at the end of April we completed our last big project in the family room…our mantle and bookshelves! These really completed the space and it finally started to look and feel like home.

That was 4 months of major projects. Once those were finished our house finally started to feel more like a home. Our home. We filled the shelves, added drapery, a chandelier and decorative touches. We cuddled on the couches and cooked in the kitchen. Went to bed each night and woke up each morning feeling a little more like we’ve made our home here. Gosh what a journey it’s been and there is so much more to come! Not only do we have many more projects on the horizon, but I’m hoping to layer in more details, color and pattern. Most importantly though I’m looking forward to growing that lived-in-feeling that only time can create…and we’ll do that by spending time together as a family within these walls we built.