"Home is where the heart is"

"Home is where the heart is"... that saying RIGHT there is exactly why I do what I do. Some people ask me, "Why interior design?"... Well, here's my story:

I grew up in a small country town; specifically, Moses Lake, Washington. All you Moses Lake peeps, I have some serious home town pride! However, it wasn't always on the cutting edge of fashion and design. Also, I grew up in a home where the only magazines we subscribed to were the the Ensign and the New Era. So needless to say, I didn't even know Interior Design could necessarily be a profession till later in life. But I was constantly repainting and rearranging my room, and took on a weird obsession watching the set scenes in movies rather than following along with the story line.

In College, I took a Career Exploration class where it required me to take a personality test. I scored extremely high in creativity and suggested a few artsy-careers that would be a good fit. Interior Design was one of them. For an assignment, I job shadowed a local Interior Designer to get a good feel for the profession. I was instantly intrigued. I immediately applied and got accepted into the Interior Design program at LDS Business College, and started down the long journey of late nights of endless projects.

Almost a year later from the time I did my job shadow, the same Interior Designer I job shadowed emailed me that they were looking to hire an Interior Design Assistant. All I can say is I either made a huge impression in a one-hour time frame, or it was a blessing from above that they sought me out a year later to apply for a job. I was ecstatic. I applied, and shortly after started working at Destination Homes. I was doing the design for Inventory Homes and Design Appointments with home owners. Dream Job!

Through my experience in the Interior Design Program and at Destination Homes, I realized homes are where people get to shine.  Inside the walls of a home is where life is created and lived. This is why I think Interior Design in more than just a luxury, its giving your blank canvas the best foot forward into creating a safe and beautiful environment to cultivate your dreams.

So of course, when I bought my first house, I began creating our home. I swapped out dark and cramped spaces for rooms that sparked creativity and excitement. It was a perfect place to experiment all of my design ideas. Here is our journey of our first home:

Here is the outside of our home, a cute little cottage. Our poor bushes in the front flower bed don't stand a chance...

Here is the original kitchen. It was the style when this home was built to have a drop-down soffit above the kitchen cabinets. Horrible, right? Also, the dark red against the stain of the cabinets competed and created a busy and dark room where your eye had no room to rest. 

We replaced the dark red paint with a light grey, and gave the room depth with dark espresso-stained cabinets. We contrasted the dark cabinets with a light grey countertop and a white subway tile backsplash. We carried the backsplash all the way up to the ceiling to match the line of the cabinets. This makes the space feel larger. Here are the afters:

Tip: Add cabinet hardware to contrast against your cabinets. It gives another finish to the room adding visual interest. It also will help your cabinets last longer.

We added a space-saver microwave so that there was more counterspace, and increased the flow of the kitchen.

Finishes for the Kitchen:
1. Paint Color: Repose Gray Sherwin Williams 7015
2. Alder Wood Cabinets - Shaker Door Style stained Espresso
3. Premium Laminate Countertops - Light Grey
4. Tile Backsplash - 3x6 White Subway tiles laid in a brick pattern
5. Premium Laminate Wood Flooring - Walnut
6. Satin Nickel pulls and knobs

 Next was the front room. This was a very small and cramped space, but had great natural light. With some space-planning tricks, we placed the furniture to maximize the space and to create a comfortable conversation area. This was also the only room in the house for a TV, and so to maximize space we did a wall-mount TV, and dressed it up by adding some architectural detail white-wood work.

This is before I had bought all of my accessories, but its a good angle showing the Grid Wall. 

Tip: Floor Poufs can double as foot rests and extra seating in large groups. They also add a fun texture to the space.

Tip: Add a sofa table or console to ground a wall-mount TV.

Living Room Finishes:
1. Paint Color: Repose Gray Sherwin Williams 7015
2. White Grid Wall - MDF Boards on smooth drywall finish. Painted Extra White SW 7006
3. White Sofa - West Elm Lorimer 2 piece chaise sectional
4. Accent Pillows - Target
5. Area Rug - Gray Wool Quatrefoil pattern - Tuesday Morning
6. Accent Chair - Threshold Slipper Chair - Yellow White Trellis - Target
7. Floor Pouf - Gold Medal Hand Knitted Pouf Bean Bag - Target

The Guest Bathroom had the most work, and was the most rewarding once it was finished. Here are the before and afters:

Orange-Peel textured walls, old vinyl flooring

Completely gutted... Look at that wall-paper!

The After... Keeping the same Espresso-stained cabinets as the Kitchen. Adding contrast with white countertops and marble-hex tile flooring. White wall paneling replaced the dark, heavy textured walls. 

Guest Bathroom Finishes:
1. Floor Tile - Carrara Marble Hex - Emser Tile
2. V-Groove Wall paneling painted Extra White SW 7006
3. Euro Vanity Sink - Espresso with cultured marble top - Home Depot
4. Ampersand wall art and Natural Wood framed mirror - Hobby Lobby
5. Orb Pendant Light - Three Light Olde Silver Up Mini Chandelier Hansen Lighting

Here's a close up of the light I used for my vanity light. I didn't install the crystal on the bottom to keep it a little more contemporary. Lighting adds SO much to a space, and is the most effective way to add style.

MASTER BEDROOM

Master Bedroom Finishes:
1. Wall Paint: Amazing Gray SW 7044
2. Mirror Night Stands - Ross
3. Headboard - Down East Home
4. Bedding - Barbara Barry Poetical Duvet Cover - Bed Bath & Beyond

Now that our home is finally completely finished, its time to find another project. Another house to turn into a home. We just bought another fixer-upper that has some great potential, and I can't wait to get my hands on it!! Here we go again...

-Andrea