PPD Renovates: Master Bathroom Reveal

Today, it's all about our master bathroom. Who's excited?! 

True story: the very first thing I chose when we started our renovation was our master bathroom marble. It was quite the ordeal to get it completed, and I would never recommend the company we purchased it from, but it was worth the headache. It's called Alabama White and is from a quarry Sylacauga, Alabama. It is almost entirely white with little to no grey veining, and I love it.

There are a few other things I love about our master bath starting with the navy cabinets. The color is Hale Navy by Benjamin Moore, and we paired them with brass pulls from Restoration Hardware. I am a big fan of mixing metals (and mixing patterns and furniture in general), so we chose polished nickel for the rest of our finishes throughout the room. 

I think it's so important to try to mix and match different patterns, colors, and metals. I realize this is not for everyone, and some people love a simple, monochromatic feel, but I think mixing these metals together really adds so much warmth and character to our space.

Our his/hers closets are directly across from our vanity. While the closets are pretty small, it's so nice for each of us to have our own space. I will say, the closets are far from finished, so no looksies at those today! 

I just added this awesome vintage handmade rug from India recently, and I think the colors in it play so well with the rest of the room, including my nudes by Kristin Blakeney. I had them framed with navy mats via Framebridge to match the cabinets. Love. (P.S. More on my experience with Framebridge later).

The freestanding tub was one of my must-have wish list items, and the light fixture from Serena and Lily really makes a statement in the tub / separate water closet area. This light fixture pretty much inspired all of the finishes in this room. I got it for Christmas at the beginning of our renovation, and it lived in a box in the tiny house we rented for 4 months until we finished. It's on a dimmer and is perfect for peaceful baths.

Our master shower is probably the most ostentatious seemingly ridiculous part of our house, but here's the deal: 

1. This room backs up to our guest room, so the space was originally drawn as a guest closet. We don't have kids and even if we did, no one needs a closet that big for anything. We've got plenty of storage, so we absorbed the space into our bathroom for our shower.

2. Nothing makes me happier in this room than the fact that visitors can't see any of our unsightly towels, washcloths, or robes. Everything is tucked near the shower for easy access and stays tidy and out of sight!

Also, I don't have pics of this space because who wants to see that anyway? ;)

That's it! Of course I could use window treatments, fresh flowers, etc. but this is what I see every day. Let me know if you have any questions about anything you see! 

PPD Renovates: The outside is DONE

I mentioned a few days ago that we finally moved into our house. Our official move-in date was April 22 which means that as of today, we've been in our house for about three weeks. We spent the first two weeks battling boxes, trying to figure out where furniture was going to live, and what we needed to wrap-up. That meant someone knocking on the door almost daily trying to finish the job.

Before

After

While the inside of our house is far from finished, the outside of our house is actually done! It's crazy to think that just five months ago, we had very different curb appeal (although it wasn't very appealing). Now we have grass (first time ever), gorgeous plants like hydrangeas, Boston ivy, and ferns, and a stoop that seriously makes me so happy. That pink brick is perfection against Farrow & Ball's Purbeck Stone. 

Our front door is custom, and while that sounds fancy pants/expensive, it was actually more cost effective to have our door custom-made than to buy it from the lumbar yard. Trust me, I was shocked, too. Since we have a door with glass, I won't get to have a fun door knocker, so we decided to make a statement with our hardware. I love the Baldwin Nashville more than I ever thought I would. It really partners well with our gas lanterns which are made by a company out of Fairhope, Alabama - just over the bay from Mobile which I think is so cool.

Of course, I had to add a cute doormat. I'm pretty sure I'll be swapping these out regularly, but I think this pineapple one was a great starting point. I've rounded-up a few of my other favorite welcome mats below! 

Stay tuned for even more house updates, and if you can't wait for a blog post, I'm giving lots of them on IG stories, so follow along there! 

PPD Renovates: We Have a Roof!

Before

We've officially been under construction on our home renovation for just over a month. Construction started on November 21, so we've come quite a long way in a short amount of time...which is a good thing! We're very satisfied with our team so far, and things are moving along with the project. 

Not going to lie, after a long, drought-ridden fall, as soon as we took our roof off, and I mean AS SOON AS we took our roof off, the rain came down. In those weeks, we had many nights waking up wondering if our floors and ceilings were being drenched in water. Luckily, we had very little water damage, and now that we have a roof and almost all of our windows, we shouldn't have anymore sleepless nights. 

Roof off! This lasted for a few weeks and was basically just complete stress. 

The very beginning of framing. You can see the original wood siding underneath our blue. 

Since I am such a type-A planner, I've had all of our material selections ready to go for months. This was especially helpful for both our plumber and our electrician. It's crazy that all of the electrical work happens during framing, so having my lighting ordered weeks in advance allowed us to  know exactly what height to hang things like sconces. Plus, I loved choosing lighting. I'm pretty obsessed with the sconces for our dining room, but the master bath and powder room ones have my heart, too. 

Starting to look more like a house again!

Other than lighting, we've spent a lot of time choosing brick and thinking about our paint colors. I met with a paint specialist last week to help us wrap our heads around it. I really want to have different paint colors throughout the house, but I want them to work together seamlessly. I'm not sure if you've ever looked, but there are thousands of paint colors out there, and unlike lighting and tile stores, paint reps don't exist. Having an expert is going to be so helpful! 

As of Saturday, December 31, 2016, we have a roof, shingles, windows (!!!) and all kinds of newness on the inside. 

As far as the exterior goes, we still have siding to add, a brick fireplace & stoop, expanding the stoop, and moving the front door. The new front door will be directly under that middle window and will finally give me the symmetry I've been craving. We're hoping to have drywall up in the next few weeks which means another update will be coming your way soon!  In the meantime, let me know if you have any questions about renovation/adding-on to your home. I'm becoming an expert slowly but surely! 

PPD Renovates: Getting Started

I've been hinting for quite some time that we are in the process of getting started on a home renovation. It's been a dream of ours for as long as I can remember and the fact that we are on the brink of starting has me giddy with excitement. I can't believe it's almost here! 

Of course, all of that excitement comes with a bit of apprehension. When I first started researching, I did't know the first thing about...well...anything. However, over the past few months, I've made it my mission to not only become educated, but really hone in on our style. Thankfully, Hunter and I both agree on our tastes, so we haven't had to compromise too much when it comes to choosing tiles and finishes. I am sure that can be the source of many arguments if you're not on the same design page. 

Even though I am not an interior designer nor am I an interiors blogger, it seems only natural that house content is going to creep into the blog from time to time because let's face it: when I'm not working or watching hours of Fixer Upper, I'm pretty much thinking about the renovation. Sorry not sorry. 

Today, I wanted to give you an idea of where we are starting, as well as a glimpse into where we're heading. First of all, we are not moving. Well, not technically. We are renovating the house we already live in and own, but will be moving out during construction to help speed things along. Second, we are not doing any major renovating to the footprint of our home. In fact, the footprint of our home (ie. the foundation) will not change. We're going up and adding a second story, essentially doubling our square footage. The main floor of our home will stay, in large part, the same (for now). So, no kitchen renovations around here, y'all. What we ARE doing is updating our current bathroom which presently has a blue bathtub and making room for a staircase. Otherwise, that's it! 

The photo at the top of the post gives you a cute idea of where our house is starting. This is our house in watercolor form. :) I'm a little superstitious, so once we get our building permit approved in the next month or so, I'll share our house plans with you. In the meantime, be on the lookout for posts featuring our inspiration for the house. I'm sure there will be posts about everything from tile to art. Looking forward to sharing this process with y'all! 

2017 in Review: My Favorite Posts of the Year

At the start of the new year, I do a round-up of my favorite posts of the year. These are sometimes my most popular posts, sometimes my least popular posts, or sometimes just posts that I want to include. It's always fun to look back and see the different tips, tricks, and stories I've told, and I am always reminded of the great things that I've accomplished in a year. 

2017 brought one huge change for us: we renovated our home. It's hard to imagine that at the beginning of 2017, we did not have a roof, but by the end of the year, we not only have a roof, walls, floors, and decor, but we also hosted family here for Christmas. It truly is crazy what happens in a year. 

As I move into 2018, I'm reflecting on the past year both personally and for the blog. I am hoping to bring content that is worth-while and not what every other blogger is doing because frankly, I'm sick of reading the same stuff over and over. I'm determined to only share when I feel like I have something to say. I am also determined to share more personal posts that don't gloss over the important things happening in the world around us. 

Personally, I'm sure like most of you, I'm hoping to consider self care. I know that's such a buzzy word right now, but it is what it is, and it is something I need to pay attention to. And self care doesn't just mean diet/exercise. I want to read more. I want to say no more. I want to sleep better. I want to get back to my daily scripture reading. I want to see my friends more. I want to travel more. Basically, I want to do what I want to do, not what I feel obligated to do. 

I'll let you know how it goes. 

In the meantime, here are my favorite posts of 2017. Enjoy them and cheers to the New Year! 

January: 5 Reasons Why Bachelorette Parties are Better in your 30s

February: How to Wear Joggers in Public

March: My Current Favorite Podcasts

April: 5 Favorite Online Home Stores

May: PPD Renovates: The Outside is DONE

June: Genius Trick to Revolutionize Summer Beverages

July: 30A Hidden Gems

August: How to Make an IG Stories Graphic

September: Fall Style + Closet Overhaul

October: A Personal, Political, & Perhaps Unpopular Post

November: Caramel Baked Apples

December: Christmas Home Tour

PPD Renovates: Paint and Drywall

It's been a loooong time since I did a renovation update, and honestly, it's because nothing was happening. Due to these pesky things called inspections, the house spent nearly a month with absolutely no noticeable movement. During that time, we did get a new hot water heater and a new HVAC (joy), but when it came to seeing actual changes, they were few and far between. 

I have to say, renovation is not for the faint of heart. It's absolutely nothing like Fixer Upper or Flip or Flop, and what can be done on T.V. in six weeks is more like six months in real life. I mean, I knew that going into it, but when you're living in a house the size of a dorm room while your actual house is being renovated, time can move incredibly slow. 

Now, we're starting to pick up steam once again. In fact, while we were in Mobile for three nights for Mardi Gras, our team was able to completely paint the outside and put up all of the drywall. When we left town, we left behind a yellow Hardie board exterior and nothing but wood framing, insulation, and wires on the interior. Imagine our surprise when we came home to so much change! 

I never shared framing pictures with you all because frankly, they're pretty dizzying to look at, but now that drywall is up, I can show you some progress. 

Something to remember: a majority of our changes are happening in our former attic space. Because of that, there's no real "before and after" shots. When there's one to share, I'll note it below! 

The top photo in the post is where we started with the exterior, and here's the exterior today:

We're pretty much obsessed with our brick and our paint choice. Paint is so funny. In some light, the  gray paint looks super bright...almost white. In other light, it reads darker. We chose Farrow & Ball Purbeck Stone and are very pleased with our choice. 

Our brick is beautiful too. I love how it reads just a little bit pink and has some whitewash, too. One of the things that we uncovered during demo were some super old bricks. Hunter had the great idea to incorporate them into our stoop. You can't really see the detail when you're standing on the stoop, but when you look out the laundry room window, it's such a cool feature (they're the larger bricks in the center). Of course, once we get our roof on our overhang, we'll loose that view, but it's nice to know those original bricks are there. 

As far as the inside goes, here are a few pictures of our rooms. They're each labeled to help you picture what will be there in the future. 

Living & Dining (old office) before. 

Entry before.

Living & dining during framing.

Living & dining (and front entry) with drywall. 

Another view of Living & Dining + a shot of our new fireplace. There will be a brick surround with built-ins on either side of it.

Going up the stairs.

Top of the stairs (in front of the shot above). Laundry Room is directly ahead. There are two guest rooms to your right, and you can see a glimpse of the master on the left. 

Master bedroom and a sneak peek of the hardwoods. These will eventually be stained to match our floors downstairs. 

Master bath! His and hers closets on the left. Our vanities will be directly across from the closets. That room with the window will house my free-standing tub. I cannot flipping wait to see it!

We're not quite sure on the move-in date, but fingers crossed it's less than 6 weeks. From now on, all of the fun stuff should start to happen. We're working on tile as we speak and hardwoods have already started going in, too. We're doing hardwoods throughout, just like our downstairs, and I'm looking forward to seeing them completed. Stay tuned for more updates! I'm sure there will be more soon. 

If you want to see where we started, check out my first few posts here and here.