The Barn…Progress Photos.

January 11, 2015

Ok, so while I have photos today, I also have lots of words.

I have been avoiding writing this post for so long because to be totally honest, I have been crazy embarrassed for a lot of reasons, but the main reason being that everything is not perfect, not 100% me, and not the way I saw it my head. It’s also far from being completely finished. The truth is I moved in WAY too early. The kitchen is in good shape, sure, but the rest of the place is just a flat-out mess. I still have no bathroom sink (Monday), I’m missing an exterior door (coming today!) and many other things, as you will see.

In talking with my mom and dad, I realized that this is simply real life and it’s also most definitely the way construction goes. Nothing is perfect, it’s stuff that people go through all the time and just because I write a blog, that doesn’t make my life picture perfect. So I am not going to try to paint it any differently. What you are seeing and reading is the brutal truth….AKA life.

Let me also add that life is not like it seems on Pinterest. It’d be pretty awesome if it was, but IT’S NOT.

I am learning this the hard way and it is not particularly fun, but it’s REAL. When we set out to renovate this space a little over a year ago, neither my parents nor I thought it would be so much work nor so much of well, a pain in the ass. And umm, that is putting it nicely. I wish I could sit here and tell you this amazing story of how awesome building my own home was and yada, yada, yada, but that just wouldn’t be the truth and as much as the internet, and more specifically blogs, like to create a picture perfect world, I am here to show you that is not the case. Nothing about this process has been perfect and as you will see from the photos, we are not even done. UGH.

With all that said, I do not want to seem ungrateful. I am beyond grateful for everything and I couldn’t be more exited to have my own space and know that it is space that I created….I just wish it was a little more the way I had envisioned it in my head. A little more Pinterest perfect, but I am learning to accept that most things are just not meant to look like they do on Pinterest. I am so excited to be able to work in this kitchen, once it is quiet and all my own I know I will be pinching myself. And even though everything isn’t quite as I envisioned, I am still so incredibly happy with the way things are looking and the way I think they will come together once everything is finished. I feel amazingly lucky, blessed and all that good stuff to get to be on my own in such a great space, yet still be so close to my family.

SO, there are a lot of reasons why this renovation has been hard. Issues with the county and permits, issues with contractors (yes, plural), issues with workers, issues with workers not showing up, and then of course the “oh, but I have no money left” issue. UGH. It’s just kind of been one thing after the next and since I really do not want to be in debt or flat-out broke (and neither do my parents, who yes helped me with this renovation), I was not willing to shell out all of my money for every last little detail that I wanted.

If you ever got a chance to check out my Barn Pinterest board then you saw that my style is pretty simple, clean, rustic and… apparently very expensive. I easily could have spent a million bucks on this place if I had done everything the way I really wanted to. In the end, I think that everything will come together and I will love this place to death. Right now I am just living in a giant cloud of dust, with dirt covered floors and painters who are totally stoned. Sounds fun, right?

I have to give one giant shout out to my mom today. First because it’s her birthday!! I am making her this cake AND this cake because she is the best and cake is her favorite and she totally deserves not one, but two cakes today! Second, because without her, there is no way that I would be sitting here in my own home in peace and quiet (very dusty and dirty, but quiet) without her. When we went through two general contractors, one of whom was actually stealing money, my mom decided to take on the task herself and you guys, she did a KICK ASS job. No one could have done it better. So thank you so much mom, you will always be the best at everything and HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

But don’t be calling her up looking to use her on your next project. She is DONE with any kind of construction. Forever. “Never again” in her words.

Ok so what else. While things right now aren’t just they way I want them, I know that over time everything with come together. And yes, it will take lots of time, but eventually it will get there and eventually it will all be completely ME. And the really good news is, I have lots and lots of time to grow into this place. The perks of being young!

And now some pictures!! Welcome to my new home guys!

Let’s start with the kitchen because I feel like this is the room that everyone is most anxious to see. Let me start by saying that the purple paint you see is being replaced with white. Also, the metal pole-like thingy that you see hanging over my stove will soon be one giant hood. The rest of the kitchen will stay the same. Oh, but I do hope to get some plates over those light switches soon!

I ended up going with all marble countertops, and while they are beautiful, they are such a pain. I still love them, but wow, everything stains. I am wishing I would have done marble on the outside counters and a butcher block for the island. I think that would have been much more practical, but they’re there now and like I said, they are so pretty! My cabinets actually did not turn out the way we thought they would. I was hoping for more of a grey color, but I think once I get rid of the purple paint I will like them much more.

For the upper cabinets I decided to have them open, and even though I have to keep them somewhat tidy, I am loving them! I actually hope to get a little more color into them soon…meaning more dishes! Oh and yes, that whole wall to the right of the sink is filled with Staub cookware. Slightly obsessed.

I got my hardware for the cabinets from Anthropologie. I love them! They were pretty expensive, but I think they are so fun and help to keep things unique.

As for my appliances, they are all Sub-Zero and Wolf. Let’s just talk about my oven? Isn’t it amazing? Double oven and so many burners. LOVE it. And then my fridge? It’s so clean and perfect, I wish it could stay this way forever and ever.

My sink I had custom-made, It is a copper sink with a nickel patina, and considering how much I could have spent, it was relatively CHEAP. The sink is all my mom’s doing. THANK YOU!. It’s practically the size of a bathtub and washing dishes is basically a dream (ok, slight exaggeration). I hope that over time, a little more of the copper underneath will show through. I also have a sprayer that is being installed on Monday… along with the bathroom faucet…and the water line to the ice maker in the fridge. Yep, still a work in progress.

On to the next room, my studio/photo room/where I take all my pictures! I love this room. It’s literally right off the kitchen, which makes my life a million times easier. AND the light is so perfect and while it is a lot darker than what I am used to shooting in, I have grown to love it.

Having so much space is a dream, and over time I will be getting those boards and dishes up off the floor and into my pantry…cannot wait for that to be built. Thinking it will end up as my favorite room!

And speaking of the pantry, this wall right here will have sliding barn doors that will open up into that favorite room (that is also not even built yet). Those pieces of cardboard will be gone and all you will see is a big room full of props, food and prettiness! Can’t wait! The barn doors will be going up this week and the actually pantry should be happening with the next couple months.

Walking back through the kitchen now into my office. The office is still a work in progress as well. I love my white wood walls, but I need a new desk, a bookshelf and some pops of inspiring color. I am hopping to get this room finished up soonish as I spend any time that I am not in the kitchen in here and I would love to have a super creative and inspiring space to work in.

The walls will all be wood similar to the walls in my office and shooting room, only a slightly different color.

And now, up my pretty stairs that yes, will eventually have a railing.

This wall will also have sliding barn doors and they will open up into my tiny bedroom.

Even though this room is small, I love its coziness. It’s the perfect little room for me. I still need a lot of stuff, like a night stand and shades and things to make the room fun, but again, over time! I have a cute little white chandelier that still needs to be hung, I can’t wait to see it up.

And here is the bathroom. I LOVE my vanity so much. My parents found it at an antique shop and even though the sink actually does not work yet, it’s currently my favorite piece in the barn. I love it’s fun color and rustic feel.

And that’s a wrap up of the barn…progress photos. I promise this will not be the last post and I cannot wait to be able to show you everything when it’s all finished and done. No idea when that will be, but hopefully it will not be all that much longer!! I would love to hear your thoughts and even suggestions for things to add! So let me know what you guys think!!

Happy Sunday!

If you make this recipe, be sure to tag your photo #halfbakedharvest.