Our FIVE Year Before and After Home Tour!

November 04, 2022

A five year before and after tour of our home!

Join me as I share a before and after tour of our house! We've lived here for five years now...can you believe it? 

I love looking back to see how much everything has changed over the years...it's so fun to see the result of all of my DIY projects and updates. 

It has been a labor of love to transform our spaces and it's been so fun to share it with you along the way!

I'll share links to the biggest projects in these rooms, but if you have a question about something in particular, let me know in the comments. 

You can see all of our paint colors here and I share details about all of our finishes as well. 

The very first space I worked on was our powder room. This is how it looked soon after moving in: 
gray open bathroom vanity

And after some board and batten trim and a couple wallpaper changes, the current view: 
floral wallpaper bathroom

This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience.
I may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links. 
See my policies and disclosure page for more information.  

Our pantry makeover was one I tackled this year as well, and it started out with this open shelving: 
open shelving in pantry

I tore everything out (and kept it for a future project) and installed cabinets instead: 
gray cabinets shelves in pantry

We have a TON of storage in these tall pantry cabinets thanks to my DIY roll out drawers inside
tall cabinets in pantry

The pantry is one of my all time favorite changes I've made to either of our homes! Having everything in the cabinets calms me when I walk in. :) It's been so much easier to keep organized as well. 

I recently made some small updates to our foyer -- here's a shot of how it looked from the door before: 
foyer with small hallway

And that little alcove now, with that pretty pinstripe wallpaper
striped blue white wallpaper

I made a decorative vent cover for the entry wall a couple months ago: 
craftsman door with windows

This was how the other side looked at first: 
blue dresser in entryway

It was lovely, but I love adding some character! So I added some simple, inexpensive trim, swapped the entry tables and spray painted that mirror: 
wood Everett table foyer

My recent closet makeover was another huge DIY project! 

It's a GREAT size, but wasn't super functional: 
wire shelving in closet

I built and installed the IKEA Pax wardrobes and created a custom closet that fits my needs perfectly!:
Ikea pax closet makeover

See how I used the space on the other side with this easy cubby built in storage as well. 

Our white and gray kitchen hasn't seen any massive projects, but there have been a TON of smaller ones! I shared a bunch of the small kitchen updates in this post, but I did finish up a big one late last year. 

Here's how our kitchen looked early on: 
large butcher block island

Here's another view with the simple shelves I hung after moving in: 
gray island in kitchen

And now with the custom touches to the island and the thick floating shelves I built next to the fridge: 
built out sides on island

Our mud/laundry combo is one of the hardest working rooms in our house, but I knew it could function even better for us. 

We had a simple folding table on one end of the room: 
laundry with folding table

That spot was being underused, so I installed base cabinets and added a shaker style trim to the drawer fronts that I LOVE! 

We also had the cabinets moved over above the new storage: 
blue drawer cabinets white uppers

That beautiful floral wallpaper is such a lovely view when we walk in the door!:
cyberspace cabinets floral wallpaper

We already had a really nice mud room bench and storage on the other side: 
faux marble tile 12x24

So I added my touch with the inexpensive shiplap, paint, and those awesome pull out shoe cubbies underneath!:
mud room cubby with shoe drawers

If you missed it, you can see a full tour of this room here (including the closet just for the cats).

The bedrooms have seen some DIY updates as well. Our bedroom started out bright and light thanks to all of our great windows: 
big windows master bedroom

But I wanted to warm it up a bit, so we added those faux wood beams around the tray ceiling and then painted it: 
bedroom with wood beams

I added a grasscloth wallpaper on the walls with a simple chair rail at the bottom. And we had our engineered flooring put down in here as well: 
frames around tv on wall

TV and art over dresser

I spend a TON of time in my office so I wanted a comfortable space that functions well and looks good! 

Here's where I started: 
office with desk in center

And after I built the wall of bookcases (with tons of storage at the bottom!): 
green DIY office bookcases

I absolutely love all of the warm colors and textures in here. It's a lovely place to work! 

Our dining area is a casual space that is open to the family room and kitchen. I knew exactly what I wanted to build here before we even moved in:
open casual dining room

The wall of windows was calling out for a window seat! 

I built the skinny bookcases on either side to finish it out and then added some contrast with the paint color:

That deep blue Cyberspace color is my favorite! I've used it as an accent throughout our main level. 

We replaced the light fixture a couple months ago when I realized this white and brass shade pendant that I'd been lusting over for YEARS had gone on major sale. 

But it got even better, because after ordering they refunded some of my payment and I ended up getting it for 75 percent off! 

This room needed some curves to soften it a bit...we just love it. 

OK, I'm wrapping up this tour with two of our favorite rooms. Our family room is what made me fall in love with this house: 
tall centered fireplace

I was hooked when I walked in and saw the ceiling height and those great windows. 

After building the simple bookcases by the fireplace, adding the trim to the front and recently building our huge coffee table, it's become one of the coziest spots in our house!: 
dark trim on tall fireplace

I still smile when I walk in this room, I'm so happy with it!

Our basement is our absolute favorite place to chill out at the end of the day. I've worked on SO many projects to transform that space.

This long wall in our basement before: 
empty family room wall

And now, after the 18 foot wall of built ins I added last year: 
movie room built in TV wall

The dark gray paint (Westchester Gray) and trim on the walls created a cozy/moody feel that we just love: 
Lazboy sectional with chaise

cozy comfy sectional family room

Last year I added a built in electric fireplace to an adjoining space and it really does help to warm up our basement: 
DIY electric fireplace build out

The kitchenette is next up down here and I'm SO EXCITED. I'll share the plan and progress very soon!

I hope the changes I've made to our home inspire you to attempt new DIY projects or ideas. :) 

If you've used any of my tutorials, feel free to send me a photo of your project! I absolutely love seeing how you all customize them for your own homes. 


Never miss a post by signing up to get posts via email. 


Email subscription form header
Your email:*
Please enter all required fields Click to hide
Correct invalid entries Click to hide

Comments

  1. You really are very talented - your creativity and hard work. Definitely a house to be proud of. Loved it before changes, but wow now!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for sharing. You've created such a warm and inviting home.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love the changes that you made in your home. I sent my son and DIL a picture of your family room fireplace redo and they copied that when they remodeled last year! I'm curious where you moved the litter box when you added the cabinets in your laundry room? It's always a tricky thing to fit into the decor. Thank you for the inspiration!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I moved them to a closet in there, there's a link to it! I added a cat door and it's worked out perfectly. :)

      Delete
  4. I also have been lusting over that pendent light you got for your dining area! Can you please share the sale price and info on the sale? How did you get an additional refund? Thank you so much!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I believe I found it under the clearance, but it was just this color combo and length that was on sale. I purchased it for $300-something, but they refunded money to our account and it ended up being around $240 if I remember right. It's normally nearly $1000 for the 30 inch fixture!

      Delete
  5. A beautiful house that you made into a well-loved home. Your creativity and hands-on abilities are remarkable and shine in everything you do. Take a bow!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I have been following you since way before you moved into this beautiful house. Your Skills blow me away. As I was looking at each photo, I was saying I love this room the best until I moved onto the next photo. Everything is perfect from your bedroom to the basement. I wish I had your skills or at least someone to help me just spuce things up. Wishing you and your family a Happy Thanksgiving. Cooking in that kitchen would be a dream.

    ReplyDelete
  7. How fun to see it all together! It’s hard to believe it’s been five years already. Masterful job!!!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thank you for sharing; it is all very amazing and lovely...as said, 'nothing like home'!

    ReplyDelete
  9. All the rooms are so lovely...what a great job you have done over the SHORT 5 years! :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Your house looks beautiful! You have added custom changes that are exquisite. You have given me so many ideas. Thank you for the tour!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Five years ~ how can that be? :o It is all beautiful, but my fav is the Pantry and the Laundry Room. :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Thank you all so much for the kind comments!!

    ReplyDelete

If you have a specific question I will do my best to answer you back here!

You can find our paint colors and links to items at the "Our Home" tab at the top of my site.

THANKS so much for reading!