I keep telling myself that once the house, or even just one room, is ‘done’ then I would share it on the blog. But really, when are you ever done settling into a home? We moved into this house almost 4 months ago and I still hadn’t shared any of it on the blog! So I am now finally sharing the one room in the house that is closest to done- the living room! 

The more we settle into this house, the more I love it! It’s just the right size for our life right now (although I definitely wouldn’t mind more closet storage!), it has gorgeous original charm and architecture and is in a great neighborhood! I never thought I would be the type to live in an old house, but when we started looking for houses in Norfolk back in the Spring, I just couldn’t resist the charm of the beautiful craftsman houses in this area! We were so lucky to find this cute little 95-year-old home nestled right in an historic and charming neighborhood. 

One must for us when looking for a home was that it essentially had to be “move-in ready”. We knew we wouldn’t have the time or funds for any major renovations. This house is almost 100 years old, but all the things that needed updating were updated, but all the original charm was left behind. Beautiful craftsman molding on every door, window and archway, an amazing deep covered front porch, crystal door knobs, original pine floors throughout and more! But the yellow and red walls everywhere had to go!

I would describe my style as light, neutral, southern and minimalistic. So the first thing we did when we moved in was paint the whole house in a neutral gray color. I was hesitant to paint every room the same color, but it actually flowed quite nicely and made for a nice neutral backdrop to start with. The house already has such great architecture, so it really didn’t need much decorating to make it feel complete. I really wanted the molding and design of the house to shine, so I went with pretty simple and delicate furnishings and decor. We pretty much started from scratch when we moved into this house, so there have been a lot of trips to HomeGoods over the last few months! I just can’t get enough of that place!

I’m the type that is very indecisive when it comes to decorating, so it usually takes me a while to complete a room. Hence why I am just now sharing this 4 months after moving in! We’re taking things one room at a time and trying not to worry about getting it all done right away. But I am really in love with how this living room came together. It also serves as my office right now, so it’s nice to have a pretty room to sit in all day! 

Enough talk, time to see the results! Here is what the room looked like when we moved in. Minus the gray paint test swatches, of course.  And the after!! What a difference! Before… After! I love how the molding on the openings in the wall frame the room so nicely!  Here’s the stairs and foyer before… And after! It’s amazing the difference just paint can make! The paint is Fall Chill by Olympic. One of the first things I knew I wanted in this room was a magnolia wreath above the mantle. I made this with fresh leaves from the magnolia tree in our front yard! I may have to remake it every week or so after the leaves dry up, but I don’t care! It’s just so beautiful!  I’m in love with this big oversized clock from Wayfair! I pretty much dreamed up this clock in my mind then found it online! You can find anything on Wayfair!  One of our first big purchases when we moved in was this couch. We knew we would need a new one since this living room is on the small side and can only handle one couch. Remember what I said about being indecisive? I researched and toiled over this decision and eventually decided on this perfect couch from Wayfair! Big, deep, comfortable, gorgeous linen color and pretty inexpensive!  Branden’s dad made this white tray with a kitchen cabinet! So cool!  Now onto the foyer!   We had this table in our old apartment and it surprisingly fit perfectly in the foyer! I love looking at our prints from Capri, Italy every time I walk by it!!   The house has central air, but they left behind the radiators throughout the house. But we don’t mind because it really adds to the character of the house. And we knew this one right by the front door would be perfect for turning into a little table! We bought this block of wood from a local lumber yard and sanded, stained and sealed it ourselves. It was essentially a little test block for the dining room table we made later on (I’ll be sharing that soon!). Don’t mind the blotchy terracotta pot- I has just watered it before these pictures. Oops!  The one request that Branden had for the table was that it have a little bowl for keys. So I snagged this little wicker bowl from Hobby Lobby!   Love the stairwell in this house! So beautiful! And even though this front door knob falls off every time you open it, I still love it! haha! I also thought I’d share my absolute favorite room in the house- the porch! The perfect place to sip morning coffee, evening wine and everything in between!  Beware of dogs! Don’t they just look vicious?? haha! You can tell they spend a lot of time here based on the lovely nose smudges on the door! 

So I hope you enjoyed a little mini tour of this part of our house! Now that we have finished building our dining room table, I’ll be sharing more on that soon! 

Here’s a list of where I got most of the items shown!

couch, clock, curtains, outdoor pillows | Wayfair

indoor pillows, foyer table, mirror, foyer frames, rug | HomeGoods

coffee table vase and flowers, candle sticks | Hobby Lobby

accent chairs | Overstock

coffee table and side table | Ikea

rocking chairs | Taylor’s Do-It-Center