Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors

First Home

January 6, 2014 — Written by Chris
We moved into our very first home April 2, 2011.  We took a video right away, because we knew we would be changing things immediately.  And we definitely have.  We lived in this home for a little over 2 years, and moved in July 2013. Here is what it looked like before we moved:
Exterior
Here's the front of our home.
We replaced the front door and painted it a bold red, bought new house numbers and a new doormat (hey, its the little things.)  Here's how she looked after:
Here is the back yard.  The home is on a third of an acre and it's pretty much all lawn.
Before we sold the house, we were able to stain the patio and DIYed raised garden boxes, but are excited to see what the new owners do to the outdoor space.
Living Room
When you walk in the front door, you are standing in the living room.  This is what it looked like when we first moved in:
Entry
 
There isn't an actual entryway in this home, but when we moved in, there was a shelf with hooks on the  wall by the door and the same dingy decor as the rest of our "before"s:

We made this wall/space our official entry by adding a super slim cabinet that holds our shoes, a large mirror, and we even bought a new front door that lets even more light into our home:

Staircase
To the right of the living room is the staircase that leads upstairs to three bedrooms and two bathrooms.  When we first moved in the stairs were color-clash central.  White, green, yellow and beige were all visible there and the wall above the staircase was big and bare.
This is what it looked like after we painted the wall, added photo ledges, got a new sconce and also painted the railing and spindles a shiny oil-rubbed bronze.
Dining Room
Straight through the living room, you see the dining room.  When we moved in, it was painted yellow and had an off-centered plastic chandelier.
We painted the walls and the banister dividing the dining room from the family room and DIYed a new light fixture for the space, but later bought a new chandelier.  We added an area rug and subtracted two chairs for an airer feel.  Hung curtains and bamboo blinds and painted a large painting for the wall.
Kitchen
Our kitchen (to the left of the dining room table) had the same yellow on the walls, basic builder cabinets, almond-colored appliances and pink countertops:

Here's how it looked just before we moved:

For full details, posts and sources about the kitchen, visit this post.
Family Room
In steps the poopy-beige paint we inherited with the house.  The family room was a dumping ground of sorts when we first moved in.  We didn't have furniture for the room, so lots of stuff gathered there until we figured out what we wanted to do.
After we finished renovating our family room, it became the most comfortable and cozy room in the house.  Here's how it looked after:
For details and sources for the family room, visit this post.
Mudroom Nook
 
Off of the family room, there is a small hallway that leads to the basement, garage and laundry room.  There is also a small nook there that serves as a type of mudroom.  For months, it was completely dysfunctional.  We loaded up all of the low-hanging hooks and threw so much stuff in the corner that we began to refer to the space as a black hole:
Over 2 days, we painted the walls, trim and doors and added functional storage and accessories to make a sleeker working mudroom nook:
Laundry Room
The laundry room/half bath is through the door in the hallway off of the family room. This photo was snapped after we added a new light fixture and removed the dingy blue bath mats.  Gag. But we'll still count it as a before.
Our after is an art-infused laundry room/half bath on a tight budget and timeline--we did it in a week!
For more details and sources on the laundry room/half bath, visit this post.
Basement
There are two bedrooms in the basement. The first one was especially horrific.  We used to refer to it as the "tortured teen's room":
Now, after sanding, retexturing and painting the walls, ripping up the old carpet and staining the concrete floors, installing new recessed lighting, adding tall and modern baseboards and furnishing and decorating the space--we called it our guest room/office:
Hallway
Back up 2 1/4 flights of stairs, there was a small hallway that leads to 3 bedrooms and a full (but tiny) bathroom.  The hallway was pretty plain jane when we moved in:
We painted it and added a few frames to pump up the sophistication:
With company on their way, we had little time and money to make this bathroom presentable, but in 2 days and with $130, we made a few updates, and then later added some vinyl flooring:
Greta's Room
Our little girl's room was the first we tackled. When we first moved in, it looked like this:
And then two years passed and we were ready to give her a "big girl" room.  Here's how the same room looked when we finished:
 
2nd Upstairs Bedroom/Playroom
An almost identical "before" picture, there is a bedroom right next to Greta's, that we transformed from this:
Into my art studio:



Check out where it all started, readers voting on color scheme,readers voting on ceiling color, floor planning, readers voting on an area rug,  light fixture options, voting on curtains,tearing up the maroon carpet, painting the subfloor, hanging the curtains and laying the FLOR tiles, voting of desk lamp color, installing the new fixture, the misadventures of lamp painting, stool buying and messes, and DIY 3D wall quote. 

Master Bedroom
We never quite finished our bedroom, but it feels a lot fresher now.  When we moved in, it looked like this:
 
We painted the walls Farrow & Ball's SkylightPainted our bed frame.  Scored some seriously swanky nightstands from the online classifieds.  Added some lamps, and switched out the ceiling fan:
Master Bath
And here is our bathroom when we first moved in:
And when we moved out:
For information about the master bathroom, check out this post.

SaveSave

Previous Post
Next Post

What We're

Loving

Right Now

What We're

Loving

Right Now

Looking for our favorite things? A place to shop our home room by room, or just catch up on what Julia's wearing / loving right now? Browse the CLJ shop
Shop All

Love Stories

Love Where You Live

In an industry that often feels designed to make you discontent, we want this to be place you come for inspiration, ideas, and encouragement to make the space you're already in feel like home.
Read All Posts
let's break this thing up

BROWSE BY CATEGORY

01

Portfolio

Befores, afters, mood boards, plans, failures, wins. We’ve done a lot of projects, and they’re all here.
read more
02

Projects

We have a long-standing relationship with DIY, and love rolling our sleeves up and making it happen.
read more
03

Design

Even when you don’t want to rip down a wall, you can make that space in your home better. Right now.
read more
hello world!

looking for inspiration?

product lines

The New Chris Loves Julia + Pottery Barn Collection | Fall 2024

Last year, we launched a line with Pottery Barn Kids that was really a dream come true. We were so inspired by our own experiences as parents AND home renovators. With the team at Pottery Barn Kids, we got to dream up pieces that we always *wished* existed for kids' rooms. The result was a […]
product lines

Our First Holiday Items for Pottery Barn Kids!!

I woke up today, and it felt like Christmas morning! You get to see our first-ever holiday pieces we designed for Pottery Barn Kids!! Shop the CLJ + Pottery Barn Kids Collection The "-ber" months are my favorite time of year, and when Pottery Barn asked if we would create some holiday pieces for decorating […]
product lines

Introducing CLJ + Pottery Barn Teen 2024

Our NEW Pottery Barn Teen collection builds off of a couple of our favorite Pottery Barn Kids pieces from the last collection and introduces entirely new pieces that I'm SO excited about. (Spoiler: The turned wood bed you all loved from Pottery Barn Kids is now available in a queen size for teens!!) Turned Wood […]
product lines

The Most Exciting New Pieces from Our CLJ + Pottery Barn Kids Collection 2024

It is a DREAM. COME. TRUE. to get to share the newest pieces we co-designed with Pottery Barn Kids. When it comes to the inspiration for this collection, we were really thoughtful about creating timeless pieces that will be the backdrop for your family memories. It's also important to me that the pieces we have […]
Learn With Us
Want to do what we do? Get the tools, mentorship, and training to be a Good Influencer professionally.
Learn More
Looking for Something?

SEARCH THE BLOG

We've been doing this since 2009 and we've posted a whopping 24145+ blog posts and counting. You might need a little help searching, huh?

Can We Send You Our Love Letter?

Another way for us to stay in touch! Joining our weekly newsletter gives you access to exclusive content, never-before-seen photos, your questions answered, and our favorite DIYs. Sign up below!

hello world!
Follow Along on Instagram
Welcome to our online community where we've posted home, DIY, style, renovations, and family since '09. Renovating our #cljmoderncottage in Idaho and headed for new adventures in Raleigh, NC. #cljfam #cljtransformations
© 2024 CHRIS LOVES JULIA, LLCPRIVACY POLICYTERMS & CONDITIONSAFFILIATE DISCLAIMERSITE CREDITCOMMUNITY GUIDELINES