Being able to fix up this house over the past year and a half has been a dream come true! But it’s a bit of a letdown when people enter through the front door and see this lackluster first impression of our home. Needless to say, I’m so excited to finally be moving forward with finishing up this space! It will be the last major project we work on for a while, because Phil and I need a break… like yesterday.

Over the past couple of months I’ve been working on making final decisions with flooring, stair finishes, and front door options. There is so much to consider, so I’ve been making a concerted effort not to rush the design process! Check out the before pictures below, and read on to see the finalists for each finish option.

THE ENTRYWAY BEFORE

When we moved in, there was thin wood flooring in the entryway— all various widths with fake nail holes. The flooring was nowhere to be found in the rest of the home, so while I actually liked the look of it, we decided to rip it out. I had planned to install the same maple flooring here that I have done throughout most of the first floor, but the more I thought about it, the more I worried about excess moisture at our front door because of rainy and snowy Ohio weather.

In addition to the moisture issue, I began to get excited about the prospect of doing a fun patterned floor in here. It would be a great opportunity to do something interesting, especially since this floor would only be seen from behind the island of the kitchen as well as the study. I wouldn’t have to worry about a pattern in here visually affecting any other major areas of the house.

THE STAIRWAY

One thing I knew for sure about the stairway was that the shag carpet had to go! Phil ripped it out last weekend, and we’ll be working on those staples next.

At first I wasn’t sure if I wanted to have the stairs carpeted at all, but we talked about it as a family and decided it would be cozier and safer to go for carpet. So then I was left with two choices: What kind of finish to do on the stairs, and what kind of carpet.

I love the idea of a natural wood tread, and white risers. The combination of wood and white adds interest and warmth. But the more I thought about doing a fun patterned tile on the floor, the more I thought a simple and low-contrast situation on the stairs would be best. So I decided to paint the treads, risers, and spindles white, and choose a berber carpet for the runner. The handrail will stay its original stained wood finish.

TILE OPTIONS

As far as the tile goes, I narrowed it down to either this tumbling block tile using the Costa Allegra diamond tiles from Bedrosians, or doing a tone-on-tone checkered tile using 6″ square tiles from Bedrosians. While it is indeed having a moment right now, the tumbling block pattern is a classic look and something I’ve loved for over a decade. I don’t think I need to worry about its longevity. But if I wanted something a little less busy, and perhaps more classic and easy to work with, a checker pattern on a diagonal is a great choice too. Decisions, decisions!

CARPET OPTIONS

I love the look of natural jute rugs, but let’s be real— jute doesn’t feel so good underfoot. In addition to finding something comfortable for bare feet, I also need a carpet that will be very durable. That excludes using a vintage runner, which had previously appealed to me. I have children and dogs, and I worry about staining and snagging. Because of their great reputation in the field, I began looking into Stainmaster carpet options. I was really happy to see some styles and textures that mimic the look of natural jute, but with the durability expected from Stainmaster.

After looking at carpet options at the National Design Mart showroom in Medina, Ohio, I narrowed down my choices to three Stainmaster Active Family options from the Anderson Tuftex line: “Only Natural;” “Abbey’s Road;” and “St. Lucia.” After a week with the samples, I decided to go with the St. Lucia carpet (seen below) because the texture reminds me most of a natural jute rug.

Originally I thought I’d choose the Wheat color (on the bottom left of the sample board below), but after considering how it would look on a stark white stairway, I decided to go for Macadamia (on the top left of the sample board). I have a steam cleaner for carpets, and since the Stainmaster carpet is stain resistant, I feel pretty good about choosing a light color, even on our stairs. I’m also considering taking this carpet into our hallway and bedrooms upstairs, and I like the idea of a lighter carpet in there, rather than the darker options.

FRONT DOOR

I’ve been dreaming of replacing our front door ever since we first moved in! For one thing, the door that’s currently in place is your basic run-of-the-mill door that most people buy straight from the hardware store. I thought about fixing it up by applying moulding details and paint, but when it came down to it, our entryway feels like a cave. A little more light would be so nice! (I had to do a lot of brightening on the photos that I took of the entryway!)

After looking over my inspiration images, I realized that I love a bold, contrasting door with sidelites that match the surrounding wall color. The question is, what color or finish do I choose for the door? And how much glass do I want in here?

DOOR OPTIONS

I decided to go with Therma-Tru for our front door set because I loved all of the options for the door and sidelite combinations, as well as the ease of designing a set online using their Design Your Door tool. I went to check out the doors in person at the showroom at Hartville Hardware (my favorite local hardware store!), and was able to see the beautiful the wood-look finish of Therma-Tru fiberglass doors.

I love the look of a natural wood door, but a wood exterior door is simply not practical for the climate in Ohio. Wood expands across the grain during more humid times of year, and contracts in the winter, not only causing doors to stick, but also causing warping over time. Fiberglass is the best option for the look of wood, with superior insulation and durability.

Therma-Tru has a several collections, but I personally settled on two favorites.

The Classic-Craft Collection offers a wide variety of panel styles, configurations, glass options and five different wood grains to choose from. If I decided to go for a painted finish rather than the grained wood-look, Therma-Tru has some appealing pre-finish color options, or I could always choose to paint the doors myself with the color of my choice. The idea of doing a muted pink door really appeals to me!

The other collection I love is the Fiber-Classic Mahogany Collection. These doors look like real wood doors, but with all of the weather-resistant benefits of fiberglass construction. The Fiber-Classic Mahogany Collection also has several stain options aside from the traditional reddish mahogany look. As with all of the Therma-Tru collections, the Fiber-Classic Mahogany Collection offers lots of paneling styles, configurations and glass options, including decorative and privacy glass.

I used the Therma-Tru Design Your Door Tool to create eight door configurations I really love. I think I’d be happy with a solid color door, but my heart is telling me to go for the wood-look. It will tie in with the stair rail that I plan to leave its stained color, the wood shelving wall in the kitchen, plus the other wood glass-paneled doors I have elsewhere in my home (like in my nearby office as well as the sunroom doors pictured here.)

In the end I decided to definitely go with a wood-look door from the Fiber-Classic Mahogany Collection. I figure, if one day I wish for a solid-color door, I can always strip the finish and paint it!

Which configuration do you like best from the set above? I’m leaning towards #4.

I’d love to hear all of your opinions of my finish options! If you want to check out my first round of entryway planning, read this post here! I have changed a few things since then, but the paint, door knob, and other accessories have stayed the same. So excited to begin work on this space!

I’m so excited to finally begin work on our first floor bathroom this month! We ripped out the flooring and toilet last Summer, and have been hiking up the stairs every time we need to use the facilities. Yes, even through potty training. It’s been a joy.

The good news about waiting a year to begin working on a space is that I get a year to plan, replan, and plan again! I’ve been through so many design options for this space, I’ve lost count! But I finally settled on three looks that I really dig. I’d love for you all to weight in on which option is your favorite!

When we sold our home last May, the first thing I bought for our next house was this vintage yellow sink. I just knew it would work, even though we hadn’t found a home to move into yet! Thankfully we have a nice little powder room in our new home that perfectly suits a small sink like this. All of my design plans center around the yellow sink. It’s a non-negotiable. ;)

OPTION ONE: Funky Traditional

I love an eclectic interior, so this design appeals to me because of how it would blend together elements from traditional and modern design camps. That light and faucet? So deliciously modern. But the sink and mirror definitely harken back to the earlier decades of the 20th century. The tone-on-tone wallpaper, vertical shiplap, and checkered flooring would feel at home in any space, but combined, it feels so funky fresh!

What do you think? A bit too much for such a small space? Or, go big or go home?

Materials: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8

OPTION TWO: Mid Century Minimal

I was really gravitating towards doing a mosaic tile in here because there isn’t much square footage to deal with, and I love the grand impact a mosaic tile has been known to make in mid century time-capsule bathrooms. When I found this pebble tile that reminded me of miniature fieldstone, I was all about it. After making the mock-up seen at the top of this post, I was really digging the early minimal vibes that such a wall and floor treatment could bring to my tiny powder room. Pair it with a wood-tone torch sconce and a snazzy chrome faucet, and this mid century look feels completely updated!

Do you think you’ll go crazy if I put this tile in so much of the room? Or do you think it will make a simple and significant statement?

Materials: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7

OPTION THREE: Modern Classic

As I’ve revamped each room of our home, I’ve attempted to keep baseline elements of classic design. The lighting I selected for the kitchen, the moulding details, and the medium wood tones throughout the home felt a bit like an anchor that kept things from going a bit too trendy or modern. The sconces in this powder room design tie in with the chrome elements I have throughout the house, and recalls the subway tile I put in my kitchen. In general, this design feels sophisticatedly restrained, allowing the yellow sink to take center stage. But the tumbling block floor tile still reinforce the fun vibes introduced by the sink.

Does this space feel too cold for you, or just the right restraint? Perhaps I’ll regret using ubiquitous subway tile yet again?

Materials: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7

We’re beginning clearing out the powder room tomorrow and having a plumber prep the space for drywall work and tiling. I can’t wait to get things underway in here! Tune in to my Instagram stories to check in on the progress for our powder room renovation.

As much as I’d like to take a break from house projects after finishing up the study makeover, Summer is prime time for home renovations in Ohio, so I’m trucking along! Next up will be work on our patio and powder room.

Obviously we want to fix up our patio in time to enjoy it this summer and fall, so I’m hoping we can get this project done in the next two weeks! Here’s what our patio looks like right now (above). The wood needs stripped, refinished, and restained, and the traditional lattice privacy fence is going bye bye.

top left image: Musta Ovi / top right image: The Brick House

Slatwood Privacy Fence

In place of the existing lattice, I plan to put up slat wood lattice strips for fencing, much like the image above. Then I’ll plant something that can climb the lattice and add the magic of greenery to this space. Right now I’m undecided about how I should finish the lattice strips. I have stacks and stacks of pressure treated lattice strips waiting in my garage to be finished, but I can’t decide if I want a natural wood look, white washed, or a pickled type of finish. Our house is currently a putty gray color, but we plan to have it painted white next year, so I want the color of the patio to go with the future look of our siding, not the current look.

Climbing Greenery

I’m also pretty unsure about what kind of climbing plant to use on the privacy fence. Also, do I plant some in pots on the patio to climb up the inside of the patio, or do I just plant it in the ground on the outside of the patio fence? I know I’d like to see it in the seating area, but it will need to be a plant that is easily controlled. So far I’m considering clematis, hops, wisteria, and honeysuckle. Clematis seems to be the top contender, but in general I’m concerned about using a flowering plant because of not wanting bees hanging out with us on the patio. (I’ll plant flowers in the front of our house to help out the bees, but I’m not looking to do that where we will be dining with our children.)

image source unknown — any idea?

Modern Slatwood Dining Nook

Continuing with the slat wood look, I’m also super interested in using lattice strips to make a cozy dining nook at one end of the patio, much like this inspiration image above. It would be a sort of a pergola, but the slats would be made of lattice strips and would be positioned much tighter together than a traditional pergola. I would like the slats to be far enough apart to still allow light and climbing greenery to show through, but it should also provide shade for our dining area.

I’m also considering adding outdoor curtains to the dining area to give it more separation from the lounge part of the patio, and to add one more barrier to the road noise behind our backyard. Our backyard has a busy road behind it, so road noise is an issue. One day we want to plant a tall, dense, hedgerow, but one thing at a time! At least our patio is on the side of the house so the road noisy isn’t too obnoxious.

If you’ve been following me for some time on Instagram stories, you’ll know how much I love doing a Photoshop mock-up before beginning any project! It’s a skill I’ve developed through the years beginning when I was earning my interior design degree in college, and it’s proven to be quite useful in imagining each of my home projects!

I’m planning to keep this outdoor space pretty neutral, as it is visible from both our kitchen and our living room windows. I don’t want it to add color and chaos to the kitchen and living room, and besides, I want something that will compliment all of the beauty of the outdoors, rather than competing with it.

I’m working with one of my favorite furniture brands, Article, for most of the furnishings for the patio, but I’ve also purchased some additional items to fill out the space, such as a propane fire pit, an articulating patio umbrella, outdoor rug, and lighting. I’ll link everything at the end of this post.

Fencing Color Options

The last decision I’m faced with before beginning work this weekend is the color for the fencing. What do you guys think? Should I go for dark and dramatic with a boldly contrasting wall, medium-wood tone that adds richness and warmth, a white-washed look that allows for some wood warmth to show through, or white paint for a crisp and fresh backdrop?

Let me know what you think about color options! We begin work on Saturday, and I couldn’t be more excited! Can’t wait to share the results.

Product Sources:

• furniture: Article
• umbrella: Wayfair
• fire pit: Wayfair
• outdoor tassel pillow: Pottery Barn
• pendant lights: World Market
• outdoor rug: Wayfair