An ode to the little details

I’m really not very sentimental about leaving our current home.

It’s not personal. It’s just going to be such a relief to finally sell our house and move to our property. We never planned to stay in this house long – we always planned to move. And the barn and property are much more sentimental to me.

I guess I’m just so excited about creating our new home that there’s not much time left to be sad. (Yet. I could very well get a bout of sadness when we move.)

But, there are some wonderful details I don’t want to forget. Tbose little details that I can’t take with me, unlike the furniture or decorative items that will be packed up to live somewhere else.

So when the house was cleaned for a showing, I took some snapshots to create an ode to those little details I love in our current home. Maybe you’d like a peek, too?

 The entryway

My dad built this built-in after I fell in love with a similar set-up at Beneath my Heart. He actually printed the picture as inspiration and it came out beautifully. I honestly wish I could pack this little area up with me and move it. It really keeps all our boots, scarves and bags neat. (This is really used for long-term storage. Most of our daily storage is in the back of the house off the kitchen and back door.)

 

The stairway

This area was truly a labor of love when we were renovating. I had my heart set on a board and batten treatment on the walls, which covered all the monstrosities of paneling from previous owners.

Then Ryan stripped all the stairs and risers by hand before we painted and stained.

It was so much work, but the results are truly beautiful.

 

Original wainscoting in the dining room

A past owner had the audacity to tear off the bottom battens in this, but they did leave the ledge. So, we recreated the space to be how we imagine it looked before. Ryan added a board and batten treatment on the bottom (much like this board and batten tutorial from our first home in 2009). Then, everything got a few coats of crisp white semigloss. 

I really will miss this area. It’s just perfect, in my mind.

 

 

 

Crown moulding and chunky trim work

This house has ruined me for life. Because now, I just don’t think I could possibly live in a home without ginormous, beautiful crown molding and chunky baseboards and trim work. My Lord.

I love those chunky boards everywhere. The dining room is probably the best example of the woodworking in all its glory. We were able to keep almost all the original woodwork and just clean and repaint.

 

Built in media cabinet

This space is a bit of a sticking point for Ryan and I.

I love this media cabinet. I badly wanted a built-in media cabinet with storage and shelves. And because of the new ductwork being run for the furnace (left) and a new laundry chute (right), we had the perfect nook for it.

However, we never got around to installing shelves for a true “bookcase” feel here. I could never decide what I wanted because of the lights and size.

And in retrospect, both Ryan and I wish we had just opened this space up to the kitchen to allow a full circle for foot traffic. It would have been a much more practical layout for us and our family (being able to see into the living room while cooking and allowing Henry to run circles in the house, literally).

But with all that said, this little area is a great place to hide all those electronic gadgets away and I do really like the looks of it. Plus, Ryan and my dad were able to build it around the 4 bargain cabinet doors we found at ReStore.

 

So, those are probably four of my very favorite details in our house. But I have a feeling that they will turn back up in some way when we do build our new house.

 

What are your favorite details in your house?