Thanks Kellie. Yes, it did change the exterior, but we tried to do it sympathetically. I don't have any current exterior photos, but here is the front of the house and the side before. The new bathroom is on the back of the house, an almost mirror image of the front gable. Here are a few photos from earlier this summer when we got the house listed on the Alabama Registry. I have since refinished the dining and living room floors so they flow nicely with the kitchen we did last year. Cyn427, here is the view from the bathroom window. It's a beautiful view, but the horse boarders do come and go from the barn at random times, so I can't count on privacy. I give my DH a hard time about the curtains, but they are probably a necessity! The upstairs is kind of hard to explain, but it originally had two large rooms on each side of the central hall and the little front gable. One of the large rooms was never finished, but the rest had all wood walls and a level seven foot ceiling. The new bath is a gabled dormer off the back, but the unfinished room will be our future master bedroom. We loved the higher ceilings, so we kept the vault in there. It lead to spray foam insulation everywhere, as it was the best choice for sealing an old house and let us keep the vaulted ceiling. Here is a photo of that room in progress where you can see the sloped ceiling. Marti, the bath is technically just the upstairs hall bath, but it's right outside the door to our future MBR. We thought about trying to put a connecting door through, but it didn't work out because of the low sloping roof line beside the gable. Since we can't have kids, it'll just be us up there, unless we really have a houseful of guests. The downstairs bath is more like you were thinking; it has a door to the bedroom (the purple one I posted above) and another to the mudroom. So it could serve as a true master bed/bath combo if someone needed first floor living. Here's a view of the upstairs floor plan with the new bath (although it was before the gable dimensions changed and the door swing had to be switched). Lake_Girl, that's funny you had the same idea with the sconces. I'm sad Lowes discontinued them, but it allowed me to buy them on clearance (although I had to go to two different stores to find enough). I'm not from Alabama (ninth state I've lived in in just over three decades), but we've adjusted over the past few years and found many things to like about it. Are you near Lake Guntersville, by any chance?

Here's my advice: 1. Start with paint. If you have a room that is not going to require a total redecoration, paint it. It's the least expensive way for big impact. 2. If you have a few rooms that you want to redecorate, like I do, pick a room. Start creating your design board or design album. It should help you put things together visually to get a sense of the feeling of the room. Once you get your design fairly solid, paint! 3. It's OK if some rooms that are not used a frequently remain a work in progress, but rooms that you use often try to finish. Living in unfinished rooms causes me anxiety! 4. Use this site. The people here are so helpful. They give you design advice, color advice, recommend cheaper options, etc. Here's some pix/links to give you an idea: My reading room, which is still in progress Kitchen Re-do. We did it ourselves. Well, everything but the back slash and granite. Total out of pocket $7250 Kitchen design album - these were just pictures that I would save for ideas http://partypooper.smugmug.com/Other/Home-design/12883677_n2q52#936728932_3mfPf Here's the Kitchen in Progress http://partypooper.smugmug.com/Other/Kitchen-in-Progress/12963085_mDSZn#967564981_Zspyi Here's the finished Kitchen http://partypooper.smugmug.com/Family/finsishedkitchen/13429183_MMPGm#977299982_5RsyH Paint does wonders! Dining Room before - yep it was a pink living room: Dining room now: Deck before Deck after Hearth room before Hearth room after but before the kitchen redo.

5" ... so sleek. This mid century modern design features top quality unfinished brass. This brass has character - not too shiny and has a softer look that fits many modern interior designs. 5"D X 5"W X 10"H •5" Wall Canopy •Socket: Standard Medium Base (e26/e27) •40 Watt Small Globe G16.5 (Bulbs Included) https://www.houzz.com/products/geometric-brass-black-mid-century-wall-sconce-light-prvw-vr~151800228

I feel like lighting will make a HUGE difference. Usually when people say "busy" I imagine cluttered, but your decor looks intentional and your house looks lived in but not like a completely kitchy mess. I think it's just the light/contrast letting you down. So don't be so hard on yourself! I'm a photographer and the think that always stands out to me in houses that are really beautiful is how much light gives the spaces texture, definition, and brightness. Because you have darker floors and some darker pieces of furniture in some spaces they all kind of blend together and look really heavy even though they aren't packed too tightly. It's super easy to just plug whatever lamps you have into outlets and flip a light switch that turns on some lights on your ceiling and stop there, but I think the big difference between really put together living spaces and those that don't quite feel as polished is often the intentional use and choices of light. Layering lights at different levels, paying attention to task lighting, and being selective with fixtures can really make a huge difference. I've no where near perfected this in our house yet, but the few changes we've made in some rooms have really had a big impact. I think the right lighting in your home can do wonders and really help establish the ambiance you are going for.