Sochi, I'll go check out your thread. Was just over in bathrooms, posting a link to my bathroom pics for someone. I'll post the link here as well--a start to the posting of pics of the rest of my house. (pics aren't the greatest--photographing a tiny bathroom is tough, and the location of the doorway in the MB makes it even tougher to get a good angle for photos).

Our MB is ~5x7, including the tub, and that's AFTER stealing a foot of space from the hall bathroom and the bedroom closet in order to make it a foot wider! It made the biggest difference though. I wouldn't mind having about 6" more in depth (toilet is just at the minimum difference from the tub and the vanity), but it feels so much more spacious now, and I really, really love my new bathroom and enjoy using it. Removing the soffit over the tub (formerly a shower stall), helped increase the feeling of openness and space as well.

The shower curtain works very well in the hall bathroom; it really ties together all the other elements and colors. DH wasn't entirely on-board about it at first (esp since that bathroom is "his" bathroom!), but he ended up admitting that it helped "make" the room, and added a nice touch of whimsy.

Here is a link that might be useful: cat_mom's bathrooms/pb link

furletcity -- I am very much a city girl, but I love your cabin and I think it is the most artfully lit space I have seen in ages. Your garden and maison des poulets are also to die for. What a wonderful eye (along with coordinating hand) you have.

Cheers. hbk

Thank you, hbk! We had to be creative with the lighting since there were very few hard wired fixtures throughout the entire house!

jgopp: when I read your post, the first thing that popped into my mind was the first line of "Pride and Prejudice." :-)

furletcity: OH wow...what a wonderful space. I love the warm cozy feel you have evoked. Your kitchen "fur" deco is TOO sweet. On your coffee table...I have an old bowl that is REALLY old and looks like yours. Do you have a story for yours ? And that wonderful wood chair on the right in front of the fireplace. I am such a sucker for old chairs. I just love everything you have done...and your gardens...simply perfect.

Boxer...I don't think I have ever seen the outside of your home. What a gorgeous space you have. I love the light !! c

Aha, Trailrunner, you have discovered the origin of my user name, furletcity!! My house is currently full of cat and dog fur, but we've also had rabbits and ferrets. The bowl was bought on a trip to Hindeloopen, Holland years ago and I have a matching cabinet and candle sticks. The chair is from Mexico and while not an antique, it's a heavily distressed 25 year old!

You were in the heart of Friesland !! I know exactly where you were ...we lived in Groningen just due East. We loved going to Friesland. I love the cab and the candlesticks. How did you get the cab home ? My bowl is from Hungary , perhaps. I will get a pic tomorrow and you will see how similar they are. Love the Mexican chair. So tell me all about why/what you were doing in the Netherlands. :) c

Thanks trailrunner.

Right now it looks Snowy and cold but still pretty.

I love all the beautiful pictures on this thread.
What a great idea to start this.
I love the Art, Flowers, furniture, lighting, antiques,
treasures, paint colors, warm glow of rooms and the
ideas just floating about.
Beautiful. Simply Beautiful everyone.
~boxer

Trairunner, I'd love to see your bowl! My parents were living in Brussels in the mid 80's and we visited the Netherlands with them. My cabinet came home in their household container, but I had to wait months for it! I left the one antique I have most regretted not buying behind in Brussels. It was a very old 9ft butcher's table with wide drawers and lower shelf. Absolutely gorgeous, but I was living in the top half of a converted stable at the time so no room for it!

Thanks OP, I love seeing photos of other's homes (thought I don't have Photobucket and can't reciprocate). I always get great inspiration.

My favorite may be Furletcity's garage/shed! Lovely.

Mabel, Mudhouse, Trail. such cozy and charming homes. To me, character is everything.

And Mtredux, I have seen that before I think but, wow. Any interior shots? Or even more exterior?

Well I have been IN cat_mom's facilities...and they are even more beautious than the pics !

Boxer...looks like a winter wonderland...

fur: here are the pics. The bowl is with some of my Native American things...the baskets are Tarahumara ..these people are currently facing starvation due to the drought and cold . It is terrible. I was lucky to meet them in Santa Fe back in the 80's.

bowl:

{{gwi:1621309}}

really cool part of bowl...repair:

{{gwi:1621311}}

inside:

{{gwi:1621313}}

I believe that the bowl is from the 1700's but really have no idea. Doesn't matter..I love it for the "flaw".

I am so glad that this thread was started...what a great thing to really get to know each other in this special way.

I have NEVER revealed my kitchen reno on GW. It was a DIY that started on 6/26/2007.
It is still not entirely finished. So you've never seen it. Maybe soon though, I could only hope. I don't come to kitchens that much anymore. But glad I did. Your homes are all so amazing. Magazine worthy. I am almost hesitant to share mine. But here are a few.

Here is what we started with (exterior):

And here it is now, freshly painted, shingle restored, and covered windows exposed:

Here is what made me buy the house, love this fireplace:

And my living room:

My Daughters' room:

Those are all I have right now. Not the greatest pics from my cell phone. I'm working on a bunch of projects right now. Hope to post them in decorating soon.

polly, you have a wonderful house !! Please post pics with a real camera !! I would love to see more. What year was it built ? I too love the fp...will you consider posting your kitchen...I know I am not the only one that would love to see. Everyone has something special. c

trailrunner, fabulous bowl!! Exact same shape as mine, but with such a beautiful patina. I bet it feels great too!

Thank you C!
DH and I like to think we rescued it. We bought it from an estate, it sits on a double lot, and several builders approached the son of the owners. They would've torn it down and put 2 homes there. We saw it with x-ray vision. It has been a long haul but we truly love it. There were only 2 owners before us. The family that sold us the house lived there for 56 years.

We are not sure the exact year it was built. We think 1905. We had a neighbor who was 106 (she passed away last spring) and she was born in her house. Our house was built around the time hers was built.

Here is a picture taken from her house. Our house is the first of the 3 in the distance lined up next to each other. You can see a horse and buggy in the street.

I am in the middle of some projects right now. I just ordered fabric for new window treatments and a daybed for the front porch area. We are hosting a progressive dinner next month, hoping to have it all done by then. I will definitely take pics on my real camera and post. And perhaps finally post my kitchen....after 4 1/2 years!

thank you furletcity...it is very smooth...I just love the metal repair.

oh wow...polly that is such a cool picture. You are so lucky to have that piece of history. I can hardly wait to see pics and I bet everyone will be so pleased to see them. c

I purchased a old house and in the process of rehab so my place is not as pretty as all you guys are posting. LOL It is on 4 acres of land and lots of possibility. It just is going to take time and money.

It is a Tudor purchased from the original owners that had raised 4 boys and never updated it since the 50s. They spent their money on raising their boys and giving them an education. But there was a lot of love and you could feel the love when you stepped in the door.

Doing desperate things. Patio

{{gwi:279908}}
{{gwi:279909}}

To get a idea of my style this is the dining room and living furniture I have. I have updated the door in the living room and put molding around the arch door to match the 12' ceilings.

oh Marquest, its fabulous! That living room! What fun you will have polishing that gem.

Thank you mtnrdredux, your property is a dream too. I have a lot of work ahead of me. LOL

Angie: Truer words have never been spoken!

Marquest,

Can you tell me what exactly you did to your patio. We have a similar raised concrete patio and it is cracked. DH swears that you can't tile it with slate, and to me that's what it looks like you did. So we are living with a cracked ugly concrete patio, b/c we can't afford to have it removed, and we can't seem to fix it.

Beautiful home. All of your renovations will pay off.

jgopp: Thanks for taking my comment in good spirit. Best to you, your beautiful home, and all of its occupants, current and future ;-)

polly I have a slate roof that has been up there for 50 years and the roofer said it is good for another 50 years.

I hate to start a argument between spouses but you can use that as a start to push your point. LOL

I used bluestone but I had a choice of slate or bluestone. It does have to be sealed yearly but the installers guarantee it for Lifetime with repair as needed. The slate is guaranteed for 20 yrs. You have a choice.

I was in your position also to remove the 2nd story concrete patio 100' x 30 would cost as much as an addition because it is over a room below. As you can see they first came in and repaired the concrete then went over it with the stone.

All my remodel jobs have been done with some kind of stone, it seems to be the product that is keeping with the style of the house.

DH says that the cracks will come back if we tile it. I suggested pavers over it, he said that will crack too.
What part of the country are you in? We are in NJ, so we get all 4 seasons. He swears that the cracks will come back. We repaired them and resurfaced them with concrete, and yes they came back. But I'm wondering if we tiled it, that would fix the problem. That's where the argument lies.

Wow! your houses are all amazing, and such great decorating. This truly is a pretty special group of folks. So many unique styles!

Polly, I have an odd idea. A lot of times stone is set in loose gravel or sand. Coud you build up some sort of edge around it to hold in the sand, and the put in flagstone on top of sand?

mtnrdredux, I do not think she can do gravel because if I am understanding her right....this is a upper concrete deck like mine. We are talking two stories up. Actually it is a balcony.

Polly, I do not know what to tell you. All I can say is I had professionals install mine. I purchased the house 4 years ago it was one of the first things I had done. There are no cracks.

You have to do a search and get info and maybe call in some professionals to get estimates. I did not have to discuss it with anyone I am in charge of the house rehab. I saw a house.. liked the look...... so I went on a hunt to have it done. I have am in a "do whatever you want if we can afford the project" position. LOL

I am in Pennsylvania I am colder than you, my sister lived in NJ and our winters were colder.

What a fun thread! WIth such beautiful houses! I just spent (cough!) hours scrolling through. Who doesn't love getting a peek inside?

So here's mine, if anyone's curious. I recently finished my kitchen (small remodel/update) with SO much help and advice from GWers, I miss coming here every day to see what's going on. One thing I will pass along - a month after you've finished, no matter which circle of Hell you've been living in and thought would never end, amazingly enough... you move on. Really.

I wanted to take these pictures because we're thinking of selling soon (empty nest) and I need to get a sense of how much I need to declutter!

Living room

Dining room

What we call the music room - once had the piano in here:

My piano bench

The family room off the kitchen:

My desk and cookbooks:

Older son's room:

Younger son's room:

The Man Cave - actually clean; younger son home exactly five minutes:

Master bedroom:

My shoe closet off the MBR (makes up for not having dressing rooms!)

Back porch - with all the pool cushions, garden not looking its best:

And the true reason DH says I fell in love with this house:

Oh eugenie......
The staging experts will probably tell you that all the personal items and memorabilia should be stored away, but I have to tell you, I was struck by how warm and inviting your house seems in your pictures. It's lovely! I even liked seeing the tennis shoes on top of the washer :). Thank you so much for sharing.

I feel like this thread has been a kind of bonding experience. Thanks to everyone for letting me snoop!

Angie: I didn't think it could have been taken in any other way! Thanks for the best wishes. Hopefully it won't be long now :)

Thank you, sidney4 - I think you're right, all the personal stuff has to GO! What will be left??

BTW, those baskets of laundry are clean and folded!

And I can't believe in my haste to post I left out the OTHER reason we love this house - the tiny bar sink in the family room off the kitchen!

And I can't let that sad picture of my garden stand. Here's what it looks like in June:

And I suppose I should give the wide-angle shot:

That's all for now!

I just love seeing everyone's beautiful homes. 18 months after buying our house, we still have not decorated and have a lot of things in boxes because we planned to reno right away, but have had delays.

Sochi, I love your new painting. Would you mind telling me the artist's name?

Eugenie, I hadnt seen your post here before, but you referenced it elsewhere today so I googled it. Fairfield County seems almost to have an ordinance requiring us all to be rambling white clapboard, but I'd swear I have driven by your house (who knows? small world). Anyway, I think you have less to do than probably 90% of those who go on the market --- house looks great. And I love your garden shot!

Oh, mtn, thank you!

I love YOUR house! Can we call them classic?

WOW, what beautiful houses! We just moved to a new area, but left this house behind. We did a huge home remodel and put our blood, sweat and tears into it, only to sell 5 years later! Of course we weren't even finished, but probably a good thing we didn't do more!

Here it is before

Here is the after

{{gwi:1621362}}

A few of the inside
{{gwi:1621363}}

{{gwi:1621365}}

{{gwi:1621367}}

{{gwi:1621368}}

Guest bath

{{gwi:1621369}}

Back (original) stairs

{{gwi:1621370}}

Master bath
{{gwi:1621371}}

{{gwi:1621372}}

hall bath
{{gwi:1621373}}

side porch
{{gwi:1621374}}

View from rear
{{gwi:1621375}}

Eugenie,

No doubt we have classic Fairfield County homes ( see 1b, 1c, 2a, 2b, 4a and 4b!

FREE DICTIONARY:
1.a Belonging to the highest rank or class.
b. Serving as the established model or standard: a classic example of colonial architecture.
c. Having lasting significance or worth; enduring.
2.
a. Adhering or conforming to established standards and principles: a classic piece of research.
b. Of a well-known type; typical: a classic mistake.
3. Of or characteristic of the literature, art, and culture of ancient Greece and Rome; classical.
4.
a. Formal, refined, and restrained in style.
b. Simple and harmonious; elegant: the classic cut of a suit; the classic lines of a clipper ship.
5. Having historical or literary associations: classic battlefields of the Civil War.

Kooops --- nice work! What's on tap now?

Koops -- that's incredible. Even one of these rooms and I would never, ever want to leave. _all_ of it???

I actually can't even look through this thread. Makes me too green, frankly too inferior-feeling. Which isn't very nice of me ... you-all do truly amazing things with your life space.

Thanks for sharing pictures of your beautiful homes. When I finish my kitchen, I will show you pictures of the rest of the house, including our backyard with the pool and waterfall.
PS is it hard to post pictures, do you copy and paste?

Sidney4 I love your house! Can you tell me the name of the paint color for the trim on the inside of your house? Also, do you know the name of the light fixture in your family room? I find myself always coming back to your house. It is my style!! Thanks for sharing it.

Menmsmom, thank you so much. I ordered all my lighting on-line. The chandelier in the great room was from CSN Lighting. Maxim Lighting was the brand. As for the paint trim....it was Benjamin Moore but I couldn't find the color label on the left over paint can. Our builder painted the trim and as I recall, I wasn't given many choices. It was just the color they use for all the houses they build with white painted trim. Sorry I couldn't be much help with that one.

sidney4, thanks so much!!! I do not enjoy making all these decisions but when I see what I like I know it. Your home is lovely. Very inviting.

Menmsmom, are you building, remodeling? I know what you mean about decision fatigue. I made lots of decisions on the fly and then kept myself up at night worrying about the results. Some things worked out better than others but in the total scheme of things the imperfections ( and there are several) were not the life shattering occurrence I thought they would be. I hope you share pictures of your progress. Good Luck!

Love seeing all these homes! I have been lurking for 2 years while we remodeled the house we sold and now the house we bought to remodel. Lots of inspiration here on every decision. I am a daycare provider (20 plus years) current project is the kids playhouse in our new playroom!

Master closet into laundry room

OFFICE

guest bedroom

Playhouse built in the staircase closet, wall mural in progress is being painted by the dad of the smaller child in picture

rtwilliams....I really like your home a lot! I hope this is not the house you sold.....it would be a shame to have to leave such a pretty place. Thanks for sharing.

sidney4 - Thank you. I also love your house! LOVE your front entry area! I think we have similar taste as I could easily see your decor in my home... Love your interior doors, are those the crossmore doors from lynden doors? That is what we put in the house. Looking forward to spring to start projects on the exterior of our house.

sidney4, we are remodeling. Been in the house for 20+ years. Paint colors are the hardest for me!!

House

I designed and planted all the plants and shrubs myself. Of course I needed a big truck and manpower for the two trees.

My old rescue girl.

Back yard and the "BOSS"

Foyer to game room

Area

Front porch, steps and walk way diy bricking is done,the cement area below is now a bricked step. Next the back porch and patio.

The picture you have seen a thousand times.

Living room you have seen a thousand times.

Miles of nature preserve for walking,biking or horses just around the corner. A mile down this path leds to a state park with some great kayaking and canoeing.

12 minutes to the beach

And, since I'm shameless...this 4/3 house on 1 1/4 acre is in P.B. County and will be up for sale in a year or so.
I best get a better camera and let someone else take the pictures lol.

Everyone's homes are so lovely! I do have a special place in my heart for the homes with front porches though. And Sochi, I really love your new painting.

I want to see more.