Inspired By….Designs: Designing Our Forever Home

by alexandra
I know it has been over a week since I posted last and I am really sorry for slacking off.  Some major life stuff has been happening and I needed a little time to myself to reflect, reevaluate, and reprioritize some things and now that I have taken that time I am ready to dive back into my weekly posts!
While a lot has been happening lately one of the biggest things is that we have purchased a new home!  Yep, that’s right we are moving! A few months back Brian and I decided that while we love our little house it was getting kind of cramped over here.   With a baby, a pup, a cat, and the two of us doing a lot of work from our shared home office/spare bedroom we decided that we should probably start looking and see what else is out there.  When we started this whole process the one thing we both agreed on was that that if we were really going to make a move we needed this to be the last move (or at least the last move for the next 10 years or so).  The two of us have moved a TON since college and we needed this move to be the move into our forever home.  Now, I know nothing is a guarantee, and anything could happen, but I really truly feel that this move is going to be the last for awhile.  
Another thing we both decided on when we started house hunting was that we wanted a fixer upper, something we could put our stamp on.  So, the older, more disgusting, the better.  The problem was, in the areas we were looking on Long Island those are actually pretty hard to come by.  What is also hard to come by is a house that is a little unconventional and not your typical colonial or cookie cutter layout.  I was shocked when we walked into the house that we will soon call ours, it was a little on the contemporary side (which I love), but had plenty of traditional touches.  
While there is a laundry list of things to do, including gutting the kitchen, all the bathrooms, replacing the floors, and replacing the roof, one of the first items on our list is giving the exterior a major facelift.  I am thinking we will paint the outside a nice off white, and accent it with black on the windows and doors.  I have been going a little Pinterest crazy lately looking for inspiration, and I wanted to share with you few ideas that I definitely want to incorporate into our new place!
(All images via) 
I always thought I wanted to live in a red brick house with a black door. But, over the past few years my taste has definitely changed, and i have become much  more minimalist and modern when it come to design choices.  But, because the neighborhood we will be moving into is pretty traditional I think a nice white exterior with black accents is a perfect compromise. 
There is a wonderful deck and big backyard off our kitchen and in an effort to open the space as much as possible I would love oversized doors leading out to the backyard.  When we really take a look at everything and what our budget is, if that isn’t possible I would love some kind of unique doors that aren’t your typical sliders. 
Ok, this picture is a bit over the top, but for the first time ever, I am looking forward to gardening.  I can’t wait to rip out all of the overgrown trees in the front of the house and replace them with some low maintenance alternatives as well as adding some color to the front with tons of flowers.  I have been taking notes and researching a bunch of different flower options, but if flowers are your thing feel free to give me some suggestions.  Basically, I want a ton of color front floral options that are moderately easy to take care of so that even an novice like me wont’ kill them.
Finally, the front door in it’s current state is less than impressive.  I would love to switch it out with some inviting and unique since it is the first impression of the house as a whole. 
While it is definitely bittersweet to be moving out of the first home we purchased together as a married couple, the first home we brought our baby girl home to, and the first home I really got to design and decorate on my own, I know this is the right decision for our family. As we get closer to our closing date, and as we get ready to begin renovations on our new home, I will be sure to share all the updates and design ideas here.  In the meantime, I have unlocked my secret “Inspired By…Forever Home Project” board on Pinterest, so you can follow along there for all my home design and decor obsessions. 

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