Pretty sure some of you never thought I would ever post these final photos of the the barn. Nevertheless, they are finally here!! YEAH!! I don’t even know where to start today, so let’s just take it from the beginning. If you are semi new to the blog, I have been working on renovating an old horse barn into my working studio/home. It has been a LONG, and well, tiring process, BUT I am so excited with the outcome and to finally be able to share photos with you guys after all this time. If you do happen to be new to the blog, you can read all of my previous posts on the barn renovations here. I was thinking that since I have final photos for you guys today, that I would also include a few photos of the barn before I started the building process. I always think it’s fun to see before and after photos together! Clearly, we get a lot of snow. Told you I wasn’t joking around about that!! The photos I have today were all taken pretty recently, so no snow. Just pretty colors, flowers and sunshine. Just the way I like it! I feel like I should tell you all that this process has not been easy. Actually, it was kind of miserable, and I don’t think I ever want to renovate a home again. UGH. FYI, trying to get people to work is beyond hard. I don’t know if this is because I live in a ski town and every time it snows workers just don’t show, or if that’s just the way construction works. Either way, I am SO done with building anything for a while. I honestly could not be happier the work is over! Construction has actually been done since late May early June, but it took me a while to get things like furniture, life essentials…and my sanity, in place. There are still rooms that are not totally complete. For instance, I really need a new desk/desk chair (I have had this same desk since I was 13!!), my kitchen table/dinning table/fancy table still has no chairs, and all of my doors really need to be replaced…yes, I am serious, but I’ll get to that in a bit. Other than that and few small items, the place is pretty much done. Looking back at some of my older posts, I am SO relieved to not be living that way anymore. I mean, I certainly complain, but thinking about it now, the last three months have been kind of like heaven. No workers, no messes, no money being thrown left and right – as if it literally grew on trees. Peaceful bliss I tell ya.
{Above photo was taken by Kimberly Gavin}{Above photo was taken by Kimberly Gavin}{Above photo was taken by Kimberly Gavin}
All that said, I am SO happy to have my own space to work, hibernate, chill, mess up, scream from the top of my lungs (cause sometimes you just need to) and dance around in the kitchen like a fool… cause no one is watching! It’s awesome, and the barn has pretty much everything I need at this point in my life. My family is SUPER close by (think neighbor close, they are just up the hill). I see my dad daily for our cleaning session at the end of the day. Mom often stops in for lunch (breakfast for lunch is her favorite). After school, Asher is my little partner in crime. And you never know when my brothers may appear, they are always randomly stopping in…sometimes they even surprise me, like with a cute little two month old black cat. <–Truth…so excited to tell you about him, but one thing at a time. We will talk more about all that Monday. The brothers also seem to really like my couch and TV…which I have yet to turn on myself, or even sit on for more than ten minutes. But it’s cool, because when the time finally does come for me to have that veg out day on the couch, the brothers (and their friends) will have it all broken in for me. Cool. I mean, I guess it’s nice to know they are really just looking out for my best interests.
OK. Thinking I should break down each room for you guys piece by piece and tell you my likes and dislikes/things I want to change. …one: all the doors leading in from the outside need replacement ASAP. Mom and I REALLY wanted unique doors, but we wanted then for cheap. Long story short? We got a cheap price, but are greatly paying now. All three exterior doors are literally falling apart at the seams. It’s really not a good situation and they need some serious attention before the cold starts coming in full force…better hurry up on this one…the snow is coming. …two: the bathroom is actually one of my favorite rooms. It’s just clean and simple with the cutest vintage vanity that I love. I also LOVE my shower. It’s big, I am small and it’s amazing. …three: the family room/chill room/very informal dinning room. This room still needs a bit of work, but I am really liking my long comfy couch…or at least it’s looks. I still need a new rug and some stools for that long, skinny and tall table. Kind of wishing the table was not so tall, but I do like it, and it’s different. Also a part of this room is my GORGEOUS stairs. I love these stairs, they are big and bulky, dark and perfect. The horse head at the bottom of the railing creeps me out though, totally not my thing, but my mom and dad are so into it, so I just said whatever, I can deal. …four: the kitchen!! So much to say about this space. I love it…and I hate it, but I mostly love it. The thing I really hate are the cabinets. They are just not my style whatsoever. I really would have liked a more simple open shelving and a completely different color. UGH, the color is the worst. Other than the cabinets, my kitchen is perfect. I even like my now heavily stained marble counter tops, and my double oven pretty much makes my day on a daily basis. LOVE. Other things I love are my big sink, my huge island, my fridge and my windows, best kitchen sink window ever. …five: the pantry. I would say that 94% of my day is spent in this room. It’s where I shoot my photos, gather my props and pick out my food. I live in this room and I love it. It is totally not perfect, but it’s pretty close. Things I would like to improve in the pantry…the shelving space. Always, always need more shelving space. …six: when I am not in the kitchen, I am at my desk. Like I said before, I need a new desk, but my office itself is great, bright, fun and right next to the kitchen, which really works out amazingly well. I even have a nice view of the goats! I also love the two giant chalkboards that my dad and brother made me. They are currently a little messy because Asher has been scribbling on them, but I love jotting down ideas and hanging inspiring photos on them. They are one of my favorite pieces! …seven: my bedroom! It’s small and cozy, and I really wish I spent more time up there. I love the way this room turned out. I still need a dresser and a lamp, but other than that it’s done and is perfect. Also, my bed??? It’s the best! Someday I will spend the WHOLE day just snuggling inside those covers with movies galore. There is also a little space to the right of the kitchen leading into the pantry. I thought I would use this area to shoot photos, but it just turned out to be too small, and I like the lighting in the pantry better. This area is now pretty much overflowing with boards and various wooden boxes to shoot off of. And well, that’s pretty much it!! Everything is simple, but that’s me. I like simple and clean!! Overtime, I really hope to add more personal touches and decor that make this place really fun an inspiring for me to work out of!! For now though, I am just happy the fam and I got through it all alive. Whooa!!! {Above photo was taken by Kimberly Gavin} Real quick before I go, the barn was also featured in Colorado Homes and Lifestyles Magazine. If you would like to check the article and photos out, here is the link: Colorado Homes Mag – A Girl, A Blog, A Barn. There is also a short article showing 12 of my recipes to get you in the mood for fall. And last up, a really fun video! It’s an interview about myself and the barn…check it out! 🙂 I would love to hear what you guys think of the space and or any comments/suggestions you may have for me! Hope you all love the barn as much as I do!
{Above photo was taken by Kimberly Gavin}
OH, and AND, my brother Kai…and Blake…and Red made you guys a quick video tour of the barn. They really wanted to do an MTV cribs style tour, so I let them have pretty much full rein. YIKES. Somehow, at the end of the video they talked me into getting on a dirt bike. I have not been on a dirt bike in quite some time…but hey, I still got it in me! In fact dad says I kill it. Nice. But I promise, we are not as hillbilly as this video portraits…or maybe we are?? And I am done. Happy Friday and enjoy the photos. THANKS! 🙂
