I cannot believe we are approaching 17 weeks since we first took possession of our new home.
We hammered this job out in 2 months but the thoughts and ideas about this home had been fluttering around my mind for much longer than that. For a couple of years, I had envisioned a home that was in some ways transitional yet still modern and simple. About 2 years back, Ben and I had been out to a see a potential home just outside of Cochrane, Alberta. The house was in some ways Scandinavian in feel but still warm. I was obsessed with the 2-acre lot, the bungalow, the quiet, the windows and the private view of the ridge and river. The whole back of the house was floor to ceiling windows. I wanted it. Ben wanted it. Realistically it was so far from our current life. Far from inner-city Calgary. Far from my work.
It didn’t make sense and yet it totally did. How the heck were we going to find a dream lot or home or something even close to this within 5-10km of our current location?
By being super patient.
We waited. It happened. I didn’t get 2 acres, a river view or a ridge…..BUT…
We wanted a space to house our office and homework area that had a lot of light and windows. We wanted a space to create a long large kitchen with a massive island area so that friends and family can gather together to eat. We wanted a home that was drenched in light and surrounded by windows. We wanted the kid’s rooms to be close by with little or no stairs between them and our living room area. We wanted the kids to have their own separate play space. We wanted to create something modern but cozy.
But mostly we wanted to be in an area that was hidden away from our everyday. We wanted something tucked into a cul-de-sac like I had grown up on. I wanted to lay out on the grass and look up at the branches as they swayed in the wind. A place to play street hockey and not worry. A yard that felt like we were up in the mountains.
We were patient and we waited and searched this area for a couple of years. Secretly holding out for certain gems to pop up onto the market. Luckily I am married to a realtor.
SO….without further ado
here are some of the before and after shots, many of you have been waiting patiently, reading our blog and watching our renovations. So many of you are asking for colored images. So moving forward the blog is moving towards more color.
so let’s go on a tour…
the living room area
The entrance


The Loft





The kitchen




The old wet bar? now a wet bar and coffee bar! (cause we all need coffee…)
The powder room




The boy’s playroom and cubby area




The two little kid’s bedrooms
The little boy’s bathroom
There is so much more to share but I thought I would save this and revisit it. Weekly we will post what we did, designed and tackled in each space. I had so much fun designing and decorating this beautiful home, but it wasn’t with some serious helpers. I plan to also post weekly a new post titled “respecting the trades” where we will get there input on our reno and tips and tricks for your future renovations or flips!
NOW, there are still lots of projects to do in this new house. However, we were able to move in in time for the holidays and that was important to me. Over the next several weeks and months we will continue to share our journey. We still have so many things to tackle; The garage, laundry, yard, fence, decks, replacing the entire facing of the house…etc…to do.
Major To Do List!
BUT FOR RIGHT NOW, We are SO happy to be home and I look forward to continuing to share our design and decoration inspo, our choices, our challenges and our story.
till the next post.
moveplaymom
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