Hello from Panera—our temporary office until home internet is connected. We stop in for hot chocolate, use the free WiFi, and put together updates when we can. We know many of you have been waiting for interior photos of our new house now that it’s empty and move-in ready, so here’s a clear, organized tour of the spaces as they are today.
We raced through taking these photos while friends and family waited outside in the snow to start moving things in, so some shots aren’t perfect and a video will have to wait. Even so, this blank slate reveals everything we love and everything we can’t wait to change: wood paneling, a yellow-and-beige bathroom, dark trim, numerous flooring types, a brick wall that’s begging to be painted, off-centered windows, compact box-like rooms, walls to remove, and an unexpected sink in the master bedroom.
We’re thrilled to make this house our own. The previous owners were wonderful—welcoming, supportive, and even threw a neighborhood party to introduce us. They were excited to hear our ideas for paint colors and layout changes, which made buying their home a truly positive experience.
For a clearer sense of the floor plan and flow, see the post titled “The Floor Plan Stan” for a helpful layout description and some of our early plans.
Here’s the exterior, captured under a fresh blanket of snow:
The first interior room below is the formal living room. It connects to a dining area behind built-ins. Our plan: convert the front portion into an entry and formal dining space with a large opening on the left that leads into the eat-in kitchen. The former dining room will become a home office with French doors.
Shot from the opposite direction, here’s another view looking back toward the door:
This is the long eat-in kitchen. It’s lined with paneling that will be painted, and we plan to paint the cabinets and add a large island. The future opening to the new dining room will be on the right; we’re aiming for about a 5-foot pass-through to keep the space airy and connected.
Another angle shows the kitchen from the opposite side. One feature we appreciate is the wide doorways throughout the home—perfect for an open, flowing layout.
This wide doorway leads down the hall (photo taken with our backs to the master bedroom, facing the front door).
Here is the main living room—our intended everyday gathering spot when we’re not in the kitchen. Instead of two smaller formal rooms that rarely got used, we wanted one large, flexible family room that can accommodate a large sectional, extra seating, and room for our whole family.
It feels airy and open thanks to generous proportions and sliding doors—one leads to a raised patio and another to the sunroom.
Looking toward the kitchen from the living room: we plan to convert the current fireplace into a double-sided unit so it can be enjoyed from both the kitchen and living room, and we’ll widen the doorway to strengthen the connection between the spaces.
The sunroom is a later addition and feels more modern than the rest of the house. The challenge will be to visually integrate it with the older, original parts of the home.
The opposite side of the sunroom features an off-center window and dark brick that we’re eager to refresh—likely with paint or other finishes to better match our aesthetic.
The master bedroom is generous in size and features reclaimed, wide-plank pine floors that are a standout detail we’re excited to preserve and highlight.
On the far side of the master is a sink area with a separate shower and toilet room to the right and a walk-in closet to the left. Integrating that sink into the bedroom’s overall design—while keeping the space feeling cohesive and romantic—will be a fun design challenge.
The hall bath near the three secondary bedrooms resembles our previous home’s original full bath, but the tile here is in much better condition.
Clara’s nursery is nearly the same size as her old room, which makes the transition easy:
The middle bedroom will serve as a playroom for now and can become another kids’ bedroom as our family grows.
The guest bedroom is ready to welcome family and friends once we add a bed and a few finishing touches.
Then there’s the curious little yellow-and-beige bathroom — it used to be the master bath before the new master suite was added. It’s in need of a complete refresh.
We’re excited to renovate that space as well.
The laundry room is compact but ripe for built-in storage and a mudroom-style makeover for daily functionality.
We love the clean lines of the back of the house and hope to eventually harmonize the front exterior to match the updated look.
The snowy backyard feels charming and cozy—perfect for winter photos and for imagining summers to come.
It was love at first sight for us, and we’re grateful our buyer’s agent encouraged us to view the house. We nearly passed because of the carport, but the sellers offered a credit to convert it to a garage, which made everything fall into place. We’re so glad we didn’t miss this one.
Thanks for joining this first photo tour of our new home. We’ll share more updates and project details as we go—real-time renovations, paint choices, and layout changes. Because we don’t have home internet set up yet, responses may be slower at first, but we’ll post diary-style updates as soon as we can. Make yourselves comfortable here—there’s lots to come and we’re excited to bring you along for every step.
Note: You can find our BabyCenter piece about Clara’s new room under the title “Our Nursery: Take Two.”