Q: I just read an old post of yours where you compared your last house to your current one — and it seemed like you preferred the old house in some ways because you had done more renovations. I’d love a do-over of that post now that you’ve been in the current house longer and have made more improvements. Thanks for all the inspiration, Sarah
A: You’re right — it’s time to revisit this head-to-head comparison of our first house versus our current home. We originally did a playful side-by-side a while back and promised to update it once more progress was made. Now that we’ve lived in the new house longer and completed more projects, it’s fun to see how the two properties compare room by room. Below we walk through each space, share what we love, and pick a winner for each area. Images are included to illustrate the transformations and current state of each room.
The Front Yard, First House:
The Front Yard, Current House:
Winner: The first house. Our new yard has improved a lot from the overgrown mess we inherited, but our first house’s yard benefitted from years of incremental landscaping and design. The current property is still a work in progress from multiple angles, so the first yard remains the more finished and mature landscape for now.
The Front Porch, First House:
The Front Porch, Current House:
Winner: Tie. We loved the cheerful colors and striped porch floor of the first home, but the current porch’s new paint and a different front-door color have their own charm. Both porches have features we adore, and the new house will likely evolve as we add trim, stain the concrete, and finish the columns.
The Living Room, First House:
The Living Room, Current House:
Winner: Current house. The living room in our current home is where we actually spend time: it’s comfortable, casual, and designed for everyday life. While the formal living room in the first house looked polished, the current room functions as the family hangout, which matters most for how we live.
The Kitchen, First House:
The Kitchen, Current House:
Winner: Current house. The layout and openness of our current kitchen make it the heart of the home. With multiple openings to adjacent rooms and a peninsula that invites connection, it’s a daily favorite. The first kitchen felt more closed off; the new layout makes cooking, working, and family time simpler and more natural.
The Hallway, First House:
The Hallway, Current House:
Winner: Current house. A wide, bright hallway lined with family photos makes the current house feel open and welcoming. That gallery wall adds personality and warmth in a way the narrower hallway in our first home didn’t.
The Spare Bedroom, First House:
The Spare Bedroom, Current House:
Winner: The first house. The tidy spare bedroom at our first home was calm and functional. The equivalent room now houses projects and extra furniture, so until we finish organizing and styling it, the original spare room wins for serenity.
The Nursery (Former Third Bedroom), First House:
The Nursery, Current House:
Winner: Current house, narrowly. The original nursery was incredibly sentimental — it’s where we brought Clara home — but the new room offers a larger closet that we converted into a cozy reading nook, which gives it an edge. We plan to add finishing touches like crown molding and ceiling paint to complete it.
Our Bedroom, First House:
Our Bedroom, Current House:
Winner: Current house. Our new bedroom is cozier and more intentionally styled after we rearranged and painted it a darker, moodier color. Built-in storage in the first house was clever, but having an attached bathroom and walk-in closet in the current house improves everyday function and comfort.
Main Bathroom (Hall), First House:
Our Bathroom (Attached), Current House:
Winner: The first house. The full gut renovation we completed in the first house remains one of our proudest projects and feels more finished and polished than our current attached bathroom. The new bath is functional and convenient, but it’s still waiting for some larger updates that could change the score in the future.
The Office / Guest Room / Playroom, First House:
The Office & Guest Bedroom (now separate rooms), Current House:
Winner: Current house. Separating the office from the guest room makes both spaces more functional. The dedicated office offers a built-in desk and organized workspace, while the guest room with its own bath is far more comfortable for visitors than the multi-purpose room we had before.
The Den, First House:
Winner: The first house. The den was one of our most cherished rooms — incredibly cozy and intimate. Our current home lacks a direct den equivalent because we chose to open and reassign spaces for a larger dining area and office, but we still miss that snug room for quiet family moments.
Dining Room, Current House:
Winner: Current house. The dining room in the current home is a full, formal space with built-ins and a color palette we love. Our first house didn’t have a true dining room, so the new one is a welcome upgrade for family gatherings and entertaining.
The Laundry Area, First House:
Laundry Area, Current House:
Winner: Current house. The new laundry space feels happier and avoids the clutter trap we had with a long counter near the door in the first house. It may be narrow, but its layout suits our routine better, and folding laundry while relaxing nearby has become more pleasant.
The Hall Bathroom, First House:
Hall Bathroom, Current House:
Winner: The first house, for style; the current house, for function. We loved the charm of the first house’s striped wall and pedestal sink. The new hall bath is more functional with a tub for Clara’s baths, but it’s a blank slate in need of styling — so for now the first house gets the style point.
The Sunroom, First House:
The Sunroom, Current House:
Winner: First house. The sunroom in our first home felt finished and inviting. Our current sunroom still needs a handful of updates, so the original earns the win for comfort and completeness.
The Patio, First House:
The Patio, Current House:
Winner: Current house. The current patio is more spacious, shaded, and comfortable — and we’re proud that we completed much of the work ourselves. It feels like a true outdoor extension of the home.
The Deck, Current House:
Winner: Current house. We didn’t have a deck at our first house, and this new deck — built by John and furnished for relaxing — is a fantastic addition. It’s practical and already feels like our favorite outdoor hangout.
The Basement, First House:
The Basement, Current House:
Winner: The first house. We invested more time finishing the first basement, so it’s more usable and styled. The current basement still resembles a storage zone, but we plan to address that as a future project.
The Backyard, First House:
The Backyard, Current House:
Winner: The first house. We still miss the flat, grassy backyard bordered by trees. The current yard has potential — and it’s on our list to carve out a playable grassy spot for Clara and our dog — but the first backyard still holds the edge.
Final tally: the current house leads by a narrow margin. Comparing each room reveals how our style and priorities have evolved — we take more design risks now, we favor color and contrast, and we focus on spaces that support the way we actually live. At the same time, we’ll always have a soft spot for the quieter, tone-on-tone moments of our first home. We’ve updated our to-do list as projects roll forward, and we’re excited to continue improving the current house while remembering what we loved about the old one.
Psst — we’ve compiled source lists and paint colors for many of the rooms from both houses so you can see where items and colors came from.