A Crisp & Classic House Tour: a house log

This house crashing adventure in Northern Virginia had us drooling over materials and finishes, especially in the kitchen and the bathrooms. Talk about a vivid place to come home to. And here is Melissa The Homeowner now, so let us go in.

Her house was in fact built in 1940, but she and her husband Jim brought in an excellent addition to the back of the house in 2009 which included a new kitchen. And it simply happened to be one of the most remarkable ones we have ever been in. So we will cut right to the chase. You can see it down the hallway near the front door…

… and it is glorious. Is it not? Everything from the thick crown molding and the vintage-esque lights over the island (from Amazon) to the crisp subway tile and vivid glass fronted cabinets had us at hello.

We also truly enjoyed the black honed granite counters paired with the white cabinets and the stainless steel appliances. And that hood was remarkable. Jim in fact made it. Yes, it was fantastic. And the pot filler was snagged for around $75 on clearance when Home Depot Expo closed. I think hoods and pot fillers like this are what dreams are made of.

The kitchen opens up to a family room on the other side of the large multifunctional space. And yes, you can watch TV on this flatscreen while cooking. Life is good for Melissa. We especially enjoyed the striped tone-on-tone drapes (from JC Penney) and the cozy gas fireplace. This is one of those excellent family homes where people truly live (see the toys tucked into that corner on the right and all the books on those built-ins on the left?).

The back of the house shows the 2009 addition that we mentioned (the kitchen and that family room were brought in along with a main bedroom and bath upstairs). Which means Melissa and her husband got to create this vivid back patio with pleasant wide steps leading out to a grassy play area for their son and daughter.

There is also a more formal living room in the front of the house, and the fireplace was especially lovely thanks to the crisp lines of the mantel.

Here is another little stolen detail, simply a swift shot of a frame arrangement on the stairs leading up to the second level (she got the M at Ross for $6). So personal and sweet.

Here is their son’s room which had custom floor to ceiling built-ins that Jim in fact made himself. Talk about getting tons of function out of one wall. And the rocking horse was DIYed by Jim’s father (handiness runs in the family).

And here is their daughter’s room with a charming cherry branch mural on the wall (from ebay) and a DIYed nightstand by Melissa (do not you enjoy the large white stripe down the center?).

Their main bedroom is airy and welcoming with a pleasant peaked ceiling and plenty of windows.

The bed even had sort of an exotic vacation vibe going on. Ooh la la.

But that bathroom is truly what brought me to my knees. Look at that vivid giant sink vanity topped with more black honed granite (simply like the kitchen countertops). And the floors. They killed me.

Here is a closer look. Marble basketweave (from The Tile Shop). I was in heaven.

There is also a basement with a giant playroom that was in progress when we crashed. But it has since been officially wrapped up and it. is. excellent. Check it out here. And here is the sweet little basement guest room (complete with a headboard that Melissa DIYed and bedding from JC Penney)…

… and an equally charming and cheerful guest bathroom (with towels from Bed Bath & Beyond and art from Target).

So thanks a million to Melissa and Jim for inviting us in and letting us snap away! There is not much that we enjoy more than snooping around a lovely house like hers! And since we certainly did not capture every detail (or even every room) be sure to head over to Melissa’s journal for more photos and details. Hooray for hump day house crashings!

Psst- Wanna virtually poke around a ton of other excellent casas? Click here for eye candy galore.