The Grand House Tour

Living Room

Two of the best purchases I ever made: this Sputnik chandelier from Dot and Bo, and this Crate & Barrel 2-piece lounge sectional. Best couch EVER.

Reading Nook

In one corner of our living room: my grandmother's antique rocker, my dad's guitar, and an arc lamp I found at Goodwill.

Poolside

A simple wrought-iron table and chairs I found on Joss and Main and a palm tree I installed during our xeriscaping makeover.

Patio

I was SO excited to discover that the previous owners left behind this awesome patio table and benches.

View From The Entryway

Before we even arrived at our new home, I had a pro I found on Thumbtack go in and paint all the walls white, then install pale grey composite flooring throughout.

Dining Room

I wanted something a little different for our dining room, so I found an iron-and-wood table made from a reclaimed bowling alley at Big Daddy's Antiques, and put a massive, green antique bench (with storage!) along one side.

That Rug Though

I had my eye on this Lulu and Georgia rug for months, and finally pulled the trigger when I saw how beautifully it matched our green farmhouse bench.

Indy's Bedroom

Nothing here is expensive - that's a bed from Ikea, a rug from Target and a table from HomeGoods - but I love how eclectic it feels.

Coziest Corner

I wanted my son's room to feel familiar to him, so we painted it the same color as his room back home and kept all the same furniture.

On Our Couch

An eclectic (ok, weird) collection of pillows, including a cactus and Pacman pillow from glam | camp.

What Saturday Night Looks Like, Usually

One of my favorite things about the house is how open it feels - there's a really nice flow between rooms.

Entryway Tile

A Thumbtack tiling expert took out the bland, '70s style entryway tile and installed these gorgeous blue-and-white Moroccan tiles from Villa Lagoon.

Sliding Barn Door

We worked with a Thumbtack pro to build a wall between the master bedroom and bathroom and install a sliding barn door from Rustica Hardware.

Door from Rustica Hardware

Another shot of our door. I LOVE it.

Mint Green Hall Bath

A reader suggested that I add a matching mirror to open up our bathroom - that plus the mint paint made a tiny, dark space feel super bright and airy.

Office/Playroom

Probably my favorite home renovation project: we worked with a carpenter we found on Thumbtack to transform a small extra bedroom into a home office/playroom.

On The Piano

A white orchid, one of my paintings, and a photo of Kendrick and me by the late photographer Cathrine Westergaard.

Storage Solution

I hate clutter, so I had super-deep drawers custom-made to hold all my son's toys.

On The Bookshelf

Instagram photos we had turned into canvases, a crystal vodka decanter, and my father-in-law's baby shoes.

A Home For My Shoes

One more Thumbtack project: closet organization. (My shoes deserved a space all their own.)

Finally: Organized Closets!

In our bedroom closets, we built custom shelves to maximize storage space, then added inexpensive shelf dividers from Amazon to keep everything in place.

Side Table

A little side table display with a gold planter I made from one of my son's toys, my first book, and my husband's O. Henry.

Bright Bedroom

I wanted the house to feel as bright and light as possible - hence the (mostly) white bedroom.

Light & Air

I put our mattress directly on the floor because I love feeling like we're on the same level as the pool, which you access through those French doors.

{ Hover over photos to view captions }

I think we’re done.

Since we moved here last June we’ve done a crazy number of renovations to this house, and while there are still some things on my list (that bathroom update I mentioned; installing drawers in Indy’s closet to free up some floor space; new paint on the exterior), I feel good. I feel like the house is ours, like it works for our family’s needs, and like…well, like I love it. I totally love it. It’s more or less the same size as our hundred-year-old colonial in Tarrytown, but feels a thousand times bigger because it’s all one one level and has such a nice, open floor plan, and because we actually use our outdoor space, so it feels like a second living space. And with the doors and windows open pretty much all day long (because you can do that here), it just feels…fresh. Like it’s a home full of light and air and peace. Which is what I think we all needed.

(I’m also, if we’re being totally honest, a little bummed that the major-renovation phase is over, because – as stressful as it can be – there are few things I enjoy more. But we also plan to sell within three or four years, so I don’t have too long to wait to do this again.)

So – since we’re now good and settled – I thought I’d put together a slideshow of our place (above). And if you’re interested, below are all the renovation projects we did (most with the assistance of pros I found on Thumbtack, in case you were under the impression that I was doing things like building walls and constructing closets myself).

• Closets: Before And After (And Where All My Shoes Went)
• Dining Room: A Makeover with Big Daddy’s Antiques
• Yard Before And After: The Xeriscaping Experiment (on Design Sponge)
• Hallway Bathroom: Before And After
• Office/Playroom: How I Turned A Tiny, Unused Bonus Space Into The Most Efficient Room In Our House
• Master Bedroom/Bathroom (The Great Barn Door Makeover)
• Entryway: Before And After
• Lighting: How We Brought Light Into Our (Completely Dark) Home
• First Look At The House: Move-In Day Video

P.S. I’ve now completed my contracted work as Thumbtack’s Lifestyle Expert, but I just want to say: I had a phenomenal experience with the company, and have continued to use them for a variety of projects (for example, I recently found an incredible local photographer on the site, as well as a piano teacher for Indy). Just saying: if you’ve got any sort of personal project on the horizon, try it out (and if you have any questions about my experiences, of course always feel free to ask!).