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Kitchen
1970 home renovation

antique step-back hutch & breakfast nook

The kitchen will be our next big project in the house and I can’t wait to tackle this space.  As I’ve shared before, it’s a bit of an awkward room that is sort of a U-shape.  One side of the U is a hallway that leads to the pantry (the door to the right in the photo below), the foyer, and opens into a kitchen breakfast nook.  In the little hallway to the pantry, I put the antique step-back hutch that I purchased last summer at Gold Rush Days in Minnesota.  I bought the piece for the basement and never really did much with it.  It was a piece I wanted to keep for a few reasons.  First of all, it has a small footprint but offers a lot of storage.  Second, I didn’t really have the chance to enjoy it, so I wasn’t ready to let go of it

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November 23, 2022 16 Comments
1970 home renovation

refrigerator shopping with forté

Disclosure: I am working with Ilve and Forté as a part of a long-term partnership on my kitchen renovation.  As always, all opinions are honest and my own. Now that the roof is done, it’s time to turn our renovating attention to the kitchen.  In fact, my renovating attention has been on the kitchen, but it’s just been sketches, ideas, and standing in the space staring at it for long periods of time.  It has been nice to use and live in the kitchen for a while before any firm plans are put in place, though.  I’m learning where I work, what I use most, how the light moves, and what I’m missing from my previous kitchen.  Since we intentionally looked at homes that needed a complete kitchen redo, I knew that I would be starting from a blank slate on everything, including the appliances.  So, as I started to

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November 2, 2022 36 Comments
All Things Home

kitchen inspiration | decorating

As I’m thinking and dreaming about our next house, a room I’m particularly excited about is the kitchen.  So, let me share some kitchen inspiration I’ve been rounding up. We were fortunate to have very nice kitchens in our last two houses.  Both have been a nice size with tons of cabinetry and good counter space.  Here is my PA kitchen (and you can read more about the transformation of that kitchen HERE.) And here was our Minnesota kitchen (you can read more about that makeover HERE)… Buying a home with a nice kitchen is definitely a blessing, but it also felt like a bit of a limitation for someone like me.  I want to customize each space and when you already have nice, hardwood, built-in cabinets, it just makes sense to work with what you have.  We made a ton of upgrades and put our custom stamp on each

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August 24, 2022 21 Comments
Decorating

refreshing painted kitchen cabinets

Let’s talk about something that isn’t often talked about when it comes to interior photographs for magazines, online publications, social media, etc.  Yes, we all know about styling and filters, clever cropping, and fancy photoshopping.  But let’s talk about the fact that you just don’t get the full picture in a picture.  In some ways, you can see more in a photograph, like if something is crooked or if a space is too cluttered.  You just have more time to study it and see those things that are off.  But, in other ways, you see less.  You don’t see the little details that you see in person.  The little stains, chips, dirt, and imperfections that come with using a space every day.  So, let me give you a little peek to confirm that our house gets wear and tear just like any other house.  In today’s post, I’ll focus on

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March 22, 2022 28 Comments
All Things Home

the story of the antique copper bundt pan

Whenever I share my kitchen on social media or the blog, I almost always get comments about my pot rack and the collection of copper I’ve amassed over the past decade or so.  My love of quality cookware started with an epic Tuesday Morning find – a set of stainless steel pots and pans for 90% off.  My love of copper, though, started with an epic yard sale find – an antique copper bundt pan for $25.  I don’t think I’ve ever shared the story of when I found it here on the blog and it popped in my mind over the weekend, so I thought I would share it today. This is the gorgeous antique copper bundt pan I’m referring to… When Marshall was a baby, we had no expendable income.  And, when I say no expendable income, that is very literal.  We could pay the essential bills, but

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August 16, 2021 54 Comments
Decorating

Evolution of our Kitchen Makeover

Now that we’ve been living in our home in Minnesota for four years, I thought I would share how some of the rooms have evolved since we moved in.  I did an “evolution” series on my last home (you can see the kitchen evolution post of our previous home HERE) and received so many great comments and feedback in response.  It was fun for readers to see the transformation all in one place while also appreciating how long a real-world makeover can take.  Some rooms come together quickly, but most rooms in most homes just evolve over the years.  Room makeovers aren’t really a before and after, but more of a then and now.  They will continue to be dynamic and evolve.  So, here is our kitchen makeover as it happened over the past four years. This photo was taken the very first day we were in the house.  (You

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August 11, 2021 24 Comments
All Things Home

finally, a faucet that listens…

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by .  As always all words and opinions are honest and my own. You never realize how much you’re at your kitchen sink until you set up a camera to capture your activities.  (Or when you’re doing a kitchen renovation and don’t have a sink!)  In just making breakfast for everyone, filling up the water bowl for Sebastian and the kitties, wiping down the counters, washing the dishes, watering some plants, I visited the sink again and again.  The kitchen is the heart of the home and the kitchen sink and faucet are definitely important fixtures. We recently upgraded our faucet to the .  I must admit that I didn’t really know how high tech faucets could get until we installed and started using this one.  It addresses so many issues with ordinary faucets like figuring out the best way to turn them on when your

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July 27, 2020 21 Comments
All Things Home

parsons chair linen slipcover reveal

I know that my house usually looks clean and tidy in the pictures I share here and on social media.  And, I will admit, that I am a bit of a neat freak.  I generally like to clean and I love having a spotless, organized, and clutter-free home.  But, life happens here.  I have middle school boys, a dog, two cats, and a husband who has a higher mess tolerance than I do.  Trust me, there are parts of our house that are not pristine! One of the more visible non-pristine areas were the seats of the end chairs at our kitchen table.  These are well-loved and well-used chairs and they were looking pretty rough.  I was even a little embarrassed by them when we had people over because they looked so grungy.  That’s just my own silliness, though.  I doubt anyone ever really cared. The chairs are still in

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May 18, 2020 42 Comments

I’m Marian, a painter, writer, and lover of all things creative. From art and antiques to home projects and everyday life, I share my journey in hopes of inspiring you to embrace your own creativity and make beauty in the spaces you live.

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