My Maryland Home Tour
We purchased a 1970 brick ranch house in Washington County, Maryland in September of 2022. This wasn’t the home I envisioned us purchasing, but we thought it was a little gem that needed the kind of updating we were eager to do. We have had the privilege of meeting some of the children of the original homeowners, who built this Better Homes & Garden floor plan as their dream home. Follow along as we make updates to the home, big and small, while retaining the original charm and best features of the home.
home editing | 1970 home renovation
When we live in a house for a while, it's easy to become blind to things that should be obvious eyesores. Something that bothered us initially becomes something we don't even notice. Such was the case with the basketball pole off our driveway. We walk past it...
fencing day two & DIY cost savings
We finished installing the second side of the fence yesterday and I took the time to take a few pictures to share how we did it for those who are curious or considering a similar project. You can read about our first day of "fencing" HERE. The fence really needed to...
fencing day one | 1970 home renovation
We were planning on rebuilding our crumbling fence a few weeks ago when the weather was still reliably cool and before the vines took off, but just as I went to order the fence pickets, Home Depot didn't have enough in stock. Someone else must've had the same idea...
edging the front walk
If you can't tell by my blog posts, we've been focusing our efforts on the exterior of the house over the past few weeks. I've been enjoying it and have some good momentum, but we're also trying to get as much done before it gets uncomfortably hot. Spring and fall...
update on the back garden beds | part one
The areas that were always a struggle for me when it came to gardening were patience and planning. For years, I would make a feeble attempt at weeding and planting, but I didn't take any time to learn about the plants themselves or how to make weeds easier to control...
gardening plan with a local nursery
Over the winter, I was already thinking about working on the front garden. It was going to be a massive project landscaping this wide, rambling, unsymmetrical house, but we were at a place in our 1970 home renovation where we could get started once Spring arrived. ...
garden updates | bishop’s weed, trellis design, & progress
In case you haven't noticed by the subject of my recent posts, gardening has been my main focus over the past few weeks. I feel like I have to take advantage of the weather before it starts getting really hot and also get the backyard cleaned up before we open the...
progress on the garage-side garden
Last year, I focused most of my gardening on the backyard, specifically the area surrounding the pool. We were in the process of having the pool restored and I wanted the area to feel tidy at the very least. I didn't want to be floating in our pool, trying to soak...
the Sherwin Williams color match to my kitchen cabinets
One of my most frequently asked questions over the past year is, "What color are your kitchen cabinets?" Since I paint everything, I think people assume I selected the color and painted the cabinets myself. This is actually the first time I didn't paint my own...
1970 home renovation | the beginnings of the boys’ bathroom reno
Warning, this is not a pretty post, but this is the reality of buying a 50+-year-old home that was mostly in original condition. While none of the rooms in this house were ugly (I think the previous owners had wonderful taste), there comes a time when the fads of...
trellis inspiration
A little over a week ago, I shared some of our spring project plans and I thought I would flesh one of those ideas out a bit more. Specifically, let's take a look at some trellis inspiration ideas I'm considering for the blank wall of siding on the front of the...
spring 2024 projects
After being sick for a few days, it always takes a little while to assess how you're feeling in the morning. Am I still sick? Have I finally turned the corner? Well, this morning, I assessed after helping Jeff get the boys off to school and I have turned the...
Kitchen
Like the rest of the house, the kitchen has great bones, but it needed a lot of paint to make it fit my design aesthetic!
We replaced the modern pendants with some small spot/task lighting to accommodate the pot rack. We also painted the cabinets, walls, and trim, replaced the faucet and updated the appliances.
…and we built some simple open shelves in the awkward recess.
- Wall color: Stonington Gray by Benjamin Moore mixed at 50% in Aura, matte finish
- Trim & cabinet color: custom match to Farrow & Ball’s All White (mixed by Benjamin Moore in Advanced, satin finish)
- Doors: Coventry Gray, Benjamin Moore, Advanced, satin finish
- Island: Custom green to match Boxwood from the MMS Milk Paint Line mixed in Benjamin Moore Advanced, satin finish. You can find the exact recipe HERE.
- Counters – Hanstone Quartz in Monterey
- Tile backsplash – Venatino Marble Subway Tile form Lowe’s. You can read about the installation HERE.
- Bar stools: Restoration Hardware
- Pot rack: Calphalon Stainless Steel Pot Rack
- Faucet: Delta Cassidy Kitchen Faucet
- Sink:
- Cabinet hardware: Hobby Lobby
- Braided jute runner: Joss & Main
- Applianced: Kitchen Aid (you can read about the “beefy range” HERE)
Still on the to-do list:
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- Sew a simple valance for the kitchen window
- Maybe replace the range hood with something custom, but that won’t happen for a while!