Come on in! (“before” pictures!)

This. Is. Happening.

If you missed it, we bought a farm (read about it here!). Wait, WHAT?? We did???

This 1890 farmhouse and 6 acres of pasture land will soon be home sweet home, and we are still pinching ourselves. The home will be renovated top to bottom before we move in, and we are excited to share the adventure with YOU!

Here are a couple pics of the outside to refresh your memory… (photo cred: Jillustrated Photography)

 

It just so happens to be DEMO DAY for our #renovationontheprairie (let’s hear it for Fridley Custom Homes, skillfully taking on this project!), but don’t worry. We took TONS of “before” pics of the house (which will be especially fun after the renovation is complete!) and we’d love to share it with you…NOW! Grab a coffee, bundle up (it’s COLD in here…the furnace is out), and come on in!

I love this view from the front door. See the little niche straight ahead, under the stairs? It’s gonna be so much fun to style & decorate that little spot, isn’t it? Don’t get attached to anything you see in these “before” pics. 😉 Change is COMING!

I’m absolutely IN LOVE with the staircase and newel post. Sadly, it won’t be staying as-is since it doesn’t meet code and is far too short to keep a child safe (especially in the upstairs hall!). HOWEVER, we will try to incorporate the original newel post by adding a block to the bottom to make it taller. We’ll see what kind of magic the finish carpenter can do…it’s so beautiful and original to the home.

The front door will be replaced, and it appears there was once a transom window above the front door…we hope to add it once again…give me all of the natural light! 🙂

Ok, before we go upstairs, let me show you the rest of the main level! The original home has 9.5′ ceilings which I adore. It really keeps things feeling open.

Above is the main living area. See that little dividing wall straight ahead? That will be removed, and a fireplace added in the middle. Just look at those windows! Once you step into the room,  you’ll see the front bay window to the right (below).

Not a bad view, huh? And the PERFECT spot for next year’s Christmas tree!

I was so thankful we had a beautiful, sunny morning yesterday, when Jill came to photograph the house.

Ok, let’s go stand in the bay window area and look back into the living area…this is the view: (below)

Surprise! There’s a fireplace on the left! It will be removed as it is not functioning properly, and remember, the new fireplace will be on the right, where the little arched niche wall is currently. (I know. I can feel your judgement. You like the niche wall. Trust me, opening the space up will be dreamy!) See the wall straight ahead, past the fireplace? That wall will go bye-bye too, so you’ll be able to see straight into the kitchen! Below is a closer view of the wall that will come down to open up the kitchen area (where you see the doorway & chandelier).

And if we stand in the opening to the kitchen and look back to the living space, this is what we see: (below)

To the right of the fireplace is an opening to my office. However, since there are two doors to the office, this one will be removed and will become a great wall for a nice big piece of furniture.

While we’re here, let’s pop in and take a look at my office. This room gets AMAZING light! (the blue room)

There’s currently a fireplace (not functioning) to the left here, but it will be replaced with a closet. Don’t judge…Gotta keep those pillows & client files SOMEWHERE!

 

I took this cute little memo board out, and it will have a new home in the pantry someday…so fun!

See the green room & fancy pants chandelier? That’s the current dining room/kitchen area…let’s go!

***I don’t blame you if you need a snack break…this is a LONG post! Wheat thins? String cheese?***

Ok so Ryan got a little antsy this weekend, and removed a couple cabinets before we took pics…that’s ok. We were too excited! The door on the far left is the current back entrance, which will be kept as our main entrance for friends & family (I’m already dreaming of a dutch door here). I like a “back porch” sort of entrance. Casual, inviting, and perfect for farm life! See the green cabinets? That’s the current kitchen, but will become our pantry. The rest of this room will be a nice big farmhouse kitchen. The ceilings here are much lower, so we’re hoping to vault them into the attic space (this part of the house is only one level).

See the (open)green door on the left (above)? That leads to the current pantry, which will be opened up and will become part of the kitchen.

For reference, in the above pic, the current pantry door is right behind me. I’ll show you what it looks like in there below:

I’m showing you the above pic again so you can see where we’re headed next…see the hallway entrance just below the chandelier? Straight through there, you’ll see this bathroom currently:

This festive red bathroom will actually become a hallway to the laundry room/mud room. The wallpaper in this room is actually my favorite in the house.

If we turn left instead of going into this bathroom, there’s a fun little ANTIQUE in the hall…wanna see?

A WALL PHONE???? Oh the memories! Remember when you stretched the cord all the way into the pantry so you could talk to your friends in private? And your little sisters would listen at the door anyway? Or better yet, they would quietly pick up another phone in the house and listen? 😉 Anyway, this hall leads to the current bonus room, powder room, laundry room, and master bedroom, in the “newer” part of the house…added in the 1960’s and early 2000’s.

Below is the bonus room, and beyond that the current master, which will become the master suite, including a master bath and closet. This part of the house will be completely reconfigured to be more useful and allow for a better flow.

From the current bonus room, you walk directly in the master bedroom, below. The ceilings in here are fairly low, so we plan to vault them.

Looking back toward the bonus, here’s what it looks like:

See the floral wallpaper in the little doorway in the the middle of the above pic? That’s the laundry room…I’ll show you. 🙂

This room will change a LOT, as we’ll have a door to the outside, and a hallway to the kitchen where the washer currently sits.

See the blue bathroom above? That will be our powder room, but will be accessed from the other side instead (hallway). Here’s a closer look as-is:

Let’s head back down the main hall and into the “original” part of the house…I want to take you upstairs! (The hallway is slated to become a WHOLE LOT cuter!)

Ready? Come on up! Oh, BUT FIRST. Can we discuss the little niche window on the stairs???? I’m envisioning a cushion and a cozy little spot for reading, or watching the happenings on the farm! (insert heart eyes HERE!) Such a unique feature. (below)

From this spot we’ll walk to where you can see that little splash of blue carpet, our son’s room. (below)

Lots of windows and cookie monster carpet. 😉

See the small door? That’s a walk in closet (below).

Next is the upstairs bath, which will be reconfigured a bit. The vanity will be moved to the wall on the left, so mirrors can be added above…and of course a fresh new look. 😉

This bright room doesn’t have a closet, so the wall straight ahead (above) will be removed to make one larger room and walk-in closet for our daughter. (See the other room below.)

This room has 4 layers of wallpaper, each more interesting that the next as you go back in time. This house is full of history, and the discoveries we make each day are so much fun!

All of the original doors have this plate on them. So interesting!

If you’re still here, I admire your stamina. Phew! That was a long tour. 😉 I couldn’t help it. I wanted you to see as many angles as possible.

Can I just tell you? It means so much to have you along for this adventure. We have been anxiously awaiting the time when we could share this with you…and lookie there. We’ve arrived. Renovation officially began today, and the transformation has begun. We can’t wait to fill this home with love, laughter, memories, and warmth. And having you here means the world!

We’d love to know…what do you think? Is it anything like you expected in its “before” state? Smaller, bigger, more colorful, more wallpaper, or a more crazy undertaking than you thought?

Be sure to sign up for our newsletter so you won’t miss a thing, and follow along on social media for all of the behind-the-scenes! (@yellowprairieinteriors on Instagram, Yellow Prairie Interior Design, LLC on Facebook)

#renovationontheprairie