I like to see thought processes that are taken to get from start to finish on projects, whether it be house projects or not. So, I thought it would be interesting to share some of mine.
Having a strong concept makes for a cohesive final presentation. Make every decision on house details, no matter how small, through the lenses of a specific concept. This part of the process can get somewhat abstract. The point is not to edit just yet. Pour out thoughts onto the page and then, at a later time, come back through and edit.
Here's the inside scoop on the inspiration found/used for our first house flip.
I'll start with the session where I brainstormed with words.
turn of the century: 1890's to 1900's slight Victorian feel contrasting with "primitive farmhouse"
Shaker style
primitive-simple, rustic, basic, wood, uncomfortable
natural materials
in keeping with the neighborhood
naturalist environment
old with new
restored elements-flooring, stucco, maintain exterior look (color)
retreat
strong breezes on porch
energizing but relaxing
views
clean out small quail eggs
eggshells-color inspiration: complimentary (opposite on color wheel)--desaturated blues and oranges, used with saturated gray/slate and rust as accents
"appetizer" for historic town" (our house is one of first houses seen from the main road approaching the small historic town)
I also collected pictures along the way from magazines, favorite blogs, or google searches.
Here is some pictorial inspiration for our kitchen/open living space:
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| http://www.countryliving.com/homes/how-to-get-the-look/farmhouse-style-0809#slide-2 |
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| http://blog.builddirect.com/kitchen-storage-and-fashionable-pot-racks-on-a-budget/ |
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| http://www.cabinetsanddesigns.net/portfolio |
thisoldhouse.com; September 2012; p.72-73
With kitchen design in mind, Gabe found this photo after we finished ours:
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| https://homes.yahoo.com/news/what-the-property-brothers-want-you-to-know-before-buying-that-fixer-upper-203606262.html |
Kinda nice to see something similar end up in a magazine! Thanks for the tips Property Brothers :)
Thinking about interior doors and trim, I wanted a "post & beam" simple kind of look.
Taking the original style trim for the windows and doors:
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| Original state of window trim; Dec 2011 |
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| Original state of door trim; December 2011 |
I wanted to go with a similar construction for doors and trim.
Something like this:
Something like this:
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| http://hammerlikeagirl.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/bedroomdoor1_a.jpg |
Our contractor friend Mark helped us order the right materials we needed to accomplish this look. Except we added a plinth block at the bottom.
FYI--
plinth: a slab-like member beneath the base of a column or pier.
plinth block: a plinth interrupting a door or window architrave at the floor or ground level.
Your welcome. :)
Notice this detail we added on the closet door trim:
As for front door design, I took inspiration from here:
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| http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/70189/list/Painted-Front-Doors-With-Personality-To-Spare |
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| http://cochranfarmlife.blogspot.com/2011_08_01_archive.html |
I really like that blog. The family goes to my parents church, and Ben's aunt is my former youth leader. :) Cochran Lumber used to be located in the same town as our little house flip and they milled our wood floors so we could reuse them in the house. I gained a lot of inspiration from the blog!
Another house in the same town as ours:
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| This house is the oldest in the neighborhood--in late 1700's |
Thinking about the bathroom space:
Color palette inspiration:
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| http://www.thekitchn.com/whats-the-difference-white-bro-113678 |
Along these lines, I had a color project in school a couple years ago where I fleshed this out a little bit. This is part of a collage I did for the project:
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| (I'm not sure from which magazine I sourced this center image, sorry!) |
The colors aren't altogether true to what I remember in real life, too bad.
After a seminar from Benjamin Moore Paints, I gathered their historic color picks from 1890-1900:
I don't love these, but it was interesting, none-the-less. None of these colors ended up on the walls, but they were useful in picking out general color direction and decorations.
This is just a glimpse of the inspiration I had for this house. I always have my eyes open gathering ideas for my next project.
Stay tuned for the next undertaking on our second house project!
Impressive investigation, detail and follow through, Bethany! Like the Captain on TV used to say, 'I like it when a plan comes together." Yours and Gabe's certainly did. Can't wait for plan two. UT
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