Creating a Romantic Home ~ some before & after's

Growing up, I moved around quite a bit.  I have lived in homes of all shapes and sizes, here in the States and in Australia.  This allowed me to create and decorate many spaces over the years, before I finally purchased my dream home in 2011.  I was also raised in a family that frequented flea markets and garage sales.  I learned early on, how to make my money stretch, to create a home based on the styles that inspired me.  Decorating books/magazines, friends/family, movies, television and the web were full of beautiful ideas that I longed to aspire to.  I recently had a dream come true, when my home was photographed by the talented Janet Coon, for the French magazine "Shabby Style".  You can see some of the beautiful shots here on Janet's amazing blog shabbyfufu.blogspot.com

In light of this recent, proud achievement, I wanted to share with you some early pictures of our home, Oak Tree Cottage.  Most of you know what it looks like now, but this wasn't accomplished over night or with an unlimited budget.  Even now, 2 years later, our home is a constant work in progress, with paint and new pieces coming and going.  My amazing, online friends continue to inspire me with their talent and beautiful homes (as seen in the blogs I follow) And my family continues to make frequent trips to flea markets and estate sales with me. I really enjoy the hunt for new treasures and hope to sell some of my finds and creations on etsy in the near future. I hope by seeing these "before" pictures, I can inspire others to have fun with their homes and hit those markets, thrift stores and sales!

No matter what your home or budget is like, you can create a cozy and inviting space to share with your family and friends. Your home doesn't have to be perfect and I always encourage originality and individuality in design.  Home should be that safe place you long to spend time in and create lasting memories.  The time and effort are well worth the reward of hearing that you have a cozy home.  Thank you for stopping by.  I know I don't post as regularly as I should but I will try to get better!  Have a beautiful week! Enjoy!
xoxo Drena

The living room before lots of white paint! I tried to live with all the dark wood but gave in a few months ago.  Craftsman bungalow and dark wood lovers are silently cursing me, lol

The kitchen sold me on this house (farm sink & pink granite!) and is the one room I haven't changed.

Of course, I may still paint the walls white...

The original 1925 wood floors, molding, doors & windows were a HUGE bonus

The dining room, one of the last rooms I completed, and one of my favorites

My workspace/prop room/storage space, now a soothing sea green instead of mustard yellow, lol

My son's room (it's the largest!) Had to pull carpet, to reveal wood floors. I allow him some tween privacy and design, so you won't see any after pics of this room. (It's olive green & looks like a Young Indiana Jones lives in there!)

Our master bedroom.  The back of the room was added in the 1950's, hence the crazy shape but I fell in love with those windows.  On the wishlist, a new ceiling & refinishing the "orange" floor.

The only full bath.  It is functional (for now) but we hope to remodel it someday

It was a jungle out there!! And the carport is now our "barn", another work in progress.

The oak tree offers too much shade for grass, hence we added lots of rock paths, flowerbeds and the stone fire pit patio.  Not to mention 2 chicken coops and a flock of chickens. Still working on a veggie garden.

Oak Tree Cottage est. 1925.  It took nine months to buy this house but it was so worth the wait!

Photos courtesy & property of Janet Coon

Photos courtesy & property of Janet Coon