Home Design & DIY on the Brain

Lately, I have had home on the brain. What makes a home? What renovations still need to be done to our home so that we can put it on the market in a couple years? What will our future home look like? What exactly is my dream home? How can I turn this dream into reality?

I have started a couple of boards on Pinterest to keep track of ideas and inspirations. I have one board called Inside Abode where I keep my ideas for the home we live in now.

Take a look at some of the ideas that I have used for our home.

I have used embroidery loops to showcase special fabric in my hallway. Here is the inspiration picture.

See it on Pinterest. 

Here is what my hallway looks like.

I had a special piece of fabric that my Mother gave to me that was my Grandfather’s. Besides this fitting into the style of our house, it has a special story. My Grandfather used to work in a fabric mill when he was younger, and would run a machine that would roll endless yards of fabric. This fabric I have showcased here was his and makes me think of him every time that I pass it in the hall. I believe that all homes should have things in them that spark good memories in you. This one is for you Grandpa. I miss still miss you everyday but am glad I hold a spot in my home for your memory.

I started doing a wall of pictures in as assortment of frames on one wall of our living room. Here is the inspiration picture.

See it on Pinterest. 

Here is my version of it.

It is still in progress and we still need to add the trim to the walls around it, but hey…..it is a start!

See it on Pinterest. 

The picture above is something that I dream of being able to do for the wall under our breakfast bar area.

Another idea I would love is to have this as a door/baby gate in between the mudroom and kitchen. It would be perfect for us and our home.

Directions for this can be found on The Inspired Room 

I know my husband would love to build a brand new garage for the home. I think this look would fit in perfectly! We have stacked stone on the corners of our home and to do an entire garage like this would be stunning. Although if he did, I think moving would be even harder.

Check out more pictures of this home in Alberta on Comfree.com. 

We live in a log home now, and we just love to mix rustic or re-purposed materials with new items. I love that mix of style, the old and the new. I have put my heart into decorating this space for our family and it certainly will be hard to leave. Things around here are looking better and better everyday and just when we finish it up.....we will be moving on. It is kind of sad, but I have to remember that it is sweat equity and it was fun to do.

We still have to do the downstairs bathroom remodel. A bathroom like the one I found here would be fit our house like a glove.

Check out more pictures from the home on Comfree.com. 

A lazy Susan in the corner of the kitchen is what we have now for cans of food, but this idea right here of putting pots and pans in there is superb and we must do this when we redo the kitchen. These shelves are specifically made for this purpose and I think it is genius!

This rustic but modern, lodge style won't work with our future coastal home and that is alright because I also love seaside styling. In fact I am really looking forward to creating a whole other kind of space that is even truer to our dream. I created a special board on Pinterest for this purpose. It tucks away all my ideas, until one day when I can bring them to life. Here is a link to that Pinterest board called SeasideStyle.

When thinking about our future home I am still drawn to the idea of taking things found in nature and using them to decorate. Driftwood, shells, colors of nature will all be used in our future home.

I don't know if we will have a fireplace on the coast, but if we do this one here would be gorgeous.

Checking down my list of dreams, an enclosed pool will be a must and I long to have a view of it from the living room or lanai.

Or this view would do as well.

See more inspiring pools at ParadiseInPuntaGorda.com.

I would also love to make this cute seahorse from driftwood for our new house.

DIY instructions can be found at Useful DIY.

I can already image all the memories of walking around the harbor to find driftwood with the kids and hubby. It is handmade touches like this that I adore in a home.

I think my future coastal dream home with be filled with lots of DIY projects, bright coastal inspired colors, an eclectic mix of new and found items, but most important of all......it will be filled with smiles, family, and love!

The internet is an endless source of ideas for decorating your home. I highly suggest using Pinterest to organize all your links of projects to try, items to buy, color schemes, and more. It is the easiest system I have found and as a busy Mama, I like easy sometimes!

Happy dreaming and happy decorating!

I will update you soon with pictures from our ongoing mudroom reno. Hubby has been a busy boy out there and it is turning out great! Check out our ceiling. This wood is the flip-side of the wood paneling that used to be in the living room! The trim work he is doing our here really gives a custom feel.

Taken from my Pinterest. 

I keep telling him, the more this home comes together the more I am going to want to pack it up and bring it with us. It is shaping up to be our dream home. At least we can enjoy it for now until our next journey.

Find what inspires you and go for it!

Love, Peace, and Sandy Feet,

Mama Nic