Our Living Room...

Our living room has had some changes over the years!

It's so fun to see the difference.

 Before:

 Our living room, dining room, hallways and great room were covered in white carpet.  

We saved up for a few years & eventually replaced all of the flooring on the main floor.

The wood floors were definitely one of the greatest improvements we've made to our home.

They really changed the look & feel of the whole house.

This is what my living room looked like for years...

I loved my floral couch set, but then we decided a sectional would open up the space & make it feel more open.  

My neighbor actually had this same set, but her dogs had ruined it, so she bought it from me. 

 It worked out perfect!

The sectional fit just right & really made the space feel so open!  

I also liked having a more neutral color scheme.

Here is another before:

This is the wall you see when you walk in the door.  

This hutch used to be the same color as the table behind the couch  in the first before photo.  

 When I stained my railing a walnut color in my ENTRY, I darkened the hutch & table too.

Now we have a piano here... 

 I moved the hutch to my daughter's NURSERY.

I've just recently added a touch of yellow to the room. 

 I just switched out the pillows & added a few yellow accessories.

  It's amazing how just a little color can make the whole room feel more cheery!

I also got this wicker rocking chair for mother's day...

I love it!!

This is how it looks from the front door now...

Here is how the sectional looks with a few yellow pillows...

I also moved a few pictures around & made a collage by the front door.

It's also been a fun change.

The next project is adding "chunkier" molding around the front door & windows. 

 It's a continuing process, but so fun to see how things have changed over the years.

Here is one more look at the before & after...

I can't wait to show you how I've added a touch of fall to the room!

I'm sharing with these blogs:

Home Stories A to Z

My Uncommon Slice Of Suburbia

I Heart Nap Time

Under The Table & Dreaming

Craftomaniac

Thrifty Decor Chick

Savvy Southern Style 

The 36th Avenue

2013 Parade Of Homes: Part 3

A favorite...

The house with some of my favorite elements was the very last house we were able to get to.

I'm sorry the pictures aren't the best, but it was dark already & we snapped these pictures with my husband's phone.

I LOVED the kitchen...

 It was white & dreamy!  I love the counter tops, the hood over the stove & the appliances were all very nice!

 I absolutely loved the cabinetry.  The decorative legs added a lot of charm, but they were also functional.

It's decorative, but also a great use of storage!!

I loved the wood paneling around the bar & thought the wood corbels under the counter top completed the whole look.  The wood floors were also beautiful!

I also thought they did a good job with the built-in storage in the laundry room.  I would love to add something like this to our laundry/mudroom.

The two bedrooms on the main floor were decorated beautifully...

I love the bedding & pillows in this little girl's room.

 The master bedroom...

GORGEOUS!!

 I also loved the bright white master bath....

 I thought the flooring was so pretty.

The upstairs was amazing, but as far as basements go this was one of my absolute favorites!

 I'm a huge fan of the big barn door in the theater room...so charming!

 This was one of the bedrooms downstairs, but I love how they added this space in the hallway....

 Once again, another great use of the space!  This would be perfect for an office or study area.

This picture is kind of blurry & dark, but I love the outdoor fireplace on the patio...

I also love how they built the BBQ into the space.

This house was beautiful & it would make a great family home.

It was house #33 built by Green Ridge Builders Inc.

You can see more of it on the official Salt Lake Parade Of Homes website

HERE.

I hope you enjoyed some of the homes that I highlighted from the parade this year!

If you missed Part 1 or Part 2 click the links below...

2013 Parade Of Homes: Part 1

and

2013 Parade Of Homes: Part 2

I'm sharing with these blogs:

Tatertots & Jello

2013 Parade Of Homes: Part 2

A few of the homes in the Salt Lake Parade Of Homes were actual "castles".

My little girl asked if Cinderella would be inside?  

These homes were fun to look at & were very beautiful, but they felt a little more like a hotel than an actual house.

It was fun to go on tour though.

Here is castle #1...

 This was House #14 by Lane Meyers

It was so beautiful on the outside.

The house sits on 3 acres & is 12,000 square feet.  It also has a separate 10,000 sq. ft. garage!

Welcome...

 I told you it was a castle!

You enter into a large foyer with the dining & living room.

It had this spiral staircase with another bonus room.

It had a grand kitchen & great room.

This is what you walk out to off the great room...

It also has a waterfall, theater room, tennis court, outdoor pool & an indoor pool.

 The indoor pool was complete with a lazy river!

Castle #2

This house was amazing...

 Did you notice that roof?

I'm not sure what the material is, but it made it look like a house from the Medieval Times.

This was House #4 built by Gator Construction & Design

 This was a separate garage to the side of the house.

It was also so charming...I love all of  stone & rock.  

They completed the look of the exterior with a stream running in the front.

This was the kitchen/great room....

 You walked out the doors to an entertainer's paradise...

Complete with a pool, hot tub & golf course.

 There were plenty of seating areas with outdoor fireplaces....

 It also had an in the ground trampoline & an awesome play area...

 This is the style that was throughout the house...

 This is the master bath.  It was large & open.

I also loved the circular/beamed ceiling.

This was by far one of the most unique homes.  It was very large, but it is still fun to get ideas that you can incorporate into any sized home.  

I hope you enjoyed my "castle" tour.

If you'd like to see 2013 Parade Of Homes: Part one, you can find it HERE.

I'm sharing with these blogs:

The 36th Avenue

My Uncommon Slice Of Suburbia

Under The Table & Dreaming