Suzannah Hamlin Stanley's Blog, page 35

The evolution of an eat-in kitchen/breakfast nook: makeover!

We talk a lot about “Your Home Story” on the podcast and what the story of your spaces are. Today, Ashley is sharing all about her eat-in kitchen’s story, from where it started (spoiler, it had blue wallpaper), to the more eclectic updates that she did a few years ago and now, to the space that she really feels is the perfect addition to her home.

You can find links to what we talked about below.

Cozy: The Art of Arranging Yourself in the World One Room Challenge reveal of the Eat-In Kitchen (2...

Simple fall decor ideas around our house

I'm not sure if the first official day of fall is the equinox or the first rainy Sunday I buy pumpkin stuff at Trader Joe's. It sure feels like fall after this weekend. I'm drinking their fall spice tea as I write this and it's cold and rainy outside!

I honestly don't usually do much for seasonal decor other than around Christmas, but this year I'm inspired by the warm tones and fall branches I've been seeing in my Instagram feed and I'm jumping in while there...

What we can learn from show houses - including my Street of Dreams 2019 trends and faves!

If you’ve ever wondered what a modern mansion is like inside, or what you’d choose for your home if money was no object… listen up!

Ashley and I both visited multi-home tours of show homes in our areas and this week on the podcast we're talking about elements we liked, trends we both saw at the respective tours, regional differences, and what we can learn by visiting these elaborate, massive homes!
A light-filled modern formal dining space Suzannah saw this year (source)
Links and favorites:
Re-l...

Two recent functional updates: coat closets and more!

Functional updates make me so happy. Spaces for coats, bags, things leaving the house, etc. can get messy easily, so you'll enjoy learning two different approaches for improving function in this post!

On the Your Home Story podcast today, Ashley and I are both sharing recent functional updates we've made to these spaces. I brightened up my back entry by doing lots of grunt work and it is so much better than where it started. Ashley took her over-filled coat closet and purged, painted, and buil...

Affordable blackout curtain DIY and how we keep our house cool in the summer!

I know this is the time of year when we all get excited for fall, but let’s face it, it is still summer over here! It's been in the 80s and 90s the past couple weeks, including a couple days at like 97 last week when we ran our air conditioning, something we really only do sporadically here in Oregon. Despire the facts that we have an old house, so the insulation is not the greatest in all spaces, and we have some huge east-facing windows that we love in the winter time but that can make...

Merging style and function in bonus rooms

A bonus room is a hardworking space, that needs to accommodate lots of functional pieces you might not always want to see out. Toys, video game consoles, workout stuff, even utility equipment like a water heater sometimes... plus, these rooms may have special needs like light-blocking curtains or extra seating. How to make a space that works for the fun, relaxing uses it accommodates and looks good/fits with the rest of your house??

We're tackling that question today on the Your Home Stor...

Getting my body (strength) back after baby, and my go-to workout!

I've shared here and there how parenting has been a huge shift for me. One of the reasons was my struggle with back pain and feeling like myself. I did lose the baby weight quickly, but I would still say I’ve had a hard time getting my body feeling the way it did pre-baby. With having a newborn, buying a fixer-upper house, moving, going back to work, having Jason go back to school, having Jason move to a city three hours away for six weeks, more work on the house… for the first six months...

What do kids really want for their decor?? Interview!

What does a kid really think about his/her room? Do they know what they want in a space just for him/her?? 

Today’s episode of the Your Home Story podcast is unique in that Ashley is interviewing her son, Greyson, all about his room. She’s getting ready to embark on transforming his space but wanted to get a bit of direction from him to hear what he would really enjoy having.

Hear about where the space started (it was dark pink with wallpaper) to all the DIYs they’ve done so far, plus the...

Scary stairwell renovation: paint, flooring, and functional updates!

We neglected an important part of our kitchen (sort of) even though we finished our kitchen reno last month... the basement stairwell and side door that lead into our kitchen, and are our most commonly used entrance to the house, were terrifying!! Dirty 40-year-old vinyl, wallpaper, stained ivory trim, constant dust, piles of shoes and boxes of soda... NOT what you want to see when you walk into your home every day!

We made a few small changes over a couple of weekends and totally transformed...

Non-kitschy 2-hour decor projects

TRUST ME, I know what it's like to be short on time but want to improve your home... I see so many projects I'd like to do around here!! Thankfully there ARE lots of ways to make little changes, add interest or style, or make something better work for you--in 2 hours or less!

This week on the Your Home Story podcast we're running you through our favorite ideas of 2-hour home decor projects--and these are not your typical "glue stuff to a lamp" kitschy, disposable ones. These ideas will improve...