Hey guys! I’m so excited to be sharing something a little different on the blog today. My really good friend, Anna, and her family recently built their dream home. It’s stunning! She doesn’t know it yet, but I’m moving in soon! I thought it would be fun to hear what her must-haves were for her home. She and her twin sister, Marian, have an amazing eye for home design and decorating. They are my go-to girls whenever we have been home shopping or renovating. We even have a group text where they’ve shared the excitement of moving and renos with me. Keep reading to see what her top 10 must-haves are and enjoy the amazing photos on her home!
When Kristen, a dear friend of mine, and talented blogger behind @lovelyasamother asked to do a feature on our new build must-haves, I jumped on board. Anyone who’s completed a home reno or built a new house on a budget knows there are things you really want and would go the extra mile to have. In our case, that meant picking up extra shifts, sacrificing expensive vacations, putting the hair salon on hold and ending random Target runs for nearly two years. It also meant leaving spaces incomplete and choosing less expensive items to balance out the costly ones! That topic will be for another day because I have so many of those I’d love to share. For the purpose of this feature however, I’ve narrowed down the ten must-haves we knew we wanted from the beginning and that really define our Virginia Farmhouse Project! Here they are!
1. Expansive Front Porch:
I’m a southern girl y’all so a front porch was mandatory! We actually modified the original plans to make our porch wider and longer! Our day begins with morning coffee and ends with evening wine on this porch! It’s by far a favorite feature of our house!
2. Intricate Rooflines and a Standing Seam Metal Roof:
Most homes in our area are brick boxes with simple rooflines. We wanted something different…an exciting roofline with lots of angles and overlapping gables. And what screams farmhouse more than a metal roof right! Although costly on the front end, replacing shingles in 25+ years may have equalled or exceeded total costs of our metal roof. More importantly, we wanted a roof with architectural interest that would stand the test of time! It also sounds really cool when it rains (i.e. built in white noise)!
3. White, White, White:
It had to be white! All of it…inside and out! After studying all 5000 shades of white, Sherwin Williams Extra White took the win for our exterior, while Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace won out inside!
4. Hardwood Floors, Scandinavian Style:
Blonde, wide plank, white-oak floors had been on my radar for years! I loved the “raw oak” look and made it my mission to find this floor. Thanks to a local woodworking company, @graysonfergusonwoodworking and numerous custom-stain attempts, we were able to achieve the Scandinavian floors of our dreams!
5. Custom Cabinetry:
Having full design control over our cabinets and vanities was really important to me. From stain colors to flat panel inset doors with cut-out pulls, going “custom” was really the only option. Sticking to a simple and minimalistic style helped control costs while creating a timeless look we’ll love for years to come!
6. Two Laundry Rooms:
When I told my husband I wanted a 2nd floor laundry room in addition to our main floor laundry, he laughed and asked why. My reply was, “because I don’t plan on doing their laundry for the next 15 years!” Adding a 2nd floor laundry was a major momma must-have and a choice with absolutely no regrets. Our boys’ rooms are all upstairs, so I’m pretty certain my back and knees will thank me one day. Most important however, was my desire to teach our 3 sons the life-skill of doing their own laundry. Although still a work in progress, I’m determined to make my boys proficient at laundry before leaving home for college. And I will have my 2nd floor laundry room to thank for helping make that possible!
7. Custom Metal Stair Railings:
Thanks to Pinterest and Instagram, I knew this farmhouse wouldn’t meet modern status without cool black metal railings. Traditional white spindles just wouldn’t cut it. With my builder’s @zbaldridge background in metal work, we came up with a sleek concept for our railings and he executed them perfectly!
8. Black Windows:
We loved the look of thin steel windows but not the price tag. Going with black aluminum clad casement windows and a simple “2 over 1” grill design kept them classic and gave us the modern look we wanted! They also kept us on budget.
9. French Range:
Having a beautiful French range was always a dream of mine. Being completely honest, it wasn’t because of how this range could improve my culinary skills! Admittedly, I’m a terrible cook! My eyes are just simply drawn to beautiful things and this range was no exception. It’s fair to say we designed our entire kitchen around this one item. The La Cornue Cornufe was definitely a splurge but allowed us to incorporate a mixed metal look of brass and stainless steel…a winning combo! It was love at first sight and has definitely upped my cooking game!
10. Statement Entry Doors:
What better way to create a unique look to your home’s exterior than with a custom set of steel glass paneled doors! Not going to lie, these beauties cost a small fortune but the architectural impact they make and the light they let into our home was well worth it!
I hope you’ve enjoyed this as much as I have. I also hope Kristen invites me back to talk about all things cost savings. Without those…the splurge items mentioned above, for sure would never have happened!
Cheers, Anna
@virginia.farmhouse.project
