What to do with all that inspiration...

So that we would all be on the same page, yesterday I shared the vision I created in my head for the FH before we ever began the renovation. You have to know where you are headed before you can begin a big reno project! Now, let's break it down and discuss how to take what you love about your inspiration photos and incorporate those details into your home.

How about we use one of my favorite FH details as our example- horizontal tongue and groove plank-clad walls.

Isn't that planking so endearing?! Imagine those rooms with just white sheet rock - I guarantee they wouldn't feel nearly as warm and inviting. LOVE.

The addition of tongue and groove planks isn't meant strictly for a FH, though. You can use this design detail in almost any home! In older FH the planking is usually original and what the walls were made from, when sheetrock wasn't an option.  The family that built our FH used sheetrock, so we didn't have any original planks to work with.  All I knew was that I wanted it! 

I did know that it wouldn't be super cheap, though.  This is where you take your inspiration and make it work for your home and your budget!  Covering multiple walls in multiple rooms, as we saw in that first image, was definitely not going to fit in the budget. So, the hunt began for the perfect spot - not too big and not too small - where the planking could be added by our fabulous carpenter.  

Alrighty, I showed you this original wet bar area yesterday.  That wine rack is beautiful, but we prefer our wine chilled to in a wine fridge and the likelihood of us actually keeping the majority of those slots filled is slim.  In the initial walk through we decided that the wine rack was impractical for our family and needed to go...

that left me with a long empty wall - that would be an ideal candidate for some wood planking -similar to this image below. wahoo!  and yes, I do love that open shelving, too...

but covering just that amount of wall wasn't going to cut it. So if you walk out of the old wet bar above, hang a left, there is a small area of wall along the front of the stairs and a large wall above them. Now that amount of space would be perfect. And you would experience the loveliness and warmth that the planking brings the home as soon as you step in the front door. perfection.

and this handsome little guy is just too cute to leave out 

There you have it. Take what you love and make it work for you! After pics of the entry way and wet bar will be gracing the presence of this blog soon. 

Until then, enjoy yet another wonderful fall day and I will see you back here tomorrow!