Making a House a Home!

We are slowly but surely making our house, our home!  Our house was definitely move-in ready and we are so very fortunate we didn't have to even pick up a paint brush since the rooms were perfectly painted to our taste.

However, four months later and we're still working on making it cozy and more "our" home instead of the previous owner's home.  Since we have hardwood floors throughout, one thing that has helped tremendously is adding carpets.  Not only does it help warm the house, but it helps it feel less echo-y and allows us to personally style each room.

Photo Source | Ballard Designs

We purchased two of the above Geneve Indoor Outdoor rug from Ballard Designs.  I've actually never heard of Ballard Designs but I received one of their catalogs in the mail, meant for the previous owner.  So, of course I took a peak since I love the previous owner's style - it seemed somewhat like Pottery Barn to me.  SOLD!

I purchased the Spa Blue color for my office and the Natural color for our kitchen.  I love the design and the colors are great.  Because of the fabric, they are ideal for high-traffic, spill-prone areas indoor.  However, please note: they are not soft and cozy!  They look like cotton in the picture but they have a straw-like feel to them.  I'm thinking about moving the Natural one outside under our wood deck furniture when the weather gets nice.

So on to my next purchase...

I've decided that our living room as soon as you enter the house is too dark:

Before

So I've decided to spruce and lighten the room with a new carpet.

Photo Source | West Elm

I'm so excited for this West Elm carpet.  The colors are much lighter and I'm obsessed with loving the Chevron!

...Who said a move-in ready house was less work?  Geeze, I cannot even imagine the work and money involved in purchasing a fixer-upper!