Name: Charlotte
Location: Southport, Connecticut
We bought our circa 1900 house a couple of years ago from an older woman who's idea of upkeep was locking the door behind her. (The only 'repair' she would admit to was the leaking skylight in the foyer...). Once the oh-hum repairs like a new roof, waterproofing the basement, swapping out leaky faucets, and repairing a crumbling chimney were taken care of, we could focus on the more glamorous task of giving the old girl some color and some life!
Like most homeowners, we've always been on a tight budget, so much of the work has been done by us at night or on the weekends. We don't realize how far the place has come until we look back at those sad-sack pictures from our original house tour. Dirty off-white wall-to-wall carpeting? Check. Flat white wall color in every room? Check. Drywall covering a dining room window? Check.
Many of our 'improvements' have been merely cosmetic (paint, furniture, wallpaper), and those are evolving as our confidence and vision develops. This is our first house- before this purchase we were NYC apartment dwellers always limited by a landlord and our security deposit!
Making the space comfortable for our three small children has limited some of our options (no glass coffee tables here, folks), but thanks to consignment stores, Craigslist, and a mild obsession with all things DIY, we're slowly making this bland dated home our new suburban breath of fresh air.
I tend to gravitate to a more eclectic, mix-and-match design style. My biggest challenge is reeling it in and there are definitely some spaces that need a better editing eye. But the chance to create a space with found and repurposed objects appeals to both my creativity and my cheap... er, thrifty... sensibilities!
Thanks, Charlotte! You can see more of Charlotte's style on Ciburbanity.
(Images: Charlotte Smith)
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I love what you've created! Your colors and patterns make me happy; but the wallpaper is my favorite. Will you share your source? Thank you.
I love reading your blog! Surprised you didn't plug it - seems to be the thing to do on this site. www.ciburbanity.com/
Wow, I can't tell you how timely this post is for me. I'm closing on a fixer-upper I bought at bargain prices that has almost exactly the same issues that your house had. Needs new roof, paint, bathroom toilets, carpets removed. It's great to know that I'm not making a tragic mistake buying this house and that it really will turn out alright.
Gorgeous! Unapologetically feminine and pretty not in a fussy and cluttered way. Cosy. Stylish. Homey. BIRD WALLPAPER. Want. Love.
Where is the living room rug from?
i love it! what i love is how you make it look like youve spend millions on the furniture, when its carefully thrifted. ive been so scared to thrift, and therefore i still have a somewhat empty apartment. ill go look right now!
really beautiful - both stylish and comfortable. where is the dresser in the 2nd photo from?
I'm on my third house in 22 years - all of them fixer uppers. I wouldn't trade them for anything. I am comfortable diagnosing and working on almost any problem (except electricity), from knowing next to NOTHING when we bought our first house.
The reward is not simply a job well done by ones own hand, but things such as 15 years after purchasing the run down neighborhood "haunted house" having neighbors STILL stop by to tell you how glad they are that you fixed up the house and are enjoying it.
The bird wallpaper is Meadow Lark by Warner Wallcoverings. Comes in white also. I don't remember exactly where I got it. Living room rug is a family hand-me-down!
A happy lovely home! Did you make the floral window shades?
The dresser is just a Hemnes one from Ikea but I swapped out the knobs. The bottom of these Ikea dressers are somewhat flimsy, but a seal of wood glue around the edges has done the trick for us!
love it!!!!!!!!!
@KHinNJ
Yes, it WILL turn out alright. In fact, you might even decide to move on to house #2 after it's finished. Lots of great houses to rehab in NJ.
The fabric on that chair with the 1 pillow in the first pic, source please? I've noticed it on a few blogs and I just love it!
"on a bedget"? in Southport? Helluva large budget!