We own an investment property. A two-family, 100+ year old "farmhouse" style. I hesitate to call it farmhouse, but I guess that's the closest description I have. It is a bit of a mish mash of random additions, work, and neglect. How's that for a description :) I fell in love with the upstairs unit when we bought the house 6 years ago. It is charming, unique, and full of natural light. We did some work to really make it our own but I tried to keep it true to its roots.
The first floor apartment needed work....lots of it. My husband and I moved downstairs last year, because quite frankly, the work could never get done with tenants in the apartment. For the past year, we have slowly been chipping away at what needs to be done. I'm proud to say, it's really coming along! Eventually I will post some before and after pictures. A very unique challenge for this house is --- it is an investment property. Ideally, we'd love to keep the house for a long time but rent both units. Our goal is to move in another two years or so. The problem that presents is creating a space I feel comfortable calling home but also keeping it neutral and VERY budget conscious. We have tried to work with the space we have and keep our budget for either very superficial changes (ie, new paint) or changes that improve the house itself (ie. we've replaced old windows, hot water heaters, added lighting). It's important to me that every $1 we invest, we feel will give us $1 back. Some day, when we are in our "real home", I will care a little less about that and a little more about making it a space for *us*.
Our next project, tackling an ugly outdated galley kitchen. Here are a few inspiration photos I found. Ours will look nothing like this, but it's a good reminder to keep a small space light and bright and the importance of tying the dining area, located behind the kitchen, in as one cohesive space.
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| Love the farmhouse sink and brightness of the space |
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| We have a similar space to the right of our stove so I'm thinking of backsplash possibilities. I like this one. |
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| Like the use of the rug |
(all images via my
pinterest)
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