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Ok, so while I have photos today, I also have lots of words.

The Barn…Progress Photos-1

I have been avoiding writing this post for so long because to be totally honest, I have been crazy embarrassed for a lot of reasons, but the main reason being that everything is not perfect, not 100% me, and not the way I saw it my head. It’s also far from being completely finished. The truth is I moved in WAY too early. The kitchen is in good shape, sure, but the rest of the place is just a flat-out mess. I still have no bathroom sink (Monday), I’m missing an exterior door (coming today!) and many other things, as you will see.

In talking with my mom and dad, I realized that this is simply real life and it’s also most definitely the way construction goes. Nothing is perfect, it’s stuff that people go through all the time and just because I write a blog, that doesn’t make my life picture perfect. So I am not going to try to paint it any differently. What you are seeing and reading is the brutal truth….AKA life.

Let me also add that life is not like it seems on Pinterest. It’d be pretty awesome if it was, but IT’S NOT.

I am learning this the hard way and it is not particularly fun, but it’s REAL. When we set out to renovate this space a little over a year ago, neither my parents nor I thought it would be so much work nor so much of well, a pain in the ass. And umm, that is putting it nicely. I wish I could sit here and tell you this amazing story of how awesome building my own home was and yada, yada, yada, but that just wouldn’t be the truth and as much as the internet, and more specifically blogs, like to create a picture perfect world, I am here to show you that is not the case. Nothing about this process has been perfect and as you will see from the photos, we are not even done. UGH.

With all that said, I do not want to seem ungrateful. I am beyond grateful for everything and I couldn’t be more exited to have my own space and know that it is space that I created….I just wish it was a little more the way I had envisioned it in my head. A little more Pinterest perfect, but I am learning to accept that most things are just not meant to look like they do on Pinterest. I am so excited to be able to work in this kitchen, once it is quiet and all my own I know I will be pinching myself. And even though everything isn’t quite as I envisioned, I am still so incredibly happy with the way things are looking and the way I think they will come together once everything is finished. I feel amazingly lucky, blessed and all that good stuff to get to be on my own in such a great space, yet still be so close to my family.

SO, there are a lot of reasons why this renovation has been hard. Issues with the county and permits, issues with contractors (yes, plural), issues with workers, issues with workers not showing up, and then of course the “oh, but I have no money left” issue. UGH. It’s just kind of been one thing after the next and since I really do not want to be in debt or flat-out broke (and neither do my parents, who yes helped me with this renovation), I was not willing to shell out all of my money for every last little detail that I wanted.

If you ever got a chance to check out my Barn Pinterest board then you saw that my style is pretty simple, clean, rustic and… apparently very expensive. I easily could have spent a million bucks on this place if I had done everything the way I really wanted to. In the end, I think that everything will come together and I will love this place to death. Right now I am just living in a giant cloud of dust, with dirt covered floors and painters who are totally stoned. Sounds fun, right?

I have to give one giant shout out to my mom today. First because it’s her birthday!! I am making her this cake AND this cake because she is the best and cake is her favorite and she totally deserves not one, but two cakes today! Second, because without her, there is no way that I would be sitting here in my own home in peace and quiet (very dusty and dirty, but quiet) without her. When we went through two general contractors, one of whom was actually stealing money, my mom decided to take on the task herself and you guys, she did a KICK ASS job. No one could have done it better. So thank you so much mom, you will always be the best at everything and HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

But don’t be calling her up looking to use her on your next project. She is DONE with any kind of construction. Forever. “Never again” in her words.

Ok so what else. While things right now aren’t just they way I want them, I know that over time everything with come together. And yes, it will take lots of time, but eventually it will get there and eventually it will all be completely ME. And the really good news is, I have lots and lots of time to grow into this place. The perks of being young!

And now some pictures!! Welcome to my new home guys!

Chaos-n-Crumbs-3-9

Let’s start with the kitchen because I feel like this is the room that everyone is most anxious to see. Let me start by saying that the purple paint you see is being replaced with white. Also, the metal pole-like thingy that you see hanging over my stove will soon be one giant hood. The rest of the kitchen will stay the same. Oh, but I do hope to get some plates over those light switches soon!

The Barn…Progress Photos-2

I ended up going with all marble countertops, and while they are beautiful, they are such a pain. I still love them, but wow, everything stains. I am wishing I would have done marble on the outside counters and a butcher block for the island. I think that would have been much more practical, but they’re there now and like I said, they are so pretty! My cabinets actually did not turn out the way we thought they would. I was hoping for more of a grey color, but I think once I get rid of the purple paint I will like them much more.

The Barn…Progress Photos-3

For the upper cabinets I decided to have them open, and even though I have to keep them somewhat tidy, I am loving them! I actually hope to get a little more color into them soon…meaning more dishes! Oh and yes, that whole wall to the right of the sink is filled with Staub cookware. Slightly obsessed.

I got my hardware for the cabinets from Anthropologie. I love them! They were pretty expensive, but I think they are so fun and help to keep things unique.

The Barn…Progress Photos-4

As for my appliances, they are all Sub-Zero and Wolf. Let’s just talk about my oven? Isn’t it amazing? Double oven and so many burners. LOVE it. And then my fridge? It’s so clean and perfect, I wish it could stay this way forever and ever.

The Barn…Progress Photos-5

My sink I had custom-made, It is a copper sink with a nickel patina, and considering how much I could have spent, it was relatively CHEAP. The sink is all my mom’s doing. THANK YOU!. It’s practically the size of a bathtub and washing dishes is basically a dream (ok, slight exaggeration). I hope that over time, a little more of the copper underneath will show through. I also have a sprayer that is being installed on Monday… along with the bathroom faucet…and the water line to the ice maker in the fridge. Yep, still a work in progress.

The Barn…Progress Photos-6

On to the next room, my studio/photo room/where I take all my pictures! I love this room. It’s literally right off the kitchen, which makes my life a million times easier. AND the light is so perfect and while it is a lot darker than what I am used to shooting in, I have grown to love it.

The Barn…Progress Photos-8

Having so much space is a dream, and over time I will be getting those boards and dishes up off the floor and into my pantry…cannot wait for that to be built. Thinking it will end up as my favorite room!

The Barn…Progress Photos-9

And speaking of the pantry, this wall right here will have sliding barn doors that will open up into that favorite room (that is also not even built yet). Those pieces of cardboard will be gone and all you will see is a big room full of props, food and prettiness! Can’t wait! The barn doors will be going up this week and the actually pantry should be happening with the next couple months.

The Barn…Progress Photos-10

Walking back through the kitchen now into my office. The office is still a work in progress as well.  I love my white wood walls, but I need a new desk, a bookshelf and some pops of inspiring color. I am hopping to get this room finished up soonish as I spend any time that I am not in the kitchen in here and I would love to have a super creative and inspiring space to work in.

The Barn…Progress Photos-11

The walls will all be wood similar to the walls in my office and shooting room, only a slightly different color.

The Barn…Progress Photos-12

The Barn…Progress Photos-13

The Barn…Progress Photos-14

And now, up my pretty stairs that yes, will eventually have a railing.

The Barn…Progress Photos-15

This wall will also have sliding barn doors and they will open up into my tiny bedroom.

The Barn…Progress Photos-16

Even though this room is small, I love its coziness. It’s the perfect little room for me. I still need a lot of stuff, like a night stand and shades and things to make the room fun, but again, over time! I have a cute little white chandelier that still needs to be hung, I can’t wait to see it up.

The Barn…Progress Photos-15

And here is the bathroom. I LOVE my vanity so much. My parents found it at an antique shop and even though the sink actually does not work yet, it’s currently my favorite piece in the barn. I love it’s fun color and rustic feel.

The Barn…Progress Photos-17

And that’s a wrap up of the barn…progress photos. I promise this will not be the last post and I cannot wait to be able to show you everything when it’s all finished and done. No idea when that will be, but hopefully it will not be all that much longer!! I would love to hear your thoughts and even suggestions for things to add! So let me know what you guys think!!

The Barn…Progress Photos-18

Happy Sunday!

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Comments

  1. What a gorgeous kitchen you have, Teigan! I love that everything is natural – marble, wood, copper, & wood. Love those appliances, too! I have a smaller kitchen with a lot of granite countertops. My countertops are darker (gold/brown/beige) and have brown flecks in them. I have stainless appliances. I wanted to let you know about some cleaning cloths I use in my kitchen (and home), that are THE BOMB for cleaning granite countertops and appliances with only water (no chemical sprays or paper towels needed)! They keep my granite from feeling gritty, and make the countertops feel as smooth as glass! They are embedded with silver (a natural antibacterial compound), that kills bacteria when activated with water. I got tired of spraying cleaner on my granite countertops that left residue after it dried. Think chicken juice — nasty stuff that comes with cooking — these cloths (enviro, polishing, or kitchen) kill that stuff immediately as you clean up. We’ve tested the results with food safety testing pens. AMAZING RESULTS. And, all that bacterial goop doesn’t cross contaminate in your cloths either! You can clean granite and stainless with one cloth, dry swipe with a polishing cloth — no chemicals, paper towels, or streaks. It makes cleaning the kitchen so much faster — I HATE CLEANING – these cloths let you clean less and live more :). Anyway…just wanted to share that with you. I will be starting a blog soon about having an environmentally safe chemical free home that will feature some of these cleaning items. Until then…check out my webpage – http://www.sheriseawright.norwex.biz and have a look at some of these things! I’d love to feature a testimony from you with photos of your kitchen on my blog one day! Would you be interested? Congratulations on your Barn, and your beautiful blog! I am captivated by all the recipes and beautiful photos! And btw…that broccoli cheddar soup is to die for – I made it this week 🙂

  2. Hey Tieghan…certainly a beautiful work in progress…I am soooo envious…and all that snow! In Queensland Australia it doesn’t snow here unfortunately,but how I would love to be there for a white Christmas.
    Keep up the good work and am eagerly anticipating more photos.:)

  3. I just found your blog through through the amazing recipe for the oatmeal chocolate chunk cookies sprinkled with roasted pepitas and salt which sound amazing.

    I had considered marble countertops for my new kitchen. In my considerable research, I read that with white marble some people would take a can of tomatoes and rub the tomato all over the countertop. The countertop is stained and no more worries. If I had gone with marble I would have done this. Why spend your life worrying about staining a countertop. Just stain it all and get it over with.

    1. Haha! That is literally what I have been doing, but I have been doing it unintentionally! haha! I have stopped worrying and embraced the stains! Thank you so much for your kind words!!

  4. I just stumbled across your blog and find it so inspiring love the photography. What amazing spaces and your kitchen is to die for, the finishes you picked are perfect together- Well done! Can’t wait to see more progress photos of the barn .

  5. I am not a purple person at all but I actually love that purple with those gorgeous cabinets – love their color too!
    What an amazing space !!
    Looking forward to watching it progress !
    Love the food you cook & the photography.
    I look forward to checking in everyday.

    1. Too funny, I actually ended up changing the purple!! Hah!

      Thank you so much, final post coming soon! 🙂

  6. For some reason this post really hit home for me. I’m a newcomer to your blog and absolutely love it, so easy to follow and the photos are what draw me in the most (As a photographer obviously it would). I love that you experiment so much too. But what I really felt was a connection and I want you to do so well that you can prove that you aren’t just living off your parents. It’s sooooo hard starting a new venture and taking a step forward to actually live your dreams, and yes you probably need to invest a bit of parents money into a business but I’m sure they’ll get every penny back some how along the way. You working hard is enough to show them you aren’t just hoping they will see you through it either. Ultimately this home is something you need to keep this blog running the way it is, in order to cook freely and take beautiful images for people like us. I hope things go so well for you and please update the barn pics would love it see it.

    1. Hi Mia,

      Thank you SO much for your kind words! They made my night! The final barn pics will be coming later this summer, so keep a lookout for them! 🙂
      Thanks again!

  7. The kitchen is gorgeous, speechless. Love wood, my friends call me oldie because of how everything for me could be made out of mahogany. That vanity, love the table (recycling)…
    I was wondering what kind of camera do you use? I´m trying to upgrade from my small, nice, digital camera to a more professional, non-heavy non-AA operated camera.

    1. Thank you so much!!

      I use a Canon 5D Mark iii, but I love the Canon Rebels or the Canon 6D and 7D. Hope that helps and let me know if you have any other questions, happy to help!

  8. What a gorgeous space-in-process! And to think that this is your first big project! My dear, it is going to be so much fun watching what you do next.

  9. This is great! You said your parents helped you, but this looks SO expensive! Curious; how at such a young age did you save up the rest for it? Do you guys farm?

  10. Wow! This is amazing! I know you said that it’s not all the way you pictured it or even done yet, but wow…and the appliances, DAM! Very nice! Thanks for sharing I can’t wait to see more 🙂