I was up north visiting our antique farmhouse project this week. This is such a great house and I am so delighted to have clients interested in salvaging as much of it as possible while updating it sensitively for modern living. We’ve been working on this project for a year now and are just finishing up the first phase which included the guest bedrooms, 3 baths, and the front halls, entries, and living room.

We are now beginning work on the second phase which includes the pantry and kitchen/dining/great room space and the primary bedroom and ensuite bath.

Even though my client is wonderful about sending me update pictures, it is always so fun to see the progress in person! 

We are working on the kitchen/keeping room of the second house right now, determining the layouts and electrical placements, and about to start work on specifications for the primary bath.

The front of the house is nearly done, so I got to see the progress on the 3 bathrooms there and the living room bar/kitchenette and all the guest rooms/front hall.  

The old wide wood floors in this circa 1860 farmhouse were too far gone to be salvaged for refinishing in the front part, so we painted them all white…and they are stunning!

I can’t wait for the project to be completed so we can get pro photos - it’s going to be sooooo good!

Here is a peek at the laundry/guest bath progress - remember the plans and the before pictures of this bathroom? They selected the option most of you also liked best! The teal tile accent wall is just stunning - these phone pics do not do it justice.

Fear not, we are dealing with the glaring white outlet and switch in the middle of the gorgeous teal tiled accent wall! That was very much NOT on the elevation. Why do electricians ALWAYS do that?  Is there a pact or something when you get your electrical license that you pledge to put every thermostat and switch in the most obvious and intrusive spot possible??

And here is the board and a peek at the upstairs bath all in black and white.  It is just waiting on some final painting - the window and door trim are going to be black as well - and will be ready for its closeup soon - all that glossy black bead board wainscoting is sooo perfect!! 

We ended up pivoting to new light fixtures and window covering selections because the specified ones were backordered #supplychainwoes, and we are on a deadline to get this done.

Today, though, I’m sharing the plans for a fabulous powder room! 

We did the powder room at their primary house next door (shown below) in this wonderful paper and it has been such a hit, it was easy to convince them to go for drama in this one too 😄.  I love clients who are willing to take risks like this - it always makes for something unique and wonderful!

You can see a bit more about that farmhouse update project here, but it keeps evolving and is just getting better and better!

This nearly identical house next door is centered around a blue/green color palette for continuity. The paint colors are all shades of blue, green, taupe, and white (with some black, of course!). The living room bar cabinetry is navy, as is the kitchen island, and the powder room features those colors as well.  

In the other bathrooms, we’ve used timeless chrome for faucets and fittings because changing out shower systems is complicated if the finish suddenly goes out of fashion.  But here, with only a faucet to consider, we could go with a little gold glam.

This hilarious (well I think so!) post from a few years back is still spot on with solid advice on regret-free trends to embrace if you are wondering where to go out on a limb with a new trend and when to play it safe.

Our powder room wallpaper is a navy background with blues and greens and white in a fun stylized botanical print.  It works really well with the vanity top the client had already selected and mirrors the color palette for the whole house.

We are painting the vanity an aqua blue and selected a curvaceous mirror in a distressed aqua finish.  

Art Deco inspired sconces have the clean lines that marry well with the simple faucet (the current one is temporary) and accessories. 

Cabinet hardware repeats the botanical theme with these fun clover shaped knobs in gold with white.

Stay tuned for more updates from the farmhouse as we make selections for the kitchen and bath!