Greetings from North Carolina! It’s so hard to believe that we’ve been here for three weeks. As previously mentioned, I’d never seen the house we bought in person so I was rather nervous (though mostly just excited!) to arrive. Thankfully, the house did not disappoint. I’m still pinching myself that it’s ours! I have dreamt of owning my own home for years and since we’ve arrived I’ve been wandering through the beautiful rooms each day feeling overwhelmingly grateful. Of course I have a “to do” list a mile long. Some tasks are “needs” (a fence for the dogs), but most are “wants” (a checkerboard marble floor in the sunroom). Below, I thought I’d share some before photos of our new home. Keep in mind that these photos show the previous owner’s furnishings (no, the knight in shining armor did not come with the house) so things look far more modest now. We don’t have nearly enough furniture to fill the place (a nice problem to have), so I’ll be acquiring pieces I love over time.
I was charmed by photos of the home’s facade–it just seemed so Southern to me! The house was built for a prominent Greensboro family in 1960. We’ll be updating the exterior light fixtures, potentially painting the brick, front door, and shutters, and removing the decorative ironwork on the balcony in favor of a wood railing (I’m thinking a Chinese chippendale design).
The foyer has a striking marble floor. We’ve already stripped off the beige wallcovering pictured here and I’m debating whether to wallpaper the space or simply paint it (our meager budget may decide for me). I’ll be replacing the stair runner and lighting (there’s a chandelier that’s not pictured, but you can see more in my “Our Home” instagram highlights). I plan to place a skirted table beside the stairwell.
The formal living room has a fireplace and four gorgeous, tall windows. I’m hoping to have the wood floors refinished and stained darker. We’ve already had our wonderful handyman remove the curtains and the trim on the walls flanking the fireplace. I’m close to finalizing the paint color and designing the new curtains. You can also see more recent photos of this space in my “Our Home” highlight.
On one wall of the dining room are six hand-painted Chinoiserie panels by Paul Montgomery. I so wish they were on every wall! I’m having a wallpaper hanger stop by to discuss what my options are. I’m considering having them removed so that I can frame them individually (or if possible, perhaps rehang them in a powder room).
The dining room also features this lovely window.
Above is a glimpse of the breakfast room and kitchen. We’ll be removing the curved shelves at the end of the kitchen cabinetry and replacing all the tile floors here with hardwood.
The kitchen has well-made inset cabinetry so we’ll simply be painting it and replacing the countertops and hardware. We’ll also be replacing the lighting, sink, and faucet.
In the laundry room I’m hoping to redesign the cabinetry and add a mudroom-like area. The floors will be replaced with a different tile. There’s also a small powder room here (not pictured) that could use a makeover.
The family room is where we’ve been spending most our time. Last week I painted all the brick with primer (don’t ask how long it took me…) and the space already looks twice as bright (there’s a newer photo in my “Our Home” highlight). The walls, brick, and window trim will all be painted Benjamin Moore’s White Dove. I’m toying with the idea of painting the floors in this room a bold color like green. There is also another powder room and coat closet off this room that could use some TLC.
The sun room is another aspect of the home that feels extra Southern to me. I dream of having black and white checkerboard marble floors here and lots of Mainly Baskets wicker furniture. I’d love to remove the two ceiling fans, but perhaps I’ll need them come summertime…? Feel free to weigh in!
The library has handsome wood paneling. Unfortunately, in person it is very dark in here so I will likely paint the paneling (I know this is controversial!) a fun color. I was thrilled to learn from a neighbor that legendary Southern decorator Otto Zenke designed the home’s woodwork. I’m also planning to add picture lights like these above the bookshelves. To the left of the fireplace you can see the quirky mirrored wet bar that connects the library and the family room (it’s completely hidden when the panel is closed). There’s also a built-in gun cabinet in this room which we intend to fill with books.
This is one of the house’s three first floor bathrooms. It’s actually a full bath (there’s a bathtub on the other side of that door), but as there are no downstairs bedrooms I think we will be drywalling that doorway and converting this space into a powder room. The Brunschwig & Fils wallpaper is fun, but will likely be replaced during renovations. The bathtub area (which can be also be accessed from the library) will probably become storage for all my tchotchkes.
And now we’re upstairs! It’s hard to tell from this photo, but the master bedroom is very spacious. Simon and I are looking forward to treating ourselves to a king-size bed. We will likely rip up all the wall-to-wall carpet on the second floor as there seems to be handsome oak hardwood underneath.
This area houses four master bedroom closets and an old-school built-in vanity.
The master bathroom needs a gut renovation. We are considering flipping the location of the master closets and bathroom so we have space for a separate shower and bathtub. We’ll have to save our pennies to make this happen!
This bedroom has become Gabe’s room. It’s easily three times the size of his previous nursery and it makes me so happy to see him running about it chasing Alfred and Wilbur (his pug brothers). We’ll be hanging wallpaper, ordering new curtains, lighting, and more. On the far right you get a glimpse of the very blue jack and jill bathroom that connects Gabe’s bedroom and the guest room. Needless to say, it is long overdue for a makeover.
This is a guest bedroom. We’ll be repainting (or wallpapering!), adding new curtains, replacing the lighting, and so on.
This fourth bedroom has become Simon’s office. We’ll be removing the grasscloth and painting the trim. We’ll likely put a sofa bed in here so we have plenty of room for visiting family from England and California.
The last bathroom has Cole & Son’s iconic David Hicks wallpaper. We eventually plan to renovate this space and double the size of the shower.
I’ll leave things at that for today, but promise to share lots more photos as we tackle each individual room (feel free to subscribe on the top right corner of this page so you don’t miss a post!). I hope you enjoyed this tour! Thank you for all your kinds words and excitement about our move to North Carolina. I can’t wait to share all the “afters” with you as we renovate and decorate. Stay tuned!
P.S. For those interested, I also just put up a new Daily Hunt full of fun new finds for your home and wardrobe.
Soooo beautiful, Katie, I am so happy for all of you!! I love your plans, and look forward to seeing them come to life. Regarding the ceiling fans: I’d go through a Southern summer before I removed them, there is a reason we all have them : )
What a gorgeous home! This house is lucky to have you, as I am sure you updates will be respectful of the home’s character. Thank you for allowing your readers to follow along!
Welcome to the South!
p.s. you will probably need those fans in the sunroom!
Welcome to North Carolina! We made the move to Raleigh in 2108 with three kids (then 9, 7 and 5) and it took awhile to transition, but we love it! We moved from Chicago and the weather is definitely a vast improvement.
I am a Texan and grew up with ceiling fans. They aren’t lovely, but very useful – my suggestion is to leave them up for one year and see if you like to have them. If so, you can upgrade. If not, you can rip out! My bet is you leave them/upgrade. ;) The house is gorgeous!! Well done.
– Shannon
Nancy, Julie, and Shannon — A friend just yesterday suggested I “live through a North Carolina summer before removing those fans”! Clearly you all agree. Thank you for your kind words and for weighing in! So helpful. xo
What a wonderful Adventure for your family!!!
The house has very “good bones” as they say in the South.
I know you will do very creative things to your new home
Love all your ideas. Remember it takes a year to tame a house.
Christy – “To tame a house.” Hah! Love that. I’m trying to be patient, but it’s so hard!
Katie – please leave your ceiling fans – come next July, you will regret removing them!
What a lovely house you have and with your talent, it will become your home very quickly…and Gabe will thrive!
Just keep us posted, please!
Susan – You are so sweet! The ceiling fans will stay for now, promise! Will definitely keep you all posted every step of the way. xo
So thrilled for you and Simon and Gabe. A huge adventure and project. It’s FABULOUS.
Congratulations on your new home! Your spaces are wonderful and I’m sure that your defining eye will turn them into visions of more beauty.
Amy – I want to come visit you in Venice!!! We were just saying last night how much we miss Europe. Hope to see you and yours soon! xo
Patricia – So kind of you to say! I only hope I do it justice! xo
Moving air will keep those pesky flying insects off your skin. Mosquitos cannot fly if the air movement is more than practically still! The fans help evaporate the copious amounts of moisture (sweat) you will experience in a cooling manner and make sure you learn how to make the best sweet tea and lemonade…just saying….
Wow! I’m sure you are over the moon with this house; saying it’s beautiful is a massive understatement. So many lovely details in every room (I’m kind of in love with those marble floors). You are going to have such a fun time updating things to fit your style. My two cents? Leave the brick outside natural because it just fits the house and the landscape so perfectly. Congratulations Katie, and
kudos to Simon for this find. He knows you well!
Beautiful home with so many stunning possibilities. One suggestion may I offer is to”live”with wood paneling in the library for a while,before you decide to paint it out. Especially if the woodwork was designed by a famous woodworker/designer. If
you choose to paint it, look at some “lacquered”rooms.They are beautiful!
Katie your new house is fabulous! I cannot wait to follow along with all of your renovations! I live in the south and although I am not a fan of fans I can tell you that you will need it, especially on a sun porch.
Have a wonderful day!
Sandra – I promise to learn to make a mean lemonade! Thank you for your advice!
Modeana – Grandma Rita said the same thing about the brick. I will keep you posted what I decide. Want to live in the place for a bit before I do anything too crazy/permanent. Thanks for saying hi!
Cindy – I know what you mean on the panelling. It will be such a tough call. I love a lacquered library, too!
Elizabeth – It sounds like the fans definitely need to stay! There are some vents going into the sunroom so I think I need to find out if the AC goes there? I’m totally clueless–so much to learn! Thanks for your advice!
You may want to replace the fans with something “prettier” but you need to keep the fans. Congrats on your new home and welcome to North Carolina. xo
Welcome to NC, it is a wonderful place to raise a family! Your new home is stunning! I am from a small town near Greensboro and have been a proud Raleighite for 12 years! With that being said, I’m also casting a vote for the fans. I have always hated the look of them, but they are a necessary evil when it’s hotter than blue blazes.
Congratulations on your move! We moved AWAY from North Carolina to Maine 3 years ago. I don’t miss the summers, but I loved the other seasons! I do remember thinking that I would get rid of the fans when I first moved to NC from the midwest. After one summer, those fans were my best friends. Also, if your grasscloth is in good condition, check out some photos of painted grasscloth. It lends a lovely texture and warmth to a room, especially if it’s painted a darker color. A friend of mine (from Greensboro!) painted the grasscloth in her office a moody dark blue, and it was gorgeous. Whatever you decide, I’m sure it will be classic and beautiful. I look forward to getting my charming southern home fix vicariously from your updates!
Wow! What a beautiful home with “great bones!” This will keep you in projects for quite a while. ;-)
I’m so glad others from North Carolina chimed in on the ceiling fans. As everyone said, live through one summer first. Chances are you will love them. I replaced the dark, gaudy old fans with classic white ceiling fans very quickly (no lights.) They are on summer and winter — and I live in the mountains where it doesn’t get as hot as Greensboro.
I agree about waiting a year or so before you paint the library. That’s not your typical woodwork done by a not-so-skilled builder. You can certainly lighten it up with furnishings, a rug etc. Hmm, a “jungle” theme with animal print and tropical fabrics, perhaps? A fun challenge!
One other thought: Sounds like you’ve started several projects in different rooms. I’m sure you’re anxious to get going, but you can drain your energy quickly that way with several unfinished projects staring at you simultaneously. I know from experience. Aim to get a small project completed before starting another. (I’ve primed and painted brick — an entire wall in a previous house!)
Looking forward to watching your new home evolve!
It’s a lovely home! Wishing you many happy years there. Would you consider painting the one wall in the dining room a colour to match the chinoiserie walls.
What a beautiful home! I wanted to suggest that you not be too quick to remove the bathtub in your first floor bath. There may come a time where an elderly relative visits (or you or your husband break a leg) and will you want to be able to manage without having to climb stairs!
Beautiful! Can’t wait to follow along.
You will be a devoted “fan” of ceiling fans once you experience a Southern summer.
What a gorgeous house! Thank you for sharing the “before” pictures. I hope you’ll keep us updated on the progress before showing the “after”. It will be fun to dream along with you!
The house has such good bones! Agree on the fans though they are not my favorite aesthetic element. Form follows function, as my professor used to say. The grass cloth room with the Hicks bathroom could be so elegant. Don’t care for the darker trim. If it was all painted out light and a stone top on the built-in desk. Then remover the grass cloth below the chair rail and add trim to give a panel effect. It would be such a pretty and elegant base. Would be a lovely child’s or guest room too. Now which room will get the Bowood paper? :-) How fun to be at the beginning of such a lovely journey!
What a great house… so much character. I’ll add my two cents, I hope you don’t paint the exterior brick and I hope you learn to love the library paneling. I have an old red brick rambler style home from the 1950’s and I would paint the exterior in a New York minute, but your house, the second story with the white balances out the red brick…talk about curb appeal.
In our little den we had real wood paneling, but I painted it anyway. The paneling was just okay. But the paneling in your library is beautiful. But, the idea of a lacquered library sure sounds good.
Your brain will be swirling with ideas…hope you can get to sleep at night. What a beautiful home!
I am just so THRILLED to bits for the three of you; it is absolutely gorgeous! And thank you so much for the tour; I loved seeing the ‘before’ and imagining the potential of all the rooms. Cannot wait to see what you do with it (with your talent, I have no doubt it will be gorgeous and become a beautiful space where the three of you will be so happy at home) and cannot wait to come and visit!
Love from Cambridge,
Briony xoxo
Wowee! This is an absolutely gorgeous home! The previous owners did a beautiful job designing and furnishing it. It’ll be nice to see how you put your design mark on this home, too! Congrats!
Absolutely love your new home. Elegant, gracious and inviting. I so look forward to following your journey. As for the painting, one job is already done, you’ve already painted me GREEN!!!
Ooh Katie it’s gorgeous already but I know under your eye it will just get better!! Thanks so much for sharing and letting us follow along. I think I’m most excited to see what you do with that fantastic, moody library :)
Congratulations on your beautiful new house! Looking forward to watching you transform it into a wonderful home for the three of you. I looked at the first picture and thought of what I would do to the exterior and scrolled down to read that you are planning all the changes I was thinking I would do. Can’t wait to see the updates! My only suggestion would be to keep the bathtub on the first floor. You never know when someone might be unable to climb the stairs. Even if it’s temporary, that downstairs bathtub would feel like a Godsend.
Don’t paint the brick! We have a similar house and added columns in place of the grape vine metal on both the 1st and second floors. Ground is a bluestone patio and 2nd floor is a deck. So much charm in this house. Wow.
Katie congrats on your beautiful new home! Just a tip for painting that indoor fireplace-chalk paint covers so much faster and easier than regular paint on bricks!
I love the library and suggest looking into making it lighter by pickling it? Most of all, I would live there a year before doing any major renovation! I know you’re anxious, but it helps to know how you use the home. ..Also echoing what another above said about a downstairs bath. I just rebuilt my California home and everyone here now thinks about having an accessible bath or shower in case anyone is ever hurt or you have guests who cannot climb stairs in the future. It makes sense.
Excited for you guys!! Wishing you the best, Kim
Welcome to the Tarheel State! I’m in nearby Winston-Salem and often visit GSO to see my son. You are in for a treat.
I echo the advice of others to leave the ceiling fans, even if you upgrade to newer models. It’s not the heat that will kill you, it’s the wilting humidity. Fans help.
Best wishes in your lovely new home!
Please, please, please wait at least a year on painting the library. Give yourself time to get used to the wood before you paint. It’s sooooo expensive to refinish paneling, and yours is exquisite. There are lots of great options, like an art deco mirror, that would brighten it up.