house number six - a "before" tour

It really was love at first sight for me. Fifteen years ago on my very first visit to Charleston, SC, I fell in love with this city's beauty and charm; and I dreamed of one day calling it home. It's been almost a month now since we closed on our home here, and I still wake up feeling like I'm on vacation......or like I'm still dreaming.........despite the unpacked boxes (yes, we still have boxes to unpack).

At first look, I loved the double front porches but wasn't crazy about the green color of the house .....but it's growing on me.....and I have some plans. Initially I wasn't looking for a "new-ish" house. I wanted something old with lots of character and tons of potential. When our home in Kentucky sold (the original inspiration for the blog - hence the name "our fifth house") I was ready for number six to be an oldie but goodie and tackle a full-on renovation project. But, as it turned out, this sweet young house is the one I fell head over heels in love with and the one where I could see my family living in for years to come. She's got that fresh out of college, bright eyes, I can take on the world outlook, and I'm pretty pumped that I get to be her design mentor. ;)

What I loved about the house, besides the open floor plan, gorgeous hardwood floors and backyard view, was the way I could see my family living in this space. I had plans to give you a full empty house tour, but my camera battery died mid photo shoot. And of course the charger was packed......and I couldn't find a store that carried a charger that would work for my battery...........and so there went my game plan. So instead I'm going to give you a mix of empty room photos that I shot the day we were handed the keys and some photos from the MLS listing (so you can see how it looked when we toured the house).

I'm a fan of the glass paneled double front doors which let in tons of light in the entry foyer. The foyer is pretty large compared to any foyer we've ever had, and I can't wait to get started decorating this space.

Watch out for our guard dogs!

The room to the right is what the previous owners used as a sitting room/living room, but since my hub works from home I'm setting it up as his home office/ the bar room.

There's a little bathroom in the hallway leading to the kitchen, and I have big plans that may or may not include a fun wallpaper.......maybe.

I've showed you the kitchen before and shared my plans to give it some Phillips family personality.

I liked that the stairs are off the kitchen, and I really love the open floor plan which is something we haven't had in a house since house #3 (in Richmond, VA). The dining area leads right in to the living room, so while I'm cooking and cleaning up I won't be separated from all the family action.

The living room leads out to the screen porch which is what sealed the deal for me with this house.

I fell in love with the backyard view. This house backs up to a large pond, and it is just so, so beautiful!

The backyard is pretty much a blank space, and I've got all kinds of fun ideas to make the backyard a great place to entertain.

I'm pretty sure I squealed out loud when I opened the door to the laundry room/ mudroom while we were touring the house. That built-in makes my organization-loving heart ridiculously happy.

The master bedroom with it's three large windows stays really light and bright throughout the day.

And I'm pretty pumped about the fact that the hubs and I now have separate closets.......

..........and separate vanities as well.

When we toured the house my hub thought this space at the top of the stairs was a giant waste of unusable space, but all I could see was the potential to carve out the perfect home office for myself.

Both kids have a decent sized bedroom. This room is my boy's room, and it's already been painted.

This is my girl's room, and she's requested a light pink for the walls.

The guest room is a nice size, and it's at the top of my design to-do list as we've already got a bunch of upcoming guest visits on the calendar.

This is the family hangout room and I have a bunch of fun ideas swirling around in my head for this space!

These little dormers are going to be so much fun! I can't wait to get started!

So that's the before house tour friends. Even though we won't be tearing down walls or gutting the kitchen and bathrooms (at least not any time soon.....maybe in 20 years or so) I hope you'll come along for the ride as we give house number six a big dose of Phillips family personality. We're all excited to be living in our dream city, and I can't wait to let the decorating and design adventures begin!