My Cottage - What Paint Color Did I Choose?

As you remember a month or so ago I asked for feedback on facebook, twitter,and here on the blog, asking what color I should paint my farmhouse, and gave you some of my ideas. I received a variety of answers, but there was one color that was suggested the most. I enjoyed hearing all the opinions and feedback. It was fun to see what you all suggested.

I heard everything from white, gray, yellow, tan, and "Paint it whatever pleases you"! What resounded most was to keep my color palette to a classic scheme, that would fit the era of my house. (over 100 yrs old)

I pondered about what I should do... I drove around many neighborhoods with my husband and looked for new inspiration... I took pictures of houses, but somehow seemed to keep being drawn to the same color.

Then... My hubby and I went for a Sunday drive because he wanted to show me an inspiration house. He said "I need to show you this...its classic." So here ya have it!

The color of choice is yellow...

My pictures don't do this house justice. This farmhouse sits up on a hill and in front of it is a large grape vineyard. Its very stunning in person. We stopped to take a picture and the homeowners were outside. I asked if they minded if I took a picture and they were more than willing to oblige. They even told me the exact color of their house! (It is a Benjamin Moore yellow from their historic color collection.)

I knew after seeing this wonderfully classic farmhouse, that I would paint my house yellow with crisp white trim. I immediately came home and bought the paint samples and tried it out on some siding pieces. And of course there will always be a red door on my house!

So...Why did I choose yellow?

1. We live in Washington state where we have a lot of rainy gray days. I wanted something cheerful and bright throughout the year.

2. I love happy warm colors, and yellow represents that feeling very well.

3. Its classic and fits the era of my house.

4. Its a welcoming color.

5. I listened to what people said. When I asked the question... "when you think of a farmhouse what color do you think of?" The number one color I heard was yellow and second to it was white.

So thank you for your feedback and to those that didn't suggest yellow. That's okay, I love a lot of colors and all the suggestions were good ones!

QuickTip: Are you considering color choices for your home? You might want to take a look at your demographic location, your neighborhood, your personal taste, and the style and era of your home. Most of all paint it with colors YOU like and that inspire you!

My Cottage Renovation...A Farmhouse Facelift

Time for an update on our ambitious plan for renovating our farmhouse. Its been a while since I have kept you in the loop on our progress. We have made a lot of changes that don't show and are kind of boring, so I am showing what I know looks the most interesting for all you fellow home renovators out there! It won't be long and things will get more interesting as we move to the inside of the house and get to building the additions.

If you'll remember this is what we started with...

BEFORE

New windows were installed

New siding was applied to the front of the house.

A big improvement for sure!

Other things that we have accomplished since my last posting...

1. Chimney removal...(a big big mess! )
2. New heat pump and ducting was installed.
3. Foundation work, (major work) leveling the kitchen end of the house and pouring of new footings.
4. New well is being dug as we speak. We are hoping to hit water soon!
5. Demolishing of the old out buildings making way for the new garage.

Stay tuned for more! Be sure to hit the "My Cottage" button at the top of this blog to follow the progress from the beginning! There is so much more to come, see ya soon!

I'm Dreaming Of A White Kitchen!

Oh how I love a classic white farmhouse kitchen! I am in the midst of planning mine. I have been looking at cabinets, counter tops, farm sinks, and everything else under the sun. I can't wait to see how my new farmhouse kitchen comes together!

So what is so great about a white kitchen? It is a classic and without a doubt a perfect choice for my house. I am trying to find the perfect balance between updating my house to have all the modern conveniences and well laid out floor plans, and at the same time, make sure the vintage charm is maintained.

Here are some wonderful farm kitchens. Maybe you will start drooling like me!

Do any of you dream of a white kitchen? OR... maybe you already have a great farm style kitchen! If so, tell us what your favorite thing about your kitchen, or what you dream of having.

My Cottage Renovation...An Ugly Duckling!

Wow- what a week it has been. We just started this renovation project a week ago, and have we ever made progress! So happy you have joined our family on this journey. It's going to be a fun ride for sure! Now mind you... none of it is "pretty" yet, but so exciting all the same. Its exciting because there is PROGRESS happening!

This week my hubby could see how happy I was to have work done on this old house o' mine. This is what I have dreamed of, you know? But never thought it would be me!

I have watched everyone else on HGTV get their remodels and huge renovations done. I've drooled over kitchens that I wish I could have. I have watched my fair share of Extreme Makeover shows. But now it is my turn! I feel I need to pinch myself to see if this is really happening. But low and behold it is!

Here are the highlights of what we accomplished in this first week of renovating...

Old asbestos siding removed from house and outbuildings

Drilled holes in side of house...making way for blown in insulation. (Looks like a giant birdhouse!) Going to have a toasty home in the winter. Yay!


BEFORE: Old siding off...check out that wood underneath- its an adventure seeing what is underneath this house!


Progress: New Siding and trim going up! What an improvement!

See ya soon for more of the step by step process of my cottage farmhouse renovation! Hang on... it will get more exciting as we go!

My Cottage Farmhouse

Renovations have officially begun this week on our 100 year old farmhouse! We will be documenting the progress as we go, right here on The Cottage Chick blog.

Look for progressive photos and videos as we take you on this ambitious project. We will remodel, rejuvenate and revive this old historical house into a cozy cottage home.

Here is the master plan for the farmhouse...



1. New paint, siding and trim
2. Chimney removed and old furnace replaced with a heat pump.
3. New Roof
4. New 3 car garage
5. Kitchen expansion giving an additional 6 feet of space.
6. New entryway
7. New dining room
8. New breezeway which will accommodate a mudroom and laundry room,connecting the kitchen and garage.
9. New family room addition, complete with a fireplace and covered porch off the back side of the house.
10. Above the family room will be a new master bedroom and bathroom.
11. New family bathroom upstairs
12. New well and septic (boring, but necessary)

Ambitious dreams I know, but we are excited about the progress and hope you enjoy seeing the renovations as well! Come join us on this exciting journey.