I thought I would share a little about my husband and I's first home since so many of yall (my collectors) are either first-time home buyers or have just purchased a new home.Something about new homes and art seem to go hand-in-hand.
It started in February of 2019 when my parents bought this home as a flip house. We all spent many days and weekends working on this home in hopes of someone buying it.
My parents had done so many things to fix up the house. They had new sheetrock installed in almost every room. The walls were all painted a bright white in every room. New flooring was installed in every room and a beautiful neutral granite was installed in the kitchen and bathrooms. The exterior was painted white was well to freshen up the outdated brick. This house was stripped down from an outdated, forgotten pile of bricks to a simple neutral starting point for its next owners.
By October 2019, it still had not sold. My husband and I were looking for our first home, as we were awaiting his graduation from Mississippi State and moving back to Hattiesburg in December. Everything seems to fall into place for this to become our first home.
Since buying this home in December 2019, we have worked hard to make this house our home.
The Front Yard
Before
After (Our Starting Point)
To freshen up the front exterior of the home, we tried to keep it simple. We added some dark brown shutters that I made and stained and some large terra-cotta pots with bright red azaleas on the front porch to give it some character. We also added a simple flower box under the kitchen window that I also stained and made. We built a brand new fence and brought the fencing to the front corner of the house of the left side. We also ripped up I can't tell you how many bushes, vines, weeds, and more to simplify the landscaping for a clean look.
Kitchen
Before
After (Our Starting Point)
The kitchen didn't need much besides a little decor. I added pops of gold all throughout to play against the grayness of the granite and stainless steel appliances. The breakfast nook is also much larger than I thought. It can hold a 6 chair table easily, which allowed my to use the formal dining space for my art studio.
Photo by G-Hub Real Estate Photography
Photo by G-Hub Real Estate Photography
Living Room
Before
After (Our Starting Point)
There wasn't much to do for use besides style the living area! My favorite thing to do!
Photo by G-Hub Real Estate Photography
Photo by G-Hub Real Estate Photography
Formal Dining Room
Before
After (Our Starting Point)
The formal dining space is the largest room in the house. It has the best natural lighting of any room. If I didn't use it for my art studio, I would use it as a secondary living space/library room.
Photo by G-Hub Real Estate Photography
Bedrooms and Bathrooms
Before
All three of the bedrooms and both bathrooms were move-in ready. I simply styled them to my taste.
Some Photos by G-Hub Real Estate Photography
Laundry Room
Before
The laundry room/ pantry needed to be painted when we moved in. Now the entire room is bright white with gold knobs.
The Backyard
Before
After (Our Starting Point)
The backyard was where we spent almost all of our energy. First, we had to get the three large trees cut. Then, we had to rip up years and years of the overgrown madness. I remember thinking when my parents bought this house, "I would hate to be the person who had to clean up this mess." I don't think anyone had done yard work in the backyard in 30 years. The weeds and vines were so overgrown. It has taken us 4 months of basically working in the yard every weekend with the help of both my husband and I's families to tame this yard. Finally, it is starting to look like a yard again. We added a deck to the back porch, some simple landscaping, and outdoor furniture. Oddly enough, now it is my favorite thing about the house. I don't know if it was all the hard work that made me appreciate the space more, but now sitting on the swing, drinking my morning coffee, and listening to the birds has made it all worth it.
Photo by G-Hub Real Estate Photography
Photo by G-Hub Real Estate Photography
We sold our home this November. Almost exactly one year from when we moved in. There are so many things about this home I know my husband and I will miss. We have loved our time here and fixing this house up to be a home, but we are so excited for our next adventure.
We are in the process of building a home! We are very excited, nervous and stressed! Haha. I'll be sharing more about the building process as we go!
Thanks for Reading!
Shelby Leigh Kizer
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