Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Guest Post: Just a Touch of Gray!!!


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To kick off the series this week, we have Rachel from Just a Touch of Gray!  If you have had your hand on the pulse of the design blogging world lately, then you know that it's little heart has been going pitter-patter for Rachel and the fabulous revamp of her first home! I was completely bowled over by the fabulous transformations and the chic interiors that she has created.  This girl has got it.

What's "it"???

This:
Hi everyone! I'm Rachel Gray from {Just a Touch of Gray} popping over to share "what makes my house a home". Thanks Aubrey for inviting me to participate in this fabulous series! First a little background... hubs and I bought our 1960 ranch last summer and we are the proud second owners. Much of the house was untouched since it was built - whoa! But that was exactly what we were looking for... a house to put our personal touch on and make our own. We started by painting, tearing out old doors and trim, and refinishing the hardwood floors. Although those things definitely helped incorporate our style into the house we knew it was going to take more than that to infuse the feeling of "home" into our first house so we got to work!


The first room we transformed was our living room...


From this:


To this:


But it's the personal touches that really give this room that homey feeling, like photos of family and friends. Recently I've been on a mission to add more photos throughout our house. So far I've accumulated a bunch of frames {that's step 1, right?!} so now I just need to fill them. 




I also love this silver bird votive holder.




My mom gave them to everyone that came to my parent's house the morning after our wedding for brunch. Of course hubs and I were already honeymooning by that point, but it's special to me that many family members have this to remember our wedding day.


One of the next rooms we worked on was our master bathroom.


From this:


To this:


But again, it's the little things like this crystal door knob (sitting on the book). This knob is from my grandmothers house... the house my Mom grew up in. It was just sold this past year and I'm thankful to have a memento from it. {Yes, that is the silver birdie making another appearance for our bathroom photo shoot!} 




Also, one of my best friends that read in our wedding hand wrote 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 on an index card and read off of it in our wedding. I don't know how I ended up with it, but I love seeing it everyday.




Next up is our master bedroom. We made a lot of changes to this room from it's original state... 






But you'll have to stay tuned for our Roomspiration Blog Hop to see my reveal - Sept. 30! That's just a few days after Aubrey hosts kids bedrooms here!


But I will show you this...




This switch plate cover is also from my grandmother's house. They bought that house in 1949 and just sold it this year - talk about memories!


And last but not least, our dining room table is one of my absolute favorite things in our house. I love the rustic look, it's "x" legs, and of course the fact that my husband built it out of wood we tore out of our house. Yep, he made it out of door jams. I looove it. 


We transformed our dining room...


From this... 


To this: 


For me, making your house a home is not always about what you buy from the store. Sometimes it's simply the meaning and memories behind the things given to you that makes a house a home.


Thanks again, Aubrey for having me! I really enjoyed it!



Oh Rachel, you tease!!! I can't wait for the Roomspiration blog hop so I can see it!!! Seriously, the room transformations in her home are some of the most dramatic I have ever seen!

And up tomorrow:

Katie from On the Banks of Squaw Creek!!!



 And don't forget to enter the $100 KOKOON giveaway!!!




26 comments:

Unknown said...

Oh how gorgeous! Great job. I am hopping on over to her blog now to check out more eye candy :)

Cassie {Hi Sugarplum} said...

wow -- they have done some serious work...everything looks great! Love the dining room chairs and bathroom vanity!

Unknown said...

This is such an amazing transformation- I adore the treatment they did on the walls- the colour and striation adds so much warmth and texture...just gorgeous!!

rachel @ Just a Touch of Gray said...

Thanks for having me today Aubrey! I thought you'd like the Roomspiration plug in there! I just couldn't help myself! ;)

Hope you had a fabulous Labor Day weekend!

Starr said...

I love how the dark wood has been transformed. Much better!

Interior Design Musings said...

Two of my favorite blogs together!! What fun. Rachel, that lime wash on the wood paneling in your dining room - genius!! M.

tina / half of what I say said...

What an amazing transformation! I just adore the elegant feel, especially in the dining room.

natasha {schue love} said...

Rachel has done an amazing job! LOVE the dining room...those chairs are perfect. Can't wait to see her master! :)

A said...

What I love about that living room is that the transformation really came from surface changes--paint on the walls, fireplace, new flooring. Gorgeous room!

Tamra {ever swoon} said...

I'm absolutely blown away!! The transformation is incredible, the old house is almost unrecognizable. I love the little details from the grandmothers house, pictures, to the framed reading from the wedding. Great share. Such a lovely lovely home. Thanks for the inspiration!

elizabeth@themustardceiling said...

What a tease Rachel :), I can't wait to see your master bedroom...and I thought I was going to get to today. Love all of the transformations you and your husband have done so far. Terrific post today!

Holly Gruszka said...

Can't wait to see what RAchel and her hubs have up their sleeve for the master! They've done a wonderful job updating their home - and making wood paneling look "now" is huge!

Jessie said...

I have been following Rachel's blog for a while. They have been doing a great job transforming their home. Now, I am looking forward to see her master bedroom. So excited! Great feature, Aubrey!

P/S: Come enter my newest giveaway for a chance to win a $50 gift certificate from My Urban Child (BONUS: plus two other websites to choose from to spend your $50 if you win).

http://www.mixandchic.com/2011/09/giveaway-my-urban-child.html

Don't miss it! Have a wonderful week!

Jessie

birdie to be said...

Remarkable makeovers! So pretty!

Cam - Bibs and Baubles said...

I LOVE every room. What a great job. Gorgeous! Can't wait to see the bedroom. The dining room table is genius!

A room with a view said...

Rachel's transformations are amazing - can't wait to see more!

Unknown said...

Stunning transformations! Wow. I am in awe. And I so agree. It's so much more about the memories and special tiny touches that make a house a home.

Kelly @ View along the way said...

*Gorgeous!!* I love this series of yours, and her rooms are all *perfection.* I'm especially loving the textured look of the main living area walls.

So excited about our Roomspiration blog hop! Almost here! :)

Bud and Leo said...

whoa those transformations are incredible! I'm in awe- so beautiful! xo Lisa

Haley @ Cardigan Junkie said...

Gorgeous! I love how she kept the character of the rooms intact, and didn't make everything feel generic and too new. Very inspiring :)

Lindsey Regan Thorne @ be pretty said...

Stunning! The transformation is just gorgeous! I'm so in love with the paneling! I'm loving the series! Can't wait for more! xo

Val said...

Wonderful before and afters!

Amanda || Eclectic Snapshots said...

Wowzers!
These transformations are AMAZING!
The treatment on the dining room walls is beautiful.

Anonymous said...

Love the specials touches. It's what makes the house a home.

Katie Olthoff said...

can't wait to see the master bedroom. I *think* I saw a glimpse of it in the bathroom mirror?

Things To Do said...

Wow that place doesn't even look like it's in the same neighborhood. Let alone the same house! What a transformation!