#PantryProblems

As you have have seen in previous posts, we sacrificed the old pantry to create more space in the kitchen.  I had just gotten used to having my first pantry and was quite excited about having a little room dedicated to storing food and other items.  #PantryProblems.  We turned to what we began using as a broom closet, the only other closet on the first floor, for hope.  The size of the space was decent, however the layout was another story.  The room was 1.) very deep, 2.) had no shelves, and 3.) had oddly slanted walls.  Jeff created two custom shelves for storage, but this really only solved one problem.  Thank goodness for The Container Store.  Jeff installed some very functional pull out drawers, while I moved onto more important things like storage containers and matching chalkboard labels.

Baskets

Top shelf

Bottom shelf

Jeff's personal snack bin

Making the most of our energy, brought to you by Schneider Electric

Schneider Electric (my company) is now helping us make the most of our energy!  Recently, I signed up for a field trial to test out one of our new products and it was installed today.  Our old thermostat did not have any programming capabilities whatsoever.  Now, our new thermostat can not only be programmed, but controlled from an app!  I'm excited for the first week of not having to mess with setting the temperature when I come and go for the day.  Once we have more devices, we'll be able to monitor even more of our energy usage and begin learning on how to save energy (and money)!

Old thermostat

New thermostat

Screenshot from the app on my iPad

As Ellie Goulding would say, LIGHTS LIGHTS LIGHTS

We gave our porch lights an update inside and out over the past two weekends.  The old lanterns were in need of some TLC, so we decided to update them to match the front of our house.  This change was prompted with my new AmerTac Dusk to Dawn Light Controls that I have been SO excited to install!  These magic little sensors automatically turn your lights on when it starts to get dark, and off when it starts to get light.  I have bought a few of these and have them on the inside and outside of our house.  They are as easy to install as screwing in a light bulb and work very well.  They are also pretty cheap!  Definitely a worthwhile investment in my eyes.


Old lights (along with old front door and Olive Garden canopy, which we do not miss):

 

After taking everything apart and cleaning the lights well, I then painted them black with black RustOleum paint followed by a bronze oil rub (to  match our bronze roof + door):

 

Also, here is an image of the Dusk to Dawn light controls I used:

Here are some after shots!:

 

Shake it like a Polaroid picture

I have always wanted to do a photo wall with different, but similar frames.  I collected a plethora of black frames over the past year or so, all black but different shapes and materials.  For photos, I used our wedding as the theme.  Most stairwells have a lot of wall space that goes unused, so this was the perfect place for my photo wall.  I arranged all of the frames on the floor, and then taped up a paper cutout of each photo on the wall to make sure the design layout would work.  I couldn't be happier with how it turned out!  Now walking down the stairs is like walking down the aisle all over again, which was the happiest day of my life!

It looks rail good

Our old railings were quite traditional - vertical wood spindles.  We decided to go with something a bit more modern (surprise!) and updated them to metal.  We also decided on a horizontal design, which I LOVE!  Our friends Andy and Rich at Nashville Fab were able to bring Jeff's drawings to life, and then weld them in our home.  Hooray!  Once they were installed, we decided to do a similar treatment to our outdoor lights (click to read more about that process) and polls and treat them to a bronze oil rub.

Old vs. New:

Some shots of the new metal railings being installed (thanks Nashville Fab!):

Railings painted with black RustOleum:

Nice and shiny bronze:

Before and After

 Now that we have completed the kitchen and majority of the first floor, time for some BEFORE and AFTER shots!

Entry:

Dining room:

 

Main living area:

 

Kitchen: