What our Dream House Looks like in 2025

I’m so excited to share all the before and after’s of the progress we have made on our home in the past 2 1/2 years:

Our Dream Home Befores & Afters

When I was at High Point this Spring, I struggled to find a picture of my new house on Instagram to show to someone. So I thought it was time for an updated post. It’s been 2 1/2 years since we moved from our sweet bungalow to the house we’re in now.

Practicing my art

Why does one couple and a poodle need a house more than twice as big as our last one? Because I needed a new canvas for what I do. And having said that, there are many days when Terreeia will say “I live in a warehouse” because there’s always videos happening, people coming and going, etc.

You’ve heard me say many times that if you add lamps and atmosphere to your home, you’ll want to leave it less and while that is true and while we live in a truly spectacular–in my dreams–resort house, you still do need to leave it occasionally so your brain can take a break.

Terreeia and I were about to start looking for a second home right when the pandemic happened and then we didn’t because we worried that the world was ending.

Then we started looking at property, but the prospect of building did not thrill me because of the extreme amount of time it would take to source everything given what I do.

So when my sister Elizabeth’s friend sent the listing to her and said “This is Maria’s house” and I saw the first image in the listing, I knew immediately that she was right.

The garden before

Here’s what the front of the property looked like before:

Here’s what it looked like last year:

Here’s what the house looked like after we took down the dead and overgrown trees and shrubs:

And here’s how it looks 2 1/2 years later:

The entry

We closed up the 3 openings with shutters from the upstairs entertainment room and added panelling to match what was already installed below the staircase in addition to replacing the taupe rectangular tile in the entry:

 

Here’s the other side of the entry before:

And after:

SW Neutral Ground or BM Feather Down

If nothing else – lamps!

I’m constantly reminded how much more challenging decorating becomes when lamps aren’t part of your design plan like this living room (before, below) without a single lamp.

I often see oversized candlesticks or a vase filled with sticks taking center stage, but honestly, nothing elevates a space quite like a beautiful gourd lamp.

Even if you never switch it on, a lamp adds instant style and balance—so much better than awkward vases or towering candlesticks. Trust me, your room will thank you!

Read more: What Every Lighting Obsessed Decorator Should Know

Here’s the living room now. There are two candlestick lamps behind the sofa and another lamp on the mantel as well.

Trim Colour SW Snowbound | Ceiling: SW 9055 Billowy Breeze or CSP-610 Intuition

The Kitchen

The kitchen didn’t need much. New lighting and paint:

I love it so much now!

Cabinets: BM Manchester Tan | SW Canvas Tan

Here’s the sunroom before:

SW Accessible Beige (green grey to coordinate with the green grey basic builder tile)

The Upstairs Powder Room

The Dining Room

And after I moved the dining room in here:

Dining room | BM Seedling

The Laundry room

And after. Taupe loves orange and we’ll eventually get to this room but in the meantime it looks a lot better:

SW 6339 Persimmon

The primary bathroom

The primary bath BEFORE we changed most of the footprint:

And added a large window:

Walls: BM Navajo White | SW Casablanca | Toilet Room BM Stratten Blue

Ceiling: BM Hanna Banana

The walk in closet

The closet was formerly an exercise room:

Here it is now:

Cabinets: SW Snowbound

Backyard & Pool

Here’s the before of the backyard and pool area:

Original paint: BM Ashley Grey, Trim BM Grant Beige

Here it is with the perfect french country patio furniture (now discontinued):

Full exterior reveal with paint colours here. 

Before

After

Before we added a hot tub and boxwood clouds:

After. And yes that is a rain chain because a downspout would definitely look bad running down the column:

The area beyond the pool is now a vegetable garden with a greenhouse:

 

 

Lots more projects coming this Spring!

Become a True Colour Expert here.

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Our French Country Gate Entrance: Before & After

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