The focal point in our great room is the media center/fireplace that we thoughtfully planned out so the TV and fireplace are side-by-side and at eye level when seated on the sofa. The mantel above is sized proportionally for the size of the room with storage below to hide TV components and wires.

I designed a custom coffee table specifically to fit with our U-shaped sectional. BirchBarn Designs crafted the table from maple. The oval shape mimics that of the dining room table as well as a small oval desk in another part of this room. Our large sectional sofa perfectly aligns to the TV and fireplace while fitting the whole family.

Eero Saarinen designed his iconic Tulip table in the late 1940’s. To buy one today would cost over $10,000. I wanted a table that could expand for larger gatherings, so I designed this maple oval with 2 tulip bases that allow for 3 leaves and found an artist in VT that could make it. We have created many cherished memories around this table for over 10 years.

Another view of the dining table I designed.

2 design elements are shown here, the waterfall edge of the wood counter and the table I designed and made out of the same wood. This versatile table, which seats 8-10 people, rests on 2 separate pedestal bases so it can be pulled apart for 4 people to play a game.

The seaglass art shown here is inspired by pieces, like the one in the window, created by my Dad from seaglass he collected. The tile in this bathroom includes seaglass art I created and installed in 3 sections. The mirror is another example of seaglass art.

The mudroom bench was designed and built for our family with a seat cushion upholstered out of a fabric shower curtain.

The headboard I made for my son’s room was designed with comfort in mind. It is hung on the wall using a French cleat for stability.

This mid-century original dresser was found on the side of the road for free but in bad shape. After some refinishing and painting, it was ready for use.

We bought our first house as a fixer-upper before that was cool. Most people thought we were crazy for buying it – including both of our parents. There may have even been a mom crying! The house was built in 1885 and had not been well-maintained for….well, a long time. We spent nights and weekends for three years renovating the house. It was a lot of work but we loved the experience and sold the house for 10x our initial investment.

Highlights:

Renovated an 1800 sq. ft. home in Cambridge, MA. It had a 1920s stove that served as the heater for the kitchen, Hogwarts-feeling stairs, a family of mice (a big family of about 24!), and one angry squirrel in the attic.

Contracted out for only the big things; the rest was done by us. We understood the value of limited budget and big impact.

Learned tough lessons working with bad contractors

When we moved from the city to the suburbs, we were pregnant with our first child and not looking for another fixer-upper. Both of our boys were born while living in this house and we did a number of projects inside and out. The major improvement we made was finishing the attic into an office.

In 2013 we bought a 2,400 sq. ft. cape in Newbury, NH. We had rented a ski house the year before with friends and it was a magical time for our kids, and we all loved being outside during the winter months skiing. To make it work financially we needed to rent out the house when we weren’t using it. The house was built as a pre-fab in 2004 so it was relatively new when we bought it, but it wasn’t built well so it did develop a lot of issues (things like mice and carpenter ants getting in where they shouldn’t). The house was not insulated well, causing an ice dam and subsequent water damage, and the boiler went our first -10 degree day. We quickly learned how hard it is to manage home improvement projects when you are 2 hours away. But we made the rentals work and it made enough money for us to be break-even – or come out ahead if you figure in the cost of renting a home for the ski season. This way we got to sleep on new mattresses and live in an uncluttered home, set up the way we liked. But key was the ability to bring our dogs with us ;)