One chapter ends, another begins…

I’ve had fun writing JAX does design for the last five years, but now it’s time to close this blog chapter and start a new one. Join me over at K&B Adventures by the Sea to follow my experiences on the South Shore of Nova Scotia with my hubby and our dogs. From building our dream home by the ocean to exploring everything NS has to offer, I’m going to have a lot to share with you :-)

Welcome to my home! A top to bottom tour

It’s been a long time since I last wrote a blog post. So much has happened in the past few months, and it all culminated on Friday with a For Sale sign going up on our front lawn. Yep, we’re moving! And it’s a big move too – we’re packing up the dogs and heading to Nova Scotia!

Hubby and I have been working hard since the winter renovating, painting, purging, and getting our house in tip-top shape. For the first time in ever, our house is tidy, uncluttered, and CLEAN! Now we just need someone to buy it!

Also for the first time ever, our house has been photographed by a professional photographer, Henry Fernando. So now I can take you on a tour of our whole entire house, including rooms that I’ve never shown you because they were either unfinished or never looked good enough to share!

The thing I like most about the exterior of our house is that it’s different from all the other houses in our neighbourhood. Well, except for the white brick bungalow right next door ;-)

The things you can do with a wide angle lens! I’ve never been able to take pictures like these! Views to and from the front entry…

 

Dining room…

Living room…

Family room…

 

Kitchen…

Laundry/mud room…

Guest bedroom – lots of purple!

Master bedroom…

Our pride and joy, the master bedroom ensuite completely renovated and designed by us :-)

I have NEVER been able to get a shot like this of the vanity!

Hubby’s home office…

I’ve never really liked our guest bathroom because of all the pink, so I’ve never posted pics of it – till now!

Let’s head down to the basement, which has gone through a huge transformation…

My home office… this is going to be a hard room to leave behind, it took forever to paint all those letters!

Craft room…

My office and craft room were the only two spaces in the basement that were finished. The rest of the basement was being used for storage, there was no ceiling, one section had laminate flooring, and the other had dusty rose carpeting. We emptied it out, hubby created a brand new bedroom and bathroom and installed a ceiling and cork flooring, and I painted. And painted and painted and painted… I didn’t think I’d ever finish painting!

This area is staged as a play area for kids. Our dogs think the futon mattress on the floor makes a great doggie bed :-)

A couple of years ago, I won an awesome elephant wall mural from Murals Wallpaper in a giveaway at Mix And Chic. We knew it was going to go on this wall, we just had to wait till the wall was ready! I named the elephant Lewis :-)

 

This is the brand new bedroom that didn’t exist a few months ago. Only the curtains and chandelier are new – I already had everything else, including the furniture from when I was a kid. The tops were a bit banged up, so I pulled out a can of chalk paint and problem solved :-) Even the wall paint was left over from another project.

I’ve decided that I love designing bathrooms :-) I don’t know exactly why, I just do :-)

And finally, the loft home theater. I’m going to miss this room a lot, it’s such a great spot for watching movies & sports…

So that’s our home in all its glory :-) In the almost-14 years that we’ve lived here, we’ve done so many projects and tried out lots of ideas – some good and some not so good! – and have really loved living here. I hope whoever buys our house will love it as much as we do.

Linking up to…

 

The January (navy) blues

Happy 2015! So far, the year is off to a cold start here in Ontario. But at least we’re gaining a minute of sunlight every day, so that’s one positive :-)

January is typically when the blues set in. But the blues aren’t necessarily a bad thing – especially when they’re lovely navy blues! Lately I’ve been thinking about how I would design my coastal kitchen in my oceanfront house of the future. A girl can dream, right? :-) And part of the dream is to have a navy blue kitchen island. Still haven’t figured out the rest of the kitchen, but I guess that’s as good a starting point as any!

A navy island with a light stone countertop, white kitchen cabinetry, and dark flooring seems to be the popular choice.

Image via Kelly Deck 

 Image via Decorpad 

  Image via Decorpad

A navy island with a light floor and soft grey cabinetry is lovely too.

Image via Tom Howley 

Not quite navy blue, this blue-grey island has a dark wood countertop, which is a nice change from the light stone countertops.

Image via Today’s Homeowner (at KBIS)

And this countertop is a combination of darker wood and lighter stone.

 

Traditional Kitchen by Minneapolis Design-Build Firms Schrader & Companies

 

 

Navy blue paired with brass or gold has a nautical feel.

 

 
Image via Sarah Richardson

 

Image via Joy Street Design 

 

 

This is a bit different – copper pendants over a navy island.

 

Contemporary Kitchen by Toronto Interior Designers & Decorators Sealy Design Inc.

Do you prefer a kitchen island that matches the kitchen cabinetry, or an island that stands out?