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Health & Lifestyle

Our New Home ~ Come On In And Take A Look Around!

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Welcome To Our New Home!

 

I am so excited to share with you all some pictures of our new home!  If you missed my last post on “Our Big Move”, you can read it here: From Snowy Wisconsin to Sunny Florida: Our Move Across Country.

As promised in that post, I am going to share with you some pictures of our new home! Above is a picture of the outside…I know, it isn’t a full on picture (for privacy reasons I have shared just a bit), but I can assure you I will share some fun photos of the inside).

An Empty House

 

I wish I would have taken some more pictures of our empty house, but I did manage to take a few with my iPhone.

I am not sure why people paint a house all one color.  Our house in Wisconsin was painted all one color (ceiling colors matched walls too) before we painted it and this house in Florida also was painted all one color…white.

To me, one color becomes institutionalized.  There is no warm feeling…and we are always looking to add a cozy feeling to our homes.

So here is what our house looked like empty and all white (wait until you see what color does for the space)!

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How is that for open space, right?  This house could not have a more open floor plan…it is pretty much all open, which fits our family perfect!

Hiring an Expert

 

For the first time, I was stumped on how to paint this house. There were so many architectural elements, I had no idea how to tackle the space.

My husband suggested we hire someone to help us with the colors.  I could not or would not spend $1,000+ to pick out colors, soooo…I called a painter referred by Angie’s List, and asked them who they would recommend.

They gave me a number of someone and I phoned her and to my surprise, a color consultation only cost $300! So I phoned and hired her on the spot!

Playing Up The Architectural Elements of The House

 

Our consultant came out to my home and worked with me for over 4 hours.  We both agreed that the house offered a lot of neat architectural elements and we needed to play up that part of the house!

So after reviewing everything, we picked the colors and drew it out on paper. Here was a sketch of our workup (P1, P2 and P8 are different paint colors)!

Now do you understand why I needed help?  I had NO IDEA how to tackle this painting project, AND this was just one room!

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And The Paint Goes Up

 

So once we narrowed down our colors (which of course were warm tones), the painting begun! We had an amazing group of people help us out!

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Warm and Fuzzy Feeling,  Are You Feeling It?

 

Are you feeling the warmth yet?  It amazes me, every time, how much color can change a room!

Here are a few completed pictures.  I have yet to decorate, but at least you can see the colors, right?

So this is our family room, great room, living room and whatever else you want to call it.  This is where the P.A.R.T.Y is! Keep in mind, we have done no decorating yet and we are doing a renovation on the space upfront and making it into an entertainment wall so that the TV fits in the wall and not such an eyesore!!

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Second Hand Stores

 

I love second hand stores! See that cool console table behind the couch in the picture above?  I got that here in Florida at a second hand store (gently used).  I am crazy in ❤ with it!

The mantel will be changed out to a rustic piece of “used” wood and we will eventually change out the fire place too!  My girlfriend mentioned she has an old wood rail in her garage, might have to snag a peek at that! All in good time though, right?

My coffee table and end table are both made of reclaimed and recycled wood.  It is rustic and full of dings, just the way I like it!

Here is another angle of our family room.  You can see our kitchen back there!

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A New Loveseat from the Home Decorators Collection

 

Take a look below at this new sofa that I absolutely LOVE!  It is a loveseat (70″ long) and the loveseat, coffee table and bowl on coffee table were all purchased at Home Decorators Collection, a very reasonably priced place with quality pieces!

I bought this sofa sight unseen.  I have never done that before because I like to feel the comfort and the fabrics of the sofa and inspect the quality. But we have had such great luck with this company that we went for it and once again, we loved the product!

(Psst…I am not being paid to endorse Home Decorators Collection, I just truly enjoy their products).

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A Few of My Treasured Antiques

 

See that oak mirror by the front door?  It is my absolute favorite piece in my house!  My mom purchased it when I was a kid (in the 70’s) at an antique shop and it was all beat up and about to go into the trash.

My mom refinished it with a toothbrush and some stain and a lot of elbow grease!  She didn’t pay a lot for it at all (if I recall it was only $39), but with a little love she made it into a family treasure! Take a closer look in the picture below this, isn’t it beautiful?

Also take a look at that hutch below the mirror.  It is actually called a secretaries desk and my great grandfather built it with his own two hands!  My mom and I refinished that piece too!

Oh heck, why not…since we are talking antiques, see that rocking chair?  That was my very first antique I purchased when I was 17 years old (I just turned 42).  I think I paid $55 for it (they were asking $85 but of course you always ask them to give you a discount)!

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Pops of Color

 

When I finally do decorate this house, I can’t WAIT to bring in a bunch of wildly colorful pieces!

See that space behind the couch? That is the family computer area.  Always a great idea to have computers for kids out in the open, right?

The picture on the wall back there I purchased many years ago from an antique shop.  I love all the vibrant colors! (Let me be honest here!  I threw this picture in because of my absolutely adorable dog)! 🙂

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Retro Chairs & Mixing Up Styles

 

I never like to match one style with another.  I like to mix antiques with retro pieces and modern with old and use every shade of wood imaginable!

Take a look at these totally retro and fun chairs for my girls to eat at in the breakfast nook. And you know what…we bought the floor models (nothing wrong with them)…$95 a piece (original price), we got them for $35 (floor models)!  Now how is that for a deal?

Oh and by the way, that is our galley kitchen! It looks a little on the small side, but it is actually quite large!  Galley kitchens are so hard to photograph!

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Finding Furniture At Estate Sales

 

Rarely do I purchase pieces of furniture new (with the exception of couches).  Check out this INCREDIBLE find!

I got this all wood table (not the pressed, poorly made tables that so many places sell today) and 10 wood chairs with leather seats at an estate sale.

What did I pay?  $150 for the entire set!  Guys that is 10 chairs and a table!  One chair new would cost that.  It looks used yes, but I love that look!

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Ourdoor Space, Bedrooms & Bonus Room

 

I have yet to decorate the bedrooms and man cave/billiard room!  I will save that for another post.

I would love to finish this post with a few shots of our outdoor space.  The outdoor space is one of the major reasons we bought this home! 🙂

We probably won’t get to add furniture to this space until next year, but here it is, as is!

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We recently switched out our pool to a salt water system.  I plan on writing a post soon on why salt water pools are so much healthier than chlorinated pools!

Check out that wonderful lagoon out back!  Oh the wild life!!  We have large mouth bass, tilapia, huge turtles, bald eagles, loons and yes….alligators!!

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Thank You For Taking This Tour With Me!

 

So there you have it!  Now you know why I have been so busy, huh?  We have been living in this home for a little over a month and a half.  Yay, we are all about business when it comes to getting things done!

I am ready to settle down (and so is my budget) for a little bit and am so ready to start settling in!

Thanks for taking this tour with me.  I will do another post down the road (or whenever I get to the next project).  I know this is “stepping out of the box” from my traditional posts, but I hope you enjoyed it! 🙂

 


Halle Cottis/Whole Lifestyle Nutrition is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

« From Snowy Wisconsin to Sunny Florida ~ Our Move Across Country
10 Foods That You Should Never Eat!! »

Comments

  1. Jennifer says

    October 11, 2014 at 5:23 pm

    So beautiful! Thanks for the tour!!!

    • Halle Cottis says

      October 24, 2014 at 8:23 am

      Thanks Friend 🙂

  2. Kelly says

    October 23, 2014 at 8:59 am

    Welcome to Florida! Im a fellow midwest girl myself. (Michigan) I love living in the West Palm Beach area. Im new to your site and loving your info. Looking forward to your florida inspiration. If you are near me, private message me and I’ll fill you in on some great places to go.

    • Halle Cottis says

      October 24, 2014 at 8:21 am

      Thank you so much Kelly for the warm welcome 🙂

  3. Betty says

    October 23, 2014 at 9:17 am

    Florida will definitely keep you busy! Enjoy!

    • Halle Cottis says

      October 24, 2014 at 8:22 am

      Thanks Betty….you are so right, we haven’t stopped since we have got here and we are loving it!

  4. Kathy says

    October 24, 2014 at 5:19 pm

    We came to Florida in 1999 from Michigan. You will LOVE winter here. You have a beautiful home and I’ll bet you are on the east coast. I am on the west coast but I have a son in Palm Beach County. Love it over there. Welcome, enjoy your life here.

  5. Colleen Paton says

    October 29, 2014 at 11:26 am

    Stunning! Thanks for the pic’s. Just a little something to keep in the back of your mind..not sure if it’s close to you or not but at the start of July next year my family will be heading to Orlando, Florida (from BC, Canada) to partake in a World’s Jumprope competition. This is an amazing competition to see if your in the area…

  6. Kathy Herr says

    October 29, 2014 at 5:20 pm

    Keep an eye on your puppers around those gators! Looks like you have a Brittany Spaniel? We have an English Springer and they love to run! Nice home and décor, thanks for sharing.

  7. Michele luebke says

    November 7, 2014 at 6:37 am

    absolutley beautiful:) Wish I would have seen you before you left. Hope all is well.

    • Halle Cottis says

      November 7, 2014 at 9:56 am

      It happened so quickly. We will visit Wisconsin soon, will look you up and we can meet up! 🙂

  8. Barbara says

    March 7, 2015 at 5:19 am

    All the best Halle!!!

    • Halle Cottis says

      March 9, 2015 at 3:10 pm

      Thanks Barbara 🙂

  9. Nicole says

    December 6, 2015 at 8:57 pm

    Wonderful that you posted all of this. I am planning to move my family from Milwaukee area to Tampa. I am transferring for my job but it’s my choice. A few reasons. Obviously the weather. But also the job market and that what I do for a living is easier in the south. I have been going on vacation to florida every year since I was 5 and love it. But I do have a 10 year old that doesn’t want to go. So you are smart to do it while kids are little. We plan to have a pool and extra bedroom for our family and friends to visit. They are all here in Wisconsin. Awesome your home sold in 24 hours! Thanks again for your posts. Very helpful.

  10. Tesha says

    February 4, 2016 at 9:27 am

    Thank you for the tour, you are a wonderful decorator.

    • Halle Cottis says

      February 8, 2016 at 9:02 am

      Thanks Tesha! 🙂

  11. Melinda says

    November 9, 2018 at 3:19 pm

    So exciting!! We are from the sarasota are but have been living in Colorado and have been away from Florida since 2010. I am curious what part of Florida you decided on? How has your opinion been of schools, community life etc? We have 3 little ones and Colorado is great for so many reason but we miss family (and the beach) in Florida. So tough! Thanks again for the post!

small head shotWelcome! I'm Halle Cottis.

I'm on a mission to liberate women who are not living true to themselves to walk into life being EXACTLY who they were meant to be. I believe that women should put themselves first. When you choose yourself today, amazing things can happen.  I'm glad you're here! ❤Learn More →

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