I’m not going to lie, it feels very strange to be posting a home tour this week. I know many of us are spending lots of quality time at home, though, and those that aren’t at home are likely too busy to do much more than eat, work, and sleep right now (as is true with my husband).
Thank you as always to Marty at A Stroll Thru Life for hosting this tour as it’s no small task, and if you’re visiting from Cassie Bustamante, welcome. I love the way she’s collected her home; it’s lovely and comfortable all at the same time.
If you’re new here, welcome to 11 Magnolia Lane. I’m one half of a blogging partnership with my former college roommate (you can read more about us here) and also part of an active duty military family. We have lived in Magnolia Cottage, our current home, since last July, so 8-1/2 months, and have orders to move again this summer to Germany, although of course that might be delayed now.
We have a full house presently with our college sophomore and high school junior home indefinitely. I’ve also been sick for almost a week (but it’s just a cold, so there’s no need to wipe down your computer screen with Clorox wipes!), but believe me when I tell you that my house is not looking its best right now.
Thank goodness I took some photos before I got sick, but not as many as I should have, so I apologize that this isn’t a full house tour.
Our house is a rental because we weren’t sure if we were going to be here for one year or two (turns out it’s one–surprise!). We’ve accomplished a lot in eight short months; you can visit {here} to see how it all looked last year.
The front door opens into our living room and I don’t change too much during the seasons.
I added a few hyacinths to the Chinese foot bath and changed out the throw pillow on one of the striped chairs. Oh, and I changed the artwork on the TV. I managed to do that with the remote control while resting on the couch, so that was a win!
I moved the pillows and chairs around in this room a lot (even while taking photos), so while this is the usual layout…
…sometimes one of the striped chairs goes in front of the dresser…
And sometimes I pull in our blue velvet chair.
You can see more of this space here, or for more details on how I pleated our IKEA curtains to make them look more high-end, check out this post.
Our den/breakfast room also holds our upright piano and most recently, a small desk for my husband (I work at the kitchen table most of the time).
{See more of the breakfast room/den here}
The door to the right opens to our downstairs bathroom/powder room and I’ve done *a lot* of work in there.
I don’t think I mentioned it above, but this house is over a hundred years old (the bathroom is obviously a dead giveaway). We think it’s charming and are willing to sacrifice a bit on closet space and bathrooms for the perfect downtown location.
{It’s definitely worth a visit to see the “before” photos here.}
The laundry room looks springy year-round, in my opinion, with its pretty blue and white color combination.
OK, now I want to be real for a minute. I’m not kidding that my house is a mess right now. Here’s a photo of my kitchen that I took last week right before I got sick:
And this is how it looks tonight:
Honestly, it’s not that big of a deal. Real life gets messy and we are definitely living in interesting times. But just know that if you are knee deep in laundry and dirty dishes, overseeing schoolwork and foraging for supplies, then you are not alone! And with any luck, the next time I share a home tour, it will be from our new home in Germany.
Next, please head over to visit Doreen at Hymns & Verses and her beautiful Pennsylvania home, and for more tidy houses and spring inspiration, check out the rest of the tour lineup:
A Stroll Thru Life – Remodelando La Casa – Cuckoo4Design – Far Above Rubies – Southern Hospitality – Duke Manor Farm
Tuesday LineupHouse By Hoff – Pink Peppermint Design – ZDesign At Home – Taryn Whiteaker – Inspiration For Moms – Decor To Adore
Wednesday LineupCassie Bustamante – 11 Magnolia Lane – Hymns &amp Verses – Modern Glam – Thrifty & Chic – Grace In My Space
Thursday LineupOur Southern Home – My 100 Year Old Home – Sanctuary Home Decor – Seeking Lavender Lane – Southern State Of Mind – StoneGable –
Friday LineupThistlewood Farms – White Arrows Home – The Woodgrain Cottage – Life On Cedar Lane – Follow The Yellow Brick Home – Making Home Base