Sadly, the super tidy “after” living and dining room didn’t last very long!

Real life happened. Or should I say I happened.
I always have good intentions when it comes to cleaning up clutter, but often, more important things just get in the way. I’m trying to start a daily habit to tidy up clutter though. I’ll let you know how that one goes…
Here is a another angle from the other day when it was all tidy looking. Boy, that didn’t last long.

See the staircase to the basement? The basement is rented out to someone else and we don’t have any access (there is a fireproof door locked from both sides). It would be nice if we had it for storage, but I think we’ll be ok since we got rid of so many things before the move.
The hallway:

When we were staging our house before we put it on the market, we put long mirrors in hallways to make them look bright and big. It’s a fun trick that we carried over into this place.
By the way, if any of you are interested in a post on staging please let me know. We picked up several great tips from a stager that our realtor brought in. I also have lots of pictures (after staging) from the old house. If there is interest I will write a post on it, so please let me know!
Here’s peek at our old house’s entry way after staging:

The entry way was previously empty (and I mean empty!), so we added the sofa table, big mirror, faux flowers, rug, plant, and small accessories on the shelves. It made a huge difference.
Ok, back to the new place.
If you walk down the same hallway, you’ll come to a small powder room:

It needs some sprucing up…I might even paint it if it drives me crazy enough. Anyone have a good colour for a small bathroom?
At the bottom of the stairs you’ll find our cute little giraffes to greet you.

Now, we’ll go upstairs for a peek!

This is the view looking to the right from the top of the stairs:

We put another piece of art up and another mirror in this hallway.
The door to the right of the mirror is our bedroom and the door to the left is the bathroom.

The bathroom is quite modern looking and flooded with light. It’s definitely one of my favourite rooms.

This pic was from before we moved in. We have plans to put up art and pictures in there, so I will show you those when it’s finished. It also needs a bright pop of colour!
If you turn right out of the bathroom, you’ll come to the laundry:

I guess it’s more common these days for homes to have the laundry on the second floor and I must say it’s GENIUS. I’ve never had laundry on the second level and I’m loving the convenience. No more lugging baskets of dirty clothing down the stairs.
Here’s what you’ll find inside the doors…

One of the hardest things I parted with in the old house was our new front loading whirlpool washer and dryer. I cry at night for them. Ok, not really, but man do I miss them!
Eric had a vision for this laundry space.

Last weekend, he installed a shelf and he’s also putting a small one on the far left side a bit lower down.

It took us over an hour to pick the shelving, figure out the parts, and then find someone to cut the wire. Remind me again why I let him talk me into going to Home Depot on a Saturday? If it weren’t for those energy bites, a meltdown may have occurred.
We plan on putting our cleaning supplies, laundry soaps, toilet paper, paper towel, etc up there. The shelf is just low enough for me to reach on my tippy toes.

It also doubles as a clothes drying rack…which is why he put the shelf a bit higher up!

I originally wanted to purchase one of those free-standing clothing racks (the big clunky ones), but I like Eric’s idea much better. It’s a 2-in-1 laundry “room” now and takes up no extra space in the house. He’s a keeper.
Across from the laundry is a linen closet:

Something you may not know about me (but may not surprise you): I simply have no patience for folding. Don’t even get me started on those fitted elastic bed sheets! I know how to fold properly, I just don’t like spending time on folding and could care less what my linen closet looks like. That’s also why I hang up 95% of my clothing.
Immediately next to the laundry and linen closet is the 2nd bedroom, which we’ve turned into a shared office. Well, we will be turning into a shared office.
Right now, it’s a scary, scary place.

Oh and you know how I said I loved the central vac? Well, after using it for 2 weeks, I now have mixed feelings about lugging around the hose and having it take up all the closet space. I think someone needs to invent a retractable hose for a central vac…one that retracts right into the wall. Do they make those? That would be pretty fun, but only if the hose came out of the wall easily and it was on each level. Probably not the most practical idea.

Our desks are due to arrive in another week or so. Right now, we’re trying to do our personal and business taxes among this mess and it’s not working out so well, especially because we put one of our files in storage by mistake.

Our bedroom is also not finished, so those pics will have to wait for another time too.
By the way, I forgot to mention in my Kitchen before and after post that I’m challenging myself to stop using a microwave. Our microwave in the last house is staying with the new owners, so I took this opportunity not to buy a new one. It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a long time now, so I figure now is the time. I’ve missed it a few times already (mainly for reheating leftovers and melting chocolate), but it is nice having the extra counter space too. I’m sure I will get used to it after a while!
Place looks great! Would love a post on staging.
Also just wanted to say I would recommend checking that the dryer venting is connected to an exterior vent and not just blowing the air/moisture into the attic (fire hazard, mould etc).
The house looks great. I am wondering where you got the sofa table in your entry way. It looks like the perfect size for mine.
Thank you, it’s from Ikea (called a sofa table on their site)
We have that amazing IKEA picture in our living room – LOVE those colors! Everything looks like it is turning out beautifully…
:) Congrats on your fun, new space!
I would love to read a post on staging. I just moved into apartment and need some tips. I think Eric had a great idea on the laundry room. I think I will have to do that!
Love all the pics and info on how your new home is coming together and would love to read a post about staging!
Hi Angela! I’ve been reading for a few years now and wanted to come out of hiding to say a few things. One, my fellow blogger, Cristyn, and I love your blog (we tried your lemon dill tofu recently—delicious), two, you inspired us to start our own (part vegan!), and three, you’ve ALSO inspired me to leave a career that has been making me unhappy (I can’t tell you how big of a deal that is). Your energy is fantastic! Also—congratulations on the move!
Thank you Lillian, that is awesome to hear!! Congrats to you and Cristyn for the changes you’ve both made. Going to check out your blog now!
Hi
I moved our microwave into a pantry to have more counter top space. And I haven’t looked back. It takes awhile to get use to heating items up on the stove, but now I can’t see why a microwave is consider so important. Food cooks/reheats more evenly on the stove and stays warmer longer.
House is looking great. I love decorating ideas, so would be inerested in the staging photos.
thanks
No microwave is really not hard ….chocolate melts so much better in a bowl over boiling/steaming water….HOWEVER I did have to cave and buy the cheapest micro so I could heat up my lavender neck warmer….how else do you do that???
love your blog and your posts/pictures…trying my first few recipes this weekend! Whole Foods (mason jar) salad tonight! Very excited! Thank you!
This is a great documentary about the Food Industry called Hungry for Change. Apparently the free preview comes down tonight at midnight. http://vimeo.com/36441130
Man, I love your bathroom. Just looking at that beautiful tub makes me want to draw a bath and read a good book. I’m all for the post about staging, maybe you’ll even draw in some unsuspecting home decor Googlers to your delicious vegan recipes! ;)
angela, forget the shower…THAT BATHTUB is like whoa! (did you just use your best joey lawrence ‘whoa’ voice?!?!) we have a washer/dryer closet at our house with a rack over the washer/dryer. it never occurred to me to use the rack to hang stuff on to dry. however there isn’t even enough room to hang anything and i store some stuff on top of our w/d in baskets anyway. here’s another creative idea. when i hang dry my delicate items or my husband’s dress shirts, we hang them in our doorways to other rooms. put the c loop of the hanger over the wood trim around your doorway and voila. heat rises after all so the clothes end up drying quicker. you can also buy those cheap wood foldable drying racks at wal-mart for 10-12 bucks. we use one of those and store it after clothes are dry.
This is awesome! Love your place!!
Looks so great Angie! Oh I totally understand about how life happens & the nice, clean space you have is suddenly cluttered. I’m trying to find “homes” for everything, but it can be quite challenging at times…especially when I just want to kick back & relax. Anyways, have a great weekend! Your place is looking awesome!
I gave away our microwave about a year ago and have never looked back. I use a little extra water for re-heating and tend to cook pasta/grains al-dente to avoid overcooking. I use my bamboo steamer, kettle and pressure cooker more now and in summer I’ve taken to just eating leftovers cold. If I’m out/at uni and there’s a sandwich press I’ve been known to use them too…
Your house is looking great. Keep going, you’re almost there! xxx
I LOVE that giraffe print, so cute! I also love that your laundry is upstairs, I dream of that one day hehe.
Hey Ange,
I love how much light your new place has! If we ever move back to Ontario our plan is to look in the Burlington/Oakville area as its close to family but not too far from Toronto for work. I’d love to read a post on what you learned about staging. We currently live in a very small apartment (kitchen, living area and bedroom with bathroom attached) and I’d love to know how to make it appear bigger.
Can’t wait to see the rest of your place!
I just love seeing how your home is developing!
We live with no microwave and it’s usually just fine. I think that things taste better when heated up on the stove (although, this is probably just in my mind). I think the only time I really miss it is when I want to heat up coffee without getting out a pot. It does take some getting used to, but I’m sure that you’ll be all over it in no time!
your new home is beautiful!!
thank you lauren :)
I also recently moved and decided to not buy a new microwave at the new place. I LOVE it! I steam a lot of our leftovers, it works pretty well. I have a pan that has a strainer that fits right on top and I just boil the water and then put the food in the strainer and let it steam until reheated. I also find that I throw out less food since we have less leftovers. I now focus on smaller meals made fresh instead of larger meals that I reheat for days afterwards.
Love that idea…will look for one!
Very smart to give up using a microwave. My husband and I haven’t had one since 2002 and we gave it away when we moved that summer as we couldn’t even remember when we had last used it. We have a cheap toaster oven and love it. It can do things that a microwave can’t do! Anyway, good for you and as always, I love reading your blog. It is something I do everynight before going to bed!