Design & DIY

Hi Friends!

I’m so excited to be partnering with one of my favorite online home retailers Joss & Main for this post and to help them spread the word that they now have an in store shopping experience right in our neck of the woods in Burlington, MA!  I cant wait to visit and check out all of their beautiful home decor pieces in person.  Some important notes about the new in shopping experience is that they offer free design service.  So if you need guidance, ideas or a second opinion they are there to help you!  Also if you are purchasing furniture don’t worry about loading the car, they ship everything directly to you!

Today, I wanted to round up some of my favorite pieces and share my most recent furniture order from Joss & Main… two accent chairs for our back breakfast nook/ sunroom.   I shop Joss & Main when I’m looking for something that is unique, a little unexpected but still at a great price point; these chairs are all that and more!  Here is our back sunroom we have great natural light for a bold color.  This color is Gibraltar Cliffs by Benjamin Moore.  On the right hand side we wanted some additional seating to fill this somewhat blank area.

I saw these chairs and instantly fell in love with the bold shibori pattern.  Plus the shape of these chairs are great because they aren’t too big for that narrow area. The curve and clean modern lines look so beautiful and really add interest to the space.  

 

Below, I put together a design board featuring my current favorite Joss & Main items, specifically items that work well with these chairs but also are neutral pieces that could easily be interchanged with other items to create a beautiful serene living-room design.  I love how it feels refined yet relaxed. What’s your favorite?

Shop the design here:

Happy Decorating!
Jordan
 

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HI Friends!

I shared on my last post that we are in the process of purchasing a new home!  We’re so excited for this next chapter and for Boden to finally get his own room.  When we brought him home from the hospital he obviously slept in our bedroom in a bassinet, as he out grew the bassinet we set up his crib in the corner of our master bedroom.  With out space for him to have his own room in our current house, this set up worked…until about the last two weeks.  He started waking up a lot at night and nobody was getting any sleep.  I had a few nights on the sofa in the living room and Ben in Griffin’s bedroom.

Now that the weather is warming up, we moved him into a pack and play in our office/closet over the garage (it always stays a little cooler over there than the rest of the house).  Since we made the switch  of putting him in our office, everyone is sleeping so much better.   Now that he doesn’t hear us coming in and out of our bed room, he sleeps mostly through the night and is starting to self soothe himself back to sleep.

All this to say that having him in his own bedroom will be amazing.  Since he is napping and sleeping in the office/closet we aren’t really able to get in there for some stuff and Ben is working in the kitchen again.  It is a big game of musical rooms.  Moving to a new home in early May will give us the space we’ve been desperately needing.  Today I thought I’d share Bo’s nursery mood board.  First I started taking inventory of the items around the house we have that I’m going to merge into his nursery.  I’ve always been a lover of country music and all things country western.   So I decided it could be a fun inspiration for his new bedroom.  In a modern and cool way of course.

Here is a photo of Bo’s new room:

As you can see it is a great size bedroom for a nursery.   Bo’s room is a north facing room so it won’t get a lot of light through the day which means I’ll probably paint it a light color for now.  I’d love to do a board and batten treatment at some point but for now just painted and set up/decorated.  He has two corner windows and a slope ceiling will make furniture set up interesting.  I have some ideas for furniture layout.  I’m thinking the rocking chair will go in the corner and his crib on the right flat wall or in front of the slope wall on the left side.  He also has a small dresser changing area that I’m thinking will go on the right wall when you walk in but it isn’t in the photo.  I’m sure once we move in I’ll play around with the lay out a bit.  I do love to see the crib and rocking chair when you walk in as focal points of the room.

These are the items I already have that I wanted to incorporate together in his nursery.  As you can see it definitely gives a modern western vibe to his space.  To fill in the blanks I found some adorable wall art, another layer for beneath the faux cowhide, black out curtains.  I’ll most likely add cordless shades as well.  Anyways let me show you the decor I added to these foundational pieces to really give it a fun modern country boy feel.

Western Boy Nursery

Where to begin?!  I’m so obsessed with this modern western nursery for our sweet Bo!  I decided to do a jute rug under the cowhide for a layered look.  The windowpane black out curtains bring in that modern farmhouse feel.  The leather stool to kick up our feet when we read books together.  I’ll also add in some fun pops of color, most likely on a book shelves with toys for him to play with.  Of course his dresser with changing stuff, mirror and cute accessories will be in there too.  I just didn’t have enough space on the mood board for ALL the cute things I wanted to add.

SHOP THE POST:

Boy Nursery/Room Wall Decor:

Let me know what you think of Bo’s new room! I can’t wait to set up this adorable space and just start to settle into our new home.  Thanks for stopping by!

Jordan

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Hey!

This post has been a long time coming.  We’ve been in process of selling our current home and purchasing a new home since January.  Hence, my lack of posting for awhile.  Our little baby Bo’ is 6 months and he’s the sweetest little guy!  He’s been keeping us very busy and a bit lacking on sleep 😉  On top of caring for a new baby and selling our house, it has been crazy around here.  We are so excited to share that we are officially under agreement on a new house and the sale of our current house.  If all goes according to plan we close on our old home April 13th and we will rent back while we finish closing on our new house April 29th.  Originally we planned to rent our home back until the end of the school year.  We didn’t think we’d find a new house so quickly, but the stars aligned for us!  Our official move out date is May 6th.   Between April 29th and the 6th our plan is too do a bunch of painting, more measuring and to slowly bring some stuff over, set up all new beds for the kids, etc.

Everything just worked out so well, this really all came together so perfectly and quickly.  I still keep pinching myself.   Our new home is in one of our favorite neighborhoods and has been completely renovated so everything is updated.  We just need to furnish and add our own personal touch, which as  you all know that is my favorite.  But if you followed along on our Arched Chalet project you know we do get into renovation as well too.  I’m happy that with this new house we won’t need to be gutting any bathrooms or kitchens any time soon.

If you are wondering where we are moving to, thankfully we aren’t moving far.  Our main goal was to keep our kids close to their friends and family.  We are so so happy that we were able to find something with in close proximity to our current home.  The home we are purchasing is from the early 1900’s it has a lot of charm and much more space which we were so desperate for.  With the new baby and two growing kids it was really time to increase square footage.   The other good news is the new home has an in-law so my parents are actually selling their condo and moving in with us!   They have a home on Cape Cod they plan to use as their main house once they retire but since we are near Boston and they both still work they want a place that is close for when they travel off Cape.  We aren’t sharing the new house exterior or location just yet for privacy reasons.  We’d like to wait for everything to settle and for the listing to be removed for the sake of privacy and peace of mind.  However, today I’m sharing Autumn’s bedroom e-design with you!

I wanted to share Autumn’s new big girl, dare I say TWEEN room, today because I think we finally settled on a new bed for her.  She desperately wanted a loft bed and I just didn’t think it would work in this space.  Loft beds are cool and great for small rooms when you need to maximize space.  In the new house she is getting a great size bedroom and we can’t wait to update her to a bigger bed, larger rug and reuse some existing furniture.  We can use the wall desk we currently have and also create a hang space for when her friends come over.  My goal for this new house is to mix in things from the old house with some new items to really give us a fresh new look.

Autumn’s New Bedroom

The plan for Autumn’s room is to paint it a nice fresh white, add some curtains/blinds and rugs.  I’m hoping I can work the canopy bed in between those two windows there on the left wall and her current campaign dresser under the windows straight ahead.  I’d like to eventually update her ceiling light with a chandelier to add more personality.  We will use the wall desk we have currently have in the kids little hang room at our house now.  It’s going to be a nice mix of some new items and things she already has.

Autumn’s Tween Bedroom Design

Shop Tween Bedroom Decor:

Thanks for stopping by!

Jordan

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Cue the Boyz II Men song “It’s so hard…. to say goodbye…to yesterday…”

We recently decided, after giving it lots of thought, that it’s time to say goodbye to our home and list it for sale this spring.  The house you’ve watched us over the years (here and on Instagram) lovingly fix up, renovate, and decorate, most importantly raise our family in.  Now that we’ve welcomed our third child, we are feeling very limited on space.  The big question I’ve been getting is “Have you thought about adding on?” the short answer is, YES. The thing is we’ve been through renovation before and we know what that entails and with the supply chain issues and prices being so high on building materials we just feel like it would be a big hurdle to get through for us right now. We need the space as soon as we can get it, like yesterday – ha! We also feel like given the lot size and layout it would eat into a lot of our yard space and that just isn’t something we want to give up either.

Since it is a seller’s market and interest rates are starting to rise, we want to take advantage of the market for selling purposes. We feels like it’s the right time in many ways to move on to our next adventure.   Let’s just hope we can find a place to purchase ASAP!  Selling our home will help us be cash ready so that when something does come along we are in the best position to make the strongest offer possible. 

Today I wanted to share some of my tips for getting your home ready to list, things that we’ve been busy doing for the last few weeks.   I also asked my followers on IG what their top tips for selling are and I’ve compiled a list that I think will be very beneficial to anyone about to sell their home.   Listing your home to sell can be overwhelming.   First we contacted a trusted realtor and brokerage to help us get started.  They are working with us to determine listing price and how to approach the market given our situation in that we haven’t found a place to buy (move into) yet.  We feel like we are in very good hands and are looking forward to moving forward with listing in the next couple of weeks (if we can pack and declutter fast enough). 

Things to Do When Listing Your Home To Sell:

  • Rent a storage POD to declutter (Once POD is full we will send to their storage facility)
  • Donate, sell and dump items to clear out your home
  • Do paint touch ups or hire painter to neutralize wall colors
  • Start packing early
  • Use a notebook to label and code boxes so you know what they are in storage container once you arrive at next home
  • Focus on clearing out basement, closets, cabinets and drawers of things you don’t use daily to free up space. 
  • Hire a cleaner for a deep clean
  • Remove family photos
  • Get free boxes by looking on FB marketplace sites
  • Stage your home by cleaning, adding fresh flowers, minimal decor on every surface and let all the blinds open for lots of natural light.

More Great Follower Tips:

  • Dumpster to declutter 
  • Start packing you’re going to have to anyways
  • Get great photos
  • Depersonalize Items
  • Clean windows
  • Clear off counters
  • Hide everything dog related
  • Cosmetic Updates (plumbing and electrical repairs etc… )
  • Remove everything off walls (paint touch ups)
  • Touch up trim/ scuff marks

Next, one day we dedicated to JUNK REMOVAL, we went through our stuff to determine what we wanted to sell, donate and dump.  We had a junk removal company come and take away all the items that we couldn’t donate.  I almost took a photo of this but didn’t because it was ugly but so satisfying. Between all of this we purged a great amount of stuff we no longer needed.  For the remainder of the items we ordered a POD and the packing process began.  We started by clearing out everything else from the basement and all items from closets that would not be needed for awhile put into boxes or storage containers and moved to the pod.  

Depersonalizing a home you’ve lived in and made your own for almost a decade feels very strange at first. But think about how it will help the next owner envision their family with in the four walls. So i’m taking down all the family photos and only leaving up some art pieces that I think blend well with the home and rest of the decor. I’m going to use bubble wrap and tissue to wrap up and carefully pack all of our family photos.

My favorite product for patching all the nail holes and touching up paint is THIS:

It’s so easy to use as it has everything you need in one, the top smoothes the excess putty and the bottom cap has sand paper on the bottom which makes smoothing the walls very easy. I have all the little touch up paints cans that I’m going room to room touching them all up.

Going through all the kitchen and bathroom drawers to organize and declutter has been a big task but finding great storage solutions like THIS plastic bag organizer has made it fun and satisfying! Going through this process has forced me to eliminate a lot of stuff we don’t need or just clutter that has been building up. I did the same thing with our linen closet removing all the old blankets and towels (donating them to local animal shelters) and leaving a few towels and changes of sheets has made our linen closet look very empty and spacious.

Image from 2011 when we purchased home
Home from spring 2018 or 2019

SHOP THE POST:

I hope these tips have been helpful. We are having the listing photos taken in the next couple weeks so I’ll update this post with some of those photos once that happens. It feels like there is still a lot to get done but I know that it will happen. I’m a bit anxious to see what happens with our home and where we end up. Ideally we’d love to stay in the town we are in but are open to surrounding towns too. We just have to cross our fingers and hope that the right one will pop up soon. Thank you for taking the time to read my post today and I hope these tips help you when you are about to sell your home! Best of luck!

Love,

Jordan

PIN FOR LATER:

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BE OUR GUEST!

We are so excited to share that our rental listing for The Arched Chalet is now live!!!!  The first three guests to book reservations with us will also receive a 20% off discount.  So don’t wait to book.  Opening dates begin this summer! We still have a handful of last minute projects to complete and finish up before we can host you.  Thank you for being patient as we complete these.  I’ll be sure to share more photos and details of spaces on the first level and third floor bathroom once they are all tied up.  I can’t wait to show you these final spaces.

Continue reading for more information and the listing link below.

About Our Home

First let me tell you more about our unique property.  Our mountainside home is full of updates and beautifully decorated spaces.  My goal was to keep the unique characteristics of the chalet but give it a major refresh.  With paint, new floors and beautiful furnishings we were able to do so so much!!   We also wanted to keep that rustic charm so you’ll see some exposed beams and painted paneling. We’ve worked very hard over the past year to update and elevate this cabin. To see more pictures, check out the Arched Chalet IG.

The Arched Chalet features 3 Bedrooms (one on each level), two bathrooms plus a loft with a trundle bed. We can comfortably sleep and accommodate 6 adults and up to 4 children (please be careful with the upstairs loft and young children). At the moment no pets are allowed, with all the new carpet and flooring we are hoping to keep things as new and clean as long as possible.  We have a two night minimum.

When to Book + Things to Do

Over the past year we’ve been able to enjoy Vermont in every season.  I have my favorite (FALL) and Ben has his (WINTER).  Each season really has so much to offer.  Spring is a pretty quiet season also known as MUD SEASON.  Lots of things close down once the snow melts and everything needs a good thawing out.  This spring will be a year since we purchased the home and we are thrilled to be finishing up some final details.  I’m sure this house will never be “FINISHED” but it will be ready by our standards to host guests this summer. YAY!

If you want to experience the beautiful lush greenery and lake close by book in the summer. There is an awesome state park on Echo Lake just 10 minutes away with a beach, standup paddle board rentals, etc. Not to mention summer activities at Killington and Okemo. For the fishermen, we’re near a string of lakes to cast into (Amherst Lake, Echo Lake, Lake Rescue – and likely more).

Summer is a beautiful time to visit as we are very close to beautiful lakes and hiking trails, too. Don’t get me started on frozen Maple Cremes. YUM! We love them at Green Mountain Sugar House – just 10 – 15 minutes away.

Looking to experience stunning foliage? Visit in the fall. From our chalet, you have amazing views of the green mountains, which is incredible to see in the fall.

Love the snow? Book in the winter! We are just south of Killington aka The Beast of the East, and north of Okemo. Additionally, fun snowmobile outfits within 10 minutes from our chalet. Plus, lots of outdoor activities.

For those who prefer shopping and dining, Woodstock is a wonderful town 20 minutes away great in any season. Super quaint and charming.

For the beer lovers, Long Trail Brewery is also within 15 minutes of our chalet. This is a must, but you need to make reservations as it’s a popular joint.

Okay – enough about the area – please click the VRBO link HERE to learn more.

If you have questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We hope to hear from you, and most importantly can enjoy a stay at the Arched Chalet.

Love,

Jordan

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Hi Friends,  I can’t believe we are officially into the month of December.  TIME IS FLYING!  Maybe it’s because we have a new baby and things are extra busy or that we are headed out of town in a couple weeks and I have to get as much done before we leave for vacation.  We’ve never taken a vacation before Christmas so we are all just extra excited to do a big family trip together.  Hoping all travel will be safe and that we can enjoy some time away all together.  Truly, there is no better gift I can think of than a huge family tropical vacation.  Right?!

I wanted to share some updated photos of the Arched Chalet before we head out of town!  We were just there after Thanksgiving trying to get some more things set up.  We plan to go back after Christmas and spend time there while the kids have the week off.  We are definitely taking a little extra time off this month to just relax and enjoy all our hard work.

Final Major Projects as we end 2021:

I also want to just mention because it’s crazy what a difference a year can make.  We started actively searching for properties on the morning of January 1, 2021 as we sipped coffee we called a few realtors regarding properties in Vermont.  Ironically we were staying in New Hampshire at an adorable Air B and B.  At that point we stayed at so many Air B and B’s we finally felt it was time we invested in our own place.  I can’t believe one year later we will wake up in our own little winter getaway.  It’s amazing how the universe works when things are just meant to be timing wise (PS I also found out two weeks later I was pregnant, and some things that are meant to be are also not in the plans either!)

The last few construction items will happen this month (WE HOPE and have been told by our new carpenter).  Our first level is set to finish with ceiling repair, some wall repair and new floors.  As you can see the first level is still basically in construction mode.  This view looking through the hallway is where the washer/dryer stack and new water heater live in those screen doors on the right.  We plan to use this room as a mudroom, for all the ski/snowboard gear, winter coats etc… it will actually be so nice to dump all that stuff here before heading up to the main living areas of the home.  However it is currently full of boxes and trash!  Whoops.  I can’t wait to get all of this cleaned up and furnished.   Thankfully most of it has been painted and all the baseboard heaters have been updated and replaced!

This room above will be a family/tv room.  We ordered a tv for the left wall and a sofa for the right wall.  I’ll also layer in a cozy rug and coffee table.  I imagine lots of board games and movies will get watched in here by the rustic warm stove and my goal  is to make it very cozy!

The sofa we ordered on Black Friday:

Upstairs Bathroom:

I’m excited because we just ordered tile from Bedrosian, we went with the black Makoto tile. With the chalet I’m keeping things light and bright but with some pops of contrast and moodiness like the fireplace for example.  I wanted this primary 3rd floor bathroom to have that same dramatic contrast and pop with the really dramatic arched ceilings.  The Makoto tile has these subtle gradations of gray and I think that will add such interest vs. just a solid dark black.  Instead of doing a chevron pattern which would be a little busy, I’ll do a vertical stack.  A vertical stack will accentuate the dramatic height and bring your eye up to the beams.

Vertical Stack:

Livingroom Update:

Here are some updated views of the living room which let’s face it, is the show stopper of the chalet.  Those giant arched ceilings just give such a wow moment, add the giant windows, mountain views and you never want to leave this room, trust me.  The missing piece is the roaring fire place, which we are set to have finished just before Christmas.  We are having it converted back to a wood burning fire place.  One of Ben’s all time favorite things is making a beautiful fire in the winter.  He is a cold weather guy, through and through.  His birthday is January 14th so as a winter baby it only makes sense he would love all things about winter.   So with all the chimneys and fireplaces cleaned, repaired, etc… we want them to be working properly for guests and our friends/ family to enjoy with extreme safety and caution.  We plan to have a thorough guide on using these features.  But we feel like going to Florida and renting a house with out a pool is like going to Vermont and renting a house with out a fireplace, they just go hand and hand.  Plus add that extra specialness.

I can’t wait to show you how the fireplace once it has been transformed and the project is complete.  I’ve ordered these two really pretty fire place accessories.

Fireplace Tools

Screen

Thank you all so much for reading this post and following along on our family adventures/ home renovations!  Fixing up this Chalet has been so exciting and we love sharing it with you.   We can’t wait to eventually share it with you in person too, if you ever want to visit Vermont.  Stay tuned for more updates!

Have a happy holiday season as well,

Jordan

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Today I’m teaming up with Christmas Tree Shops to share some simple decorating ideas for your kitchen and dining space!  This year we are so excited to spend time at our new vacation home The Arched Chalet in Vermont. As always, Christmas Tree Shops is the place to go for a few new unique and affordable seasonal pieces that will bring that festive vibe to your home.  Before I show you our kitchen, let me show you some of the items I found on my most recent trip!

During my shopping trip to Christmas Tree Shops,  I immediately fell in love with all the modern gold and black decorative items!  Our ski chalet has a lot of that color combo and I knew it would fit in really well in the kitchen.  Bottle brush trees, signs and baskets make great decorative items for the kitchen!  I was sure to get some bottle brush trees for a simple dining centerpiece, as well as gold charger’s too!  This little basket with the reindeer will look so cute on an open shelf.

Little soft scatter rugs look so cute in front of a sink or oven, side door or front door interior.  I loved all the different sayings and color combinations. These brownie skillet are perfect for camping, or an easy dessert that we can whip up quickly!  The kids can even make them.

Christmas Tree Shops has an entire section of holiday baking gifts and cooking sets.  I was so excited to find a ski chalet gingerbread house kit.  I knew this would be such a fun activity to do at our chalet so I grabbed the kids each one!  I also found an amazing geometric and modern wreath that I thought would look so pretty above our stove.  We are supposed to be getting a hood installed and it was looking so bare.  I love how the geometric shape has that modern twist with the classic greenery and red berries.

Let me show you what the kitchen looked like BEFORE we renovated it.  We are still waiting on a few things like an island, stools and some finish work to our shelfs on the left side.  But it has come a really long way let me remind you.

Chalet Kitchen Before:

Chalet Kitchen After:

We updated the flooring, removed all the upper door fronts to create this open shelving and painted/trimmed out all the lowers.  New appliances made a huge difference.  I love the retro style fridge too it fits the space perfectly.  Since we are still waiting on the hood I thought I’d add a cute wreath in its place.   I added this cute rug and wreath to make it feel more cozy.

I love using baskets on shelving in a kitchen for storage, but why not choose something that ties in with the seasons or holidays? I love this brass basket with black reindeer that I grabbed from Christmas Tree Shops.  It looks so cute on the open shelves and I can see some hot cocoa fixings going in it.


The dining area is looking very refreshed as well!   Let me remind you what it looked like before…

Dining Area Before:

Dining Room After:

I love how the black runner I found at Christmas Tree Shops ties in with the chairs and the gold tree pattern on it feels a bit modern.  Christmas Tree Shops also had a placemat version of this tree pattern but since our table is narrow I thought they’d take up too much space so I opted for the runner and gold chargers instead.   The black bottle brush trees make such a simple yet pretty statement against all the white and neutral wood tones.

The kids wasted no time at all getting started on their Chalet Gingerbread houses.  I’m so excited I found these at my Christmas Tree Shops trip, they kept them busy while I finished unpacking boxes and setting up more of the chalet.  They were so proud of their gingerbread creations!  We put them on display on the mantel we could admire their beautiful work!

I hope you enjoyed seeing how we added some festive holiday touches to our chalet!  We can’t wait to spend time here this holiday season and thanks to Christmas Tree Shops for the fun finds and of course the adorable gingerbread house kits!   If you’d like to sign up for a $10 off $50 coupon sign up HERE

Happy Decorating,

Jordan

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I’m so excited to share some new BEFORE and AFTERS from the Arched Chalet!!  For those of you that have been following along on Instagram you know we purchased a ski cabin in Vermont last spring!  The home needed some major TLC and we wasted no time getting started demo-ing the place.  One of the first things we knew it needed was updated flooring and carpet.  I’ve partnered with the Carpet Workroom in the past, so I knew I wanted to use them again for this project.   Being based around Boston, the big question I had for them was “how far north will you travel?”.  When I found out they install in Vermont I was so thrilled!  They have such a huge selection of carpet and price ranges to choose from.  Plus, I love that carpet is their main focus so they are extremely knowledgeable and do very high quality work.

After Ben and I ripped up many, many layers of carpet and old rubber padding we were so excited to begin to envision what these new stairs would look like, especially since the mid-level stairs are so central to the house.  I knew I wanted to keep some of the original 70’s ski character and bring in a little fun/pattern mountain chic to the staircases.   Below are some of the samples I selected and pondered over for awhile.

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My Carpet Samples from The Carpet Workroom

rug sample

Mid Level Stairs

BEFORE:

After:

Here is how this staircase is looking now with fresh paint and that amazing carpet!  The carpet we chose is called Harcourt Impala in grey/white it is incredibly soft and plush.  I also love that it looks and feels so cozy with that touch of cabin chic!

carpet
Lower Level Stairs

The lower level of The Arched Chalet is the main entrance to the home.  This room with the stairs to the mid-level is essentially a big mudroom.  In the future lots of ski and snow gear will be removed here so I wanted a stair carpet that was more lower pile and durable.

This first level isn’t as far along as we hoped.   We are currently in the process of repairing some waterproofing issues on this level by excavating and adding french drains.  Thankfully the wall to wall stair carpet is not directly affected by this, so we felt safe having it installed.  Once we complete the waterproofing + add flooring, then I’ll update this post with some more photos of this space.

Here is the before photo in all its paneled glory from the listing of the house.  Yikes! I thought the retro plaid carpet was actually really cool and a great throwback to that era.  However it was so dingy and stained.  It had to be removed.  I knew I wanted to bring that style back again just in a more clean and contemporary way.  We selected the Kaleen Roadtown in Silver.   Once the old carpet was completely removed and the walls and banisters were painted, the Carpet Workroom came and worked their magic.  I can’t wait to finish off this mudroom with tile and new hooks, benches and ski storage!

Before:

After:

Runner

Thank you so much for stopping by and seeing our latest updates to The Arched Chalet!  The new carpet makes such a huge impact to the cabin vibe and I’m so happy with how it all turned out.  Also HUGE thanks to the Carpet Workroom for partnering with me on this post.  Be sure to check out their website and instagram page for more carpet inspiration.  They’ve been so kind to share a discount code JORDECOR10 with my followers so be sure to mention JORDECOR if you decide to work with them in the future!

Love,

Jordan

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 I’m so excited to be partnering up with Christmas Tree Shop’s today to share some of my favorite fall items from their Petal and Stone Collection as well as their new Jewel Tone Collection.   Getting a head start on adding some fall pieces to our living room will make cuddling a sweet new baby that much cozier.   For those of you that don’t know we are expecting #3 any day now which means I have a serious case of nesting.  I’m prepping our home by getting it clean, organized and maybe a little styled for fall too!  Each passing week I start to feel a little less energy.  Thankfully I was able to get a few new items to style from Christmas Tree Shops that I can’t wait to share with you.  

My favorite decor to change out for the seasons are:

  • Wreaths
  • Pillows
  • Centerpiece accents 
  • Florals/Natural elements that tie in with the season
  • Candles
  • Blankets

 

Let’s Go Shopping!

 I love taking you along as I peruse the aisles of Christmas Tree Shops’ seasonal decor to get inspired and find pieces that I think will work with my existing decor like sofa, rug, wall color, accent furniture etc.  While you shop keep in mind your existing color schemes and home style when selecting seasonal decor.  The seasonal decor you select should enhance and compliment your existing decor not fight with it.   

So when shopping for our living room at Christmas Tree Shops I was keeping in mind the pale greens/blues and touches of deeper pinks already at work in our living space.  As I shopped, I instantly fell in love with the darker burgundies, burnt oranges as well as hunter greens like in these pillows below.  For seasonal decor I don’t like to spend a lot and Christmas Tree Shops always has the best deals!

Fall Pillows

I love this rattan wreath for a transitional piece from summer to fall.  I love it for an interior door!  You can also add a few little white pumpkins as well. 

As you can see their Jewel Tone collection is full of deep rich colors like burnt orange, navy and burgundies.  I just couldn’t help including a bump picture during my shopping trip!  

 

Let’s Decorate!

Here you can see how I used some of the existing colors in our rug to pull the sage green and pink tones from their Petal and Stone collection which has a little more of a boho vibe. I grabbed some pumpkins in golds and grays to balance some of the blush and burgundies, then the pale greens soften it.  I love how the wreath and sign from the Jewel Tone collection tie in with the deep green of our front door.  

I added the burgundy “thankful” pillow to this ottoman bench area and filled a low wood container under the tv (hides an electrical outlet perfectly) with a couple bags of their velvet “filler” pumpkins in beige and hunter greens for $4.99 each is perfect to add a little fall to an existing bowl or vase.  Switching our Frame TV to fall art also helps set the seasonal vibe. 

I love these gold textural metal pumpkins they are so classy and a touch vintage/boho.  I placed one on a book next to this wood container with blush florals, also from Christmas Tree Shops.  I like that I won’t have to think about keeping these alive while I’m taking care of a newborn.  I like to add groupings of three or four when I decorate a table corner it adds interest.  The woven wall basket on the interior front door also adds a nice focal point and I may even add my own little faux white pumpkins too it as well.  For only $26.99 it looks like it was made for this room!  

I fell in love with this pink embroidered pumpkin pillow for $19.99 and my biggest regret is not getting a second one for the other corner!  I’ll have to go back. I can’t believe how well the colors all tie into the existing decor.  It is much easier on the eyes than throwing a bunch of orange into this room.  The fall touches are subtle and add coziness but don’t steal the focus or dominate the space. 

 

As you can see our front door is fall ready!  The burnt oranges of this wreath and sign combination from the Jewel Tone collection pop perfectly!  Christmas Tree Shops has an amazing selection of seasonal wreaths at great prices and I love to add/layer a cute sign on top of a wreath for an extra layer of interest!   I simply nestled the sign into the faux branches but I’ll also use some floral wire to secure it in place.  

 

So what is your guess for baby’s arrival? He is due 9/25 think we will make it that far?! Have you started decorating for fall? I sure hope this gives you some inspiration. Be sure to check out your local Christmas Tree Shops for super cute pieces to add to your home this season!

Happy Decorating!

Jordan

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We have been hard at work since the spring trying to get our mountain ski cabin in Vermont ready (aka live-able) for the fall/winter.   Renovation can be a challenge under normal circumstances but add a three hour drive from our house plus a pregnancy and you get even more restrictive circumstances.   We’ve been fortunate to find trades people to help once we finished all the demo.  Thankfully they’ve been there at a steady pace throughout the summer and we are seeing some amazing results.   When we bought this place back in the spring it needed a complete overhaul.  Since then we’ve painted the entire place, added new exterior doors, floors on the second level, tiled the bathrooms, appliances, water heater, updated all the electrical and light fixtures as well as plumbing.  We also were fortunate enough to find a handyman that is helping us fix some water and draining issues in the basement (which is really the entry/first level of the house).

Two weeks ago we took the kids up and had our first few nights as a family sleeping at The Arched Chalet!  It was surreal sleeping there.  We officially have one bedroom set up, the guest bedroom off of the kitchen and the kids slept on aero beds in the living room.  The first floor bedroom isn’t ready and the third floor bedrooms still need flooring so we all just stayed on the second floor which is mostly complete now.   For the entire summer we had to book hotels, motels, bed and breakfasts and Air B and B’s while we worked on the place.   While these little getaways were fun for awhile, especially after not really traveling much through the pandemic, the price for staying at these different places was adding up.  The silver lining is that we were able to explore a lot of different areas surrounding our cabin.  The most amazing part of sleeping and waking up at our cabin was seeing the incredible sunrises over the mountains each morning.  We knew the back of the house was east facing and of course has the beautiful mountain view, but we were never there early enough to see a sunrise.

So at 6 am I jumped out of bed, well more like rolled out of bed, (at 8 months pregnant I’m not doing any quick movements these days) and went out to the deck to see the beginning of the most amazing sunrise.   How stunning is this?

mountain sunrise

So let’s get back to upcoming projects at The Arched Chalet this month include the install of quartz counters in the kitchen from Home Depot.  Once the counters are installed our plumber will complete the new drop in sink and faucet.   Then we will put back all the cabinets we’ve been working on updating.  I’ll do an entire separate blog post on the kitchen once it is done so you can see how the kitchen makeover turned out.   Towards the end of the month the installation of our carpet by The Carpet Workroom on the third level and two staircases will also finish off a lot of spaces.  I’ll also be doing a dedicated post on how those turn out too!

For this post I wanted to show you some of the updates we’ve made through the summer in terms of floors, lighting, paint and more.   So let’s look at some of these before and afters!  

Our Mountain Cabin Paint Colors

Here is an idea of how the painting turned out with some before and afters.  We used Benjamin Moore Cloud White for the arched ceilings and Pale Oak for all the wood paneling.  I wanted something a bit off white that had a little interest and would break up the white ceilings.  I loved that Cloud White still had some warmth and depth but still also had a nice clean bright look to it.  The fireplace we decided to paint a charcoal color called Graphite by Benjamin Moore to freshen it up and add some contrast/interest.  I also used that same color to paint the banisters as you can see in the below photos.  

Cabin fireplace before
Cabin paint colors
cabin before photos
cabin fireplace refresh
cabin photo before
cabin paint color after
paint paneling
staircase paint color

This is the staircase up to the third floor and it was cavelike prior to paint and I jut love how this Cloud White and Pale Oak brightens it up so much.

We may be replacing all the baseboard and I’m eventually going to paint the doors so that is why we have a lot of this dark wood still going on. Once we get a nice fresh carpet up here (including the stairs) it will look much better. Notice the lighting is also updated as well!! I went with these glass sconces so that the light could shine and illuminate the entire space vs. just a sconce that just would shine below it.

Arched Chalet Flooring Update

We were quoted so much for vinyl flooring from local places in Vermont. Thankfully my uncle has worked in flooring his entire life and was able to get us some commercial grade Rigidcore vinyl plank flooring at cost AND get a crew up here to help us get the floors prepped and ready to install. In one day, a crew of three guys, plus my uncle and Ben finished all the floor on the second level. We saved so much money using family help whenever we could and are so grateful that my uncles was willing to help us.

We decided to do carpet vs. these planks on the third floor to make it cozier and to also make it more quiet when people are up there walking around, since it is open up in the loft area. We have more of this flooring which we plan to install on the first level too. In both the bedroom bunk-room we hope to eventually have and living room once we get it all completely waterproofed.

flooring install
LPV floor
We still need to add new trim at the baseboards which will really dress it up. I love the variation of tones in this vinyl flooring which makes it look very cabin like and cozy.
cabin before photo
arch chalet paint colors
You can see we still need to cap off the baseboards as well as the wood on the bottom where the carpet was.

What do you think of the updates so far?! Between flooring, painting and lighting we are definitely in better shape then a couple months ago. You can really start to see the transformation. The kitchen is still looking really rough but once we get the lower cabinets back on as well as the counters and appliances it’s definitely going to look really nice!

Exterior Door UPDATE

One last before and after… there are so many to share. I haven’t even really shown the bathroom or guest bedroom yet. I’ll have to do another post for those! Our handyman came by to install our new exterior door with window and the difference was incredible. He found this door for us at Home Depot and my really only requirement was that it have a full length glass panel so we could add more natural light. It made such a HUGE difference. He needs to put the trim around the new door now but you can just see how it opens up the entire dining area.

exterior door update

I’ll be sure to blog some more updates soon. Next time we go up to Vermont, hopefully in October with baby in tow we will get to do some leaf peeping and also continue setting things up to prepare for winter. Winter IS COMING! I’ve ordered a dining table, and some beds for the third floor. In the mean time we wait for baby, counters and carpet!

Have a great week friends!

Jordan

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Next week the electrician is coming to update all the electrical in the Arched Chalet.   Safety is so important and we are making sure that we have the most up to date fire detectors and electrical through out our vacation home.   Our electrician also volunteers in the local fire department, so he brings with him all his knowledge of fire safety as well.  This house had a lot of dated electrical and we can’t wait to get it all up to code.   Not only is all the electrical and baseboard heaters getting upgraded we are also swapping ALL the lights in the home.

The lighting in this house currently is SO DATED!  I’ve been ordering new light fixtures over the last two months and I wanted to show you guys (below) what we have so far.   I can’t wait to see these fixtures added to the chalet as I know the lighting plus the finished paint will make this place look 100ooooo times better!  Here is all the lighting for our mountain ski home a mix of modern and a little rustic.  

 

The Arched Chalet Lighting

Shop Arched Chalet Lighting

What do you think of these selections?  Lighting can get really expensive but there are some great deals to be found out there.  I love shopping lighting from Wayfair, Amazon, Build.com, Foundry Lighting, Overstock, Lu Lu and Georgia and Etsy!

 Jordan

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Today is so exciting!  We not only have our logos complete for our Vermont vacation home (and soon to be rental) we also have some MERCH you can purchase to get excited for your visit.  We hope to complete renovations by fall and fingers crossed have it all set up to welcome visitors early in 2022. We want to make sure it is perfect, my signature “JORDECOR” style and a magical getaway experience as well.  We honestly recommend you book your fall visit for 2022 ASAP if you want to get the leaf peeping trip planned early, places book up so fast in Vermont in September and October.   You can get your email on the booking waitlist and be first notified about reservations opening by going to our BOOK WITH US PAGE.

Thank you to my cousin Olivia @ STUDIO IG for helping us create these special one of a kind logos that bring to life the vibe of this retro 1970’s ski chalet.  The original owners sent us a patch that went along with the ski resort when it was first built and the mountain this cabin is on.  We felt so inspired by the shape of the patch as well as seeing our home in the design that we thought it would be a cool to incorporate that in the logo design.  I also took a vote on Instagram of various logo design concepts and majority fell in love with the arched patch shape.  I love that the “A” is also an arch of the home.  It’s such a unique shape and characteristic that you don’t see very often and we wanted to really make that a stand out feature in the logo.  

 

Shop Arched Chalet MERCH:

 

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Fourth of July is quickly approaching!  Typically I’d be sharing some 4th of July inspired decor but we have our new Vermont house on our brains.  With so many new spaces to design and decorate it is hard to focus on anything else!  We are looking forward to a fun weekend on Cape Cod visiting family.  But we are really looking forward to July 5th because our painters are starting work on The Arched Chalet!! We booked these painters two months ago and we’ve been patiently waiting for this to begin.  Part of the reason for the delay is the painters needed to rent scaffolding to reach the high ceilings in the main living room and loft.  Once they finish we want to get some furniture in the third floor bedrooms so we can start sleeping there, well Ben and family who might be helping out with floor installation or other projects.  Ever since we purchased the home we’ve had to rent an Air B and B, a bed and breakfast or hotel room for our stays.  While sleeping at different places has been fun and a nice treat after a year of not going anywhere it also is cutting into our budget for things for the new house.  I could purchase all the bedroom furniture in the loft for a weekend staying at a hotel or bed and breakfast in Woodstock.

Today I’m going to share two different loft bedroom inspiration boards.  I had you guys vote on Instagram stories on your favorite products.  I put them all together in two different designs.  The first design is the most popular choices and the second design is the runner up choices.   Let’s chat about the loft!  The loft is a really cool space, it has it’s own outdoor deck and it overlooks the entire living room below it.  The large open space will double as a sitting room when not in use as a bedroom.  I selected two daybed options that I think work with this style home, both also have a trundle feature for additional sleeping.  I like that both kids can sleep there when we stay and they’ll just be across the hall.   The updates happening to the loft before furniture can go in is paint on the ceilings + walls and new wall to wall carpet, plus a large light fixture that will be seen also from the first floor.

Loft Before:

Imagine the day bed on the arched wall centered with a side table and lamp on the sides.  The walls/ceiling a fresh coat of Cloud White and paneling a warm neutral called Pale Oak by Benjamin Moore.  I may be able to add a little night stand or dresser on the left paneling wall there but it also has it’s own closet which is great for hanging some clothes or as storage for games, blankets bedding etc.  This room will get a lot of light so I’ll probably have the kids wear sleep masks so they don’t wake up at 5 am in the summer.  I’ll try to figure out something for the windows around the door but since they are all arched in shape I haven’t quite determined window treatments for blocking some light.  It may need to be a custom purchase, unless I get creative.   I don’t really want to block these super cool window shapes.  So here are the two design boards, I like creating these for inspiration as a starting point for planning out the look of a room.  The first purchase will definitely be the bed and mattresses, so we can get sleeping there sooner than later.

Loft Design #1:

Shop the Design:

I love the airiness of this design which majority of you voted for as your favorite elements. A rug may or may not be necessary (we are having gray wall to wall carpet) but I like to include that in a room design board because a rug is an important part of the overall look.  I do like a layered rug combination, so we will see if a rug ends up being necessary to complete the loft.  The day bed trundle is more of a scandi vibe in the light wood which is similar to the flooring we are doing on the second level.  Some black elements offer contrast and tie in with the large scale light fixture that is going up into that very high vaulted ceiling.  I love those little vintage skis and then some poufs to add as a little tufted ottoman and just extra seating for kids.  Simple wood slice graphic art fits in with the vibe, Not sure they’d go above the bed but maybe on the side paneling wall.

Loft Design#2:

Shop the Design:

So I thought I loved the first one but now seeing this second one I like some of those elements as well.  The second has a moody traditional mixed with modern vibe.  I worry it may be too dark but I love the cozy colors!  Something about that graphic shag ottoman/pouf against the aztec design carpet looks so fun.  I added a fluted side table as a modern pop because the one I polled on Instagram was falling flat in the design.  I found these cool vintage reproduction ski level tin signs and I’m tempted to buy them because they are so cool as art in in our Vermont Ski Chalet.   I might ask the kids which style and elements they like since they’ll be using this bedroom space for a bit until we get the ground level figured out.  Eventually we want to have a big bunk bedroom for all the kids on the ground level.  For now we know they’ll want to sleep close by to us the first few trips until we get accustom to this new place.
I thought I’d also round up some of my favorite AFFORDABLE day bed/trundle combinations as there really are some great options out there!

So tell me which is your favorite?!  Are you excited to see this cool loft space come together? I sure am!

Jordan

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