Imhoff Home :: The Entry

It's hard to believe that we have been in our home for almost a year.  This April will mark our one-year anniversary in the house, and I couldn't be more happy with how things turned out.  Through the entire design process, you are always questioning your choices and wondering how things will look once they are all put together.  Which light fixture will go where, which post will I choose for the staircase, the stains, the wall colors, not to mention the furniture you have to coordinate with.  It's a time where we had to totally consume ourselves into this house, and I think, we managed to do a pretty good job considering this was our first home build.  Sure there are things we would change, we know better about a few items, but overall, the process was great and I love the characteristics of our home.

Throughout the year, I have only shown snipbits of rooms, but I thought, now is the time to really go room-by-room and showcase what we have done.  Not everything is complete. It's always a work in process, but I'll explain those as we go.  Hubs and I are also fairly minimalist, therefore we don't have pictures on every wall, or furniture in every nook and cranny.  We like the home to feel light and airy, and not weighted down by materials everywhere you look.

So welcome to our Entry,
Which also shows our office, [more photos to come after the 4th of July], our mud room, and the view from the front door throughout the house.

 What do you love about it, and what would you change?  I am always looking for ways to improve, so I would love input!  From the front door views, it looks like we use  A LOT of wood, and it's a little heavy, however, as you move throughout the house, we use a lot of neutral colors and less wood furniture.

#imhoffhome #teamimhoff #thepamperedmom

It's FALL - a Pampered Mom Tablescape

It's FALL, the most wonderful time of the year!  Cooler, seasonal weather, Football, WARM hot cocoa, Pumpkin Everything, Apples, Apple Cider, Layers, Leaves, ohhh I could go on and on.  I absolutely love it!  Here's what our table looks like for the Fall.  Interested in the pieces?  Follow down below!

The Pampered Mom's Fall Tablescape:

Items Include:
Table: Restoration Hardware, Chairs: Ethan Allen & Ikea, Place Settings: Pottery Barn Emma, Flowers & Votives: Target, Napkins: Pier One

Piecing Together the Dining Room

I started playing around earlier this month with ideas for the dining room.  To me, it was the largest room that NEEDED a key design.  The kitchen is designed to be stress free, with minimal extra precision needed and our family room I will be using all pre-existing furniture.

 

Before we moved to Texas, I sold me beloved pottery-barn styled dining room table, and although it was a good decision, I have been stuck on ideas ever since.  I just kept putting off even thinking about the dining room and just kept thinking, "I'll know when I see it."  It once again proved to be right.  I first started looking at shades of dining tables.  Do I go really dark, medium or how about the really light colored tables that are really popular now.  What is a safe buy and what will be a "chance".  Or better yet, what will I still like in 10+ years ... do I have to be married to the look for the rest of my life?!  I know - I get very stressed out like this is the only table I will ever have.

 

 To me, dark and very light were chances, but I REALLY liked them both. My last dining room table was a "safe" color that would look good from year to year.  SO, I thought, I will just find a table online and then DIY it to look the way I want, save some money and then when I find the table of my dreams, I'll pick it up.  So the hunt began.  I found a lot of tables that I was satisfied with, however, nothing was pulling at my coat strings.  With all the other projects I need to get done before the house is complete, will this send me over the edge?  Enter ---- Restoration Hardware.  I usually go into this store to just browse and get ideas. Never to really buy unless it's on sale or very small.  Tiny budget here :)  BUT, on this very day, a table that I loved was 75% off ........ ummm WHAT?!  It actually made the table LESS than was I was going to pay, for something I was just getting by with.  Hold up - the chairs?  The chairs were priced less than the ones I found at IKEA ... holy cow, I need to jump on this table, spread out like I'm making a snow angle and hug the life out of it until Hubs can get here.  Are you picturing this?!  This is basically what I did.  The sweet, sweet man behind the table let me know it was just a show piece and that it wasn't going home with me today :)  Oops blush - newbie in isle 9 at RH!!!  Hopefully I didn't drawl too much attention.

 

Since the chairs weren't exactly what I wanted, we ended up just purchasing the table and soon, I was on another mission to find the perfect chairs.  [I had a vision!]  Enter Ethan Allen.





 

I walked inside and THERE, right by the front door was my look.  Almost exactly. Except for the black chairs, I wanted a Windsor Chair to make it a little more Farmhouse. So NOW, I have the look.

Complete with the jute rug I found at Ballard Designs. I'm telling you - I feel SO great about putting all the pieces together in my home when it's complete.  I chose a LIGHT table, which is taking a huge leap of faith for me, but seeing this all put together in EA, I know I made the right call. 



I still need to add drapes, but I believe I will be making these myself. 

What does your dining room look like?

French Farm House Tables ...

Forgive me while I dream out load for a minute.  But I can not for the life of me get these images of French Farm House tables out of my head.  Total swoon fest right now.

 

I have always loved them.  It seems like I have been pinning their images for years. And over the past few weeks I have been searching for our very own dining room table and nothing has really felt right  I'll find something and think, yea, that will work.  But that's just it.  It would work fine, but I am not in love with it by any means.  When estimating just how much I will be spending on this "just ok" piece of furniture, I found myself hesitant to purchase anything at all.

 

This morning, as I was perusing the web as usual I caught a glimpse of a table and it was in that moment I realized ... I need this.  Not really NEED, but gosh, this is me, this is the look, THIS is the table that I would host dinners and friends around.

 

Oh, and then I realized I would need to sell my vehicle and my husbands just to own one.  BOO.  Why must these beauties be so much?!  I know, I know, they are the real deal, but a girl can dream right?!

 

 



 

If anyone is looking for the perfect housewarming gift, I just know the thing :)

 

[all images via Pinterest :: French Farm Table Search]

{How to Paint Old Furniture}

Recently I decided to "repurpose" some old furniture. Just to give it a little face lift, and to save ourselves some money. The first on the list was our "kitchen table." I say it like that because it's really a desk, that just fits into the space we have left in our kitchen. It was a light wood color, that I really just didn't like. In fact, I really don't like light colored wood at all.

Here is a picture of the before table.



It's a sturdy piece, so I thought it would be great to repurpose and paint white to go with our colors. Here is how I paint old furniture. There are a few steps, but they are all really important, so I don't skip any of them ... ever! But I am not a "pro" so if you don't agree with me, that's fine. I learn as I go anyways!

Step 1 - Clean
If the piece of furniture is old or dirty, you really should clean it. Just soap and water is fine, but it's an important first step. I use the Ivory brand, because there are no harsh chemicals, and it's really easy to use. "I used to use this at the fitness club I worked out for the machines, and so that's why I use it."



Step 2 - Sand
I am lucky enough to have a husband that bought me a sander for Mother's day. So it doesn't take me long at all to sand, BUT, if you don't', you'll need to go to Lowes or wherever and pick up some sanding sponges. They do wonders, and are not very expensive. The higher the number the softer the wood ... does that make sense? I usually use 150.


Step 3 - Prime
I always use Bulls Eye 1,2,3 Primer. It just works the best and coats the most. I will do at least 3 coats of primer, letting each one dry completely. Sometimes, this means overnight. I just REALLY want it to be perfect, and I have found if you skimp here, then if your paint should chip at all ... you'll see the natural wood.



Step 4 - Paint
I love using flat latex paints. But that is because it will not leave air bubbles, it's easy to sand and I always use poly. I just think the flat paint sticks better, and looks better on the piece anyways. I usually always use Valspar from Lowes.

** When painting and priming, I use foam rollers. They will not leave brush marks or bubbles. BUT, after each time you paint/prime, you must sand. Use 220 sand sponges. This will leave the cleanest finish. You'll have to wait till the paint is completely drive, but when it is, just make sure you sand enough that all the imperfections are gone. I will usually put 3 coats of paint on each piece.

Step 5 - Poly
Polycrylic Water-Based Protective Finish is what works the best for me. I have only tried one other brand (a store brand) and it left my white piece looking yellow. SO, in order to save you ... just use this kind. I always sand in between coats of poly too, but not the last one. You'll leave that last so that it's shiny and smooth.



Like I said, I'm not a pro. These painting steps have worked the best for me and produced the best results. Let me know if you follow these steps for any of your furniture ... I would love to see pictures!

Here is my new "Kitchen Table"