Our Houston Home

I never imagined what it would be like to say goodbye to this home we love. {But then again, I never imagined we'd dream big and actually chase that dream!} We always thought this house was where we'd raise our girls, gather our grandchildren, host countless dinners, design thousands more Christmas cards, and of course, grow old together. But the good news is...we can do all of those things in our Franklin home! {I keep reminding myself of that.}

When we bought this house six years ago, we felt like we had stepped into a dream. It was everything and MORE than we could've imagined for ourselves. The kitchen, the floors, the French range, the arched windows up front, the beams in the family room, the coffered ceilings in the dining room, the studio space for my business...it was all too perfect.

To help me remember our Houston home in all its glory {and to help me sell it a few weeks ago}, I photographed every room. No photo can capture the true beauty that fills our home {God's peace}, but I hope you'll find plenty of inspiration here today!

And of course I have to include the now-famous wine box garden!

{My little garden was just featured on Remodelista!}

I'm sure I'll look back at these photos hundreds of times. {I'll be my own most frequent blog visitor!} I love every room and want to remember the patience and personality reflected in each space. It took six years to create these spaces, with many of the finishing touches added only a few months ago. 

And in case you're wondering...not one thing in my home is a high-end antique or to the trade only. {The Lacanche is the most exquisite thing we've ever owned, and that stays with the house. Sniff.} I've never had an official decorating plan. I buy what I love and then find a place for it. And it it's not a price I love, I usually wait. You'd be amazed at how things fall into place with patience. My decorating advice: take your time. It's easier on the budget and looks more authentic in the end. 

I've blogged about most of my favorite shopping spots {search my home decor and shopping posts for resources; one is the upcoming Urban Market}, but I'm not sure if I've ever shared paint colors. Here are my favorites:

Kitchen and Studio: Pratt & Lambert's Manchester

Living, Dining and Master: Benjamin Moore's Wickham Gray

Family Room and Hallways: Benjamin Moore's Manchester Tan

Ceilings: half formula of Wickham Gray

We've felt so lavishly blessed here. We still pinch ourselves when we walk through the back door into our glorious kitchen...even all these years later. We may never have a home this pristine and perfect again, and that's okay, but I'll always be grateful for the six years spent here with my family.

Time to start packing!


P.S. Our move-out date is now scheduled for June 3rd...soon! My husband needs to start making contacts for his sports chiropractic practice in Nashville. {Check out what he does HERE, and feel free to refer your Nashville-area friends. He's AMAZING!} Our Franklin home isn't available to us until June 30th, but you won't BELIEVE how God has provided for us during the in between time. I'll share more about that soon!

P.P.S. Some have asked to see the blog I designed to sell our home. Happy to share {HERE} but I'll be deleting the blog soon out of respect for the new owners. So you'll want to do your pinning and image linking here on the LLH Designs blog.