The Gilmore Girls House

Gilmore Girls has been and still remains my all time favorite television show.  The show brings out a special feeling with its witty character and beautiful scenery.  I'm sure anyone who has seen the show at some point wishes that they could live in a town like Stars Hollow.

I wanted to start with Lorelai's house which is a Victorian home.  It has a ton of character and looks cozy and inviting.

The Gilmore house before the renovations. 

Notice the one window with shutters above the front door.  This changes to three smaller windows after the renovation without shutters.  This gives the house a better focal point and brings your eye up.

The Gilmore house after the renovations.

The wrap around porch is by far the best aspect of the exterior of this home.  Giving the house the teal blue color instead of the gray gives the house excellent curb appeal.  The teal siding really gives the cream trim a pop.  The front double doors with windows is another aspect of the home that gives it a ton of character.  I love the renovations that were made to the home.  It is very simple but gives the home character.

The interior of the home is very quirky.  I love the architectural details with the arched door ways and L shaped staircase.  The style is eclectic and keeps the feel of the exterior inside.

The fireplace gives a great focal point in the room.  I was unable to find any photos of the fireplace after the renovation but you can still see the details that it gives to the room.

The Kitchen keeps with the decor of the rest of the house.  The vintage stove and the yellow and green tile counter tops keeps the homes eclectic feel.

I hope you enjoyed a look at the Gilmore Girls house as much as I did. 
Check back for my post about the Dragon Fly Inn.

M*

Kitchen

       The Kitchen Before      

         When we bought our house the kitchen had yellow, orange and green flower wall paper, foe white brick flooring and cream counter tops that were damaged.  It also had a lattice boarder all around the ceiling. It was my least favorite room in the house but still had great character.

The Process

      My mom volunteered to take down the wall paper.  After removing the first layer of four and realizing the previous owners also wallpapered the ceiling she decided to hire someone to tackle the project.

       We had the wallpaper removed from ceiling and walls, installed recessed lighting, replaced the lighting above the sink, painted the ceiling white, painted the walls Sandy Shell from Lowes, repainted the white cabinets, redid the floors, added new hardware, added a new stove top and refrigerator and replaced the counter tops.  What a difference it made.  Our budget was small and with all our renovations we spent a bit less then $4,000.00. All the labor was done my husband and father-in-law.

The Kitchen After

      What a transformation we made.  I love our kitchen.  There are still a few things I would like to do but for now I am very pleased how it all turned out.

Rugs!

 

I have lived in my home for two and a half years and still have not found the rug I love and can afford. I have searched and searched online, in stores, and even trying to con my parents into taking one of the many oriental rugs they have in their home. 

I purchased this rug from Home Decorators Collection online. It is beautiful in the picture, 100% wool and matched my space perfectly.  I received the rug in the mail and it was more white then beige and not at all comfortable under my feet.  I now know that cheaper is not always better and to be prepared to return the rug if you dont absolutely love it. Here I am two years later still hating this rug and cutting all the places that the loops have pulled from my dog Cooper's nails.


A few possibilities......


Ballard Designs has this Sheridan Wool Rug retailing for $2,199.00 for an 8x10. It matches my Living Room/Dining room Simone Drapes perfectly.  Unless I want to take out a small loan for an area rug that my nine month old will surly spit up on and my dog will pee on the first minute I lay it down.  I have to keep searching.  Isn't it fantastic though!





Here are a few middle of the road possibility from Pottery Barn. They would be dark enough to hide the baby and dog issues. I will have to update you on my progress but for now these are two of my top contenders.  What do you think?

Pottery Barn - Cecil Rug in Neutral for sale at $509.00

Pottery Barn  - Dalton Shag Rug in Mushroom for sale at $676.00

“The Minnick House”

     When I tell people where I live they immediately know the house.  “Oh yes the Minnick house,” they respond.  “That’s the one,” I reply. Excited to know if they have any information for me regarding the history of the home.  I get a lot of stories, mostly of the people who lived and built the ranch style home in 1952.

    Douglas Lee Minnick and Hazel L. Ranalli Minnick were the previous owners of our home. They owned and operated Minnick’s clothing store in Martinsburg for 22 years.  Both very active in the community. Mr. Minnick was involved in the Chamber of Commerce, served as City Councilman, and a member of the Republican Party.  He was a veteran of World War II and a member of Otterbein United Methodist Church.  He passed away Monday, April 2, 1984.  Mrs. Minnick was a successful businesswoman for more than 32 years and set the bar for fashion in Martinsburg, Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Md., and surrounding areas. She was the 14th "First Lady of the Year" and honored in the community for activity in civic, church and home life. She was a past Junior Civic League president and was affiliated with various projects for betterment of the city and civic projects. Mimi as she was called passed away in February 2011. The couple had two children. 

    I have been told many stories regarding the parties, home decor and the children of “The Minnick House”.  It is fun to know what went on in the house before we called it home.   I do know that Mrs. Minnick had lush white carpets and her color pallet was a bright teal. The color can still be seen on some of the baseboards in the closets.  The home has since changed drastically, but in the basement there is still a mural of the couple at a bar scene and I sometimes wonder what there life was like living in what is now our home

Our Home

This is our 1952 Ranch style home located in West Virginia.  It has 3 bedrooms, 2 baths and a half basement.  The day I walked into this house I knew I had to have it.  Convincing my then fiance was pretty easy because there was a man room for him.  We purchased the home in March of 2010 so we got a great deal.  With a lot of hard work from family members our home is still a work in progress but it has character and is the place we call home.

Curb Appeal?

The Front of our home is a work in progress.  We have removed some of the butterfly bushes that were not maintained. We also added a new storm door and painted the front door black. Placed a planter on the front porch.

I have a list of items that need taken care of.

   - paint the shutters black to match the    front door
   - replace the light fixtures
   - landscaping
   - add window boxes
  

From the Beginning

      As a little girl I was always playing with my doll houses, redecorating my room, drawing and designing homes.  I went on to college and graduated with an associates degree in Applied Design and a Bachelors degree in Interior Design.  I was always excited to start my career in design.  Well life is not always what you expect and things just didn’t work out the way I always planned.  I worked for small interior design firms and then the economy went down hill.  For the past five years I have worked as a legal assistant in a small law firm.  I love my current position and am glad that I found a different career that I am great at.  Something though was always missing, my love of homes and design. I always get a fuzzy feeling when I see a home that has great character and curb appeal. 

    
     I wanted to put together homes with character for the average American homeowner.  On this blog you will find homes I see that have great curb appeal and character.  Also the many renovations that we have done and still need to be done to our 1952 ranch style home. Thankfully I have a wonderful husband and father-in-law that are always willing to tackle all my home projects.             

     I hope you enjoy!