A little history.

We purchased our home in 2001, a few months before 9/11 and when homes were selling for full price or above. After several failed attempts at buying a newer, move-in-ready home, we settled for our fixer-upper home (built in 1984) with the huge yard (by Dallas suburb standards) and pool. I remember some buyers remorse after signing the contract. I couldn’t even grasp how we would fix up all that was needed with small children running around, not to mention that my foot issues were pretty debilitating at the time. But we had grown out of our starter home, and needed more room for our family to grow into.

I remember touring this house and thinking, “the paneling is coming DOWN first thing”, and that carpet around the toilets is so not gonna happen.” Well, the paneling stayed for 17 years! My guys liked it, and while it definitely doesn’t photograph well, it did make our home feel cozy. But the main reason is because we had so many other projects to tackle first. We’ve redone all the bathrooms, and are contemplating making a second run at two of them. The kitchen was actually made over about a year after moving in. Our very generous neighbor at the time, with Mike’s help, removed part of a wall, replaced appliances and countertops/backsplash, painted the cabinets, and more. We’ve also done a huge deck replacement and pool resurfacing. SO many projects!

Like many of you, I’m a huge HGTV fan. There is something so cool about knocking down walls, raising ceilings, and installing those huge beams throughout. Don’t you just love it?

Construction begins.

Well, after a few years of talking to Mike about the wall I wanted to remove in our kitchen, the kitchen booth I was imagining so clearly, and how we could take down the paneling in the family room and install beams – he succumbed. Timing was perfect. We had an empty nest, and my blog was becoming my calling. Last year, in the fall of 2018, construction began. Mike and I sold furniture, donated what we couldn’t sell, and then boxed up the rest. We moved into our “man cave”, a 12×12 bedroom that became our office and living room. The small attached bathroom became my kitchen. If you watched my insta stories at the time, I shared how the Instant Pot was my mainstay, and the toilet became off limits. haha. I actually love our memories of our time in the man cave (9 weeks to be exact), and “cooking” in the bathroom. But the dust and the noise? I don’t love that memory so much.

We hired Andra Schwenck, SDG Interiors, to design our new space, and Jason Bimmerle, as our full-service contractor. Both did an excellent job, and we were so happy with their top-notch service, professionalism, and workmanship. Above all, we absolutely LOVE our new space!

After Pictures:

Let’s open some cabinets and drawers, and really let you in!

Before Pictures:

A little history.

We purchased our home in 2001, a few months before 9/11 and when homes were selling for full price or above. After several failed attempts at buying a newer, move-in-ready home, we settled for our fixer-upper home (built in 1984) with the huge yard (by Dallas suburb standards) and pool. I remember some buyers remorse after signing the contract. I couldn’t even grasp how we would fix up all that was needed with small children running around, not to mention that my foot issues were pretty debilitating at the time. But we had grown out of our starter home, and needed more room for our family to grow into.

I remember touring this house and thinking, “the paneling is coming DOWN first thing”, and that carpet around the toilets is so not gonna happen.” Well, the paneling stayed for 17 years! My guys liked it, and while it definitely doesn’t photograph well, it did make our home feel cozy. But the main reason is because we had so many other projects to tackle first. We’ve redone all the bathrooms, and are contemplating making a second run at two of them. The kitchen was actually made over about a year after moving in. Our very generous neighbor at the time, with Mike’s help, removed part of a wall, replaced appliances and countertops/backsplash, painted the cabinets, and more. We’ve also done a huge deck replacement and pool resurfacing. SO many projects!

Like many of you, I’m a huge HGTV fan. There is something so cool about knocking down walls, raising ceilings, and installing those huge beams throughout. Don’t you just love it?

Construction begins.

Well, after a few years of talking to Mike about the wall I wanted to remove in our kitchen, the kitchen booth I was imagining so clearly, and how we could take down the paneling in the family room and install beams – he succumbed. Timing was perfect. We had an empty nest, and my blog was becoming my calling. Last year, in the fall of 2018, construction began. Mike and I sold furniture, donated what we couldn’t sell, and then boxed up the rest. We moved into our “man cave”, a 12×12 bedroom that became our office and living room. The small attached bathroom became my kitchen. If you watched my insta stories at the time, I shared how the Instant Pot was my mainstay, and the toilet became off limits. haha. I actually love our memories of our time in the man cave (9 weeks to be exact), and “cooking” in the bathroom. But the dust and the noise? I don’t love that memory so much.

We hired Andra Schwenck, SDG Interiors, to design our new space, and Jason Bimmerle, as our full-service contractor. Both did an excellent job, and we were so happy with their top-notch service, professionalism, and workmanship. Above all, we absolutely LOVE our new space!

After Pictures:

Before pictures:

Some of you know that we recently completed a large kitchen and family room remodel. Our home was originally built in 1984, and we’ve been slowly updating it, and did a “mini-kitchen-update” back in 2002. After living here for 16 years, the kitchen needed new cabinets and we wanted a more open layout. Those pictures will be coming to the blog in January.

Mike and I have always talked about wanting a booth in our kitchen, and our designer and contractor made that happen. However, our kitchen table wasn’t going to work with the booth, and let’s be real. New kitchen…new furniture needed! So we began the hunt for the ideal table for our space, running all over looking, until we found Rustic + Modern Handcrafted Furniture.

R+M impressed us in so many ways.

• Completely customizable. Since this table will be part of our booth, we needed to have the right legs, so that we could put OUR LEGS around the table without bumping into it. That’s why we went with the Farmhouse Trestle Table. The table top was completely personal, and we wanted a rustic top. Our table top has farmhouse-style grooves that are hand scraped distressed.
• High quality. R+M uses 100% solid wood species with all of their one-of-a-kind character and beauty.
• Professional service. The owners have a design center for a private consultations, as well as an easy-to-use website where all orders can be personalized and processed. If you have questions, please see their FAQs or send them a message.
• Family-owned. Ken and Emily Williams started out in a garage workshop but soon set up their own shop, based on humble roots, sound principles, and excellent workmanship. They have a small team of talented artisans and are continuing to grow, earning the Houzz Customer Service Award for multiple years.
• Local. Located in North Texas, R+M serves both residential and commercial customers in the DFW area. They offer white-glove delivery service to the Dallas/Fort Worth area and are working on a plan to ship anywhere in the U.S.

To purchase your own table, you simply head to SHOP and choose:

1. style
2. wood species
3. table length
4. table width
5. table height
6. thickness
7. stain color
8. farmhouse style grooves – yes or no
9. hand scraped distressed – yes or no, tabletop or the entire table
10. corners/edges

Speaking of customer service, Emily sent me these three pictures (see below) during the construction process. I was pretty excited to see the tabletop one day, the legs the next, and the finished product soon after.

In addition to custom tables, R+M makes barn doors, coffee tables, and other custom furniture. Take a look at their online showroom!

If you decide to go with Rustic + Modern, please tell them SueBee Homemaker sent you!

There are so many table styles to choose from, but we needed legs that were easy to scoot around to get to the bench. Our space is also slightly shorter now after the remodel, so we needed a 72-inch table. The table is PERFECT, and we couldn’t be happier!

Y’all know how much I love food, and the table is representative of this love. It’s a place to gather our family and friends and celebrate the love we have for one another. Dinnertime has always been special to us, and that’s where our family has shared so much, including tears of happiness and tears of sadness. It ALL happens at the table, starting with a prayer of blessing, and continuing with anything under the sun.