My ‘No Makeup Home Tour’

I straighten the house before taking photos. Clear surfaces, vacuum the rug, and gather the toys out of sight. I’ll run to Trader Joe’s for flowers, or to the florist if I really want something special.

On a daily basis though? Let’s just say there are not always floral arrangements. Welcome to my ‘No Makeup Home Tour.’

This tour has no fresh flowers, no pre-photo tidying, and no tight vignettes. It’s my home with no makeup on, and I’m taking you on a tour of the first floor. This is the part of our house that if you were to visit, I would show you around and say “sorry, it doesn’t always look like this!” (Except that it has totally looked like this for the past two months.)

Welcome to our home! Mind the boxes.

Can I go with the excuse that we are renovating? The problem is though that we are almost always mid-project. Sometimes it’s the fun stuff, and I’m just decorating. Just as often, it’s the not-so-fun stuff, like rewiring or fixing a plumbing problem. Old houses are good for that. They keep you on your toes.

In this case, I’m working on both the laundry room and a bathroom. Some of the bigger things (cabinets, a pallet of tile) have been hanging out in the garage, but the rest? Oh, it’s all been in the entryway for far too long.

There’s a toilet and sink in some of those boxes. Light fixtures, a tile saw, and a few faucets, too. I’m excited about the upcoming projects, but also looking forward to reclaiming our entryway. The crate, at least, is not usually there.

I ordered a new coffee table, and it arrived right as I was about to take my photos for this post. So not only were there boxes, there was also that big ol’ crate. I took it apart enough to get the table out and then set it in place. So pretty! Up it went on Instagram after a quick styling.

It’s a photo I snapped and edited with my phone, so it’s not the best, but see the magic of a cropped photo and some handy fake peonies? Five minutes before, it looked like this. Zooming out reveals the old coffee table lurking on the lefthand side.

I’ll need to list that other table for sale and get it out of here. Same with the velvet Eastlake bench. It has been useful as extra seating — I do want a chair in that spot — but I know that I don’t want that particular piece.

View from the kitchen! Cool 100-year-old stove. Messy fridge covered in random kid stuff and things that amuse us.

Over in the dining room, I did finally take the plastic tablecloth off the table a few days ago. It was pink, with llamas, and it said “PARTY ANIMAL” all over it. I apologize for not leaving it a little longer so that you too could enjoy it’s sophisticated beauty! I did however make sure to leave the gifts on the buffet that we still haven’t put away. There are also four silverware boxes sitting out because: organization. (I might not be doing that right?)

Let’s end with a look back at the library. Not bad! That box is a fort and rocket ship, and therefore a semi-permanent fixture that will stay until it falls apart or we trip on it too many times. The kids have been drawing all over it while I hold my breath in hopes that they will not get marker all over the light rug. So far so good.

Those walls are so bare though. Right? It’s on the list. I’ve ordered some naughty Tarot cards that I’d like to frame as art. They might do nicely if I don’t use them to create a grid wall in the living room instead. *Throws hands up like a shrug emoji*

It’s a work in progress. Always.

Want to see some more ‘no makeup’ home tours? Of course you do!

Kyla from House of Hipsters came up with the brilliant idea for these tours, and in addition to inviting me to participate, she has assembled a pretty rad cast of bloggers to do the same. Each tour is linked below!

• Anita Yokota • Anne Sage • Bigger Than the Three of Us • brittanyMakes • Centered by Design • copycatchic • Erica Reitman • Francois et Moi • House of Brinson • House of Hipsters • The Makerista • Making it Lovely • Megan Pflug Designs • Oleander + Palm • Room for Tuesday • Yellow Brick Home