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Making it Lovely

House Tours

• Tour our current home, an 1891 Victorian in Oak Park, IL.
House Tour: Making it Lovely's Oak Park Victorian Home
 

 
• Tour our first home, a 1910 bungalow in Oak Park, IL.
House Tour: Making it Lovely's Oak Park Bungalow

Hello! I’m Nicole Balch.

Hello! I’m Nicole Balch.

Designer with a handyman background, renovating our Victorian home in historic Oak Park, IL (just outside of Chicago). Mom of three, fan of pink, keeping busy all around.

More about Nicole…

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I was deep in bicycle research mode since Eleanor I was deep in bicycle research mode since Eleanor wanted a new, larger bike for her birthday. She got it, I rode it, and the contrast between that and my old bike was stark. I had been wanting a new bike for the past few years, but it hadn’t felt quite so urgent as it had lately. Research mode intensified. I didn’t know a ton about bicycles besides knowing what I like visually. Differences in brakes, gears, materials - I know a little. More now than I did this time last week. I wanted a Dutch-style bike with a step-through frame. Maybe a @linusbike Dutchie or @publicbikes C7? The @retrospec Beaumont is priced so much lower - was that a decent contender? Then an actual Dutch bike - this bike - popped up for sale in a Chicago biking FB group I’m a part of. It’s a Gazelle NL. I’m not sure if there’s a longer, more descriptive name for it because it’s not matching anything exactly in my searches, but that’s what it says on the side. It was bought in 2011 from @jclindbikes, and I’m the second owner. I would love to add a rear rack. Maybe swap out the basket at some point too. And can I add skirt guards to really up that ‘flowers in the basket, dress in the breeze’ fantasy? I don’t know, this bike is more sturdy and practical than dainty and cute. I just brought it home tonight and rode for about an hour. I love it.
I showed you my initial plans for the kitchen a wh I showed you my initial plans for the kitchen a while back. The exact finishes weren’t locked in at that point, but of course they have been by now and supplies have been arriving. Progress is being made! I tried my hand at a photo-realistic rendering of my model to give you an idea of the finalized design. (Not bad! Passable if you’re scrolling by real quick. 😘) #makingitlovely #thelovelyvictorian #designwithbrizodeltachicago #kitchendesign #sketchup #supodium
Freshly painted beadboard and antique plumbing fix Freshly painted beadboard and antique plumbing fixtures. ❤️ #makingitlovely #thelovelyvictorian
Piled everything over here to dust the coffee tabl Piled everything over here to dust the coffee table and I kinda like it. Traysure.
❄️ #thelovelyvictorian #makingitlovely ❄️ #thelovelyvictorian #makingitlovely
I really should find something better than a bathm I really should find something better than a bathmat to keep these two from scratching up the headboard while they birdwatch, but at least everything matches. Including the cats.
I’m hoping to have the bathroom walls all fixed I’m hoping to have the bathroom walls all fixed up by the end of the day tomorrow. There are spots like this corner that I put together so long ago and still love, and then spots like the bathroom that have been untouched until now. A slow renovation and slow decorating doesn’t make for quick paced reveals, but it makes for a home that continues to make me happy. 🖤 #thelovelyvictorian #makingitlovely
Down to two wallpaper contenders, and two tile col Down to two wallpaper contenders, and two tile colors too! This is so much fun. #thelovelyvictorian #makingitlovely
I’ve been trying to find the right green/brown f I’ve been trying to find the right green/brown for the kitchen cabinets. I’m between the two wallpapers you see here, and I may have stumbled across the color I’ve been searching for! While watching the @farrowandball Colour Trends stories, they showed Pantalon from their archives. No samples or swatches are available though - I might just need to order a quart and see? (More about this color in today’s Stories, and I’ll add them to my kitchen highlight.) #thelovelyvictorian #makingitlovely
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Nicole Balch Design

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Latest Posts

Lovely Kitchen Mod for Stardew Valley by Lulu Lovely

Stardew Valley Lovely Kitchen Mod

March 26, 2021
1st Floor Bathroom Design | Making it Lovely

Bathroom Design Plans

March 11, 2021
Stipping Wallpaper Leaves a Mess of the Walls | Making it Lovely

Stripping Wallpaper in the Bathroom

January 11, 2021
Pink and Red Dining Room in a Victorian House | Making it Lovely

My Pink Dining Room with the Red Ceiling

December 16, 2020
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My Lovely Animal Crossing Island Fall Tour

December 8, 2020
Making it Lovely
I was deep in bicycle research mode since Eleanor I was deep in bicycle research mode since Eleanor wanted a new, larger bike for her birthday. She got it, I rode it, and the contrast between that and my old bike was stark. I had been wanting a new bike for the past few years, but it hadn’t felt quite so urgent as it had lately. Research mode intensified. I didn’t know a ton about bicycles besides knowing what I like visually. Differences in brakes, gears, materials - I know a little. More now than I did this time last week. I wanted a Dutch-style bike with a step-through frame. Maybe a @linusbike Dutchie or @publicbikes C7? The @retrospec Beaumont is priced so much lower - was that a decent contender? Then an actual Dutch bike - this bike - popped up for sale in a Chicago biking FB group I’m a part of. It’s a Gazelle NL. I’m not sure if there’s a longer, more descriptive name for it because it’s not matching anything exactly in my searches, but that’s what it says on the side. It was bought in 2011 from @jclindbikes, and I’m the second owner. I would love to add a rear rack. Maybe swap out the basket at some point too. And can I add skirt guards to really up that ‘flowers in the basket, dress in the breeze’ fantasy? I don’t know, this bike is more sturdy and practical than dainty and cute. I just brought it home tonight and rode for about an hour. I love it.
I showed you my initial plans for the kitchen a wh I showed you my initial plans for the kitchen a while back. The exact finishes weren’t locked in at that point, but of course they have been by now and supplies have been arriving. Progress is being made! I tried my hand at a photo-realistic rendering of my model to give you an idea of the finalized design. (Not bad! Passable if you’re scrolling by real quick. 😘) #makingitlovely #thelovelyvictorian #designwithbrizodeltachicago #kitchendesign #sketchup #supodium
Freshly painted beadboard and antique plumbing fix Freshly painted beadboard and antique plumbing fixtures. ❤️ #makingitlovely #thelovelyvictorian
Piled everything over here to dust the coffee tabl Piled everything over here to dust the coffee table and I kinda like it. Traysure.
❄️ #thelovelyvictorian #makingitlovely ❄️ #thelovelyvictorian #makingitlovely
I really should find something better than a bathm I really should find something better than a bathmat to keep these two from scratching up the headboard while they birdwatch, but at least everything matches. Including the cats.
I’m hoping to have the bathroom walls all fixed I’m hoping to have the bathroom walls all fixed up by the end of the day tomorrow. There are spots like this corner that I put together so long ago and still love, and then spots like the bathroom that have been untouched until now. A slow renovation and slow decorating doesn’t make for quick paced reveals, but it makes for a home that continues to make me happy. 🖤 #thelovelyvictorian #makingitlovely
Down to two wallpaper contenders, and two tile col Down to two wallpaper contenders, and two tile colors too! This is so much fun. #thelovelyvictorian #makingitlovely
I’ve been trying to find the right green/brown f I’ve been trying to find the right green/brown for the kitchen cabinets. I’m between the two wallpapers you see here, and I may have stumbled across the color I’ve been searching for! While watching the @farrowandball Colour Trends stories, they showed Pantalon from their archives. No samples or swatches are available though - I might just need to order a quart and see? (More about this color in today’s Stories, and I’ll add them to my kitchen highlight.) #thelovelyvictorian #makingitlovely
Nicole Balch Design | Making it Lovely
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