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At The Picket Fence with Vanessa Hunt

Where Ideas for your Home Meet Inspiration for your Heart

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July 1, 2017

Modern Farmhouse Home Tour

Happy weekend! We’re so thrilled to have Shannon here with us today giving us a tour of her gorgeous modern farmhouse home. Grab a coffee, sit back and enjoy!

——————————-

Hello At the Picket Fence readers! My name is Shannon and I’m an interior designer, author and one half of the creative duo behind the DIY and design blog, AKA Design. I’m honored that Vanessa and Heather invited me to share my home with you today. Hello and welcome!

AKA Design hello welcome front doors

This is actually my family’s fourth house in the last ten years. I know, all that upheaval and moving sounds dreadful, and truthfully it’s not my favorite thing to do. But because we live in one of the most expensive real estate areas in the country, we’ve had to slowly work our way up to this house. It’s been an adventure fixing up houses, that’s for sure! (You can see our other three houses here.)

We’ve lived in this house for less than a year, but we’ve already made much of it our own with a lot of paint and hard work. (Before the Holidays last year, I think I lived in my paint clothes five out of seven days a week.)

Entry and Dining Room

Our entry and dining room used to be mauve and lacked any character until we painted the walls a nice neutral white, called Eider White by Sherwin Williams. (Don’t mind the gold stands under the seashells – they’re getting a coat of black paint shortly! I’m also considering sanding down that dresser/buffet to see what’s underneath the yellowy-cream color – what do you think?)

The entryway is wide open to the dining room, which houses our large Restoration Hardware dining table, some pretty decor and plenty of room to seat family and friends. (See how we protected the RH table’s delicate finish here.)

AKA Design dining to entry 2

AKA Design dining room side

AKA DESIGN dining room shelf 1

AKA Design dining room shelf 2

We also added all the trim and the coffered ceiling. (You can see the before’s here.)

AKA Design dining room to entry

AKA Design dining from entry

As I mentioned, our home is very open concept, which is one of the main reasons why we bought it. From the entry you can see all the way to the kitchen!

AKA Design entry to kitchen

Kitchen

When we bought the house the kitchen was a standard builder’s grade kitchen – from 1999. The island was tiny and the colors were slightly mauve or pink. We participated in the One Room Challenge this spring and made over the whole space.

AKA Design modern farmhouse kitchen makeover

The island was lengthened to about nine feet, integrating loads of organized storage and plenty of seating space. The countertops and lower cabinets were also extended along the back wall to incorporate a coffee bar and mini fridge as a beverage center. And we removed most of the upper cabinets (save for a few by the fridge as pantry storage) to make way for one of my favorite features – the big chunky open shelving, which we made ourselves.

AKA Design kitchen stove

AKA Design kitchen coffee bar

Every morning is a ‘pinch me’ moment because the kitchen just functions so much better than it did before and it actually looks like it belongs with the rest of our decor now too.

AKA Design farmhouse kitchen open shelves

Part of the reason for integrating the style of the kitchen with the rest of our decor is because the kitchen is wide open to the living room.

AKA Design kitchen living dining entry

Living Room

Our living room is the most used room in our house and that Ikea sectional gets a lot of loving from kids, guests, our dog and family.

AKA Design couch bookcase china cabinet

AKA Design living room couch photo wall

AKA Design couch to coffee table

AKA Design black and white grid gallery wall

AKA Design reclaimed wood coffee table grey slipcovered couch

I know a lot of people would hate the TV over the fireplace, but for us it simplifies the space – by putting the two together there is only one main focal point to the room. (The gold vent covers on the fireplace will be going black soon too. And the flooring will eventually get replaced so we’ll be rid of that weird tile jut out and all the gold trim. Can you tell I’m not much of a gold fan? #grewupintheeighties)

AKA Design tv fireplace wall

The TV/fireplace combination also allows us to maximize seating in the rest of the room. Which is necessary with our large extended family, frequent guests and hosting a small group regularly!

AKA Design living room armoire

There are of course several more rooms in our house, but with three teenagers living here, not every room is tidy at the same time!

AKA Design black and white grid gallery wall

Source Lists & Where to Find Items From Our Home

You can find source lists for our house here:

  • The Kitchen Source List
  • The Dining Room Source List
  • The Living Room source List

Or you can SHOP OUR HOUSE here.

I hope you’ve enjoyed peeking into our home. If you’d like to see more, I invite you to visit our blog, AKA Design, for more photos of our house plus hundreds of decorating ideas and DIY projects you can make for you own house!

6 Comments Filed Under: Community, Decorating, Home Tour, Parade of Homes Tagged With: decorating, farmhouse, home tour

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. pamela says

    July 1, 2017 at 3:17 AM

    Lovely , we’re did you get the brackets for your shelfves in the kitchen and what are the length and width og the boards

    Reply
  2. Shelley says

    July 1, 2017 at 4:38 AM

    I love Shannon’s beautiful home – and her blog! Thanks for taking us on the tour!

    Reply
  3. Susan says

    July 1, 2017 at 7:12 AM

    I love your new kitchen! Goal accomplished; the look is very cohesive with the rest of the space, I love the light walls. Are they white? I have northern to eastern light and am looking for white or light beige that that doesn’t turn greenish. I could even go the right neutral very light soft yellow. I don’t want to do gray because the skies are overcast much of the time. Any suggestions.

    Reply
  4. stacey says

    July 2, 2017 at 11:26 AM

    Would you have a rough sketch of the layout of your downstairs? Your decorating is wonderful!

    Reply
  5. carolyn says

    July 6, 2017 at 1:46 AM

    I love the black and white photography, and the way it matches your cushions and upholstery.

    Reply
  6. Ashlyn says

    July 17, 2017 at 7:46 PM

    I love how you put the hardwood on your kitchen island!! Your house looks so comfy cozy =) Just LOVE!

    Reply

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Yesterday on the way home from school I had the ra Yesterday on the way home from school I had the radio tuned to my daughter's favorite station and a song that was playing had a line in it that really stood out to me. It made reference to a 'season of the sticks' which I think its safe to say must mean winter. I thought that was such an accurate, albeiet kind of depressing, picture of this time of the year.

While we definitely have more than our fair share of evergreen trees here in Oregon, we also have plenty of trees and bushes that are reduced to sticks during the cold months. But, this morning as I looked out my kitchen window, greedily sipping from my mug of coffee, I marveled at the beauty of the winter sunrise. The sky was all pinks and oranges with frost on the rooftops and a little bit of fog. And, I realized that part of why it was so amazing is because I could see it more clearly through the sticks. The bare branches allowed me a view that I wouldn't be able to see if those same branches were covered in leaves. Being stripped down to almost nothing revealed something magnificent.

We have seasons of the sticks in our lives too, don't we? Times when we feel as though we've been stripped bare and left exposed. It's easy to think that this is a place where all is ugly and dark. And yet, just like the winter sunrise was more visible because of the bare branches, the vulnerability we feel in the winter season of our souls allows us to get a glimpse of beauty that we wouldn't see otherwise. In the lush, warm seasons it's so easy to become comfortable. But in the bare, cold seasons we recognize just how much we need to rely on the One who placed the stars in the heavens and is sovereign over all.

If you feel like your soul has been stripped bare and you've been left exposed and vulnerable, may I encourage you today to ask the Lord to help you to see the beauty in this 'season of the sticks'.

“Answer me quickly, O Lord! My spirit fails! Hide not your face from me, lest I be like those who go down to the pit. Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul." Psalm 143:7
I just went to make my mid-morning protein shake a I just went to make my mid-morning protein shake and grabbed a banana out of the freezer and was about to put it into my shake before I realized it was a frozen egg roll. Sooooo that's how my day is going so far! 🤪How about you?

It's honestly fairly representative of my state of mind these days as I can't seem to make the date on the calendar match the date in my spirit because it feels like it should be January 45th. Every year this month drags on and every year it seems to surprise me for some reason. In addition, my heart just feels heavy as I witness a lot of darkness and sadness around me. So, I'm choosing to control what I can control by making my house feel as cozy as possible, relishing the sunshine whenever it dares to peek through the clouds, gathering inspiration for warmer weather projects and, most importantly, resting in the comfort of the sovereignty of my Father.

“God’s voice thunders in marvelous ways; he does great things beyond our understanding. He says to the snow, ‘Fall on the earth,’ and to the rain shower, ‘Be a mighty downpour.’ So that everyone he has made may know his work..." Job 37:5-7
What if you could do something at the beginning of What if you could do something at the beginning of your day that would be a gift to yourself later on? That’s what we’re talking about on this week’s Tip Tuesday! #tiptuesday
The sun decided to make another appearance today! The sun decided to make another appearance today! It’s been such a lovely Sunday. Chocolate croissants for breakfast followed by church then naps/football/reading/etc and soon we’ll be heading out to dinner with friends. These are my favorite kind of weekends. Hope yours has been lovely too! 🌿
Yesterday was stormy and cold but today the sunshi Yesterday was stormy and cold but today the sunshine is breaking through the fog and my house just seems happier. We definitely needed to see that light streaming in through the windows and it’s a gift I don’t take for granted.

And yes, there are still twinkle lights on my mantle because those help when the sunshine goes away again. ✨
Happy weekend! The rainy and gloomy weather here i Happy weekend! The rainy and gloomy weather here in the Willamette Valley has me feeling less frustrated about my migraine forcing me to just snuggle up indoors and these flowers in my kitchen are lifting my spirits. What are you up to on this holiday weekend?
It’s time for TIP TUESDAY! This week, I’m offe It’s time for TIP TUESDAY! This week, I’m offering a gentle reminder from my own parenting experience after feeling my heart pricked with conviction about what was waiting for my daughter every day after school. I hope it will encourage you! 🌿#tiptuesday
The day after Christmas I found myself laundering The day after Christmas I found myself laundering and folding all of the linens we used the previous night as we hosted my husband's side of the family for dinner and other festivities. As I laid out each cloth napkin and folded them one by one, I couldn't help but be struck by what a simple, yet meaningful, task it was. It's such an honor and privilege to be the hostess and, at this stage of my life, I realize that this has almost one hundred percent become my role now. Our parents are in their 70's and have either downsized significantly or simply don't have the energy to take on hosting duties for a large group. I could resent this. I could feel overwhelmed by it. But, instead, I'm choosing to embrace it knowing that, someday, I too will pass the hosting torch and I hope that I will be welcomed with love and attentiveness. So, I fold the linen napkins, taking pleasure in the way all of the creases line up and how neat and tidy they look in the drawer of my dining room buffet. These seemingly simple chores are part of the lifeblood of homemaking and my attitude towards them can either be one of gratefulness or grumbly-ness (yes, I'm making up words now). 

And I’m choosing gratefulness. 

“This job has been given to me to do. Therefore, it is a gift. Therefore, it is a privilege. Therefore, it is an offering I may make to God. Therefore, it is to be done gladly, if it is done for Him. Here, not somewhere else, I may learn God’s way. In this job, not in some other, God looks for faithfulness.” (Elisabeth Elliot⁣)
Welcome to Tip Tuesday! I’m so excited to be kic Welcome to Tip Tuesday! I’m so excited to be kicking off the year with a brand new series! Each weekly installment will feature a tip for everything from your home to faith to parenting to family life and so much more. My goal for 2023 is to have far more personal interaction with this community while continuing on with the mission of weaving together all things heart and home. I hope you enjoy this first tip and I’d love to hear from you about whether or not you decorate for winter! 
#tiptuesday #organizing #winterdecorating
“He has made everything beautiful in its time. H “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” 

Here’s to beginnings. Happy new year friends! May you experience the majesty and sovereignty of the Lord in 2023 like never before! ✨
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