When Kevin and I started looking at houses to combine our families, our goals were pretty simple – affordable, ideally something big enough for 6 people, and hopefully in the same area we were currently in so Kalman could continue at the same elementary school.
We knew we weren’t going to be moving until July of this year, but I’m pretty sure we started “researching” last fall. We decided to look for a rental as we continued to blend families and see where we ideally wanted to set some roots.
We fell in love with a house that was on the market for months. It had a small pond and a lot of space to make up all sorts of fun spaces to hang out in. We even showed the kids and dreamed of the possibilities it could be. But also, we knew that it was unlikely to stay on the market for as long as we were wanting to wait. And that ended up being true.
Come winter, we found the place we’re currently in. We were still months away from really being able to secure anything, but based upon our research we knew that single family homes with enough space for 6 was a rare find on the market and even more rare in the same area where Kalman could continue at the same school. The Hamp House, as I like to call it, met all of our top priorities. The two drawbacks were that it had an unfinished basement and a bright lime green colored sunroom. BUT both Kevin and I knew we could make them something epic.
When we agreed to rent the home, the owners were generous enough to permit us to paint the sunroom. I thought green was a nice addition to the other neutral warm colored walls throughout the first floor. However, I decided to tone it down to a very light creamy green, Pistachio Ice Cream by Benjamin Moore. Although a rental, I wanted to use paint that I knew would last and work to minimize wall scrapes and smudges over time.
Queue mood board madness as I came up with an idea of making the sunroom a cozy space for games, homework, and crafting.
I decided to add some renter friendly temporary wallpaper to try and balance out the home. I perused Tempaper’s temporary wallpaper choices, since falling in love with their products in updating my prior home. Although I was leaning more towards the tropical leaves, the fans were cheaper and ultimately made the room more cohesive to the rest of the house.
The Hamp House is dated and comes with several ornate chandeliers, pillars, and two-story living room ceilings (which Kevin and I have coined the hotel lobby). If done wrong, I felt that the house would end up feeling stuffy and uncomfortable. I intentionally pulled in more modern flairs throughout, in order to try to make the house feel warm and inviting and comfortable, including the wallpaper and updating the neutral shades on the chandelier in the sunroom.
We also added a couple of sideboards to store all of the family games and crafts. When adding some special touches to the room, I was inspired by Nesting With Grace and added a sugar mold candle holder to store our colored pencils. I also added my Fiddle Leaf Fig Tree, Marigold, who has thrived and added some more leaves since being in her new home!
In lieu of a corkboard, we also added a pop of color with cork alternative wall tiles to add our favorite photos, mementos, and school accolades where everyone can enjoy them.
This space has truly become what we dreamed that it would be. Oftentimes, games are hurriedly shuffled off the table in order to eat a snack or do homework, before another round of Nertz or Moose Match Mayhem is played.
Being intentional in the design and trying to figure out how it would be inviting to hang out in while also being practical to the wants and needs of a larger family really helped make this dreamed up space into a reality.
I love how it turned out and I’m excited to do more as we continue to settle into our new home.
Sources//
- Feather Palm Peel and Stick Wallpaper By Novogratz
- Hojas Cubanas Peel and Stick Wallpaper By Genevieve Gorder
- Large Cork Board Alternative – 47″x35″ 12 Pack Felt Wall Tiles
- Sugarmold Wooden Candleholder
- Chandelier Shades, Crystal Chandelier Mini Lamp Shade, Black
- Angelith 38” Sideboard, Lark Manor, Navy/Natural
- Dasir 55.1″ Sideboard with 2 Drawers & 2 Cabinet, Charlton Home, Black/Gold
- Benjamin Moore, Pistachio Ice Cream
A Shaker & A Mover 