a view from the new house
Yes it’s true, we’re moving! #farmhousedialfano is getting a sequel. And thank goodness it’s another farmhouse otherwise WHAT WOULD I DO?! Ditch the hashtag? Use it anyways? Neither was a good option.
We’d been talking about moving for awhile and with Max starting Kindergarten in the Fall, it ideally needed to happen before then, especially if we were moving towns…which we are! Back in March we had our realtors come to the house to just tell us what we might need to do to get it ready to sell, whether a month from then or 6 months. Fun fact: one of the women is married to one of my brother’s closest friends from growing up and the other is the previous owner of our current home!! It’s all very full circle. Anyways, besides touching up some paint and plaster? Nothing else needed to be done and they said that if we were going to sell, we should get our act together and do it soon because Spring is always a busy time and we’re in the midst of a sellers market. So we said F it, we’ll put it on the market at the end of April which gives a month to declutter and start looking for a new house. And then…a week later we found our new house. Which of course wasn’t the plan considering our house was definitely not listed and the idea of 2 mortgages isn’t the most appealing (or realistic). But it’s in the town that was our #1 choice, and it’s quite small with fewer listings and we knew we had to make a move. We made an offer, received a counter, and met it. We then pushed our house up 2 weeks! Our current town is a hot one and the house sold within a few days. PHEW.
In all honesty, it was not a great few weeks. It was physically and emotionally trying. Decluttering everyday life with a 4 year old and a business at home (oh AND Bill is still working from home) was um, not fun. That final week of clearing out, taking photos, and showings was brutal and I hardly slept. Of course now I’m grateful because the packing process is already 1/4 of the way done!
We move in just a few short weeks (though it feels so far away still) and while I’ve shared some sneaks on my New House Instastories highlight, it feels like the right time to officially intro #farmhousedialfano the sequel! The house is only 3 miles away from where we are now but feels a world away. The town is so charming with lots of land but not a lot of residents and makes you think you’re in the country but you’re not! The current owner has been there for 5 years and oh the upgrades she made! We have 2 pages of them, cosmetic and functional alike, and feel super fortunate to be able to mostly focus on the fun stuff.
Some highlights…
/ It was built in 1898.
/ We’re gaining about 300 more square feet plus basement storage which is a nice upgrade without it feeling too overwhelming.
/ There is a large open space kitchen/living/dining room which is a bit unusual for an older home. And we also get 2 more living spaces in the form of a den and what we’ll use as a playroom/library!
/ There’s a completely fenced-in, beautifully-landscaped back yard with 2 access points from the house.
/ It has a koi pond with a little waterfall! Anyone know the best fish to use? I heard goldfish??
/ It’s flooded with natural light.
/ There’s original pine flooring that is mismatched and quite lovely (if not a little too warm for my taste but that’s ok).
/ We have A BARN. Half will be for yard stuff and the other half will be for mStarr. While it does have electricity, it’s more of a 3 season space so as of now it’ll be mostly for storage but I’m excited thinking about the possibilities of it as a true (little) studio space!
There’s a lot to share so I’m going to stick to photo highlights for now…
A charming window with seat (I plan to add a radiator cover underneath)
Skylights. That is al
Cute little ledge over the staircase.
Love this simple moment in the entry.
Built-in cutting boards that I find kinda charming (and useful).
Potential.
Claw foot tub…when is my first bath?!
The view out of one of the windows in Max’s room.
That built-in!!
The ceiling in here is getting a fabulous treatment.
The little koi pond.
A peek into the backyard. Bruno and Max are going to have a field day!
Our primary entrance and exit which takes us into the den. It’s a small and cozy space that’ll also serve as a mudroom of sorts given the closet.
A french door between the entry and kitchen/living/dining. Considering adding a cremone bolt!
A unique half bath (it’s quite narrow but long and has a closet) with a beautiful decorative window.
One of two sliders to the backyard, this one through what will be the playroom/library (and home to our Peloton).
A little peek at the outside of the barn!
And a little peek inside the barn!
A wide angle view of the kitchen/living/dining (photo from National Floor Plans & Photography)
So there you have it! Can you see all the potential?! I’m not sure it’s possible to be completely ready or prepared to go through the buying and selling process, and realize how privileged we are. Leaving this house is going to be hard but knowing we’re passing it on in such great condition to the new owners, and to be a part of its nearly 200 year old history, is pretty cool. And we’re all so excited for the new house and what it has to offer! Selfishly, I’m VERY excited to have so many new spaces to design over time and to capture and share on Instagram (I’ve admittedly gotten very tired of taking the same pics and angles of the current house over and over…).
Next up I plan to share some initial plans for the kitchen but in the meantime, check out my Pinterest board dedicated to the new house!
emily
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