How to Effectively Use Pinterest when Building or Remodeling a Home

I love Pinterest… you love Pinterest… we all love Pinterest!!  It helps us craft, cook, dress, DIY, decorate, highlight and contour…you name it!  So of course the second I found out we would be building a new home, I started my ‘Molyneux House’ Pinterest board. 

I searched and pinned pictures for just about every decision needed to be made along the way.  As we are now on the last leg of our building journey (moving in HOPEFULLY next month), I have learned how Pinterest can really help you and hurt you when it comes to building or remodeling your home.  Here my Top 5 lessons learned…

1.Use Pinterest pictures as inspiration ONLY!

This can be tricky.  We see these beautiful pictures on Pinterest and the only thing we know is we want to replicate them for ourselves.  The important thing to remember is that most of these pictures are of homes that cost an amount most average people like you and I can not afford! Keep focus on the big picture and inspiration these pictures supply- don’t get caught up in wanting to recreate exactly what you see.

Example:  I showed my designer these Pinterest pictures of kitchens I liked.  I saw white cabinets and a clean/crisp kitchen.  What she saw, as the expert, was inset cabinets that are custom made and insanely expensive!  So when showing your builder, contractor, or designer Pinterest pictures make sure you are clear about what catches your eye in these pictures and what caused you to pin them.  For me, all of these pictures were pinned because each kitchen space gives me the same airy feeling and that is what I want to capture in my own kitchen.

2. Use Pinterest pictures to clarify your vision.
While building our custom home, I have been to every meeting and making every decision.  That means I am working with electricians, framers, carpenters, painters, stone smiths, etc.  I quickly found that I did not speak the language of these experts.  This is where Pinterest helped A LOT.  With each walk through or selection meeting, I would arm myself with pinned pictures to show what I was trying to explain.

This is the pinned picture I used to show the marble/granite company as we discussed the design for our powder bath floating sink. 

Pinned picture for our pool mud room lockers.

I had a hard time explaining what I wanted for the trim in our home.  So having pictures helped me get across clearly the look I was going for.

3. Use Pinterest as a color idea board
When it comes to understanding and deciding upon color selections, I found Pinterest to be really helpful!!!  If I couldn't imagine two different tones of cabinetry in the kitchen or what dark trim work would look like, I looked on Pinterest. 

Dark doors and trim work for our basement?  This is one of the pictures that helped confirm that decision.  *I am still a bit nervous to see ours but willing to take the chance!

I love how 'manly' this office looks.  It was for sure an inspiration pic when creating the vibe for Ian's office.

This picture helped with deciding to have our butler's pantry a different color.  At first it was white cabinets, but now I LOVE the grey cabinets in there and I have this pic to thank for that decision.

Navy cabinetry in the Jack and Jill bathrooms...check.

Brown door in a wood tone or a painted door.  I went back and forth with this one.  After seeing many pictures on Pinterest, we went with a dark front door and coordinating dark garage doors!

Excited we went with white perimeter cabinets and a grey island.

Looking at different colors for cabinets, trim work, walls, hardware, etc. on Pinterest can really help narrow what look you are drawn to.

4. Be Careful of All the AMAZING IDEAS you will find...NOTHING is free!!! Especially if is isn't DIY!!
This was a hard one for me!  I would see all this great ideas and I would show my project manager.  That is when reality hit and I would find out how much it would cost to replicate all those great ideas.  Unless you are a master DIY gal or have a great DIY hubby, I caution on those 'fancy' pins.  All of the following pics are ones I pinned thinking- "those look cool and convenient."  Then I found out how much my builder would charge to create each of them; needless to say none of these fancy pin ideas made it into our home!

5.  Pin Specific Pictures
This one kind of goes against my #1 of using Pinterest for inspiration only.  If you are looking for something specific and you find it on Pinterest- PIN IT!!  I went back to my Pinterest Board so many times to look at a light fixture I wanted to buy or a faucet that I had selected months ago.  Looking at some of my more specific pins helped keep me organized when thinking of the overall style I wanted my home to have!  Right now I am pinning hardware like a mad woman.  But these pins are like my memory.  Below are some specific pins that are of items that will be making an appearance in our home very soon...hopefully!!!

So remember when pinning ideas for your home- stay realistic, consider what is DYI, and have fun pinning pictures that can inspire you to create your own unique space that makes you happy!

All pinned pictures in this post can be found from my Pinterest boards-For the Home and Molyneux House.

Friday Favorite- Tile Inspirations

I love tile!!! Let me just get that statement out of the way.  There is seriously so many beautiful tile selections for both flooring and back splashes.  When this selection meeting rolled around I was a bit nervous because I was so worried that all my hopes of beautiful tile would be shot with the simple phrase "over budget"- which I have been hearing a lot throughout this process!  However, much to my surprise, this was the easiest meeting of all.  I learned that because there are so many tile choices, you really can find amazing looking tile for just about any budget.

Here are some of my original inspiration pics from my Pinterest board.

I am so thrilled that some of my original tile selections will be the actual tile in my new house!!  We really stuck with classic selections throughout the home such as marble subway, linen 12x24 tiles, white hexagon, and penny tiles.  I was pushed out of my comfort zone for the small powder bath- but I am excited to see how it turns out. (for a little look check out my sister's design blog at Jessica Stout Design).
On an exciting note: the house is getting closer and closer to being FINISHED!!!!  Excited to share some actual photos from our home soon!!!

Something I NEVER Thought I'd Do

Happy New Year!!!!
Like everyone I have a list of resolutions and ways to be a better me that I am working on becoming part of my routine.  But one big thing I want to focus on this year is appreciating the life I am living... it is one I never really imagined for myself.

New person, "What do you do?"

Me, "Well I was a teacher for 10 years, but I am staying home this year with my daughter." 

The REAL answer- I am a STAY AT HOME MOM!! GASP!!!!

Trust me even I can't believe it.  Hence me always leading with the fact that I did in fact work for ten years- like that justifies me staying home.  Or how I always say 'this year' as if I going back to teaching next year.  Or I give the reasoning- my husband travels so much it just makes more sense for me to stay home, we are building a home and I am in charge of going to all the meetings, etc...

Here is the HONEST TRUTH... I never pictured myself as a stay at home mom!  Ever since the third grade I knew I wanted to be a teacher.  I envisioned being in my classroom with my kids attending that same school.  Then I became a teacher and loved it, then teaching changed for me after Emersyn was born.  Suddenly the most important student I will ever have wasn't being taught by me, but the TOTS daycare ladies.  But I went to college and got a Master's Degree and I needed to use that education...right?!  

Then real life stuff hits you!  I am not sure what is happening around us but sad shit happens all the time to amazing people.  I was teaching (seeing my little gal for only a few hours each week day), and I felt like every time I turned around someone else was diagnosed with cancer or some other tragedy happened.  That's it... I thought.  I have to get over what people think.  I have to get over what I use to think about stay at home moms and realize life is short and unexpected things happen ALL THE TIME.  How do I want to spend these precious days?  My answer was simple. 

I want to spend my time with my little girl.

Exploring, learning, crafting, playing, reading, talking, snuggling, singing, dancing, and all the things that will define who she will become.

I realize that not everyone has the chance to stay at home with their children.  I know there are strong women out there supporting their family and I applaud that act of love.  I am blessed beyond measure to have a husband that not only supports our family financially but supports me as a stay at home mom raising our sweet girl and reaching for other dreams beyond teaching.

In closing, this is my one life to live and I am choosing to spend it at home raising my girl. No apologies, reasoning, or excuses needed.  

So this year I am appreciating and enjoying everyday- knowing that the simple gift of time with my gal is a blessing that I am forever thankful for!  

Here's to many moments turned memories in 2016!!