It’s amazing the beauty of working with fellow Creatives. We’ve truly been amazed as we watch Lancaster City explode with Creativity & people coming alive & being free to dream + accomplish what God has placed on their hearts. It’s a crazy time we are living in… (almost) anything really is possible.
So, the ever Gorgeous Mid-Century Modern Hazel Street House is a prime example of the beauty that comes when you bring together a flock of brains & let them loose. Quite some time back, (like months and months that probably equal a year) dad (and by dad, I mean my (Claudia’s) dad) purchased this grimy old house & kept it in his back
The fun thing about Lancaster City is that grimy old houses turn into gorgeous old houses. Not overnight, for sure, but gradually. Chris & I’s role with the Gr8r Purpose houses is to assist with purchasing, design & staging.
We often say it, and know it’s true, that the real heroes are the ones who ate the dirt of this old house day in & day out. That would be my sister’s husbands’ – Kenny & Ben – & then a few of their fellow workers & amazing sub-contractors. You guys know who you are, go treat yourself to some ice-cream & charge it to Ervin Barkman. Heh heh.
This house truly became a work of art, a labor of love. True Restoration. The guys tore down walls, opened up ceilings, revealed old hardwood floors & started the long process of beautification. The 3 of us sisters would walk thru & point out small things here and there. -“oh hey, eh, this is where we wanted brick exposed” & “…say…wouldja couldja put half-rounds up here..” & “…you already wired the stove there, eh, how about we just move it somewhere else…”
Bless their hearts, for realz. Especially since (not mentioning names, but starts with ‘K’ and ends with ‘enny’) has a certain dislike of exposing brick, so we will have to get better at arriving on the scene with bribery tactics in hand – aka chocolate milkshake.
Somewhere in the hodge-podge and plaster flying off the walls, the girls sat down to pick out light fixtures & paint colors & staging themes & somewhere along the way Clarita hauled that vintage yellow couch out of some craigslist attic & luckily didn’t get kidnapped or anything during the process (insert nervous chuckle)… And somewhere else along the way bathroom tile got installed & concrete countertops got poured & white floors got painted & light fixtures got installed. It’s nice that only one light fixture was harmed during the making of this house (not mentioning names again but refer to previous ‘k’ name. ehheh)
Staging Day is the glorious day where the house comes together & all is right with the world. We had the best babysitter, Alisha, take the kiddos under her wing while we all hit it hard. Ben & Clarita, Kenny & Ervina, Chris & I, & even dad & mom! I mean, how can it not turn out fancy-pants with that many opinionated people involved.
We laugh about how different we’ve become since our first staging house last year. A teensy-tiny bit more opinionated than before.
Now accepting all applications for answers to my deep heart’s belittling questions:
Why do I care which side of the couch the pillow sits on?
Why do I not pick up the 100 pound cactus bowl and move it 2 inches to the right?
Why do I like the magazine upside-down instead of upside-up?
Why did we not put black shiplap on the downstairs stairway wall?
fyi: I actually do know some of the deep heart’s questions. Like the upside down magazine – in case you care to know. One of the fun aspects of the sisterhood staging crew is that we love creating a “Lived-In” look. Urban Outfitters & sis Clarita have been superb teachers in this division. Instead of lined up magazines, turn one upside down -to make it look like it’s being read. Instead of perfect sheets & pillows, rumple them up a bit – to make it look like someone might have been taking a nap. You get the point. I think it’s what adds a fun, unexpected sparkle to our homes…
We are so excited to hand the keys over to the new homeowners & think this house is going to fit their needs to a ‘t’. So from Black Shiplap (thank you Joanna Gaines,) White Brick (thank you Scandinavia,) Half-Round Dining Room Ceiling Beams (thank you Claudia Beiler) and amazing everything everything else(thank you Gr8r Purpose Reno team!!!) we have loved it all and
want to keep it forever.
Enjoy the Whites + Woods + Brass + Black
With love, Claude
