ONE YEAR IN OUR BRIGHTWATER DREAM HOME.

Special thanks to Brightwater Homes for sponsoring this post. Brightwater Homes is now building modern farmhouse style homes at Sweet Apple!

We have officially been in our first home now for one full year! It’s hard to believe that this time last year, we were in my 634 sq. ft. apartment, buried in moving boxes. We were literally bursting at the seams, both with stuff and with excitement, to get into our first REAL house! As newlyweds, this was a huge deal and we could not have been more ready. Did I mention that I didn’t even have a washer or dryer for FIVE years?? SO ready.

I’ll back up some – when we first started house hunting, we already had a pretty good idea of what we wanted. Luckily, we agreed on almost everything – including the style. #CompatibleGoals As loyal HGTV fans, we had a running list of “must-haves” for our future house that looked like this:

OUR HOUSE WISH LIST:

• Natural light!!!!!! (I lived on the first floor in about 15% light)
• 3+ bedrooms
• 2+ bathrooms (the more, the better)
• Large closets (see every other blog post for reasons why)
• Open kitchen/open floor plan
• Office space for GILTY headquarters
• Outdoor living space (for future doggies!)
• Basement for man cave
• Not too far from the city

We looked at homes in all of the most popular suburbs of Atlanta (Brookhaven, Chamblee, Sandy Springs, Dunwoody, Roswell), and found some that were great in each, but nothing that made us jump into action.

Soon after, that all changed. I have to give Will all of the credit here because he truly found our house all on his own. I had just gotten in from work and was pouring us a glass of wine while he pulled up a listing for me to look at. At this point, that had sort of become our nightly routine. I’ll never forget his words either because he said, “I know I’m going to regret showing you this one…” and turned the computer towards me. I almost dropped the wine bottle. Staring back at me was the most beautiful white, modern farmhouse I had ever seen!

We set up a tour and I saw the inside – everything was basically ruined at that point. As in, this was the only house that existed to me. ha! I fell absolutely head over heels in love with Brightwater Homes’ ability to take the bones of a new build and add farmhouse charm, stunning finishes, and closets big enough even for me. Long story short, it became the only house on our wish list, and a few months later – it was OURS! Literal tears happened that day.

Now that we’ve been living in our actual dream house for one year, I wanted to share the things that I have been loving about it most. See below for pictures before and after our move!

THE DESIGN DETAILS.

One of the first things we noticed when touring our home were all of the beautiful details of the design. From shiplap, to exposed beams, to a giant master bathroom with marble throughout, the little extras that were so thoughtfully placed really made this house stand out to me.

Brightwater had even included some pretty amazing light fixtures that weren’t just your average stock pendants. As someone who lives for interior design, this was basically the backdrop that my neutral dreams were made of.

Here are a few of my favorite details:

1. UPGRADED LIGHT FIXTURES:

2. SHIPLAP:

3. MASTER BATHROOM BARN DOOR:

We added a fan in the master and moved the original chandelier downstairs.

4. STAND ALONE BATH TUB.

5. THE MUDROOM.

This little mudroom space is one of my all-time favorites to style. It is the first thing I see when I come in from the garage and it just makes me smile.

THE OUTDOOR SPACE.

Outside, we added stairs down from the existing deck and added a fence around the entire backyard. We also did a full overhaul on the patio underneath the deck. Read my entire ‘patio makeover’ post HERE.

UPDATE: Since these photos were taken, we have also finished the ceiling of the under-deck with a galvanized metal and added two outdoor fans.

THE OPEN FLOORPLAN.

TONS OF SPACE FOR HOSTING.

MULTIPLE BATHROOMS:

CHEERS, TO AN AMAZING 1ST YEAR.

We have been able to do more this past year than we ever imagined. From adding two puppies to our one-cat fur baby family (Beef – Greater Swiss Mountain Dog, and Biscuit – Pomeranian joined patient little Coco, our kitty), to hosting our first Thanksgiving, finishing Will’s man cave (pics of this soon, too!), and trying our hand at countless DIYs.

Our house has truly been our happiest place and our favorite responsibility.

Can’t wait to see what the next year brings!

BRIGHTWATER HOMES:

If you’ve never heard of Brightwater, they are far more than just a homebuilding firm. Committed to design and timeless architecture, Brightwater Homes uses sustainable practices, and takes the time to build personalized homes for homebuyers (like us!) that desire more than the typical, cookie-cutter build.

If you’re looking to buy in the Atlanta area and love the modern farmhouse style, you’re in luck! Currently, Brightwater Homes is building in Milton, Georgia in the Sweet Apple community. If you check them out, let them know I sent you!