Casa update

Since we have been officially living in our Spanish casa for a year, we figured it was time to give you all another tour. Our first guests came to visit in May and then we had family here in June, so it really pushed us to finish some of the projects that we had put off because we were busy going to the beach golfing traveling going out drinking wine. And rather than just show you all the nuevo-and-improved after photos, we decided to include everything. From the days of the (still gives us the creeps to think about) loaner furniture to unpacking to the weird in-between stage where all of our wall art was propped against the walls to what our casa currently looks like - it's all here in one post for your viewing pleasure. It's a work in progress, but we feel like we've come pretty far in the last year (and to keep ourselves motivated, we try not to think of the inevitable move).

Our front door

We added some plants (then changed those out when the originals died went to the big garden in the sky), put out a mat, and hung a traditional tile sign of our monogram.

Entry

Classic example of the transition from wall-art-propped-against-the-walls to actually committing to hanging things up and drilling the holes. 

Kitchen

This room took the most work, since there was so much to be unpacked, washed, and reorganized. To make the process easier, Meghann used sticky notes to label the drawers and cabinets until everything was cleaned and sorted.  We added some stainless steel shelving (from Ikea, of course!) and switched out the original wooden mystery rack for something more functional. 

Dining room

The dining room is Meghann's favorite which has a lot everything to do with the custom, handmade, Spanish pine table and its new and lovely sister, the china cabinet. It's the perfect place to display or put away many of our wedding gifts. The table is also looking less lonely with 8 chair friends that Graham assembled as a surprise for Meghann. Oh, and the wine barrel isn't hurting this room's "favorite" status either.

Living Room

This room (which makes up most of the bottom floor) came together the quickest. We bought a new couch and another bookshelf last fall. Since then we have hung more things on the walls, put up curtains, and added some decorative touches. We also moved our old dining room set down here to fill out the other side of this odd, L-shaped room.

Guest room with attached bath

The biggest challenge in getting this room ready was to stop putting all of our yet-to-be-unpacked boxes down here and closing the door behind us. After removing the boxes, it was mostly just a matter of straightening and hanging a few things up.

Large guest room

"Large" is a relative term when it comes to describing most Spanish bedrooms, but that's how we distinguish between the two guest bedrooms on the top floor. The bed was originally in our master bedroom and the lamp, rug, small dresser, and duvet cover came from Ikea. 

Small guest bedroom

The small(er) guest room upstairs has gone through the most phases. It was looking pretty finished, until we stole the dresser for our room and moved our leftover boxes in (when you move every 3 years or less, you realize that you will never be completely unpacked, some boxes will not die, and these zombie boxes will be moved again, completely unchanged, except for an additional color-coded sticker applied by the movers). 

Master bedroom and bathroom

The biggest improvement was upgrading our double bed to a queen. Then we used every last inch of wall to accommodate a dresser and a vanity. Functional space is a priority, so we added shelves, drawers, and hooks everywhere we can. There are storage containers under the bed and instead of having a small bench or chair at the vanity, Meghann has a laundry hamper tucked into the open space. Even though the room is small, the view of the ocean and the small balcony (just big enough to read a book while enjoying some Spanish sun) make up for it.

Despite the small guest room being a bit of a mess and still having lingering, zombie boxes, we are feeling pretty settled. Which is great, because we have more guests coming in a month (hooray!) and we would much rather spend the next few weeks enjoying the summer instead of working on domestic projects. Unless those domestic projects involve making tinto de verano...