I love old columns

 Here's the bay window seating area off the entry.  Check out the view of the outside-- yep, I live in MN and that's a LOT of snow.  The columns are my focus here.  They were a gift from my neighbor and best friend (he's 80, looks like santa and we share about a million similarities).  The rug is antique Swedish snapped up at a garage sale. I bring it out every Christmas because I love the way it adds a whimsical feel to the Tree area.

Chandelier weighs more than a truck and was removed from an area "gentleman's club".  Makes me giggle.

This urn is one of my other favorite things in the house. Chuck and I got it as a 7th wedding anniversary gift to each other. I had decided that I wasn't a bouquet of flowers kind of girl and instead wanted to shop with him arm in arm and pick something out together.  This is what jumped out at both of us.  It still makes me smile and remember that date night and my sweet husband who always smiles when I up and suddenly change the rules.

Here, above, is what the bay window used to look like on the day of purchase.  The house was considered a tear-down and for many rooms that's exactly what had to happen.  For this area we were able to reconstruct and keep the footprint original.  There were a few things in the house-- like that amazing window that were in absolutely perfect condition.

In the BEFORE photo, there's carpeting. Chuck and I and the marvelous Craig Evans were able to salvage maple flooring from another part of the house and painstakingly remove thousands upon millions of tiny nails, big nails and freakishly crazy amounts of age-old glue.  Somehow we got it laid with seriously only half a square foot to spare.  Also, luckily, about that time, it became hip to have aged looking flooring.  Score. We're cool.

Other quick details, electrical had to be redone and super massive construction done to hang the immense chandelier I picked out for the space.  The wrought iron railing is what the previous owner had as a wall for the loft.  That sort of thing is frowned upon by code inspectors.  Chuck and I were able to repurpose it as railing for main stairs.