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DESIGN & RENOVATION BLOG
Design Inspiration, DIY Tutorials, & Renovation Tips
Your guide to the art of cozy living & the quiet beauty of Scandinavian design, bringing you practical renovation insights & artisanal inspiration.
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Backyard Patio & Garden Reveal
A Backyard Oasis Meets Budget With DIY Projects If you've been following along, you know that we've been working on a Backyard Pizzeria & Garden. We don't typically get much rain and though it's been much needed in our region, it definitely altered the schedule of what was already tight to begin with. Essentially every week brought rain, which either delayed work progress or made photo taking near impossible. That said, we are still in progress on the pizza station project, b
HYGGE & SPRUCE
3 min read
DIY Outdoor Sectional & Chaise
When designing the backyard the primary goal was to have a lounge area that took advantage of the Colorado sunshine during the colder months. Being coop'd up indoors in the winter can make the months drag on, but taking advantage of 60 degree days with really low humidity in December really helps to break up the cabin fever and soak up Vitamin D, at the same time! In the winter, when the sun is low, the pitch of the roof shades much of the yard. I wanted to have a space where
HYGGE & SPRUCE
2 min read
DIY Backyard Water Feature Brings Ambiance
It's time for another weekly update on the progress for the Backyard Pizzeria & Garden project we've been working on. We've been doing wood-fired this week, but unfortunately we've been too busy to do the pizza kind of wood fired. Though not as yummy, this was still a lot of fun though! Have you ever heard of Shou Sugi Ban? It's an ancient Japanese siding technique that involves charring wood, cleaning the soot, and then finishing/preserving it with natural oil. This process
HYGGE & SPRUCE
2 min read
Backyard Pizzeria & Garden Inspiration
It's FINALLY spring in Colorado! This last winter was unseasonably cold and snowy, so I'm particularly antsy to get back outside and enjoy the weather! We'll be adding a few new things to the backyard this spring and I can't wait to share it all! We're jumping into the Spring 2023 One Room Challenge for the final phase of the backyard. If you've been following along, you know we tackled a lot of work last fall for the Fall installment. However, the Colorado weather brought sn
HYGGE & SPRUCE
2 min read
Backyard Renovation Update
It's time for an update on the backyard renovation! Things are moving REALLY fast around here (nothing like the onset of winter to light a little fire under ya!) The last few weeks have left no time for blogging, so consider this a double serving. I'll walk you through the plan for the yard below and show some photos of the progress that we're making. If you missed the first update, you can check it out here to see the "before" and mood board and vision for the backyard. T
HYGGE & SPRUCE
2 min read
Building A Backyard Oasis
Follow along, as we transform an abandoned backyard into a modern outdoor oasis! I'm really excited to be sharing this new update! If you've been following us for awhile, you know we have a lot of fun with the One Room Challenge. (If you're new here, the One Room Challenge is a twice per year, forum that brings together designers and diy'ers to share their journey in renovating a room). In a previous ORC year, we created a Scandinavian + Craftsman Front Porch . This year we'
HYGGE & SPRUCE
2 min read
DIY Fence Picket Flower Box
Looking for an easy DIY to spruce up your curb appeal? This cedar flower box was quick and affordable and we continue to get compliments on it from neighbors passing by. (It's always rewarding to hear that your projects are admired!) Cedar accents are probably my favorite way to add exterior curb appeal. Why cedar? The tone of the wood compliments almost every home color scheme and design style. Additionally, cedar is rot and termite resistant, making it great for exterior us
HYGGE & SPRUCE
3 min read
Bathroom Renovation Inspiration
How we turned a tiny 3-piece bathroom into a modernized 5-piece oasis! The first project we did when we purchased our home was the bathroom. The entire house needed to be renovated (floor to ceiling), but this was the project that garnered priority. Why this space? The bathroom is the room where you start and end the day. Therefore, knowing that the house would require blood, sweat, and a good amount of patience, it was important to have a place that would provide relaxation
HYGGE & SPRUCE
3 min read
Scandinavian Style Kitchen Renovation
It's been awhile since I've shared progress on the kitchen renovation! Serving as essentially a general contractor on a full scale...
HYGGE & SPRUCE
2 min read
Countertops & Kitchen Reno Update
Progress Update On The Scandinavian Kitchen Renovation Our white quartz countertops are in and I'm absolutely loving them! They really...
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1 min read
Hardwood Floor Restoration Update
If you’ve ever renovated an older home, you might have come across flooring (or in our case, multiple layers of flooring) laid over...
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1 min read
Adding Function In A 1920s Kitchen Renovation
We're well into the renovation and this week I'm excited to share more details about the new layout for the kitchen! Of all the changes planned, the most impactful is probably the removal of the wall that divides the kitchen and dining/living room and this is also the detail that I'm most excited about! We love to cook and also entertain so opening the kitchen up will allow us to be able to spend time together, while cooking and also socialize (once it's safe to gather again
HYGGE & SPRUCE
2 min read
Scandinavian + Craftsman Kitchen Renovation
Inspiration for a 1920's Kitchen Project Hej friends! I've been quiet on the blog, because I've been super busy pulling the details and scheduling together for a "lil" project we've been dreaming about for 2+ years (ever since we moved into our 1920's fixer-upper)! THE KITCHEN I absolutely can't wait to get started on this and as you'll see in the photos below, this kitchen has a long way to go! I love the Scandinavian design aesthetic and hope to blend that with Craftsman d
HYGGE & SPRUCE
2 min read
DIY Wood Slat Doors : Ikea Closet Hack
One of our most popular DIY projects and it was a relatively easy one! The design goal was to achieve a light & airy, Scandinavian style sliding doors. When we bought the house, this wide closet had only a single shelf and rod that stretched the length of the closet (along with full length mirror doors). I was blessed with my own walk-in closet in our last home, so we needed to get creative with storage solutions since we were downsizing closet space. It just so happened that
HYGGE & SPRUCE
4 min read
Add Privacy To Windows & Maintain Light
An Easy & Affordable Solution For Egress Windows I thought I'd take a minute to share one of the smaller details that we added to our...
HYGGE & SPRUCE
2 min read
Front Porch Renovation Reveal
Blending Scandinavian Style With Craftsman Details After many weekends stolen to this "lil" project, we're so pleased with how the front porch renovation has turned out and can already tell we'll be enjoying many hours in the new space. For a refresher, we wanted to blend Scandinavian flair and Craftsman details with our 1920's bungalow. You can head to our Front Porch Renovation Inspiration post to see where we started. One of my favorite elements is the new swing chair and
HYGGE & SPRUCE
2 min read
DIY Cedar & Iron Railing
Adding Front Porch Curb Appeal Follow along for the steps that we followed to build cedar and iron railing. I'll supply the list of products we used, at the end of the post. Step 1: Demo We didn't feel one ounce of remorse bringing this old clanky thing down! Step 2: Pour Concrete Foundation Due to the new design of the railing, we needed to pour concrete footing for 1 of the 3 posts. We used a hole digger to dig to the thaw line and scrap wood to frame out a square for the
HYGGE & SPRUCE
3 min read
Tiered Cedar Planter Beds DIY
Add Curb Appeal With This Easy Project Our 1920s bungalow has brick ledges for a window box, so a few months ago we built a cedar box for petunias. When we were looking at what to do for the landscaping in front of our porch,I wanted to add an additional cedar accent with a raised cedar bed. We built the bed before digging out the dirt in front of porch. I had wondered why previous owners mounded up so much dirt in front of the porch and discovered the reason why, after we ha
HYGGE & SPRUCE
2 min read
Easily Add Style to The Front Porch
E xterior Decking Makes A Big Impact We're making progress with the front porch renovation! Since removing our furniture to demo the carpet and railing, the porch hasn't been as usable (think enjoying a glass of wine on a concrete step). I'm already missing time on the porch and can't wait for the next steps! But first: To be honest, we're not completely done with install and it's not because the installation of the decking wasn't super easy or super fast. The decking has sur
HYGGE & SPRUCE
2 min read
DIY Cedar Privacy Planter Wall
What you need to to build this cedar privacy planter wall for the front porch renovation project. It's hard to believe that week 3 of the One Room Challenge is already here! I'm excited to share our super fast and affordable DIY this week! We're getting one step closer to our Hygge Home goals for the front porch! One of the elements of our Porch Renovation was to replace the old privacy wall with a fresh cedar slat planter wall ( before photo here ) I've outlined the produc
HYGGE & SPRUCE
2 min read
Hei friends!
I'm so glad you found us here at the Hygge & Spruce Blog! My favorite part of making a Hygge Home is the transformation of Before & After and I'm excited to share this passion with the goal to inspire you on your home renovation and design journey! Here you'll find DIY tutorials, and some cameos, featuring my renovation partner (& hubby) as well as my two little furballs.
When I'm not scheming up the next renovation or DIY project, you'll often find me baking sourdough bread, cooking (another fave), gardening, and enjoying a glass (or 2) of wine.
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