The Elmwood Experience. Introducing: "Little Parisian Home on the Prairie"

What do you get when you fall back into a gorgeous pillow sky of blue and mature trees deep into the heart of Elmwood? A second chance to develop your cocoon, and your aesthetic, to embrace and nurture your loves. We know and are charmed by every inch of this property. The gardens and the yard, the exterior living areas - the quiet privacy of the back, the dark, cool north side and the sunny hot lawn reaching down front to the western road.

 The house. Wood when you enter. It envelopes you. The floors are oak, immense long streams shored up by an elegant fireplace and white painted woodwork, quiet walls.Large old barn shutters cover most of one wall, blue flecked green and worn, they open to the sunny front. Almost directly opposite in this T shaped expanse, are double white French doors that open to the wood deck. The floors - the wood - are our first question: to sand, sure. But to stain dark walnut? Important - -  remember the wood is what it's all about here. Changing the base, working from the bottom up, setting the foundation. I feel it'll be more elegant, more mature and help us frame and redefine and push forward on the changes that we want to make, easiest to do now while she's empty.
A small but totally useable kitchen. Returning to the large gas (!) range is thrilling - the temperatures I know and can trust - the gassy interior capable of crisping my Pugliese perfectly! We have decided to replace the original cabinets, install new countertops and flooring. Perhaps new appliances.
She needs 5 replacement windows that we never got around to replacing last time we lived here.
The bottom line, right now. is that: flooring, kitchen, front garden, windows and interior layout need to be devised and implemented so we can return to our dream home. This time we're making it even better.

Introducing a new feature on this blog: Little Parisian Home on the Prairie. We here at Paris on the Cuyahoga are restyling our darling manor and it's taking on the importance of a lifestyle change. After a hiatus of almost 2 years we've been fortunate to be able to return to our home, Elmwood, soon. We have the opportunity to create, decorate and delight in designing our old home, one we already know and love very well, into an even more inviting space in which to develop our lives. We intend a space of simple luxury with areas for all of our interests. It's beyond exciting.

I will keep plugging away at the Europe 2015 series as well as I must finish altho I can tell you now it does have a happy ending :)
blowing kisses, La