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Four Years, Whoa.

This October, we’ll be celebrating four years of living in this tiny home. It’s a bit nutty to think that aside from our childhood homes, this is the longest that either of us has stayed put in a single place. When I think about jumping around in college (where I ultimately met Scott as my neighbor), it sort of makes four years feel like a long time. And although many of those college-y homes were much larger than our current day casa, I’d like to think this place is a bit, um, cleaner. You know, without all the raging parties (Mom, we’re fine!) and what have you.

With this anniversary of sorts, we thought it would be fun to look waay back to the photos we snapped when we were considering purchasing – and all the phases in between. After all, this little slice of web was born two years after moving in, and each room has seen their fair share of rights and (really) wrongs.

We were the first owners to take the reigns on what was a freshly rehabbed building, and there were two glaring challenges: 1) space and 2) all those khaki-colored walls! (Say hi to my little sis!)

We tackled the walls first, and as color lovers, we went a little, um, bold. And while we would have loved to splurge on furniture and decor, a new mortgage didn’t allow for much wiggle room. For the first few months, we worked with what we had from our first city rental – a hodge podge of dark carpets, black tables, and overstuffed couches.

Over time, we gradually began playing with layout (moving the couch to the window wall and even adding a small seat to act as a room divider), and we slowly saved up funds for a lighter area rug and a sleek and pretty couch, among other things. We even toned down our kitchen walls for an easy, visual flow.

Of course things don’t stay the same for too long (you know we like to shake things up – even if it’s just a pillow, a table lamp, or in this case, new paint and furniture!), and as we become more inspired, we pinch pennies (getting in touch with our inner DIY), and bring in change.

In the last 6 months, we’ve brought in a cozy, shaggy rug and a round table to save space. But the ticket to bringing in the most impact was nixing that green and creating a custom media wall.

We couldn’t get rid of all that color, so the foyer still pops with Behr’s Chlorophyll. (But down the road, who knows?) A rotating crew of art and fresh flowers keep things lively, and it’s a far cry from those sad, khaki walls!

For those that know us well, you totally get that we’re still editing and fluffing and floofing all the time. This easily explains why the above photos – snapped only a few months ago – already seem to be missing the upholstered ottoman, our Bazaar-cracked-vase and even terrarium numero uno (among other things).

But with every tweak, we still take a moment to revel in our favorite city nook. Like you, we cuddle up on the couch. We cook chili all day, and we burn fall scented candles. We go to bed early just so we can feel how soft our bed is, and we curse when the morning alarm goes off. We sing to our pets, and we dance with them around our home, and we still sit on our back patio and will do so until it’s 20 degrees cooler.

We’ll show you the back half of our home in the coming days, and if I can get myself in order, we’ll throw in our first crack at a video home tour. (It’s filmed, but goodness knows my skills are less than stellar, and it may only be 20 seconds or so. But dammit, we’ll show you.)

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  • Adriana10.3.11 - 9:47 AM

    Congrats guys! You’ve taken your little slice of Chicago and really made it something special.ReplyCancel

  • Tina10.3.11 - 9:58 AM

    I’m always amazed at how big the place looks through photos. I love all the changes that you’ve made from start to finish (even though I personally love love love that green color–it’s what made me love the place when I first saw it on AT). Happy Homeiversary!ReplyCancel

  • Congrats on four years! It’s fantastic to see all of the changes you’ve made. Can’t wait to see the tweaks you make in the future, too. :)ReplyCancel

  • […] Yellow Brick Home is a terrific small-space blog about a couple tricking out their small apartment in Chicago. The difference between them and us is that they own, they’re extremely crafty, and their babies are furry. Check out their fourth-year anniversary post here. […]ReplyCancel

  • Jen10.3.11 - 1:48 PM

    Love it! And now that I see the whole view to that doorway we were discussing last week? I stand by my decision. Don’t eek over to the right!!! Leave it be woman!!! Looks perfect as is~

    P.s. When you took the B&W dog/cat portraits, (the ones I LOVE) did you pose the pets against a white backdrop? Studio it up for that session?

    Happy Monday!ReplyCancel

  • Kim10.3.11 - 1:53 PM

    Thank you, everyone!

    Hi Jen, I’m starting to to agree with you on the overflow. But, oh, we love mini art! Ah, time will tell.

    For the pet portraits, I did not pose them against anything. If I remember correctly, I caught Maddie in a yawn in our bedroom, and she was in front of a window (so everything past the window was blown out). Jack was sitting in our living room, and Libby was walking on the windowsill. When I shot the photos, I was conscious of what was behind them, and moved my own body to get as little background distraction as possible. I hope this helps!ReplyCancel

  • Amanda10.3.11 - 2:09 PM

    Yay. Happy 4 years Kim & Scott (& the condo, and the pets)!

    I love what your living room is now. Question for you, what are the dimensions of your coffee table? Thanks so much. :)ReplyCancel

  • Kim10.3.11 - 2:19 PM

    Thanks, Amanda! Our coffee table is 34″ round and 14″ tall.ReplyCancel

  • Amanda10.3.11 - 5:27 PM

    Thanks so much for the quick reply! :)ReplyCancel

  • Emma10.4.11 - 12:17 PM

    Amazing job. Way to go kids!ReplyCancel

  • shannon hillenmeyer10.5.11 - 9:23 PM

    happy anniversary kim n scott… your nest is so wonderful and you can see the love you’ve poured into it!ReplyCancel

  • Elizabeth10.21.11 - 10:12 AM

    Love your space transformation!!! May I ask what color your livingroom/kitchen walls are? Love that colorReplyCancel

    • Kim10.21.11 - 10:17 AM

      Hi Elizabeth, thank you! That color is Winterfresh by Behr. You can see all the colors in our home and where we got everything in our source list, too!ReplyCancel

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We’re Kim + Scott, Chicago based content creators behind the Home + Lifestyle brand Yellow Brick Home.

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