Good ol’ Rocky Top: Our Tennessee Home (2011-2019)

Last updated: December 30, 2022

I was born and raised in the small town in Tennessee and spent most of my life there, including the first 12 years of my marriage. No matter where life takes me or where I’m living, I will always be a home grown Tennessee girl. I don’t see myself ever moving back, but Tennessee will always hold a special place in my heart.

The part that sticks out to me most is our Niota home where I lived with a Kris from 2011-2019. Kris and I worked tirelessly on it for nine years and learned a lot. I discovered my design style and saw first hand what looks horrible and what to never do again. Kris basically learned how to build an entire house. Those years were invaluable to who we are today. We both have confidence in our home improvement skills; me with design and Kris with building… I don’t think there’s a tool he hasn’t used! I can see our confidence today as we continue to work on homes and how bold my design choices are and how Kris throws 2x4s in the cart with no second thought of what he’s going to do with them. We have come a long way from the overwhelmed girl crying in front of the paint options at Lowes and the guy watching YouTube videos on how to install a ceiling fan.

This post is to honor the time we spent in Tennessee and appreciate the country life we lived.

Flipping a Tennessee Farmhouse

Now to the heart of the post… our Tennessee home! Did we really flip a house with absolutely zero experience? Yes… yes we did, and I’ll admit; we had no idea what we were doing, but as mentioned above, boy did we learn.

There were animals living in this house. It took Kris 6 months to talk me into flipping it.

Hallway kinda before and after (lesson learned from poor design choices)

Laundry Room (I’m sitting on the washer and dryer for this photo) with custom built in dog crate.

A closer look at the built in dog crate. Do not feel sorry for him. He lives like a king.

Genius idea for shoes in mudroom; small laundry baskets!

The kitchen table my husband made for me that sits 12. I sanded/stained it as well as upholstered the chairs.

Preparing for Christmas breakfast with the family

My dad wondering what the heck he got himself into

Fireplace after (just in time for Christmas)

A fall gathering place with a couch custom made by Kris with cushions custom made by me and my mother-in-law.
*Color: Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter*

My favorite part of living in my Tennessee home 🧡

Turns out I’m a wreath person. Who knew?

Guest half bath
*Color: Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter*

End of the bed bench custom made by my husband. Sanded and stained by me.

An Outdoor Country Life

I usually walked the dogs every evening when I got home from work. There was a really nice gravel road that went up the property to a pond and a beautiful field where we would frequently see deer and turkeys. Ive clocked hundreds of walks on those gravel roads. These photos bring back good memories of those walks. My dad and I still take these walks when I visit. In fact, I just walked it with him a few weeks ago when I was there to visit. It honestly never gets old.

You can see more of what I did with the outside with using Thuja Green Giants to create a natural fence line out by the road.

Well, there you have it! Knowing what I know now, I would have done so many things different to the house, but the lessons I learned are invaluable and have shaped what I believe to be decent design skills today. The house would not be what it is today without my dad and husband’s support. A huge thanks to them for all the work they put into this house out of love for me. I’m a blessed wife and daughter. 💝

To my Tennessee country living, you are beautiful, but I don’t miss the hour commutes to work and the 45 minute drives to the closest store. I do have a special place in my heart for the cows who were my neighbors and the quiet evening walks. Despite being born and raised in the Volunteer State, I have a little bit of city girl in me that needs a little more than what the country life can offer, but living here for almost a decade taught me that and many more things about myself and for that, I’ll forever be grateful.

Next up, you’ll see our Alabama house flip and how our skills and design tastes matured and blossomed. Can’t wait to show you!