• privacy policy
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • Shop the Home
  • Before & After Home Tour

North Country Nest

  • RENOVATIONS BY ROOM
    • The Exterior
    • The Entryway
    • The Living Room
    • The Kitchen
    • The Guest Bathroom
    • The Guest Bedroom #1
    • The Guest Bedroom #2
    • The Laundry Room
    • The Office
    • Master Bathroom
    • The Garage
  • DIY + DECOR
    • Cleaning + Organization
    • DIY Projects
    • Furniture
    • Home Decor
  • RECIPES
    • Appetizer Recipe
    • Breakfast Recipe
    • Dessert Recipe
    • Dinner Recipe
    • Drink Recipe
    • Garden Recipe
    • Lunch Recipe
    • Snack Recipe
    • Soup Recipe
    • One Pan Meal
    • Meals Under 30 Minutes
  • SEASONAL
    • Spring
    • Summer
    • Fall
    • Holiday
    • Winter

Summer

Modern Summer Entryway Decor

Modern Summer Entryway Decor

Home Decor· Summer· The Seasonal Home

It’s nearly the end of July – already. Although this summer is not what any of us had expected, I…
Read More

Front Porch Summer Decor

Front Porch Summer Decor

Home Decor· Summer· The Exterior· The Seasonal Home

I was going back in the archives and realized we never really showed off the new siding on the home….
Read More

Colorful Summer Porch Decor

Colorful Summer Porch Decor

Home Decor· Summer· The Exterior· The Seasonal Home

We’re sharing our cozy and colorful summer porch decor with the challenge of shopping the house and not buying anything…
Read More

Outdoor Deck Reveal + Decorating for Summer

Outdoor Deck Reveal + Decorating for Summer

Home Decor· Summer· The Exterior

Sharing details on the brand new outdoor deck + how we’re decorating for summer. [post contains affiliate links, which means we…
Read More

Summer Bathroom Decor

Summer Bathroom Decor

Home Decor· Summer· The Seasonal Home

Sharing memories of summer and simple summer bathroom decor for ideas and inspiration. Hello, August. It’s nice to see you…
Read More

Simple Summer Decor for the Kitchen

Simple Summer Decor for the Kitchen

Home Decor· Summer· The Seasonal Home

Add charm to your kitchen with these simple summer decor ideas! Lots of white space, minimal decor and fresh flowers…
Read More

Simple Blue Summer Bedroom Decor

Simple Blue Summer Bedroom Decor

Home Decor· Summer· The Seasonal Home

Add style and charm to your room this summer with these simple blue summer bedroom decor ideas that are sure…
Read More

Simple Summer Table Decor + Blog Hop

Simple Summer Table Decor + Blog Hop

Home Decor· Summer· Tablescape· The Seasonal Home

Enjoy a relaxing evening with friends and family using these simple summer table decor ideas that are sure to inspire! [post…
Read More

Late Summer Entryway Home Decor

Late Summer Entryway Home Decor

Home Decor· Summer· The Seasonal Home

In Minnesota, there is this awkward time between summer and fall… it’s not cold enough for sweaters and boots but…
Read More

Summer Home Tour & Blog Hop: The Master Bedroom

Summer Home Tour & Blog Hop: The Master Bedroom

Home Decor· Summer· The Bedroom· The Seasonal Home

Welcome to another epidsode of the Room by Room series hosted by My Life From Home. Today, we’re sharing the…
Read More

The Kitchen Summer Home Tour & Blog Hop

The Kitchen Summer Home Tour & Blog Hop

Home Decor· Summer· The Kitchen· The Seasonal Home

Greetings! If you’re here from the summer tour hosted by My Life From Home– welcome! Last week we shared our entryway…
Read More

The Entryway Summer Home Tour & Blog Hop

The Entryway Summer Home Tour & Blog Hop

Home Decor· Summer· The Seasonal Home

Today we’re sharing an entryway summer home tour as part of a blog hop with lots of other talented ladies!…
Read More

  • Go to page 1
  • Go to page 2
  • Go to Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

oh, hi!

We’re Brett and Kelly! A husband and wife team tackling our first complete home renovation. We love all things DIY, our two furbabes and lazy summer days out on the lake. Our mission? To share the journey of turning a house into a home.

Ebates Coupons and Cash Back

[posts contain affiliate links, which means we make a small commission if a purchase is made, at no additional cost to you. thanks for supporting north country nest!]

what we’re loving right now

Web Hosting

the archives

Who doesn't love a good before and after?!? Who doesn't love a good before and after?!?
Last summer, Brett and I didn’t get out on the w Last summer, Brett and I didn’t get out on the water at all – not once did we take the boat out.

Given the fact that we live in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, I felt like the worst Minnesotan. How could we not enjoy the water when there’s three within five miles of our house?

This year? We've been able to get out on some body of water at least once per week - how cool is that?!

What’s been really great about these last few months is that we’ve seemed to have found a nice “balance” between go-go-go and taking time to enjoy whatever it may be.

While this season of relaxed work is probably not the norm, it's been a pleasant surprise that we'll be enjoying for as long as we can!

Enjoy the week, friends!
If you need me, I'll be here gazing lovingly at ou If you need me, I'll be here gazing lovingly at our newly trimmed windows and painted walls 😍

We have to add trim to the slider, install the baseboards and frame up + install the pantry door.

And then...

This kitchen will be DONE! 🙌
Yesterday, #ontheblog we did a mid-year check in o Yesterday, #ontheblog we did a mid-year check in on our renovation list and shared two new projects we're adding (of course!)

The second addition? Giving a little refresh to this laundry room by pushing back the washer, dryer and cabinets.

We finished it wayyyy back in 2017 but there was a small frustration: the washer and dryer cover the window.

Every few months we'd circle back to the space and see how we could make it work. It was one of those little issues that might not seem like a big deal to anyone else, but here's the thing - you deserve to LOVE your home.

After four and a half years of constant projects, I often find myself wondering why in the hell we are doing this and I keep coming back to this idea that a home is meant to be loved, to share a story, to work for you, to be a space that you can relax in and enjoy.

So while the washer and dryer covering a window might be insignificant to a visitor, for us, it's something we see every day. And, after three years of brainstorming, we finally found a solution that felt good.

I guess that's the bonus of being four years into a reno - the idea of knocking down a wall seems like an easy project nowadays 😂😂
Just in case you missed it - new last Thursday #on Just in case you missed it - new last Thursday #ontheblog is a tour of our front porch and a few summer decorating ideas!

Hope you all had a safe and happy Fourth of July! 🧨
Sometimes, it's not all rainbows and butterflies.. Sometimes, it's not all rainbows and butterflies... especially when it comes to neighbors.

New post #ontheblog today all about the lawsuit we've been in with our neighbor for the last year. And it started all because of our garage.

In short: three years ago the county required us to get a survey done on our property in order to build the garage. The results showed that the easement our neighbor was using to access her property was not in the right place - it was inside our property lines instead of outside.

Fast forward to July 2, 2019 when we were served lawsuit paperwork from said neighbor, claiming the rights to the easement location - and it's been a long, stressful process since then.

But, we received the good news last week from our lawyer - everything is finalized and we can finally put this whole mess behind us!

Cheers to starting the week off on a high note!
One more coat of mud on the walls and then it'll b One more coat of mud on the walls and then it'll be time for paint in the kitchen!

In other news, Brett scored big time and found a giant rug for our living room - it was half off and arrived last week. Now we're patiently waiting until we get the new floors down until we roll it out. Check the stories if you want to get a sneak peak!😁😁 Enjoy the day, my friends!
Spent the evening at my parent's with two of my si Spent the evening at my parent's with two of my siblings and their kiddos.

Brett showed up around dinner time and proceeded to spend the next hour in a water + cake fight with six kids under 10.

Yup, I'm married to an adult child. 😂😂 Kidding aside - I had one of those 'I love summer' moments, watching them all run around outside, laughing their heads off.

Hope you're enjoying the start to your week, friends! 🙌
So, here's the deal. The kitchen tile project was So, here's the deal. The kitchen tile project was not all sunshine and roses.

Two words: dried grout.

On the plus side, you can in fact clean dried grout from tile. On the negative, it's a complete pain in the ass... And doesn't get you back too 100%. #ontheblog today, I'm diving into all the details on how we cleaned the tile... And the (now funny?) story on how it even happened in the first place (hint: renovating with your husband on an empty stomach never has a positive outcome) 😂
The last four years have been a constant experimen The last four years have been a constant experiment of finding the balance between function and design.

We started this entryway with white built-ins and light walls. Damn it looked good in pictures but real life? With two black dogs and a lake... Well let's just say the functionality of the design choices were at an all time low.

So, we overhauled the space and darkened the walls and built-ins. While I was a little nervous to go so dark, I have to admit Brett's instincts were right one this one.

So, here's to continuing to find that balance of function and design - and I'd love hear, have you compromised anything because it just didn't fit with how your family lives in your home?!?

Copyright North Country Nest LLC © 2021