Ten years ago today, Barack Obama was President.
There were no iPads, Uber, Instagram, Airbnb, or Teslas.
Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, George Michael, and Prince were alive and well.
And Jamie and I closed on the Cavender house, (jump starting a blog about the experience).
I thought it might be fun to see the original listing pics compared to how she looks today.
Drastic changes to the curb appeal;
It’s easy to see the new paint (from pea soup to chocolate bar), beefier porch columns, new roof, turquoise fountain, mailbox, under-eaves lights, shutters, landscaping and a sexy, sexy new door. (Goodbye ugly fiberglass stock door from Lowe’s).
The backyard is even better. Before;
And what we live with now;
Yeah, that deck was the best decision we’ve made yet.
This was billed as the dining room;
We currently call it our living room;
It’s probably more of a library.
Here’s what was described as a “chef’s kitchen”,
Tile countertops, a black sink, black appliances, florescent lighting?, much too-short upper cabinets…. and why am I looking at the side of the microwave?
Not anymore;
The space is much improved with granite countertops, industrial faucet, stainless appliances, and cabinets that reach up to the celing to make use of every available inch space.
The Den looked…. spacious, at least,
Now it’s more full, which is always better. Right?
Jamie started painting that fireplace black 10 minutes after waking into the house for the first time. We still love it.
The other side of the room wasn’t much prettier,
Now it’s more the focal point of the room, with a tv hidden in all that junk somewhere,
The guest bedroom was pretty….. austere.
To say the least.
Not any more. Now it’s cozy.
The master bedroom certainly wasn’t selling anything, except maybe “Moroccan Ikea”.
Now, it’s my favorite room in the whole house, hands down.
The wood headboard wall was one of our first projects.
The main bathroom was the only bathroom picture shown on the listing, for obvious reasons.
It’s much improved now…
I’ll have to go deeper into detail on this one later.
And I will, promise.
10 years down.
Hard to believe but we couldn’t afford to buy in this neighborhood now.
No worries because we don’t ever plan on moving.
Not without a court order anyway.
Happy 10 years of the Cavender Diary, Everyone.
THE CAVENDER DIARY 
Iāve loved your home since the first time I read about it! ššš”
Such a lovely, warm, inviting space! Love all the personal touches. You guys have great taste!
But “Morroccon Ikea”………..cannot stop laughing!
All the Best!
I love your beautiful home! It makes me smile. š
Congratulations! I canāt believe itās been that long! Thank you for letting me see you both transform your house into a beautiful masterpiece for two cool people with amazing taste. All the best to you. Christine.
What great collections! Love your style.
Congrats on 10 yrs!!!! Such a wonderful and gorgeous transformation on your home!!!!! Every single room and decor is MY taste too!!! I would sleep like a queen in your guest room and spend LOTS of time on the fabulous backyard deck!!! Here’s to another 10 fantastic years with your blog and home!š„š»šš
I have loved your home since I first found your blog years ago. It really spoke to me. It has all the things that I love in it and you both used them to make such an interesting and heart filled space. I love the Ralph Lauren style of it all! It was so great to see a post pop up in my feed! I miss seeing regular posts from ya’ll!
I love this post. Love the before and after photos. Congratulations on transforming your house
into a warm and interesting home.
Love the before and afters. Very inspiring! I’m bookmarking your ideas for that magical day when we get around to re-doing our front and back entry! š
Oh my, your house is sooooo nice! Bet itās glad to be re-born. Great work!!!
Happy Anniversary! Your home is in good hands. It amazes me how often pictures of your home and garage appear on Pinterest. I’m pretty sure that’s how I found you years ago. My son used your living room and those layered shelves as his inspiration in his first apartment. I just shamelessly saved a bunch of photos to send him.
Wow! Just wow.
love everything about it. if you guys ever decide to visit north jersey, stop on by and help me! just kidding. maybe.
Congratulations! Love your style, just amazing. Thank you for sharing, I look forward to all of your posts.
You have done an amazing job with this home. Congratulations on your 10th Anniversary.
Sooo totally beautiful!!ā„ļøā„ļøā„ļøā„ļøā„ļøšššš
Sooo totally beautiful!!ā„ļøā„ļøā„ļøā„ļøā„ļøššššyāall are always adorable šš
Your before and after photos of your home are so much fun to see! I love your design and decor. There is so much to see so I am happy you share it with all of us.
Love it all as always! Could you tell me where you found the big angus cow poster?
Hi Carol, I got it online from the Angus Breeders Association. And get this, it was free. I just had to pay shipping.
Where did you buy the day bed in the living room?
Hi Lisa, the black and white ticking one? Found that at an antique mall years ago, then had it recovered in the ticking. Itās great, isnāt it?