This is the story of Ariana & Jeff Falerni, newlyweds and first time homebuyers. Ariana is a web designer and Jeff is a toy designer & illustrator and neither of them knew anything about owning a home or renovating one when they bought the house in May 2007. They still don’t really, but with the help of others they’ve learned a little bit on the way.

The house is a small starter home, a 1340 sq. foot 3BR/1.5 Bathroom Colonial built in 1929 in Nanuet (Rockland County) NY. It needed a lot of work, but had a irrepressible charm…so much so that despite the blatant water stains and sagging ceilings, rusted out appliances and small bedrooms, outdated kitchen and absence of any decorative details, Ariana & Jeff fell instantly in love the moment they saw it.

This blog documents their progress as the house slowly transforms into home…from mortgage selection to renovations and design inspiration.

Here are some before pictures (with previous owner’s furniture).. for more recent in progress and after pictures, please see the gallery page.