This post is sponsored by Allstate. All opinions are my own.
I am so excited to finally share with you the first room in our #homesweetjonestead tour! On Instagram, I did a poll asking what room(s) you wanted to see first, and y'all voted on the kitchen, so here we are! I'm also partnering with my friends at Allstate to share 10 homeowner essentials that you need to make sure you have on hand.
Without further adieu, our kitchen!!...
I am so thankful that I was able to handpick everything that went into this space. For us, the kitchen is the heart of the home and is also on the main level. I knew that I wanted it to be a light & bright space, and our entire main level has coffee bean hardwood flooring and 9-foot ceilings.
For our cabinets, I chose a 42-inch white shaker style that I knew would work well with the modern farmhouse feel Chris & I both love. We opted to upgrade our cabinet & drawer pulls to the stainless bars, that we will eventually change out to matte black.
Our countertop is Carrera Quartz that has both gray and beige tones to it, which we thought was perfect for our mix of color palettes throughout the home. We loved how bright it was, but the hardest part was knowing what it was going to actually look like once it was installed. We weren't able to choose our slabs for our countertops & island, but we trusted our builder & contractors to choose a gorgeous, matching set.
We were lucky enough to have an upgraded kitchen style, which included more cabinets, a double window, a pantry, and an island with an overhang. Our electrician left the wiring with covers over our island, and my Dad installed the two pendants. They turned out perfectly! We also have all stainless steel appliances--I'm obsessed with our fridge!
Throughout the rest of today's post, I'll be sharing more detailed decor shots along with my 10 homeowner essentials--trust me, I bet you're missing a few off this list!
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One // Spare Keys
Believe it or not, you're bound to lock yourself out of your home at least once...maybe more. When Chris and I were handed our keys, we were handed the only two made from our builder/contractor. Since our house is new construction, we didn't feel the need to change our locks, because our contractor was the only person with access to our house.
The first thing we did aside from excitedly bringing in the first of a million car & truckloads was head to Lowes and get spare keys for both our parents, and our besties who watch Lilly for us when we're away...or if we lock ourselves out. haha! Thankfully that hasn't happened yet, but you want to be prepared. The last thing you want to do is pay a hefty bill for a locksmith to break you into your own home.
Two // Tool Kit & Drill
I can't tell you enough how many times we used our tool kit, drill, and level the first few days we were in our home. From putting together new furniture to hanging curtains, and hanging & leveling artwork and pictures, we were always reaching for our tool kit! Something to keep in mind when stocking up your tool kit is to add a flashlight and some spare batteries in there as well! You never know when you'll need a flashlight for emergencies or power outages.
Three // Firebox Safe
A firebox safe is so important. They aren't that big of an investment, but they will protect your important papers and any treasured items you may have. For us, we have insurance policies, our marriage certificate, and a few other treasured items inside that we would want to be saved in case God forbid there would be a fire.
Four // First Aid Kit
Can you believe that before we had a home, we never owned a first aid kit?! How were we even considered adults?! We grabbed one from Target that had all of the essentials like Band-Aids, bandages, burn cream, ointment, an ice pack, etc. so that we'd be prepared should we need it! We have it in our pantry in the kitchen so it's in a central location in our home.
Five // Fire Extinguisher
Get yourself a fire extinguisher now if you don't have one. If you do have one, be sure yours is still working & isn't too old. Even though we have sprinklers throughout our home, a fire extinguisher is great to have on hand should a small fire in the kitchen break out. It's a $25 investment for peace of mind that you will be prepared should there be a fire.
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Six // Homeowner's Insurance
Homeowner's insurance is something you need to have established before you go to settlement on your new home. You are required to submit a copy of your policy and have a bill to be paid at settlement to give to your mortgage lender, so make sure you put it at the top of your to-do list!
Depending on your policy, homeowner's insurance helps to protect your home's structure and structures on your property such as a shed or fence. It will also generally extend to a certain amount of your personal property as well, God forbid your home caught on fire or was broken into. You can also add additional coverage to personal belongings should you need to.
Once you do the work upfront to research and choose the policy that is right for you, your mortgage lender will generally pay your homeowner's insurance through your escrow account that you put money towards every month within your mortgage payments.
If you're anything like me, you love a discount, especially when you're buying a home! Allstate shares how to get a discount on home insurance, and the best way to save money is to have multi-policy & long-term policies as well as home security devices.
Seven // Vacuum
A vacuum is kind of a no-brainer, but you'd be surprised at how many people still have their cheap dorm room vacuum from college that barely picks up anything. I highly recommend investing in a high-quality vacuum that will help you keep your carpets, floors, and home clean.
We love our Dyson and are amazed at how much it picks up from our floors & carpets. Ever since we started using it two years ago, we've noticed less kitty hair, which means fewer allergens floating through the air.
Eight // Light bulbs
Can I just tell you that until about three days before our move, we totally forgot about light bulbs! Thank you Amazon Prime for getting us our light bulbs the day before we moved. haha! Our home did come with light bulbs already as do most homes, but we changed out every light fixture in our home (15 total--thanks, Dad!!), and we needed the new light bulbs that would fit each fixture.
One lesson we did learn about light bulbs is to do your research on what temperature you want them to be aka the Kelvins. We originally got 4000K LED Edison Bulbs, but it turned out to be too bright of white light for us, and it didn't feel homey. As much as I hated to say I wanted my light bulbs to be a warm white, we ordered the 2700K light bulbs, and our home changed completely!
It's all about personal preference, but to us, having that warmer light at nighttime is just what we wanted. We are lucky enough to have a ton of natural lighting throughout the house, so if I need a brighter natural light for blog photos, I rely on the sunlight.
Nine // Home Security System
Some people love and feel the need for home security systems and others don't! Again, totally about personal preference for this one, but we felt that we would be more comfortable with a home security system even though we live in a super safe neighborhood. The world is a crazy place, and we like the added peace of mind that not only us, but our home, and Lilly would be safe in the case of an emergency.
We have the Ring doorbell + alarm system, and it's also nice to have a notification in case someone is snooping around the house, a package gets stolen, or you want to keep an eye on your street! It's definitely an investment to get all of the equipment, but for us, it was worth it.
Ten // Guide Lights & Switch Lights
These are hands down my favorite home gadget purchase we've made so far. Chris is all about making our home a "smart house", so we have the Apple Home Pod, a Smart Thermostat, but these guide lights and switch plate lights are the best! They replace your existing switch & outlet plates and connect right in to create an automatic nightlight when it gets dark!
We have three levels, so turning on every light on the way downstairs is a little crazy, so now we have these guide lights throughout the house so we don't have to turn on every light just to get a drink of water. We also put them in the bathrooms so that we'd have a guide in the middle of the night. Honestly, these were the best invention ever and make your home feel so fancy!
When you've moved in and settled into your home, don't forget about regular home maintenance to keep your home in tip-top shape.
I hope you enjoyed my first #HomeSweetJonestead room reveal!
Be sure to follow our home decor Instagram for more updates at @HomeSweetJonestead and check out Allstate's amazing home ownership resources--they've definitely come in handy for us!
If you want to shop my kitchen home decor or homeowner essentials, shop the links below!
This post was written as part of the Allstate Influencer Program and sponsored by Allstate. As always, thoughts and opinions are my own. As the nation's largest publicly held personal lines insurer, Allstate is dedicated not only to protecting what matters most, but to guiding people to live the Good Life, every day. Thank you for supporting ACF!
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