A Modern Minimalist New Build

This project is a custom home that we wrapped up last year. Custom homes are my favorite, because each client has a different style and vision, and I never know exactly what everything is going to look like until it’s all put together.

This is also the first project where we have used GE Cafe appliances, and I have to admit they are stunning. Check out the kitchen photos below to see for yourself!

Is this a staged home from a magazine? No, this is a real house right here in eastern Iowa. Can you find the fridge in that last photo? It blends right in!

The natural light in this home brings such a bright and fresh feel to every space!

The peacefulness of this primary bedroom and bathroom is something we all dream of! Private wooded views and bright sunlight make this ideal for some rest and recharge time!

A huge thank you to our clients for having the vision, and choosing us to bring it to life!

Until next time,

Rachael

NEW Year, NEW Hours & Services

Oh hey there, 2022!

The new year rolled in, burning hot and fast, whether we were ready or not.

Each year, when we are turning the large wall calendar from December to January, we write down some goals we have for the upcoming year. Some are small, some are unreasonable and unattainable, but regardless we write them down.

One of the goals for 2021 that seemed unattainable was Adam being able to quit his job at the city and build homes full time, which he was able to do.

Another goal that seemed unreasonable was taking a vacation (it had been since Oct 2019, y’all) and somehow we were able to pull that off, too.

As we look ahead to what will almost certainly be an interesting and unpredictable 2022, we have a couple of goals in mind that will hopefully set us up to succeed.

First up, we will no longer be working on Sundays. I know this might not seem like a big, unattainable goal, but for us it’s a huge milestone. Previously, we used the weekends to catch up on whatever hiccup happened during the week that delayed/rescheduled our work. Moving forward, we will still use Saturday for those types of activities, but Sunday will be reserved for our own projects, including building our house and working at our farm.

Second, we will be shifting focus a bit to building new homes, for at least the immediate future. Designing and building homes from a sheet of notebook paper to finished product has always been a passion for Adam. We will still take on the smaller projects, but scheduling will only allow for a limited number of those per year. For more info about home building, connect with us over at APS Homes by clicking here.

Well that is all I have for today! As always, we greatly appreciate your support for our little corner of the internet. For day to day happenings, make sure to follow us on Instagram!

Stay warm and safe out there!

-Rachael

Iowa Winter Fun & Life in 2021

Hello 2021!

Iowa started off the new year with nearly a foot of snow. Exciting for those who like to play in the snow, but also challenging for those who remove the snow. Our household experienced both sides of this dilemma.

I am grateful we took some time to slow down and recharge over the holidays, we certainly needed that. If I could just have one week every quarter to sit at the beach and refill my cup, I think I could go on at this intense pace of life indefinitely! Not too much to ask, right? Ha!

In all seriousness, we are using the beginning of this year to organize our business to the highest level. I am a big advocate for efficiency, and gathering receipts for taxes has shown this is an area that is lacking (does anyone else have a large plastic tub full of paper to sort through?).

We have a couple large projects that will begin once the ground is un-frozen, until then its clean and purge time at home. Each year I feel the need to really minimalize my house around January/February. Maybe it stems from trying to get every last piece of glitter left over from Christmas, or just that I’m over the clutter of the holidays. Either way, it’s time for it to all leave my house and as a bonus I am reminded of what my kitchen counters look like. I consider it my yearly surprise. Here are a few photos!

Also, we will be selling our house soon to move to the farm, so I guess the clean and purge is currently serving two purposes! We don’t quite have our house plans finalized yet at the farm, and thus no start date, but there is not much that can be done right now in the frozen tundra of Iowa in January.

Speaking of that, it is supposed to snow again tonight so I had better tidy up some things outside. I hope this post finds you safe and healthy!

Talk soon!
-Rachael

Our First Renovation Video

Today I have something a little different!

I put together a video of our renovation project we did over the last year, that we titled ‘The Farmhouse Project’. It’s a pretty short video, but I think it captures the behind-the-scenes pretty well.

This is the first time I have ever tackled something like this, so it’s no professional production, but hey, we have to start somewhere! Just click on the photo below (or here) and it should take you to the video.

I hope you enjoy it!!

-Rachael

Book Shop Back Open!

You read that correctly!

My hand stamped book shop is back open on Etsy, following an extensive closure due to a shortage of materials related to COVID-19. These vintage-inspired book sets are stamped and personalized by me, and make a great gift for any occasion. Here are a few photos…

I purchase these books from second-hand stores, so they all sit in my garage for 24 hours before I do anything with them, please allow an additional day for processing for this reason. Also, if you are local, shoot me a message or email prior to your purchase so I can set up a pickup and avoid shipping charges.

I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy, and I will chat with you soon!

-Rachael

Collaboration with Glyn-Mawr Winery

Today is the day! I can finally reveal my latest project, and I am so very excited!

Recently, I had a local business reach out and request some of my personalized book sets for their winery and tasting room that has a small merchandise area stocked with items from nearby artisans. Prior to this meeting I had never been to Glyn-Mawr Winery or their tasting room/storefront ‘the local’, but I quickly fell in love with their farmhouse and country style decor (and might have picked up something for my laundry room remodel). I snapped a few quick photos, and you will see what I’m talking about!

Here are a couple examples of the book sets I made for their shop…

The entire town has a 4th of July antique festival, full of vendors and food trucks and the like, and if you are local to eastern Iowa it’s definitely worth the drive. Weather permitting, I will be there myself tomorrow, so feel free to stop by and say hello!

Thank you for stopping by the blog today, and have a safe 4th of July!

Bring it, 2019!

I have never been a person who makes resolutions for the new year, but recently I have caught on to the idea of having a ‘word’ for a focal point behind fresh ideas and goals.

This year, i’m going with the word ‘visibility’.

For those of you who may be new to our community, 2018 was a big year for APS as we branched out into the tech world and constructed this fancy website that you are currently viewing. While APS Construction and APS Design are not new businesses, the idea of documenting and publishing content to a website was (and still is) very new to us.

The suggestion to create a website came up about a year ago, and to be honest I tried to ignore it for as long as I could, as the thought of taking the time to learn the behind-the-scenes technical details seemed daunting. But the need for a way to organize and showcase our work to better serve our clients was not going to go away, so in August I tackled this project head on. And while this website is still a work in progress and receives almost daily updates and tweaks, it certainly is nice to be able to send a client here to view past projects instead of trying to scroll through thousands of photos on a phone.

We have some big plans in store for the coming year, and increasing our visibility will be in the background of all of them. Soon you will be able to find APS Design’s ‘blog’ portion on Apple News, I will share the official link for anyone interested when everything is done being approved by Apple.

I can also share that I am in the final stages of developing a ‘commerce’ portion of this site, where customers can easily purchase the personalized book sets that you might have seen on our Instagram or Pinterest accounts. This should hopefully streamline the process and make things easier on both ends, but first I have to get through the legal side of things and draft ‘terms of service’ and register to collect state sales tax and all of that fun stuff.

As other activities become more finalized I will be sharing them, and as always I will be posting our current client and DIY projects to give you some inspiration for your own farmhouse. We don’t know all that 2019 has in store for us, but we are ready to work hard and see where this journey takes us.