Daring to Dream

This small New Jersey cottage went from ho-hum to heavenly one DIY step at a time.

- AUTUMN KRAUSE

On a fateful day back in 2013, former elementary teacher Courtney Affrunti sat down at her computer and registered a blog domain. “I was staying home with my three boys and wanted a creative outlet,” she says. GoldenBoysandMe.com (named for her two golden retrievers, Keeper and Dax) quickly grew into a top design destination on the Internet. Courtney is the writer, designer and photographer behind each entry, and her home, a split-level in River Vale, New Jersey, is her canvas. “What attracted us to this house were the location and the property that the home sits on, which is full of large and mature trees,” Courtney recalls. “But other than that, this was not my dream house by any means and it needed to be completely redone.” Over time, Courtney and her husband, Billy, transformed the space into a family (and dog) friendly home that reflects their style, using books, magazines and the Internet as their guide. They share the journey on GoldenBoysandMe.com so others can see that their dream house might just be the one they’re already living in!

REDRAW THE LINES

The kitchen received a complete overhaul. The couple knocked down the walls separating it from the dining and living rooms and added three windows over the sink so the view of trees and ambling deer can be enjoyed while doing dishes over the farmhouse sink.