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We are constantly showcasing our homes in the light bright daylight, but we don’t often reveal these spots when the sun goes down. And today I’m going to change that with a view of our condo after dark.
We were honored to be included (and inspired!) by the A Night In series, hosted by Chris Loves Julia and Yellow Brick Home. But in that post, we only showcased Casey’s family room after dark. We figured why not re-visit this genius concept (thanks for the inspo, Kim & Julia!) and showcase more of our homes after dark? And by more, I mean our entire home tours!
I’m giving you a glimpse into what our condo looks like after that light, bright daylight disappears. Then next week, Bridget will showcase her full home tour after dark.
My Chicago Condo After Dark
When we were condo hunting almost 4 years ago, I was on the search for a space with lots of natural light. And boy did I find the place! We have huge windows in our family room on the front of our house, and then we also have large sliding glass doors on our bedroom in the back. Every morning, I open up all of the curtains and shades and let that natural light shine on in. Best feeling ever.
Prepping for Evening
Now that the sun is setting around 4:30 pm (grrrr, Chicago winter), my natural light doesn’t last very long. But I do have a little routine to prepare our home for the evening that makes me feel a little better about the darkness. Plus, my home then feels super cozy.
I put down our remote controlled blinds first. This blocks out the view of the street and makes our family room much cozier. I then draw the rest of the shades and curtains throughout our home. 
Next, I light a candle. You guys know how much I love the Volcano candle from Anthropologie and I was so happy to see it in a gold container now. I also picked up this reed diffuser for our bedroom, so our entire home basically smells amazing. I also have all of our battery-operated candles (super cheap from Michaels) around the house set on a timer. They go off around 5 pm and stay on until 10 pm. 
I then tell Alexa to turn on the bedroom lamps and the family room lamp. In just a few minutes, our home is ready for nighttime!
Family Room After Dark
Dining Table // White Chairs // Gray Chairs // Rug // Couch // Coffee Table // Leather Chair // Lamp // Side Table // Overhead Light Fixture // Planter
We spend most of our time in this space during the evening hours, and I really enjoy the dim light in here. I turn off all of our can lights and only have the light fixture in the middle of the room on. It’s on a dimmer, so it’s nice that I can control the brightness in the space. 
With just that on and the lamp, this space has plenty of evening light. As we discussed in this rookie mistake, it’s essential to have multiple light sources in a room. It’s just so much more flattering to have some table lights on in the evening as opposed to harsh overhead lighting. 
We added this DIY side table and lamp a couple years ago and I don’t know how we survived without that little area. The lamp is one of my favorite pieces in the room and we turn it on every.single.day.
Kitchen After Dark
Stools // Dinner Bell // Runner // Pendants // Marble Fruit Bowl
Our kitchen is actually a space you don’t see on the blog very often. And that’s because we never really changed it. I’m not in love with the dark cabinets and black countertops, so it rarely makes an appearance around here.
I think I built up a kitchen renovation in my mind so much and I was never able to take the plunge. Now after seeing Bridget’s kitchen renovation, I wish we would have tackled this space when we moved in. Oh, well. No use worrying about it now that we’re planning to move!
I do love our undercabinet lighting in here and I always leave the light over the sink on as well. Our kitchen pendants give off a nice soft light, so those stay on during the evening hours.
Guest Bathroom After Dark
Here’s a little peek at our guest bathroom after dark. It looks pretty much the same as it does during the daytime because there aren’t any windows in this teeny-tiny space. I still love it and I’m so proud we transformed it last year!
Guest Bedroom After Dark
DIY Wall Treatment // Headboard // Gallery Wall // Sconces // Table Lamp
I’ve gotta say, I think the guest room is by far my favorite space during the nighttime hours. And it’s because it has 3 great light sources…the table lamp, a soft overhead light, and the gold sconces. While we don’t turn these all on when it’s just us around here, I do when guests come over.
I think the dark wall color (Valspar’s Dutch Licorice) is just so dang cozy and it looks amazing during the evening hours. I’m really happy we added the sconces around the gallery wall in here. It makes that wall soft and glowy. Honestly, my favorite evening space in the whole house!
Master Bathroom After Dark
Here is another room you don’t see very often on the blog…our master bathroom. This room has a ton of lighting, but I’m most happy we swapped out our pendants for these big black ones. They make such a statement and emit lots of light. Not so great when you’re washing your face and get to see your pores illuminated, but definitely comes in handy when it’s time to put makeup on!
Master Bedroom After Dark
Rug // Curtains // Shades // Bedding // Nightstands // Dresser // Dresser
Onto the master bedroom. I always shut our curtains and pull down the bamboo shades in here. And then, we really only use the table lamps for light (from HomeGoods btw). 
Over by my little work station, I’ll sometimes turn the desk lamp on for some light as I finish work up on the computer before Finn gets home. It’s crazy how dark it gets back here, so having that desk lamp available is key. 
I usually spend some time reading before bed (more on my nightly routine here), and I’ll keep our table lamps on for that. Then when it’s time for bed I say, “Alexa, turn off the bedroom lamps.” And boom, it’s bedtime for me!
I hope you enjoyed taking a look around our condo after dark. It was actually really fun taking pictures at night (there wasn’t a race against the sunset for once). I was able to take my time and really view our space in a whole new light. Crazy how a home can feel so different depending on the time of day!
P.S. If you’re new around here and want to see what our house looks like during those light, bright hours I love so much… you can take a full tour here!
Casey
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