Just to keep you abreast of all things happening in home improvement, here's a list of what we've been able to tackle since moving in... and a few notes on what's still to come. We also have a very special project that is ALMOST done that I'll give you a sneak peek on.
We'll start at the front and work our way in:
Entrance:
We painted the front door, added some plants and chairs, cleaned up the white trim and tidied up some of the landscaping.
We'll start at the front and work our way in:
Entrance:
We painted the front door, added some plants and chairs, cleaned up the white trim and tidied up some of the landscaping.
Entryway:
We didn't have to do much here, except just come up with a plan for dressing the area. It's the first thing people see when they walk in, so we wanted to be able to have a table and a wall hanging, but the wall space is small. I opted to DIY a chalkboard. This way, I can keep changing the message for a special event, dinner or holiday. It works out really well, and I love the roughed up look and feel of it.
We didn't have to do much here, except just come up with a plan for dressing the area. It's the first thing people see when they walk in, so we wanted to be able to have a table and a wall hanging, but the wall space is small. I opted to DIY a chalkboard. This way, I can keep changing the message for a special event, dinner or holiday. It works out really well, and I love the roughed up look and feel of it.
Dining Room:
We actually went to work in this room. It's still not 100% finished (I want to replace the curtains and come up with a simple art piece for one wall and maybe do something with that light--replace or modify?), but it's almost there. I love the color we chose for this room (Martha Stewart Plumage) since we painted pretty much the rest of the house in gray tones. We also added wainscoting that we DIY'd. Go, hubby, go! It gives the room a completely different feel and adds some architectural interest.
We actually went to work in this room. It's still not 100% finished (I want to replace the curtains and come up with a simple art piece for one wall and maybe do something with that light--replace or modify?), but it's almost there. I love the color we chose for this room (Martha Stewart Plumage) since we painted pretty much the rest of the house in gray tones. We also added wainscoting that we DIY'd. Go, hubby, go! It gives the room a completely different feel and adds some architectural interest.
Sitting Room:
This room is technically the formal living room, but we plan to use it as a combo room of sorts. It will be an extra space for entertaining, home to the piano (we're still shopping for one!) and our guitar, as well as house lots of books and a window seat so that when someone (I) need to break away for a moment from the rest of the house, there is a separate space to gather thoughts. I still need to upholster the window seat (I'm searching for that perfect fabric; right now, I've just thrown some spare black fabric I had around to keep the foam from being exposed), add curtains to the windows and art to the wall behind the bar as well as place the piano. We may also get a cushy chair to go next to the piano or a large oversized ottoman for the middle of the room to provide extra seating.
Den:
This one was also fun to make over. We painted most of the room in light gray. We did a feature wall in here to give the room some architectural interest (and painted it charcoal) and then changed the fireplace venting from brass to black. I have yet to hang curtains in here, so it still looks a tad bare, but I do love the natural light that pours in. We also plan to add a sound bar beneath the TV, so you won't see the niche exposed.
Play Room:
You know from a previous post the before and afters on this one, but I included them again here so that we're keeping tally all in one place. In this room, we added bead board, painted the whole room a light blue, built a stage, included a window seat, added a chalkboard and magnetic board to the walls and made over a not-so-pretty secretary into an awesome arts and crafts cabinet. I'm also in the process of converting the walk-in closet into a book nook. We will replace the carpet in here with wood flooring (so that it ties in with the rest of the 1st level) in the spring.
You know from a previous post the before and afters on this one, but I included them again here so that we're keeping tally all in one place. In this room, we added bead board, painted the whole room a light blue, built a stage, included a window seat, added a chalkboard and magnetic board to the walls and made over a not-so-pretty secretary into an awesome arts and crafts cabinet. I'm also in the process of converting the walk-in closet into a book nook. We will replace the carpet in here with wood flooring (so that it ties in with the rest of the 1st level) in the spring.
Ella/Ethan's Room:
Their room is also ALMOST complete. Just a few more accents/details to add to finish it off (like stenciling or doing something with the back of the shelves in the bookcase). We painted the entire room, added wall decals, painted chest of drawers and hardware, painted bookcase, added woodsy accents, replaced bedding, painted beds. I couldn't find any before pics of this room from our walk through, so you'll have to just go with me on this one. The color in the room before was a dark, sort of inky, blue.
Upstairs Hall Bath:
We haven't done a ton in here (we're not planning any major reno or anything), but we spruced it up a bit. We painted the room light gray (although in the pic the color seems the same, it definitely IS NOT in person) and then replaced the two oval mirrors with one large, framed, much more substantial mirror that gives the area some weight. Looks a ton better!
We haven't done a ton in here (we're not planning any major reno or anything), but we spruced it up a bit. We painted the room light gray (although in the pic the color seems the same, it definitely IS NOT in person) and then replaced the two oval mirrors with one large, framed, much more substantial mirror that gives the area some weight. Looks a ton better!
Not pictured:
These rooms are finished, but for the sake of their privacy, I opted not to show pics here, which makes me a little sad because I'm proud of how their spaces turned out.
Zack's room is done in a sort of space theme, but not too kitschy. The walls are charcoal, and he has open shelving with accent lighting for all of his lego creations to be displayed. He has some cool black and white geometric and abstract posters and a couple of accents that are a shout out to some old school space themed TV shows (Lost in Space, Marvin the Martian).
Ryan's room is done in X-games/skateboarding theme. The walls are a dark denim blue, and his accents are orange, green and turquoise with black thrown in to ground the space with a neutral. The color scheme sounds crazy, but it actually looks really cool.
If they give me the go ahead, I'll come back and share photos. (Gotta respect their personal space afterall, I say with a sigh and a quick roll of my eyes--not because it isn't true, but because we are already to that point. Pre-teens...sheesh.)
Still to do:
Sounds like a lot, right? It is! And although we are victims of our instant gratification culture and want to see the finished results like, now already, we also know it's more of a baby step kinda thang (due to schedules and funds), so we are having fun taking it one project at a time. It really is fun to roll up our sleeves and watch the space transform and evolve as we really make the home OURS.
Take a peek at the work in progress for the kitchen!
- Ryan's Room
- Zack's Room
These rooms are finished, but for the sake of their privacy, I opted not to show pics here, which makes me a little sad because I'm proud of how their spaces turned out.
Zack's room is done in a sort of space theme, but not too kitschy. The walls are charcoal, and he has open shelving with accent lighting for all of his lego creations to be displayed. He has some cool black and white geometric and abstract posters and a couple of accents that are a shout out to some old school space themed TV shows (Lost in Space, Marvin the Martian).
Ryan's room is done in X-games/skateboarding theme. The walls are a dark denim blue, and his accents are orange, green and turquoise with black thrown in to ground the space with a neutral. The color scheme sounds crazy, but it actually looks really cool.
If they give me the go ahead, I'll come back and share photos. (Gotta respect their personal space afterall, I say with a sigh and a quick roll of my eyes--not because it isn't true, but because we are already to that point. Pre-teens...sheesh.)
Still to do:
- 1st floor bath: So far we've replaced the light fixture and painted the walls (mostly). We still need to paint cabinet, replace cabinet hardware, finish painting walls,
maybe reglaze bath tile, replace floor tile. - Master Bedroom: We've basically just plopped our furniture in this room; we still need to create an overall plan.
- Mater Bath: This room has been completely untouched. Still to do: Paint cabinet, change up the mirrors somehow, replace bath fixtures/faucets, replace shower enclosure and some tile.
- Laundry: Upon moving in, we immediately removed the bi-fold doors. Goodbye and good riddance! We will be adding bead board and creating open shelving, along with adding a countertop and some better lighting.
- Kitchen: This is the project up next. We have already replaced all of the appliances, save the oven, which will be replaced this month sometime (I think). We will be extending a wall and reconfiguring some cabinets, painting the cabinets, changing out the cabinet/drawer pulls, replacing the faucet, replacing the countertops, adding an island and building a farmhouse table for the breakfast nook.
- Covered deck: Our deck is a decent size, it just needs a little love. We will be stripping off the chipping paint and refinishing before adding a roof with ceiling fans. We will also be moving the deck stairs to a better spot.
- Patio: We think we have a plan ready for this project that we'll take on in the spring.
Sounds like a lot, right? It is! And although we are victims of our instant gratification culture and want to see the finished results like, now already, we also know it's more of a baby step kinda thang (due to schedules and funds), so we are having fun taking it one project at a time. It really is fun to roll up our sleeves and watch the space transform and evolve as we really make the home OURS.
Take a peek at the work in progress for the kitchen!