It doesn't feel like we've been in the house for a year. Maybe six months. I was pulling files off of my old, dead laptop the other day and came across the very first pictures I took here. These are from closing day and seeing them again was a nice trip down memory lane. I had forgotten how little furniture we had when we moved. Remember when the dining room didn't have chairs for three months?
Anyway, I thought I'd do some befores and afters today, a brief retrospective of our projects. There's still a lot we haven't gotten to, but then again we didn't expect the basement to flood. Oh, life! You keep me on my toes. None of the rooms are done but I decorate kind of slowly, anyway, so there's not a rush.
Dining Room - 60% complete. This is otherwise known as The Room That Makes Me Feel Like An Adult. I still want to put in hardwood and paint the walls, but for now it's fine.
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| Before - I had completely forgotten about the red curtains! |
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| Now - Summer 2013 |
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| Now - Summer 2013 |
Basement - 75% complete. We had planned to re-do a lot of this yellow-on-brown action eventually, but then it flooded and we decided to just kill two birds with one stone. We still need to paint the walls (bought it yesterday!) and hang some art, but I think you smell what I'm cookin'.
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| Before |
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| Now - Summer 2013 |
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| Now - Summer 2013 |
Main Bathroom: 35% complete. This is the upstairs bathroom. As you can see, it was a beige box when we moved in. Then I went temporarily insane and painted it charcoal gray (middle picture). Now it's periwinkle blue and looking much more like it belongs in the house. We plan to replace the floors, tub, and vanity next summer, but Phase 1 is complete.
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| Before |
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| The middle. Welcome to the cave bathroom, I hope you can see in the dark. |
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| Now - Summer 2013 |
Master Bedroom - 60% complete. We had some trouble transitioning out of the college-y vibe we had in here, but now it's looking much more appropriate for a couple of grownups. It still needs some color, though, and we don't have anything above the dresser. My bad.
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| Before |
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| Now - Summer 2013 |
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| Now - Summer 2013 |
Kitchen - 10% complete. All we've really done in here is add furniture and hang the gallery wall, but since all of that art took me almost two hours to hang, I'm showing it.
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| Before |
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| Now - Summer 2013 |
We did a couple of smaller projects, like painting the
Smurf Room, but these are the main areas that have seen changes. Looking at everything all in a row makes me want to paint some more walls RIGHT NOW. There's still a lot of beige leftover from the previous owners and it's feeling a little one-note to me. Time to get some swatches!
What have you been doing around the house lately? Have you ever gone back and looked at pictures from right when you moved? It's bonkers, right? I'm amazed at how quickly I forgot how things used to look.
WOW! Just wow- it all looks so good, and doesn't it just make you feel good?? I should do a post like this. The before on our house is insane, especially compared to the after. Keep going until you get it just how you want it because it's just such a great outcome.
ReplyDeleteI remember when you first moved in and all the ideas you had. Your home is gorgeous already and you've done an amazing job. I kinda liked the grey bathroom but I guess that's just me. ;)
ReplyDeleteI loved the gray color itself, but in that room it was just too coffin-like. I actually held onto the rest of the gallon, so maybe I can use it somewhere else!
DeleteYour before/after photos are great! And inspiring! I need to go back and find mine . . . I still have a lot to do!
ReplyDeleteWow! impressive!
ReplyDeleteYour bedroom looks great! I have a wall of framed photos stretching all the way across the wall behind my bed. I like the look. They are all photos I took on vacations.
You've done quite a lot in ONE year!
Hubby and I built our house 13 years ago. Every room was "builder's beige." lovely.
We have a room--the living room--that is not really used. It will soon become a library! Several years back we painted the room a dusty yellow color. much more inviting. I suppose I should take some before photos.
Recently, we updated our kitchen (not quite finished). We bought new appliances and changed the countertops, expanding some a little. We took out a useless desk and put in a cabinet.
Holy cow! Incredible how the simplest of things can completely change a space! I recently saw some photos of our house after closing and all of the walls were white. I couldn't believe how just paint alone had transformed the house. I love your bedroom-- it looks really tranquil and peaceful.
ReplyDeleteThe inside of our house was a "beautiful" salmon color on every wall..and trim...when we moved in. It was hideous! I made the mistake of painting everything white and would love to repaint.
ReplyDeleteYou're gotten so much done in one year...you and your hubby should really be proud! And you've done SO much of it yourselves!
I really like the charcoal bathroom, but I can see how the periwinkle brightens it up so much.
Everything looks amazing! I cannot tell a lie, I haven't painted a wall in like ten years. Our place was already very "us" when we moved in (lots of grey, charcoal, and white walls). I am going a little nutty with this nursery project though...
ReplyDeleteWow, you've gotten so much accomplished this past year! Congrats. I love all of the improvements and can't wait to see what you do next. The college-y vibe...we've gone a long way toward eliminating that in our home as well.
ReplyDeleteWow! I love that collection of plates. May I ask how they are attached to the wall? Can you get them off there easily and use them? I am also amazed how much bigger your bathroom is looking now.
ReplyDeleteThey're attached with metal plate hangers that I got from the craft store. They're also available online at places like Amazon if you have hard time finding them. We actually leave those up as decoration and don't use them.
DeleteEverything looks great! We've been in the house 10 mos I think and none of our rooms are finished either. I also decorate slowly, but I'm glad I do. Even though it makes me impatient to see things everywhere that I still want to change, taking things slowly has enabled me to find a lot of things I probably wouldn't have found if we bought everything at once. We don't plan on being in this house forever, so we're weighing what we want to change that would make us happy living here now versus what really doesn't make sense to spend money on if we might move in a couple years...a lot of things that are just cosmetic and don't add value to the house, basically. One thing's for sure, we will definitely be leaving it in better shape than we found it. :)
ReplyDeleteVery Nice !
ReplyDeleteIt really looks great, I love it! And I'm in love with the places on your wall, I have a few of them on the terrace, but I'd love to have more of them :)
ReplyDeleteYou've done a LOT in a year! And each room is HGTV-worthy!
ReplyDeleteWow you have really made this house your own, I love it! Way to go!
ReplyDeleteAmazing transformations! Love the fresh feel in your dining room. And the trolley print (especially with the white frame) is awesome.
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