Room Makeovers – Page 18

Feeling Groovy

Published on March 19, 2014March 18, 2014 by Our Humble Abode3 Comments

Adding the West Elm Mobile Chandelier and vintage Longhorns added some interest to our blank entry. But it was (and still is, really) a far cry from what I’d consider finished. I mean, half torn off, waiting to be replaced crown doesn’t scream finished. In fact, it looks awful.

As do the peach, heavily textured knock down walls throughout the entry, living, and dining rooms. It looks the worst on the large 12 foot expanse. But, we did take a big step in the finished direction this weekend. Luckily, Ben and I are both fans of painted tongue and groove strips; a great cover up option for ugly walls. We’ve got a blank slate accent wall.

I’ve never had an accent wall. We started with tongue and groove planks, starting level with the entry floor, then down and up from there. Nailing into studs to secure the boards in place.

Going down was easy, just a few angled cuts along the stairs. But going up wasn’t so smooth. Being 12 feet off the floor on the right side, and 16 off the left made it tricky to get everything to the top. Fortunately Ben knows his way around a wobbly ladder. Me? Not so much.

I tried priming the wall, starting at the top, but my short T Rex-ish arms couldn’t reach. Though he thought it hilarious, he instead took over the priming and painting.

This pine has heavy grain and knots, so it has plenty of character and texture. Even when painted. But still looks neutral to allow the light and horns to be the real focal points.

Though this railing isn’t my favorite, it looks significantly better against crisp white.

We still have some trim pieces to add before putting the final coat of paint on. The angled trim pieces along the stairs are only 1/2 inch thick, so I’d like to add a cap to thicken it up.

We did this on the planked side, and it adds just enough thickness for the boards to sit against.

Crown can go up around the entry, living, and most of the dining next. Again, the lone piece isn’t the look we’re going for.

Except the back dining wall, where the 8 foot door goes to the ceiling. We’ll have to add crown there after we’ve replaced the door with a window and a normal sized header.

But, I’m willing to paint the room, even if the windows and trim will change soon. Those peach walls have been here too long. I’ll paint the dark garage door and new railing white for a seamless look.

Rug Exchange

Published on March 12, 2014 by Our Humble Abode16 Comments

Over a year ago, we added large-scale floral rug to the living room and put our old grid rug in the family room. It certainly brightened things up, but I’ve never been completely happy with the large rugs we currently own.

Especially after we bought a clean lined Mission style dining table. The floral pattern felt too busy and didn’t match the table style.

This weekend we made a simple switch. While working on the family room ceiling, I pulled all furniture out-of-the-way. Before putting it back, I tossed out the idea of swapping the grid and floral rugs. Ben and I moved the table and laid the simple rug under.

Wouldn’t you know, I love the change?!

The geometric design pairs nicely with the dining set and balances the dark wood better.

But I’m still not satisfied with the remaining rugs. While I’m happy with the quality of the floral rugs, the look doesn’t fit in with my end goal.

For the living room, I’d really, really love the Marquis Wool Rug from West Elm:

In my head, the Marquis rug with the Flexsteel Rachael sofa would be a great base for our living room.

Another light, simple geometric rug. Should pair nicely with the dining grid rug. Just enough pattern to add interest, but not enough to draw attention. And the beige/gray/cream mix can go with anything. With select rugs 30% off right now, I was close to pulling the trigger, but the 9 by 12 size isn’t currently available. Womp womp. Back to the rugs we do have. The displaced floral rug is in the family room, for now. You know, until I find something I love.

I do like the added interest and color, but I had gotten used to the simpler look.

Maybe a jute rug to calm the space? Oddly enough, I’m trying to convince Ben we should layer a cowhide rug in. He’s not into it, which is strange because this was the situation when I met him:

While this house was mostly typical plain 70’s (later installed inlay diagonal wood floors and six panel doors excluded), I’m trying to add in more rustic pieces. After all, this is Montana, even if we are in the city. Working in the dining set, Longhorns, our DIY console, and popular (around here at least) Craftsman-style trim are just a few touches so far.

I’m naturally attracted to modern furniture. The clean lines get me every time. I find I like a mix of the two a lot lately. And the cow rug could look really fun with the modern chairs and coffee table. What do you think of the options? Any rugs you love that would work well in either of these spaces?

Bathroom Before and After

Published on February 3, 2014February 3, 2014 by Our Humble Abode50 Comments

When we moved into this house, the master bathroom was dated with yellow tile on the floors, counters, and shower. The brown grout always looked dirty. And those red walls. Oh, I couldn’t stand those red, patchy walls.

Though the bathroom was large and filled with light from the big window.

A shower leak bumped this remodel up the priority list, and we couldn’t be happier to bid the old room adieu. Last fall I quickly painted the walls a light green, just to cover up the red (but didn’t bother taking the light fixture down to paint behind). So, here’s what the room looked like before demo work began:

Which is a stark contrast to the finished room we’re using today:

Ben built a custom solid walnut vanity topped with a vessel sink with stainless steel countertops.

Wood planked walls and ceiling give subtle texture and the nearly black painted upper part has a high contrast I love.

Accessories and the long teal linen window curtains pop against the neutral walls.

Simple DIY art, arrows, and a copper bud vase add personality and really make the room feel lived in.

The new slate floor and marble shower tile feels ultra luxurious.

Our low profile curtain hanging system also helps keep the bathroom open and airy in a way even a glass wall couldn’t. And with far less cleaning and maintenance.

But we can’t forget the tub, because that’s a key piece in this remodel. By shortening the vanity to a single sink, we were able to make room for the claw foot tub.

I’d love to make a small shelf to rest on the tub, because the rattan stool is in the way of the door swing.

One last item on the bathroom to do list is replace the window and surrounding trim this spring or summer.

Finishing a room always feels great, but this one is especially satisfying. So many elements we love, some we weren’t comfortable putting in a main bathroom. Like the claw foot tub. The boys have used it a few times already, and we’re happy not to have to worry about four sides of splashes on a daily basis.

Dark and Handsome

Published on January 29, 2014January 29, 2014 by Our Humble Abode53 Comments

Hey, hey, hey! Guess what? Aside from a few small tasks (replacing the broken light switch plate and perhaps getting a runner), our master bathroom remodel is done. Finishing the vanity was our last job, and it’s ready to rock.

Ben built everything, and in a similar way to our old kitchen cabinets. (If you have questions, feel free to ask!) After talking to a custom cabinetry shop, he did make a few tweaks. The custom shop uses white melamine for the cabinet box and Blum Tandem Plus drawer glides, so that’s what we used. Because these glides are designed to be ‘hidden’, the drawer bases have a 1/2 inch lip around the sides and front. No visible glides on the sides:

Ben used his table saw to cut a channel for the MDF to fit into.

We wanted a wooden vanity to add some much-needed warmth to the room. American Walnut is a favorite of mine, with its deep, rich color. After joining the boxes together, we, um, Ben faced the fronts with walnut. I came by after and filled the small cracks and nail holes.

One of the reasons we chose a vessel sink was to have usable, full-sized top drawers. To make this possible, Ben ran all the sink plumbing down the 5 inch center of the vanity.

An access hole inside the cabinet is usable with the drawers pulled out, if we ever need to work on the sink.

For a simple, modern look, we kept flat panel drawer fronts. (Sorry for the terrible lighting, I took these at night).

For the finish coat, I decided to experiment with Teak Oil. I love the ability to recoat without having to completely sand down the wood. And the oil looks amazing, bringing out all the beautiful grain and color. See the right stack, without oil? Ashy and blah.

After a full day of dry time, the vanity was almost ready.

Modern cylinder handles finish it off. To mark the holes, I put pieces of tape near the center then measured and marked on the tape. Ben drilled and pulled off the tape. Worked like a charm.

Hey handsome, do you come here often? Oh, you do? Wanna come home with me?

Of course it took me two seconds to start organizing the drawers. Here’s Ben’s side:

And my top drawer:

When the sun cooperates, I’ll snap a ton of pictures to show full before and afters. I’m pretty sure, no, completely sure, this is our fastest full remodel. We demo’d mid November and I’m calling it done today; only 2 1/2 months.

Let’s Get Functional, Functional

Published on January 20, 2014January 20, 2014 by Our Humble Abode6 Comments

This post approved by Olivia Newton John. Not really, because we’re getting functional, not physical. No 80’s gym gear necessary. Over the weekend, our master bathroom became fully functional in the plumbing department. That’s right, we’ve got a working shower, clawfoot tub, toilet, and now sink.

Ebay came through with a sink, faucet, and drain combo. Because we went from two sinks to one, we wanted something a little wider to make it more functional for two people.

After much debate and pricing of materials, we landed on a custom-made stainless steel counter to match the shower. Carrara marble would have cost nearly $800. While it would have been beautiful, we couldn’t justify that price. Stone or man-made remnants in this size are nearly impossible to find. Wood was a contender, until we decided to make a walnut vanity. Stainless was not only the most affordable option, but also a solid, easy to clean surface.

It’s so nice not to wash hands in the bathtub.

I’m torn about the mirror. I like the look, but it’s on the smaller side at 25 inches in diameter. Ideally, we’d have a 36 inch round mirror. At $40, it’ll stay.

I still have to cut the rope shorter and find something to ‘hang’ it from.

See what I mean about it being a little small? Do you know of any 36 inch round mirrors under $100?

We made progress on the vanity yesterday, but I’m waiting to share until it’s 100% finished. But, the walnut is amazing already. Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. day, too. Enjoy the day off, if you get it.