Room Makeovers – Page 23

You Can Hang Your Hat On It

Published on March 4, 2013March 26, 2013 by Our Humble Abode26 Comments

Hello and happy Monday! Well, as happy as a Monday can be. How was your weekend? Saturday brought beautiful weather with temps in the low sixties. A touch of spring that I’m desperately clinging to. Yesterday started out nice, but ended with a snow storm complete with thunder and lightning. Never have I witnessed a snow/thunder storm combo. We took advantage of the nice weather and ran errands and grabbed lunch on Saturday. Which is always a treat. And we made a little tweak to the entertainment center. But let me back up, several weeks ago, Ben put in all the drawers. Then I primed and painted the inside and outsides.

Last weekend he attached the drawer fronts using this technique.

After some debate and opinion gathering, we chose handle option number 1, the simple (cheapest) square ended one.

My favorite and so pretty. After all, hardware is jewelry for a room.

As usual, our projects are never in the quick one week and done style. Oh no, we like to drag it out, because what else would we want to do? Pshh, that’s totally it. That means we still have a few things to do. Number one, cut pieces for the toe kick, prime, and paint. The only wood accent I want is the pretty top, not unfinished pine.

Annnnd I still want doors on the upper cabinets. We don’t have a lot of clutter there, but the bounty of speakers and electronics doesn’t look pretty. Doors would also help cut down the amount of dust.

For now, I grin like a fool when I see finished drawer fronts with functional storage behind. The boys now have a place to keep toys.

The top drawer closest to the stairs is super handy to store hats and gloves (and other randoms like plastic pea pods) that normally get lost in the closet.

And that brings us to this weekend’s little tweak.

We hung the tv to the back wall, making it easier to clean under.

In addition to showing off more of the dark wood top. What do you think of the nearly finished entertainment center? Tall, dark, and handsome, right? Of course that’s about the only thing that is done in the living room. Now I want to repaint the walls with a little color (notice the blue swatches?) in a flat paint. Satin is entirely too glossy on the knock down texture.

Sandstone Cove

Published on February 28, 2013March 26, 2013 by Our Humble Abode25 Comments

Do you remember my itch to paint? I’ve finally scratched it. Monday included priming and painting our newly installed crown. Tuesday I edged the ceiling – Ben will roll it after we finish patching a few hairline cracks. Yesterday I put two coats of Behr’s Sandstone Cove (color matched to Glidden) on the family room and hall walls. Good news! We love the color.

Rember the peach-y walls of yore? Here’s a refresher.

It changes from beige to gray depending on the lighting. And makes the white trim stand out. With nail holes patched, we’re assessing our art. Ben says I hang cluttered groups and would like to see simpler, larger pieces. I’m thinking the 2 foot by 3 foot frame could look nice hanging on this wall. Perhaps I’ll change out the art, but the boys like to find places on the map, so it might stay for them.

The hall gallery is gone, at least until I can figure out a way to simplify it. For now, the Montana and Minnesota watercolors will hang just above the thermostat.

Yesterday wasn’t all smiles at the new paint though. After three days of painting, I had a problem and a frustration meltdown happened. I completely blame this:

(Yes, I realize this is a first world problem and I’m a major brat) Unfortunately, in at least 20 spots, my Frog tape peeled off the trim paint. Wop wop. Worst of all, I don’t know why that happened. The tape wasn’t stuck on forever, the paint was dry, I peeled it off when the paint was still wet at an angle. It doesn’t make sense. I’ll have to sand the areas, touch up the semi gloss trim paint, then the satin wall paint. Inevitably the touch up will be obvious thanks to a sheen difference. Unless you have suggestions. After my meltdown, Ben cheered me up by installing our new sconces from Lamps Plus.

Ahh, so pretty and simple.

Love a touch of satin nickel.

Even better, the low profile means fewer bumps and bruises for the adults in this house.

Overall, I’m thrilled with the brighter, sleek look. And a warm, diffused light. I give these sconces two enthusiastic thumbs up. Check back tomorrow for a light-ning giveaway!

P.S. Lamps Plus kindly sent us two sconces after we featured them. We’re psyched to Lamps Plus wanted to team up with us.

It’s About Dang Time

Published on February 21, 2013March 26, 2013 by Our Humble Abode14 Comments

At long last, we’re calling the main bathroom (we started working on, oh, mid April) d-o-n-e. What were we waiting for? False vanity drawers.

That we didn’t make. After all these months of waiting on a few drawers, we decided they weren’t worth the effort (and the sizes didn’t work well). Because they had absolutely no purpose other than looking like drawers. Instead, Ben cut a few pieces of MDF down, nailed them in place so I could finish painting.

The rest of the room was already done. Months ago. Except the dark gray painted door. I did that in December.

Officially our first completely finished room in this house. Woohoo, we’re on a roll…hopefully. Family room, I’m looking at you; get your act together already.

A few new accessories round it out, like these two bucks for three clearance cups from World Market.

And a navy and coral Without You print to hang above the throne.

Just because it makes me laugh.

Ahh, feels good to close that chapter. Finish any long-standing projects recently?

Can’t Wait for Paint

Published on February 18, 2013March 26, 2013 by Our Humble Abode16 Comments

Hello friends! Did you have a good weekend? Do something fun? Have nice weather? Saturday was almost 50 degrees, now we’re back to the thirties. Such is February. Which means we played outside and got some work done inside. A few weeks ago Ben added trim to all the doors in the hall.

Pre-primed trim immediately brightened the hall from the dark wood trim of yore.

Beefed up baseboard almost makes the vent covers disappear.

I’ve been busy filling nail holes, sanding, caulking joints, priming, and painting the new trim crisp white.

I’ve finished painting the trim and have already started taping it off in preparation for wall paint.

Before I can paint the walls though, we’ve still got a few more things to check off the to do list. First, sanding the patched area from the arch we took out and a few hairline cracks in the ceiling.

Then crown molding throughout the room followed by more filling, sanding, priming, and painting. And painting the ceiling before getting to the walls. Good grief, I want to paint those walls. Both for finished walls and the pretty details waiting. Look what we’ve got to install after paint: pretty brushed nickel sconces from Lamps Plus.

While I’m waiting to paint the walls I’ve been painting doors as quickly as I can. And I’m heels over head – head over heels doesn’t make sense, aren’t we always? Dark gray, a touch of brass (though I still want to take the sheen down), and clean white. My design color trifecta.

Only three doors left, including the boys’, which I’m dreading leaving them without.

Baby steps to a finished room. Down the line we’ll figure out furniture. I’ve got a serious crush on the Gus Modern chair from Mod Livin’. Sadly almost 18 hundred bucks for two chairs (my kids will jump on) doesn’t fit the budget, but that doesn’t stop me from dreaming. Any affordable arm chairs you like?

Arch Adventures

Published on February 6, 2013March 26, 2013 by Our Humble Abode4 Comments

Where were we? Oh, that’s right. We had torn out the arched doors. Time to rebuild and get ready for paint. For both doors, Ben started by building small walls to frame out the tops to normal door height.

Immediately, we liked the definition of family room and breakfast nook/kitchen.

A few pieces of sheet rock, tape, mud, and MDF trim (more durable than sheet rock and we got away without seams) closed off the studs, both large and small doors.

The living room ceiling still needs a coat or two of mud.

So will the small door to match the knock-down texture on the walls. Boo to textured walls.

The living room side will remain flat, but we’ve still got more mud to add for a seamless patch.

Then we’ll sand it smooth, add trim around the doors to match the windows, and finally get some paint on the walls!

I know it doesn’t look like much now, but it feels so different already. Trim around the small door just feels so much more finished.

Just a few more simple steps and we can cross the family room off our to do list. At least until we decide its time to get/build new furniture.

So tell me, have you added or removed a wall for a completely different use and feel of a space?

P.S. We’ve been nominated in the Home Project & DIY category for Apartment Therapy Homies. Thank you! Voting ends Friday.

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