Blog Archives
Burlap and Jute Give Wonderful Texture to this Table Re-Do
Let’s just start out right away with the before:
Here are the things I like about this table… I like that it has storage, I like the shape, I even like the wood graining technique on the brown part. But I do not like and never have liked the green panels with the flowers. They just aren’t painted in my favorite style or something…
I’ve been debating with myself ever since I bought this little table/cabinet from HomeGoods several years ago, why did I buy it if I didn’t like the way the green part looked… but since I did buy it that way, didn’t I need to ‘live with it’? I typically would have no problem selling it, but the size and shape and storage have been so darn useful, that I haven’t wanted to totally part with it.
But guess what? I finally came up with what I think is a great way to re-do it… well just the green panel parts… I decided to use click here to read the rest of the story…
Why a Roman Shade with Cafe Panels was the Right Choice
The other day I showed you the ‘Anthropologie’ inspired bathroom. In that room we made a roman shade with coordinating café panels.
By cleverly mounting the roman shade way above the actual top of the window trim, it instantly tricks the eye into believing the window is larger! (I am always amazed with that trick!) click here to read the rest of the story
Someone Else’s House: Bungalow Bathroom, Almost Anthropologie Style?
Continuing the tour of the refreshed and somewhat renovated c. 1916 bungalow, (or there abouts,) our young couple has purchased, the bathroom is the room to see today. (If you missed it, click here to see their bedroom/projects)
This room started in pretty good condition:
The walls, however, were a shocking yellow. I think the previous homeowner was trying to coordinate with the floor tile, but instead the result was quite harsh.
Although the mechanics of the room was fairly solid, our young couple really didn’t care for some things in the bathroom.
First, as what so frequently happens in older homes over the years, the bathrooms and kitchens during the ‘updating process’ lose their original trim and character. Which is exactly what happened to this room, it had, at some time in the past, been updated, and in that process, the original trim was removed and replaced with ranch molding.
Another thing our couple just wasn’t sure about, was the floor tile. Although it was in excellent condition, it just seemed to scream a little too loud.
After considering ripping out the tile, but given the budget, and encouragement from others to keep it because it had an ‘Anthropologie’ look to it, the new homeowners instead decided to add back in some of the missing character and see if then the tiles would feel more at home in the new setting.
And here are the results of their hard work and creativity: click here to read the rest of the story
Our House: Family Room Changes, Starting with Re-Doing Window Treatment
A little bit ago I shared with you, over several posts, how I had ‘lightened up’ the living room on our main level. Well, now it’s the lower level’s turn for some lightening up and neutralizing!
In case you missed it, I started with the hallway that leads to this family room by making this fun faux zinc lettered sign for it.
Now, moving into the family room, I’ll show you how the valance was…
Cute and colorful, but I’m ready for a little more neutral in my life…
For the past several years the family room has been very colorfully decorated with bright cottage colors, but as we’re preparing to sell our house, I’m trying to tone down anything that may appear a little too specialized and open it up for ‘the masses’. Ha!
Part of the family room walls are papered with a yellow background paisley print, it is a very nice paper, and I’m thinking that with everything else now being changed to mostly neutrals, that the wallpaper with just a tiny pop of color on the other side of the family room will be a fun accent.
This window treatment is one of the first changes to the family room, it’s an upholstered board valance above the 8’ sliding door that leads out to the screen porch and beyond to the patio, grill etc.
Here’s a before and after pic: click here to read the rest of the story
DIY a Faux Zinc, Lettered Sign, Named for the Historical Setting of Our House
Oh boy, I’ve been working… I’ve been meaning to do some fun updating to the lower level of ‘Our House’ and I started in the hallway.
If you follow me on Facebook, then you saw this basket of goodies…
These are just a samplings of stuff I’m using to update and re-do the family room and hallway with. See that cardboard ‘T’ in there? I was at Joann Fabrics the other week and saw the cardboard letters on sale and had the sudden inspiration to make a sign for my hallway landing. But I wanted the sign to look like it was a hundred year old wooden board sign with old zinc letters mounted on it. click here to read the rest of the story…
