Around the House

Before Chris and I even moved into our house we knew we had big plans for really making it feel like home. The house is about 13 years old and aside from some very odd built in shelving units and paint, everything was left mostly original. We hit the jackpot when it comes to home updating and decorating projects because my parents happen to own a little place called B&E Decorating Center (if you’re local). My dad can also walk the walk with a paint brush and do a lot of other handy work. My mom was or maybe will be in another life, an interior decorator, so she helps out in that department. Then we have Chris’s dad who also knows a thing or 2 about DIY home projects. Chris is of course involved in the labor aspect of all this business while I’m in charge of budgeting, list making and idea gathering/shopping.

We moved into the house in mid-November so between just getting settled and the holidays, there wasn’t time to start any big projects. Now that we’re into the new year, things are really starting to happen. I’ve always been a fan of color but I also love neutrals. I went with color schemes in my apartment and my condo and this time around we are going the neutral route with lots of texture and pattern to keep things interesting. Having the TV mounted over the fireplace, the giant built in corner shelving removed and the holes patched, the new grey paint in the living room made it look brand new. We had no idea how yellowed the ceilings really were until the new white paint went up and it was clear that was desperately needed. My mom picked up a sofa table and console that we will paint/stain to go with the design scheme (thanks mom!). This past weekend the kitchen up for a little facelift. The snow on Friday was pretty but didn't stop us from moving forward with plans to paint and shop. A light warm grey to cover up the old out of place green instantly brightened the whole room. The cabinets will eventually need to be stained and the floor tiled but just a new paint job and a new light fixture look like a huge upgrade right now.

We bought new dark wood bedroom furniture right before we moved and a new grey and white striped bedspread for the master bedroom. Our TV is mounted on the wall and our new wood bedframe arrived (in a million pieces) so I picked a medium grey paint to bring it all together. The bedframe is unfinished wood so that my dad can do a custom white/grey stain. There is also a custom wood headboard and a sliding barn door to close off the bathroom in the works. And speaking of the master bathroom, it’s probably getting the biggest upgrade of all. The setup is an open doorway from the bedroom with his and hers sinks on either side. The bathtub/shower is in the corner and the toilet is walled off in its own separate room. The remaining space makes up a walk in closet. The vanities are oddly short (especially if you’re over 6 ft. tall like Chris) and the tops, faucets and light fixtures are dated. We actually already have the faux wood tile that will go in this weekend and bought new regular height white vanities from Home Depot. White tops and new brushed nickel faucets, light fixtures, towel racks and a shower head will welcome the room into 2016. We plan to also reuse the existing mirrors and just frame them out with wood for a modern style upgrade. The walls will be painted a dark grey to stand out against all the white and the shower curtain with silver trees on a white backdrop we received as a wedding gift is already hanging up.

There is a lot going on at our house but it’s so exciting to see it become our home with our style stamp on it. I will post pictures as things really come together. Anyone else starting the new year with projects around the house?