house tour: boys bedroom

For months, I've been meaning to post pictures of the boys' bedroom in our current house. For some reason, it's taken me forever to get around to it! Probably because there are still some things that need to be done that make it feel very unfinished (new windows, new doors, new baseboards / trim, etc.) but those are big ticket items so I can't keep procrastinating because it doesn't look perfect. And honestly, I just keep adding random things in here so it feels a little eclectic, but hey - it's a kids room! I got an old globe from a thrift shop and painted it with chalkboard paint and drew some faux calligraphy on it. Perfectly imperfect, right? :)

I painted the room in Benjamin Moore Palladian Blue. It's such a beautiful color and I wish I had painted more rooms in it! It makes me happy every time I go in their room. It's not a huge space but just fine for a 6 and 4 year old. They each have a dresser on opposite sides of the room (matching antique Drexel Heritage that we got for a great deal in Mesa). They're such great quality and the hardware is so pretty. We upgraded all our old IKEA furniture to great quality antiques and I couldn't be happier. IKEA is great for some things but we haven't had great luck with moving our IKEA furniture. 

Their bedding is a hodge podge of Serena + Lily, Pottery Barn and handmade quilts from Aunt Sarah. "Tweety" and "Little Howler" are their BlaBla lovies.

We use the Bright Lab string of lights for their nightlight and it provides a really soft, cozy ambiance. Plus the "choose your own" colors are really fun!

The anchor bookends are from Target and that funny gnome money bank is from Anthropologie. We got the Scandinavian carousel that plays "Wonderful, Wonderful Copenhagen" on our trip to Denmark. I love it. It's one of my favorite things we got on our Europe adventure.

The Wayne Pate seagull print is one of my favorite things about their room. It just makes me smile every time I see it.

So, there you have it. William and Fritz's room... as it is July 2016!

house tour: kids bathroom [mini] remodel

I'm finally sharing some photos of our mini bathroom remodel. Here's my disclaimer(s) though. First of all, I'm calling this a "mini" bathroom remodel because we have plans to gut the entire thing along with the master bathroom and create a larger en suite. Because of that, I didn't want to spend too much on this remodel with things like new flooring, countertops or a tiled shower and just worked with what we had. Secondly, the remodel isn't technically complete because we ordered all new interior doors that won't be here for two (long) months so it doesn't look completely done. I also have a few finishing touches I want to do. I will probably do an update again once I feel like it's done (and maybe when I finally figure out how to take good pictures of a weird angled bathroom with terrible lighting... tips anyone?)

This is our hall bathroom that the kids and guests use. I wanted it to be colorful and fun, especially with a temporary remodel, because I could! Without further ado, here is what the bathroom looked like BEFORE. Black trim, black vanity cabinets, butter yellow laminate countertops, trellis vinyl flooring and cheesy, builder light fixtures.

I started by hiring myself (haha) to make a design board so I could visualize what I wanted. Here's what I came up with and I feel like the vision really came together the way I wanted. 

I sanded and painted every last surface of this room - no lie. The baseboards and trim were painted black so I sanded and painted all those bright white. It was a messy job, but someone's gotta do it!

The walls needed a ton of patching so I ended up just skim coating and sanding the walls (with David) and they look a lot better since they're not as textured. This is what it looked like mid-projectn when I was COVERED in drywall dust.

The sink vanity had the same terrible black painted cabinets that we have in the kitchen... and the same cabinet hardware. They are NOT good quality and I wish we could have ripped them apart but it'll have to wait for a full remodel. This is after I had removed the "unique" 70s hardware.

I decided to try my hand at the painted concrete countertops that I've seen and I think they turned out great for a temporary fix. I wouldn't do them if this bathroom was a permanent remodel though, but that's my personal opinion. I used a combination of this tutorial and this one and they were both really helpful. It really was easy (albeit pretty messy) and I think anyone can do it. I think we had the ideal countertops to start with since they were smooth 70's laminate. 

I also bought a pair of these stools from IKEA and painted them kelly green. Here's the before.

I apologize for the shadowy pictures. I need a wide-angle lens (I think) and this room is difficult to photograph because of the funky angles. I also had just wiped a spot on the countertops that was still wet so just pretend that's not there cause it normally isn't. Anyway, this is pretty much what it looks like, except I'll be changing a couple of things: new bulbs for the vanity fixture, possibly new faucets if I can find a good price on something I love, new closet and room doors, a new heating vent plate, put on the schoolhouse light fixture shade, fill frames with art... but you get the idea, right?

So, the flooring... remember how I said it was vinyl? Well, it wasn't in the budget to replace it with tile or anything so I just painted it with Benjamin Moore's Floor + Patio Porch Paint in Gull Wing Gray. It went on so smooth and was actually really fun to paint! I just deglossed the floors before and painted it on. I am a huge fan!

For the trim, stool and vanity I used Benjamin Moore's Advanced Line... that stuff is awesome! I've tried painting furniture several times and it always dries sticky and streaky. This stuff is magic! It's kind of pricey but totally worth it. I will never use anything else. It goes on like oil and cleans up like latex. The color for the vanity is Cabana Blue.

This shower curtain is kind of the main inspiration for the colors in the bathroom. I wish I could photograph it better but because of the weird alcove that the shower's in, it's hard to photograph. Just trust me - it looks awesome in there!

Well, that's all (for now!) folks!

house tour: basement closet

I have no other name for this spider-infested closet in our basement, except the "Harry Potter" closet. Which is really no big surprise since I'm a big Potterhead! This tiny closet is currently storing some chairs and is the home to lots of spiders and other critters, I'm sure. We keep the door closed all the time and try to keep the kids out of there as much as possible since David had to rip off some drywall to fix a leak. I don't want the kids messing with those pipes so we put a bookcase and the piano in front of it on the other side of the wall.

There are all kinds of ideas on Pinterest for ways people are using closets similar to this one. From mudrooms to homework stations to food storage to playrooms, but for our purposes, I'd like to have it be a small reading nook. Just somewhere cute and cozy for the kids to hang out. William is an introvert and really needs his own space sometimes to be alone and recoop. Especially since he and Fritz share a room, I feel like a private little space would be helpful for him. And honestly, I would like to be able to use it sometimes too!

There's not a ton of work to do in here since it's such a small space but I still created a design board to help me visualize a plan (BTW, if you're looking for some help with e-design, check out my design page). I've been wanting to use this dog wallpaper somewhere in our house but wallpaper is expensive! This tiny little space would probably be small enough to afford it. Plus, my kids are obsessed with dogs so I think it would be perfect. I also love how it's a pretty classic pattern that feels very English to me.

I love the little yellow chair. I feel like it's small enough for this little closet but I wouldn't mind putting in a built-in bench against the back wall with a cushion and some pillows. However, I think adding in some carpet and then laying on top a faux-sheepskin rug would majorly add to the cozy factor in here to allow for seating. And I've had my eye on that stripe ottoman forever! It would also work as extra seating.

Then I'd love to put some IKEA spice rack bookshelves on the wall along with a frame chalkboard, colorful art and, if space allows, maybe a small basket for stuffed animals (since we have a million and they're all over my house). I love to use pretty baskets to corral blankets and toys around my house. It makes keeping things tidy so much easier!

Sources:
Dog Wallpaper
Yellow Chair
Faux-Sheepskin Rug
Buffalo Check Pillow
Stripe Ottoman
Framed Chalkboard
Animal Art
Hello Beauty Full Art (which I'll probably make myself)
Star Pendant

house tour: kitchen

I feel bad for posting this because I know everyone will be REALLY jealous of our kitchen... har har. No, but seriously, it has potential! That's what I keep repeating to myself every time I can't fit the groceries from the Costco run in our fridge, or water spills over the too-small sink onto the floor or I glance at my feet and look at the floors... and then, I think - hey, I have a kitchen! There's food in my fridge! There's clean, running water and why do I care that I don't have gorgeous counter tops? Honestly, none of this matters but it's still fun to talk about it and work toward our dream.

Anyway, enough justifying. I don't know why I feel so guilty about wanting a gorgeous kitchen, especially since we'll be doing this on a very modest budget. We've toyed with the idea of doing a mini-renovation because I am SO sick of not having any prep area and would love to buy this island to use until David can build a permanent one during our full renovation. I think it would repurpose really well in our laundry room to use as a folding station after it's served its purpose in the kitchen. However, we'll see how things unfold as we work on all the other projects.

So, let's start with a tour of how the kitchen looked when we bought it. It was a tiny little square with a wall that separated it from the living and dining room.

Before we moved in, David ripped that sucker down and it really opened everything up! Then he temporarily put down some vinyl pieces to fill in the gap where the wall was and that's what we are rocking right now. Other than that, we haven't changed anything in here (except we changed the light over the sink temporarily because the other one was broken).

Some of the highlights of the current kitchen (and there are some incredible ones!) are as follows:

1. This hardware in the center of the door. I mean, what?! It's so bizarre and they're kind of atrocious. I will NOT miss them.

2. The black cabinets are grainy and gross. I have contemplated working around them but they are so crummy. Beyond the fact that they're just really old, the drawers stick really badly and I'm not sure how well I could cover up the grain without hiring someone professionally to do it... and then I may as well just replace them. We have already priced out and designed our IKEA kitchen so we have a number that we're working with into our budget.

3. The sink and faucet... are not MFEO. I'll tell you that for free. This sink doesn't fit 90% of my pots and pans and has the disposal on the wrong side. The best part is the faucet whose bridge comes passed the front edge of the sink so if it's in a straight position, water will spill all over the floor. It's the best! I love it! Let me tell you, lots of bad words under my breath.

4. The lovely vinyl floors circa 1976. These are going soon and I cannot wait! David is ripping out all the flooring upstairs and replacing it with laminate wood flooring (real hardwoods will have to wait for our dream house someday). FYI - the green tape is where I've been measuring island size possibilities.

5. The fridge that came with the house is the same one I had in college. So, I try to fit all of our food for a family of 5 in this apartment size fridge. It's not fun but I just have to take deep breaths and remind myself how lucky I am to have a fridge at all. I will be happy to have a new refrigerator! Tell me your best tips for appliance shopping!

Lastly, as you can see from this picture, we'll also be taking down the "X"ed spots. The skinny wall on the right was the other half of the doorway from the wall David removed. Removing that will give us more counter space too as we move the fridge and elongate the counters. The "X" on the left is going to go when we replace the floors. It's currently a coat closet that we won't need anymore once the mudroom is finished downstairs, and will be a stair railing.

Now, for the pretty pictures. This is what I have in mind. I want to make sure I make classic choices that are modern, and that I'll be happy with should we stay here long term, but that will also be classic enough for resale. With that in mind, I feel like white cabinets are not only currently on-trend, but also really traditional. I'm envisioning a classic Shaker style cabinet with simple hardware. I love the look of dark blue painted lower cabinets but, because I am trying to be traditional, I am thinking that I may only paint the island blue. That way, should we sell the house in the next few years, I can paint it white again if we feel it might help sell the house a little better. Pacific Northwesterners don't always have my same style, which is maybe more Southern California/Texas. I don't know.

I found this blog renovation that is almost identical to our house layout. Seeing their before and after gave me so much hope! They started with essentially the exact same kitchen we have and I would like to copy most of this (thought I'd like to add just a little color here and there). Can you envision it???

I also love the brass/gold hardware with blue trend, but I need to make sure I find just the right style and hue, all while staying relatively inexpensive. Hardware can get really pricey but it's like jewelry, right? There are so many great options and, when it's actually time to choose, I'm confident I'll be able to find something that will work. This has been one of my favorite kitchens for a long time and I'd love to do some of these elements, like the blue lowers and white uppers, white subway tile with touches of wood.

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