Before and After: From Extra Large Master to Kid Bedroom/Playroom Combo

When we moved into our house, almost two years ago, we encountered lots of interesting paint colors, light fixtures and fans. This is the master bedroom in its original (or how we found it) state. It's an incredibly large room, roughly the same size as our living room. Things we loved about having it as a master were the fireplace, wrap around windows and large, double closet (something rare in a one hundred year old home). There were, however, drawbacks to keeping this as the master.

We mostly just sleep in our bedroom. All hanging-out occurs downstairs. It didn't make sense to have such a large chunk of the house for that sole purpose. Our basement is not finished, therefore, when we have our small group on Wednesday nights, there isn't a rec room for all ten kids to play in.

So, we decided to swap rooms with Collin and convert this room into a kids' bedroom/ playroom. Killian will eventually move in here with Collin and, heck, if we wanted to have eight kids, there would almost be enough room to line beds up on every wall, ala Annie or Madeline orphanage! ;)

Anyway, we moved Collin into the big room and, over time, have slowly brightened things up and made it kid-friendly. One of the first things that had to go was the garrish, poorly-painted red on the walls. Nick and his dad tackled this project after Christmas. We went with the same color we had in our Marietta, Ga living room-- Spring Melt by Martha Stewart. It's the perfect, pale minty-aqua-greeny-blue. So soothing and calming! Exactly what that room needed!

I apologize for the grainy iPhone pics! Someday I hope to properly photograph each room of our house, but until then, you get the picture!

I designed the 20x30" "Adventure Awaits" banner from a public domain Ansel Adams photograph of the Grand Tetons. If you are interested in something similar with a custom quote and a similar nature scene or more feminine, floral look. Let me know! I'm planning on listing these in my shop for $199. If it's not there, just convo me and I can make you a custom listing.

You'll see our trusty $5, 70's explosion reading chair is still a fixture! At some point in the future, I'll probably have it recovered, but in the mean time, it's still comfy and kitschy! The rug is a favorite from Ikea, our friend Mary snagged us the vintage chairs from a soon-to-be dumpster pile at the school where she works.

Nick made the chalkboard from a piece of sheet metal, framed it and painted it with chalkboard paint. It's fun to have the magnetic element and I worry less with the old fireplace covered! We aren't big fans of TV's in bedrooms, but it's worked out really nicely to have this one in here for when the brood of ten kiddos at small group start getting antsy and our sweet 10 and 12 year old baby sitters need to change up the activity. 

So, that's that! The boys love playing in here. We love having this space for kids and it just makes more functional sense for our way of life! Someday, if we sell the house, we'll stage it as a master bedroom again. In the meantime, we don't miss having it for ourselves and our livable house space just got a whole lot bigger!

Chair Makeover Before and After

I snagged this chair a few years back at an Atlanta thrift store for less than $10. It was missing a back chushion and so horribly soft that when you sat down on it you needed assistance to get out, but I loved the lines of this sturdy, mid-century construction and saw potential. I had been saving up for a while to have it recovered, along with another chair, and we picked it up from our upholsterer friend, Doug, last week. It has a new seat cushion, a new back cushion, the skirt was removed and I found some cheap wooden legs to replace the chair's not-so-awesome original legs.

I stumbled upon the dreamy dahlia fabric on Ebay for $8.99 a yard. It normally runs at closer to $35 a yard. It looked really familiar to me and I couldn't place where I had seen it before. Oh yeah, it is the same fabric used on the Anthropologie Naive Tropical Astrid Chair which was originally $1298, marked down to $799 and then discontinued. In total, I paid less than a fifth of that price for a brand "new" chair! Happy dance, happy dance, happy dance! 

 So yeah, I love sipping my coffee and reading in our new chair and maybe you think it's loud and crazy, which it kind of is, but it my eyes it's happy and fun and just the right pop I was looking to add to our eclectic living room.

The side table is a fun, marble-topped piece we bought a while back from some friends for $30. It was primed white and we decided to keep it white since the color looked good against the tan marble. Nick painted it in a gloss white and now it's basically our chair's new BFF. Anything smaller/less substantial would have been dwarfed, anything louder would have competed with the busy chair. I'm pleased these two pieces work so well together.

Yay for cozy living room vignettes! Stay tuned for my second chair's transformation!

The Long-Awaited Bathroom Reveal!

Friends, family, countrymen we have a complete bathroom! It's been a long, exciting, sometimes tiring process and we are finally done. My husband is truly the most handy and clever man on the planet. He started this project having never remodeled a bathroom, never ripped a room down to the studs, never re-wired a room to this extent, never having replaced plumbing and never having tiled! My contributions were the overall vision for the space along with internet scouring and thrift store/ antique mall visits, so while this is kind of a team effort, he did the lion share of the work and I am ever so grateful!

Let's take a little journey down memory lane...  Please read on, there will be more photos of the completed space at the end.

At first glance, the bathroom wasn't awful. Upon closer inspection, the floors were stick on tile, the walls a stamped particle board of sorts that was meant to look like tile, and the plumbing was in bad shape (no sink and awful pipes). There was no ceiling fan, you couldn't open the window and the wall plaster was cracked. Definitely seemed like a good first room to remodel!

While classic, the mirror was rusty and the wiring was scary. There was a revolving panel of sorts that was above where the sink should have been. I think it was originally to hold a cup and toothbrushes, but it had since corroded and was kind of a waste of space.

Below are some shots of the process.

We encountered all kinds of fun treasures under the floorboards and in the attic floor when Nick was doing the electrical work.

My favorite day ever was when we had a crew of guys swap out the existing tub for the claw foot we found of Craigslist! In it's original state it was a dingy, dirty white. We painted the exterior a charcoal grey and re-glazed the inside of the tub.

So, back to the completed space. Feast your eyes on the finished project! 

Ah, it's so nice to have it all done.

Here I am, taking a selfie with my shelfie!

Thanks for listening to us talk about his for ever and ever! Woohoo!

Addendum-

Wow! Getting featured on Apartment Therapy was the stuff of dreams! Never did I anticipate so much traffic on this little old blog. I'm so flattered to have received such great feedback and compliments! Some people thought the bathroom wasn't matchy-matchy enough, was too eclectic or not sleek enough. I get it. Not everyone will like our style, but we designed the bathroom to suit our tastes, while honoring the house's past, and are thrilled with the outcome! To those who were lamenting the loss of some of the pre-existing elements I'll say this- We put a lot of thought into keeping things and working with what we had. We are huge proponents of historic preservation and decided, from the start, that if we had to make replacements, we'd make sure to stay contextual with the style of the house. That being said, the built-in tub was not original to the house (most likely installed in the 40's) and it was not in good shape, so we found a claw foot from the era the house was built in, the mirror, as mentioned above, was a rusty safety hazard and the shutters were from the 70's and also in bad shape. Hopefully that gives you some more insight into our choices. Thanks again for all the love!

Glorious Glassware!

Am I the only one who thinks a beverage is all the more tasty when it's in a pretty glass? Well, the weather is heating up and it's important to stay hydrated. Why not take a sip from some of these tasty tumblers-- sure to be a hit at your next dinner party!

1//2//3//4//5

More Bathroom Progress!

Hey friends,

We're getting closer and closer on the upstairs bathroom remodel. The tile is done, it has been grouted, sealed and caulked and Nick has hooked up the tub, toilet and sink, so it's almost all finished. I am so grateful to finally be able to use this hallway bathroom. There is no longer a claw foot tub or a toilet in our bedroom, we don't have to tiptoe through a sleeping baby's room in the middle of the night to get a drink of water or go to the bathroom, we don't have to brush our teeth downstairs off the kitchen anymore and we can finally bathe our little guys in a tub! Huzzah!

What's left to do-

*Finish last bit of mudding and paint the walls a serene white

*Install the metal shower halo where the shower spout will come out of and the shower curtains will be hung

*Reattach and repaint the window and door frames

*Construct a threshold for the floor between the tile and hardwoods

*Repaint and reinstall the vent cover

*Reglaze the inside of the tub in a nice clean white to match the rest of the fixtures

*Install medicine cabinet and light fixture above sink

*Install towel racks

*Install open shelving above toilet

*Decorate!

I'm so proud of Nick and all he's done without having to hire any work out. He's just plugged along in the midst of 50+ hour work weeks, being an awesome, available daddy, playing on worship team, volunteering at church and taking care of numerous other household tasks. He's just so amazing!

Stay tuned for more updates!

Decor through the Decades

I've been wanting to do a post on design through the decades for quite a while. It wasn't until Nick went out of town on a work trip this past week that I actually had some time to buckle down and research and write during the evenings. You see, I just have the hardest time not spending time with him when he's home and the kids are down for the night. ;)

So, without further ado, I present to you my interpretation the home design from the 1940's to the 1980's. Please bear in mind, the style boards I've put together have a modern take to them. I wanted to create looks that could easily be executed in present-day homes without looking dated or like the set of a movie, so I added a few pieces to each board that are decidedly 2014 looks. Almost every piece displayed can be purchased, or something similar can be purchased, online.

I realize there are many design styles in any given decade, but I have done my best to highlight some of the more popular and noteworthy looks of each era. Keep in mind, the most en vogue looks of a particular time period often take years to trickle down to the average home. Since furnishings and decor items are collected over time, most real homes possessed, and possess, looks from several decades at one time.

1940's-

I'll start of with one of my favorite decades! The 1940's were largely set in wartime, on the heels of an economic depression. The design style present during this time was modest, traditional and romantic. Patriotism was at its peak. People couldn't stomach being extravagant in their home decor when young, American men were dying on foreign soil. There was a coziness to homes during this decade because it was a place of comfort and solace during a tumultuous time. Lines were soft and details were both utilitarian and sweet. While putting this look together, I realized just how much I have, unconsciously, gravitated towards this style in my own home decor. 

light//poster//mirror//sofa//radio//curtains//mixer//slippers

1950's-

Another favorite decade of mine. The 1950's were very much a deviation from the modesty of the 40's. The war was over and people were ready to settle down, have families and show off their new-found prosperity. It was a hopeful time. Furniture lines became cleaner and sleeker with the heyday of Charles and Ray Eames' design work and the permeation of Danish modern design in America. Color schemes became brighter and colorful appliances, newly available in more than just white, were all the rage. Towards the end of the 50's you also saw an influx of celestially inspired decor, or atomic design, as space exploration and the race against the USSR heated up. 

sofa//mirror//fridge//print//lamp//curtains//pillow//globe//glasses

1960's-

The 1960's was an era of rebellion against the establishment and youthful exuberance. Design became more playful and less formal. The Brady Bunch and their astroturfed,
California ranch reigned supreme on the airwaves each week. Floral patterns and mismatched colors took center stage in homes, along with unconventionally shaped furniture and architecture. Plastics, produced via new manufacturing techniques, and the endless possibilities this flexible medium offered opened the door to more unconventional and creative design. What we know today as the Mid-Century Modern school of design gathered even more steam and a trend towards simplicity and de-cluttered spaces was reflected in streamlined decorscapes.

sofa//wallpaper//pendant light//turntable//side table//sheepskin//dress//vase

1970's-

In reaction to the candy coated, shellacked aesthetic of the 1960's, the 1970's design style gravitated back to nature. Homes were adorned in earth tones, wood paneling and natural fibers. The outside came in and hanging plants and terrariums became popular. Comfort became equally as important as style, as evidenced by the movement of wall to wall carpeting, often of the shag nature, and sound-proofing popcorn ceilings. I've been in a number of truly 70's style homes and can't help but dislike how dark they all feel. However, it's interesting to see that many 1970's trends are coming back, against the backdrop of open, white walls and airy, minimalist homes. I find I like the design style much better in its reinvented state.

sofa//curtains//turquoise planter//pink planter//fondue pot//side table//pillow

1980's-

The 1980's were characterized by Reaganomics, big hair and financial success (or at least the appearance of financial success). The nouveau riche of this decade spared no expense to deck their homes out in gilded, often gaudy, decor. It was difficult for me to put this board together, because I find so many of the looks of this decade tacky. Maybe it's just because I was a child during this time. In combing through 80's decor styles, one thing I can appreciate is the nod they gave to the 1920's Art Deco movement and the juxtaposition of pastels and black. The 80's saw a wave of decor trends that ran the gamut-- from Miami Vice to Southwestern inspired. Floral chintz fabrics and lace took center stage as the decade wrapped up-- giving way to another shift in design towards the more grounded looks of the 1990's.

sofa//peach pillow//gold pillow//lamp//wallpaper//mirror//unicorn//necklace//painting

Beyond the 1980's, it's hard for me to define or interpret where style has gone. Perhaps it's easier to see patterns the farther away you get from them. Or perhaps, having lived these more recent decades as an adult, I am too aware of the many iterations of design styles in each year, let alone decade.

I can remember there being a lot of country looks happening in the 90's, also some 1930's inspired lines in sofas, lamps and tables. The 90's definitely started off in cooler color pallets with a lot of dusty blue, teal and sea foam green, morphing in the mid 90's into burgundy and hunter green plaids and giving way, at the start of the 2000's, to lots and lots of variations of browns, tans and reds.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on where decor styles have been and where they are going. Ultimately, there is never really anything new under the sun and what you see as fresh and new now has its origin in a bygone era. I love history and I love design, so I find this sort of thing fascinating. What about you? Do you have a favorite, historical design period? Do tell!

And now I must go decompress from the creative frenzy going on in my brain! Good night!