House Reveal: Living Room

We have been in remodeling stage of our house since July.  And although it's not totally done, we are getting close.  Today I thought I'd share our living/dining room with you.  Here are the before & afters.

We decided to do a whitewash style of stain on the main wall in the living room.  I wanted to brighten the room up a bit & decrease yet another version of wood grain in the room.  A lot of different wood grains in this house... a lot.

I love our living room.  The cathedral ceilings make it feel so open.

And there are so many windows that no matter what the weather it is bright inside.  I love having a 180 degree view our of my living room.  

The major change we did in this room is replacing the banister with a wall.  We had to have the banister replaced & brought to code before closing because it was so dangerous.  I was afraid that I myself would fall through those pickets.  So this project was one of the first on our list.  I decided to do a wall because A)I needed more wall space in this room, there was very little on account of all the windows.  B) It closed off the family room/kid zone in the basement & greatly decreased noise between the main & bottom floors.  I love my new wall.

The fireplace makes this room so cozy & inviting.  (Those hieroglyphics are an old fan system that was in the fireplace before the gas insert.  I have plans to put mortar over the black caulking to make it blend in with the rest of the fireplace.  Or maybe I'll leave it so people can wonder what kind of weird stuff I'm into :)

It is a great place to gather.  The other major change we made in the living room was we added the dining area to it.  Before the dining room was over there to the right, directly in front of the sliders.  We use the sliders as our main door for the most part.  So having a big table in front of it was not good.  I didn't like the flow of it from the moment we first saw this house, & I knew I would change it right away.

So we placed it over on the other end of the living room creating more of a great room feel.  It works great with the flow of life & allows for a big table, which we need with a family of six.  Now we have a big entryway as well where you can sit & slip off your shoes.  Everything is almost done in this room.  Just two ceiling light fixtures & the top of the banister to finish it up.  I'm really happy with how it turned out.

Punkins

I think this should be the new official spelling of said word "pumpkin".  We all say it the other way anyhow.  But last I checked Merian-Webster wasn't asking me.  Let's move on.  Don't you just love a season where you can decorate with vegetables & dead foliage... & it looks good.

I love buying tons of pumpkins & gords at a local farm that sits right in town.  I love it for a couple reasons.  First of all I've been going to this farm for produce & pumpkins since I can remember.  & now I take my kids there.

Secondly, I love how this family farm has been in the same spot since the 50's (I think) & the town just had to deal & build up around it.  I love that you drive down the busiest street in our town & you go buy corn fields & pumpkin patches.  I love that this family has sustained their farm & is making a living at it.  Go farmers & ranchers!

Lastly, I love that I found these stinkin' cute mini white pumpkins there this year.  I immediately snatched them up & took them home.

Look how tiny they are.  & the fact that their white makes me so happy.  I don't know why, it just does.

Here they are working their magic.  If I had more money I would buy bucket fulls of these little guys & put them everywhere.

Favorite Spot (today anyway)

I'm in the midst of unpacking & decorating our new house& often find myself frustrated.  I'll get an area picked up & looking good only to have it drowned by a pile of boxes & bubble wrap thirty minutes later.  I'll dig through & deplete one pile only to find another pile around the corner waiting to be unpacked.  Needless to say not one part of my house is completely finished... close, but not completely.
That's why I love this spot.  It's a small spot in front of a set of sliders that act as our front door, because our front door is in a really weird spot.  Since it's in front of a door no piles can accumulate there.  This is the only place in my house that always looks nice.  It's got minimal furnishings, so it's hard to trash.  The sun shines through the windows most of the day.  The big Oregon grape bushes right outside are covered in berries & look delightful.  I love how the rug & curtains compliment each other.  I dig how the chair I found at a garage sale years ago contrast with the curtains.  This spot is right by my desk & kitchen so I look at it often.  Many times during the day it is the constant that keeps me sane.  Thank you little spot for always looking so lovely.

Budget Remodel: Part Deux

 

My mega cheap kitchen makeover for the ranch house is complete.  I did it all for under $50 & I think it makes a huge difference.

I spent most of my money on paint.  Cupboards went white.

The business of the wallpaper was concealed with a relaxing light grey giving the kitchen a sophisticated country feel.

The kitchen is so much more peaceful & brighter.  It's amazing what a little paint can do.  

Hardware was spruced up with a fresh coat of black spray paint.  I also painted the light switch & outlet covers & the heating registers.  

And a new back splash was installed.  The black splash makes a huge difference & is very easy to do.

I used self-adhesive linoleum tiles.  These tiles were only a dollar a piece.

They basically go on like a sticker.  Very easy to use, you don't need to be handy to handle these.  

I cut them in half so they covered twice the distance.  Simply score (which means don't cut all the way through) using a straight edge & a utility knife.  Then bend the tile at the score & it will break off evenly right where you need it to.

The before & after say it all.  You don't need to spend a lot of money to change the entire look of your kitchen.  Just use what you've got & spruce it up a bit with paint.  Also reorganize & de-clutter, this can give your kitchen a whole new feel.  Remodeling doesn't mean you have to break the bank.