Family Room

So I realized when putting together the "5 years later" post that I never really showed you the room we spend most of our time in - the family room.  I showed you the fireplace transformation and how we built our console table but never really got into how that room went from the picture below into the space it is today.  

I wish we had a better before shot.  Salmon colored wood paneling and wall to wall brick.  You can see in the picture below that there was a big picture window next to the fireplace and a door next to the ovens.  We swapped the window and door placement during our kitchen reno because why do anything the easy way?

The window 'before':

The 'window' (now a door) after:  The decision to put this in was our very first decision when we bought the house.  The ink wasn't even dry and we were salivating over creating a view.

Then we painted the walls using the Ralph Lauren linen technique (sort of a very faint, imperfect striped look).  It took 3 people and was really, really difficult.  I like the look but you cannot touch up any scuffs.  I don't think I'd do it again.  

We ripped out the brick on the sides of the fireplace (in hindsight maybe we could have just drywalled over it?) and installed stone directly over the fireplace in the center.  A year later we added the bookshelves and a painting done by my dad. 

The look I was going for in the room was a natural, organic, easy on the eyes look.  Basically the furniture had to be the color of dirt because in a house full of boys it was going to eventually be that color regardless.  It is a good thing blogs aren't scratch and sniff.  That couch has seen years of leaky sippy cups but thankfully machine washes very well.  We got the little boy diving board ottoman from Crate and Barrel when we got married and has held up really well.  A good investment.  I love the rug.  Probably not something I initially would have chosen (Moms are always right - mine is anyway) but adds some nice color to the room.

Some new throw pillows added recently (hand me downs from my mom pillow addiction).



A lamp from Kohls.  $50 including the shade.  Can't beat it.  Who knew Kohls carried such awesome, inexpensive lamps?

Tripod lamp from  HomeGoods.

Our DIY reclaimed wood console table using wood from a old paper mill and legs from Ikea.  1.5 years later and it still looks great.  Wishbone chair from overstock.com and end tables used as toy storage from Ikea.

So there you have it.  A room transformation that came together so slowly over 5 years that I didn't even consider it a renovation but is the space we love and use more than any other room.

Pssssst...guess what?!  We found the elusive crown molding!  Working on finishing it now and I'll get back to you with a *finally* finished living room!

Plantation Shutters

They're in!  I have to say coming home to find the work already done for us was pretty amazing :)

For the first time in a year I was able to shower with the lights on.  It's funny the things that you just get used to.  Covering your bed with plastic after you wake up in the morning so that you don't come back to sheets covered in dust at the end of a renovating day.  Putting shoes on as soon as you get out of bed  so that you don't get splinters from walking on sub floors to get your coffee.  Washing dishes in the bathroom sink while your kitchen is gutted.  Such is the reality of renovations...

We ordered our custom shutters from Rockwood Shutters through Home Depot.  They came out and did an initial measurement for a quote and then once we decided to pull the trigger they came back for a more precise measurement by the person who would be doing the installation.  Measuring for plantation shutters isn't easy and they're not an inexpensive option so this was something we wanted to leave to the pros.  They were great and I'd definitely recommend them.  Very knowledgeable about the product and super friendly.

6 weeks later and they're in!  I love, love love them.  I am addicted and now want them in every room.

Oh and I'm not sure if I ever showed you that heated towel bar next to the window.  There used to be a baseboard heater along the floor/wall just under the window and behind the toilet but 1) it would have taken away from the pretty tile and 2) little boys aren't good with their aim...heated urine is not a good smell.  During the reno we removed the baseboard heater and replaced it with the towel warmer (we were happy with how it turned out in the boys' bathroom reno) and radiant floor heating as our heat sources.  If you're going to do that google an online heat calculator.  Punch in your room dimensions and it'll spit out the required BTU's to properly heat your space.

Another thing I don't think I've shown you is the towel hooks we installed.  There really isn't a lot of wall space so I went with a hook that looks like an old fashioned train hook that holds multiple towels without taking up a lot of wall real estate.  The towels are West Elm and Serena & Lily.

 A year later and this renovation is officially 100% complete.  I'm not sure if we've ever actually completely finished a renovation so this is a first!  Oh wait we don't have door hardware.  I guess closing the door by sticking our fingers into the pocket wall of the pocket door is just another thing we've gotten used to :)

Happy Memorial Day!

5 Years Later...

5 years ago this week my husband and my 7 months pregnant self signed on the dotted line to buy this house.  Since then we've grown from 2 young newlyweds to 2 thirty-something parents of 3 little boys who renovated almost an entire house DIY style.  When I look back on it I can't quite believe we did it.

Here are some before's and afters of some the major renovations.

Kitchen:

Family Room Fireplace:

Living Room:

Master Bath:

Master Closet IKEA hack:

Office:

Boys' Bathroom:

Dining Room:

 Exterior:

It has been quite a ride.  I'm fairly certain the next 5 years will contain no pregnancies (truth!) and less renovations (big fat lie).

Plantation Shutters

So we finished the master bath a year ago and since then our choices have been to either shower in the dark or 'put on a show' for the neighbors since we have no window coverings.  It is finally time to get some decency.

Here is what it currently looks like:

We decided on plantation shutters because we needed privacy while maintaining good lighting.  We ordered them about 6 weeks ago and after going back and forth on designs I honestly can't remember with what we decided on.  I guess we'll wait and see for them to be installed later this week!

In the meantime below are some plantation shutters in bathrooms that served as inpiration.

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Then in the process of looking for shutters in the bathroom I stumbled upon this picture of the shutters in the living room and now I'm wondering if this is my solution to updating the window treatments in the living room?  

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My credit card is rolling its eyes at me. 

Outdoor Love

I'm done with this cold, fall-like weather and ready to throw open the windows and spend lazy afternoons on the deck.  Well maybe lazy afternoons aren't really a reality just yet withe 3 boys but one thing that is true is that they sleep so much better after a day spent outdoors!  The slideshow below are some of the things I'm eying to spruce up our deck:

Outdoor Love by mlinds on polyvore.com

Dining Room

Back to Operation Dining Room.  I definitely got side tracked with the living room.  While waiting the 4 days it took to get the drapes back from the seamstress we jumped into the living room.  So then the poor drapes sat on our dining room table for a month.

Finally, they're up.  I bought four 96" Woodland drapery panels from West Elm and had them hemmed to 91" so that I could hang them floor to ceiling and fill the side walls with fabric.  

The before (crazy color combination with sparkles, awful floors, silly light fixture)

The during (dark and stuffy):

Done!  I like that the drapes hung higher and wider on a beefier rod (snicker snicker) makes the room feel bigger and fresher.

Pretty, fluid pattern.

Next up is to reupholster the dining room chairs with a fresher fabric but I'm thinking I shouldn't bother until the boys are older.  Who am I kidding, boys will always be walking messes :)