Family Room: Windows and Drywall

Our new windows and drywall is installed!  I was obviously a little behind on my before pictures.  The process hasn't been quite this fast.  We ordered our new windows from HomeDepot and hired someone to do our drywall hanging and mudding.

Window Before

Window After

I chose two double-hung windows for the front of the room.  I wanted them to match the windows in the rest of our home so this room wouldn't look like an addition.  They are also really nice because it's actually two windows in one frame.

Windows Before

Windows After

For the windows in the back of the room, I chose to use awning windows.  I really like how the whole window is open and they seem to match the style of our home better than sliders.

Drywall...

You wouldn't think drywall would be too exciting, but it is.  It's so nice when you get to the point of putting your room back together.

The next step will be installing our flooring and trim.  I can't wait!

Family Room: Before

I mentioned before that I had plans to completely renovate our family room.  Well...that time has come and I couldn't be happier!  I am going to be letting you in on our entire process from start to finish.  This family room post is all about the before pictures.  In our home, we have two family/living rooms.  The family room has sat empty since we have lived here because it really needed to be totally redone.  Our plan is to make the living room that we have been living in into the more "formal" living room.  I put formal in quotes because we are anything but that.  The room that we are redoing will then become our main living area.

Our family room had old windows, bad carpet, and paneling.  So, needless to say we really wanted to start from scratch.  We will be redoing the windows, drywall, electrical, lighting, flooring, and trim.  We are doing some of the work ourselves, but we are also hiring some of the work as well.

Enjoy the before pictures, because it's the last time you will see that room. (wow that feels good to say)

Floor

Linen Closet Organization

Like every older house, your closet space is limited.  This is something that we have been trying to deal with since the day we moved in.  It's been a few years, but we have finally gotten around to re-organizing our closets one by one.  One of our main problems was our bathroom organization.  There is no closet in our bathroom to hold towels, supplies, and all of your bathroom necessities.  However, there is a closet close by that we were able to dedicate some space to the bathroom.

The closet before was something that I didn't want to be opened if anyone was around.  It seemed kind of dirty with old paint and old wood shelves.  It wasn't something that I loved putting my bathroom things in.  So, the first thing I did was remove the old shelves and mud all of the holes.  The next thing I did was paint the closet the same color of the room it is in.  The shelving was a simple project because I didn't want anything too special.  I just wanted plain shelves that were clean and open.  

Going back to limited closet space, I can't dedicate one of my main closets to one single thing.  It has to be double duty.  So, with this closet I use it for all of my bathroom needs and my dog needs.  I know it's an odd combination but with the layout of my house it works great.

I use the top half for bathroom storage and the bottom half for my spoiled dog.  The very top of the closet holds things that I don't need on an every day basis.  The solid brown baskets at the top are a great option for things that you don't want everyone to see.  The next shelf are all of my towels.  The things I use every day are held in the natural basket.  This way I don't have to pull anything out, I can just reach into the basket. 

Now on to the dog portion for all of you dog lovers.  Treats are an essential, but they come in the most awkward boxes.  So, I bought these jars from Target to hold her different treats.  They look nicer and stay fresh longer.  If your wondering why I also have a wire bin full of towels, it's because I have a very sloppy dog and you have to wipe her face. (I know...disgusting but I love her)  On the bottom we have all of her toys in a basket.  We keep some out for her but it's a great place to throw them when having guests over. 

I hope my organization can give you some ideas for your own organization.  One piece of advice is to mix baskets for your storage.  It's hard to find the same basket with all of the different sizes you need so instead of stressing mix and match!

PotteryBarn Inspired Clock Wall

I was shopping around at PotteryBarn one day (I know...what's new) and I saw this clock wall that they had arranged above their counter.  I instantly fell in love with it.  After making sure nobody was around, I took a picture of it with my phone.  I'm sure no one would have cared if I took a picture, but what can I say I was a bit of a chicken about it.

As soon as I got home, I started planning out where I could recreate something like this.  I decided to create my clock wall on my upstairs landing.  It's such a big empty wall that always bothered me, but I could never find the right size artwork.  

Here is the wall before...

At the top of the landing, I have this window that I was looking to give a refresher to as well.  

Here is the window before...

After deciding on a place in my house to create this clock wall, I had to start finding materials.  I already had a round clock that I would use as my starter.  One thing that I found so unique about my inspiration was the over-sized pocket watch.  I knew that without that, I wouldn't be as happy with the final outcome.  I knew that PotteryBarn sold that pocket watch so I could always use that as a back up, but I really wasn't looking to spend that much on this project.  While at one of my usual HomeGoods trips, I found this red pocket watch clock.  I wanted all of my clocks to be black, so I decided I would just paint this one and not push my luck.  

Here is the clock before...

I used Rustoleum paint and primer in one semi-gloss black paint to paint this clock.  I covered the glass with paper and began to spray paint it.  I chose to do three coats of spray paint because it was such an easy painting project, but two would have been fine.  

Here is the clock after...

Once I had all of my materials I could begin my layout.  I bought all of my picture frames at Ikea.  I could choose from a variety of sizes and they were all very inexpensive, which I like.  While I was there, I also picked up another small clock.  Now that I had all of my materials, I could begin my layout.  The first thing I did was to measure out how large I wanted the artwork to be and recreate that measurement on the floor.  Then I could begin placing the clocks and frames where I wanted them.  Once I decided on a layout, I could see how I needed to print my pictures.

Instead of buying clock prints, I took my own pictures.  I had a few clock pictures from an old decoration that I used before, so I decided to take pictures of the actual artwork.  I took the pictures from all different angles and closeness to create different looks.  After I had my pictures printed and placed in the frames I began to hang them.  While I was doing this project, I decided to change out my light fixture that I have been wanting to update as well.

Here is my wall after...

 I wanted to have more unique window curtains because the space was lacking color.  I really liked the pattern and color of these mixed with the dark blinds.

Windows after...

Thanks for visiting!

Refinished Hardware

In our dining room, we have a beautiful sliding glass door that takes up an entire wall.  It's a great backdrop for our dining room table, plus I love to keep the door open in the summer and let the fresh air come through.  The only problem with the door was the outdated hardware.  It was very worn and dirty, even after being cleaned.  So, I had the idea to go to HomeDepot or Lowes and get a new handle.  Easier said than done.  An oil rubbed bronze handle was going to be about $200.00 for that door.  Needless to say I was pretty shocked.  I was expecting it to be around $50.00.  After that, I needed to come up with a different solution.

I decided to buy a can of Rustoleum oil rubbed bronze paint and primer in one spray paint.  The first thing that I did was remove the hardware from the door and clean it.  I spent a lot of time making sure that it was really clean otherwise the paint will stick to the dirt and come right off.  After it was cleaned, I laid out the handle and began to paint.  When you are using spray paint, if the can doesn't already come with a spray gun attached, make sure to buy one.  It makes the paint spray more evenly.  Another thing that is really important when spray painting is to start painting away from your project then bring the can to your project while the paint is still spraying.  Doing this lets out all of the air from the can and any bad paint.  I have come to find that that step makes a huge impact on your final project.  Also, make sure you paint the screws so they blend into the background.  I painted the handle a few coats for durability.  

Before...

After...

Now, the handle looks great and matches the rest of the hardware surrounding the door and it only cost me about $7.00!

Continuity Continued...

Last time I shared my continuity ideas with you regarding hardware finishes.  Another aspect that is really important when it comes to continuity throughout your home is keeping your furniture and decorative accents similar throughout your home.  This is not to say that everything in your house needs to be the same, but you should keep this in mind while you are decorating.  When I first moved into my house, I decorated a little too quickly and considered each room separately.  Now I find that I am redecorating most of the rooms that were previously done.  Now, that I have given time to think about the flow that I want my house to have, I have been much happier with the way everything has turned out.  Some things that I like to repeat throughout my home are furniture colors and finishes, baskets, color schemes, and decorative accents.  Now, when I walk from room to room they seem like extensions of one another rather than separate areas.

Continuity throughout the Home

Having continuity throughout your home is so important.  Everyone's styles are different when it comes to decorating, but you can still have continuity regardless of your style.  I use oil rubbed bronze throughout my home.  I use this for my light fixtures, plug covers, handles, window hardware, etc.  When you use the same finish, it makes your house feel like one big home rather than a bunch of different rooms put together.  If you already have items in your home that you would like to incorporate, but don't match, use spray paint!  Some spray paints are paint and primer in one, but if it's not make sure you always use primer first.  Here are some of my oil rubbed bronze finishes...

Hanging Pictures without the Frames

I am excited to show you this quick and easy way to hang pictures, without the expensive cost of frames.  

I had a couple of pictures that I wanted to hang in my house that are from a special trip to me.  Instead of putting the pictures in a frame, I hung the prints with bulldog clips.  To do this, I picked out a mat that would be the size I wanted to hang on my wall.  Once I knew the size of my mat, I could print my picture.  I had to find a unique way to hook the mat to the wall.  While in OfficeMax one day, I came across these silver bulldog clips.  I really liked the idea of how that would look the only problem was the finish on the clip.  It was a shiny silver that really clashed with everything else in my home.  So, I decided to paint them with a flat gold spray paint.  I chose to paint them gold because I wanted them to look authentic and I really like the way oil rubbed bronze (finish in the rest of my home) and flat gold look together.

To complete the look, I taped the print to the back of the mat.  Make sure you tape all of the edges of the picture otherwise it won't look as nice from the front.  Once the bulldog clips were painted and dry I hooked the clip onto the center top of the mat.  I screwed one screw into the wall and rested the clip on the screw and the project was finished. 

One tip to make your picture look more like a piece of artwork is to print the picture in either sepia or black and white.