Before and Afters

 

So as I am nearing completion on the inside of the house, minus a few minor detail projects and things like hanging artwork and small décor, I thought I would do a quick little before and after entry.

The following are the best before and after of the various rooms in the house.

 

Middle Bedroom:

 

 Before

 

 After

 

 

Pink Bathroom

 

 Before

 

 

After

 

 

Kitchen

 Before

 

 After

 

 

Living Room

 Before

 

 After

 

Master Bedroom

 Before

 

 After

 

 

Family Room

 

 Before

 

 After

 

 

 

Study

 Before

 

 After

 

Peach Bathroom

 

 Before

 

 After

 

 

Dining Room

 

Before

After

As much as I like sharing the progress with all of you, sometimes I do these before and after comparisons so that I can see how far this project has come. There are days where I still feel hopeless-- that I'll never have time to tie up all of the loose ends in each room...Someday, it will get finished. There is one room left in the house that needs work-- the back bedroom. We'll just call it no man's land for now. Stay tuned for updates to the outside of the house, cleaning and gardening are making their way to the top of the priority list.

The Living Room

 

Living Room - Before!  (October)

Beautiful, right? -- Joking aside, there have been many wonderful memories in this room. So many Christmas celebrations. That is my most favorite memory of this room. Grandma always had the best looking Christmas tree. That being said, I feel like this room could be very grand and there can be a new space for more memories to be made.

This room is tricky, very long and narrow with a lot of doors and openings. trying to find the best furniture and layout for the space is going to be a challenge.

 

To do:

Tear out carpet

Clean floor

Paint trim and walls

Change out furniture

New layout

Add decorative pieces

Paint Fireplace...Potentially.


Sneak Peak:

Super awesome hourglass chairs with paisley detail and nailhead trim that will be going into the living room...
These were my first purchase for the room and I based most of the rest of it solely off these. I think they are so cool!

 

 

Edit: (February)
My painter has been busy!

This is the first time in my 26 years that I've ever seen the wood floors in this house.
I'm also hoping for a chandelier in the future.

Normally, I am hesitant to paint brick, but it was definitely the right choice in this instance.

More to come later!

EDIT: (March)

 

The Rug... it's definitely more interesting in person.

 

Andrew helped me a lot with this room! Curtain hanging expert!

 

 

This is the couch I purchased, still waiting for delivery.

 

 Eventually, the couch will go against the window and the chairs will be flipped to the other side of the carpet so that we can see the awesome backs of them. I'll do another update when that happens.

 

But right now, it's perfect for sitting down with a drink! --  Clear liquors only, no red wine in this room. Haha!

 

EDIT:  (April) The couch is here!!!

 

 

View from the dining room.

Need a few finishing touches.

 

For when you can't actually have a fire.

 

Finished!

The Dining Room

Once again, I failed and getting pictures of the true nature of what this room looked like at the start of it all but here is what I've got...

 

Getting the last of the carpet out.

Lots of junk and dingy walls.

 



 

You know... putting holes in plaster when you rip out a curtain rod without thinking about whether there would be an anchor in the wall or not.

 

Patches, finished ceiling, starting on wall color along baseboards and in corners.

 

 

#nopainterstape

 

New wall color (SW 7022) and Extra White trim.

 

 

These were definitely the most beat up floors in the house. Character, right?

 

The goal is to get all of the old wood windows in the house working again...thus the fact that I have left them unpainted. Some day I'll get to it.

 

I lied...the last of the carpet is under the grandfather clock but I will not be attempting to move it by myself!

 

Here it is... the room is clean and open. Still have the longer list of things like new dining table, artwork, etc. but this room has come a long way from where it started.

Using Neutrals, A Defense.

I've had this question posed to me on several different occasions so I thought I would take the time to thoroughly answer it , that question being: Why aren't you using any color in your design?

Firstly, who decided that plain walls were such an atrocity that we had to go around painting dining rooms red and kitchens yellow, and bathrooms blue? Who? Tell me now! Why is there such a demand for accent walls and bright curtains?

Secondly, I've always been a girl that has loved black and gray and white-- look at my closet, it's about 70% of what I own. I also love metallic: gold, silver, rose gold, pewter, bronze, copper, pearlescent whites. When it comes down to it, if these are the things that I like, why would I use anything else?

Now regardless of my clothing preference, I am here to defend a neutral palette in home décor.

Neutral is classic. It will never go out of style. I think of items I've purchased in the past, turquoise pillows, multicolored rug, bright artwork and within 6 months I was over it and wanted something new. I did a little experiment when I lived in my apartment- one week I went out and bought all kinds of new accessories for my place, all neutrals and metallic in varying shades and warmth and luster. I never loved my place more and I went 2 years without changing it. So by making the decision to maintain a neutral palette, I hope to love this home just as much.

Neutral is calm. I work around kids. My classroom is full of bright colors that I consider energizing and fun. See...

 I don't want that when I get home. I want to walk in the door and immediately feel calm, colors and textures have an amazing way of doing that. Color, creates and reflects feelings.

(These are not my words)- From a color psychology perspective, gray is the color of compromise - being neither black nor white, it is the transition between two non-colors. The closer gray gets to black, the more dramatic and mysterious it becomes. The closer it gets to silver or white, the more illuminating and lively it becomes. Being both motionless and emotionless, gray is solid and stable, creating a sense of calm and composure, relief from a chaotic world. The color gray is subdued, quiet and reserved. It does not stimulate, energize, rejuvenate or excite.

Now, that last part was a bit harsh but I guess it's true and I suppose it depends on your personality. Yellow is supposed to be a color of excitement, right? Well, I find yellow slightly repulsive. (Yes, I know that the background of this blog is now a yellow paint roller. Shut up.)  Quiet and reserved, is how it's described--that is exactly what I want to be in my home.

Neutral is inviting. I find a lot of bold colors to be garish. I don't necessarily want to spend time in a space that doesn't make me feel invited. Do you think about cozying up with a book in a bright orange, pink, purple, emerald green room? Neutrals are just that, they are not offensive. They have an element of warmth and calm that other colors and non-colors cannot match. Neutrals are cozy, calm, warm, and clean. They provide a richness and air of sophistication without having to try too hard.

Neutral is bold. Think about it. I can buy things in all sorts of crazy patterns, textures and sheens that will all go together because there are no clashing colors. Tweeds, knits, furs, velvet, linen, chenille, geometric, floral, abstract, animal print- everything is fair game. Far from boring.

Neutral allows the important things to stand out. I was given a great gift and responsibility in restoring this house. My grandparents had so many amazing things--just wait until I get my on displaying some of the family photos that have been recovered in this cleaning out process. I am proud of most of the things I have and I would rather those be seen than a couch or a wall. Pictures, dishes, furniture- those are what tell a story about a house. I want my family to be able to come in and openly see the things that have been hiding for years. More importantly, the atmosphere needs to be one in which the people that come by are the ones who stand out, not the stuff around them.

Just in case you still doubt, ask yourself this would you have a problem coming home to this bedroom? Didn't think so. Case closed.

The Den

I messed up and didn't get any real before pictures on this one-- I will see if I can dig up a pre-existing one somewhere.

There is a laundry list of things happening in the den-- it was actually more of a cave. Really dark paneling, heavy window coverings, etc.

There is a laundry list of things happening in here:

Sheetrock repair
Paneling is being sealed and painted
New doors to the bedroom and bathroom
Windows and doors are getting trim to match the existing trim in the rest of the house

This is the room with a coat of primer- imagine that everything used to be dark brown.

Windows in the den now have trim around them! Since the back part of the house is an addition, it did not have the same details as the original. I had my contractor frame out all of the windows and doors so that it feels like a continuation of the house and not an addition.

 

Excuse the mess, just look at the framed case opening!

 

 

This is the first coat of the actual 'color' - Simple White (SW7021)

 

Instead of the 'Den', I now dub this my 'Sunroom'-- probably needs a few more windows but whatever.

 

 

Tada! This hallway was cramped with video shelves, there was no framing around the doors and everything, walls and doors were dark brown.

 

The den is now a bright, open living space. Done in a week! Hooray for amazing contractors-- if you are in Houston and need painting or remodeling services, hit me up for my guy's info!

 

 

Still in need of finishing touches and décor, but I could not be more thrilled with how this room is coming along!

 

 

When none of your wine is 3 Buck Chuck...you feel like an adult.