Quick Change, Big Difference

Blog house two underwent the first phase of transformation.  PAINT.  The soon-to-be oasis is going to transform the way this house functions.  Going from sharing living room/playroom/dining room in one, to gaining what will feel like a lot of new space will certainly change the way the house is used.

Now that you've already seen the reveal of the plan, here are some before and after images showing the difference a bit of paint can make.  Trim comes next, and THEN furniture.  Enjoy the photos...

...After a brief distraction that is.....Hudson is starting to sit up!...Ok, back to your regularly scheduled blogging.

BEFORE: HUDSON WORKING ON HIS SITTING UP SKILLS

 

AFTER: HUDSON EXPERIENCING TRIAL AND ERROR

BEFORE: PERIWINKLE WALLS

 

AFTER: TONED DOWN WALLS WITH A POP OF COLOR ON THE DOOR

 

BEFORE: CORNER VIEW 

 AFTER: CALM CORNER (ACCESSORIES WILL LIVEN UP THE SPACE AS WELL.)

I could add more before and after photos, but I think I'll keep you on the edge of your seat this time.  Until we meet again, enjoy the simple pleasures. 

Revealing the Grand Plan

Blog readers, I must confess that I have a bit of a feeling that trouble somehow follows my projects wherever they go.  Perhaps not, but this week, the homeowner of blog house TWO went under the knife for an emergency appendectomy.  (Some people will do just about ANYTHING to get out of painting.)  Anyway, I do have the room plan ready with our initial ideas, but just as emergency appendectomies are often not planned, there are also sometimes changes to design plans as progress happens and the room evolves. 

Like I said, we are working on a fusion of tradition meeting modern.  Such a combination which I think many people want to merge, but are afraid or unsure how to. So if you are one of those people who has a mishmash of old meets new, fear not, it can be done.  Follow this project, and I hope you'll see that with a few simple touches, amazing, fun transformations can happen. 

I also have some exciting personal projects brewing behind the scenes! (NO! I am NOT pregnant...geesh people) But perhaps you will be able to follow a few of my upcoming projects in the not so distant future.  Keep 'em crossed for me.

In the meantime, here is the project concept board and renderings for what will soon be the master bedroom.  I will update with project progress as it happens. Once the bedroom is done, we are creating a dining room space...but as usual, I am getting ahead of myself.  FIRST, I will show you the plans for our current project.

Curtains will cover the washing machine and dryer and add a nice soft texture to the space.

Our color scheme is also a HUGE factor in creating a calm space that unites tradition with modern flair.  Clearly, these views are conceptual, but they should give you an idea of where we are going.

This board shows the color and style schematic for the space.  I must say it makes me pretty excited.

Oh, and an update on blog house 1.  Dining room Flooring has been purchased!  Now the wall just needs patched and painted, and we can bring in the big guns.  Hopefully this means we are coming up on a big stretch of progress there. At least we'll get more done once the kids are in school....oh wait, all of our kids are 4 and under......it is the babysitters who will be back in school.  Nuts.  Wish us luck!

Hope you've enjoyed your preview of some of the fun things to come.  Until next time, go hug somebody who means a lot to you.  A simple act that makes two people happy at once. 



 

Hustle, bustle....and that's about it

In case you haven't noticed, posts have been a bit on the light side as of late.  I'm gonna go ahead and blame that on the massive amounts of hustle and bustle in the recent weeks.  Between working on potty training my 2 year old (and trying to keep a clean home in the midst of it), and running my business and family, things have been wild.  Throw in a few out of town trips (what else is new), and wallah, no blogs.

But I haven't been inactive in my blogging inactivity, I assure you.  In fact, a new project is underway!  Another good friend of mine is ready for some change in her house.  She decided she wanted to relocate and re- purpose  some of her current rooms.  When she mentioned her ideas, I was THRILLED, and more than ready to help.  So I guess you can say we now have 2 blog houses going on simultaneously. I hope this means that pauses and breaks at one will allow for posts from the other.  (Wish me luck with that one).

So...here is the new project at blog house 2.  This charming house has so much potential, but has the age old problem of being long and narrow.  Enter creative space use.  So what was once the master bedroom is soon to become the dining room.  And where does the bedroom travel to?  Well, off it goes to the laundry/back room of the house that was previously somewhat of a spare storage space.

Enter challenge #2: This sweet gal pal of mine got a BEAUTIFUL Amish quilt as a wedding gift.  It also just so happens that she has an affinity for clean modern looks.  So, we are getting funky and creative and pulling together Amish country meets New York loft.  Do you doubt me? Please don't, I assure you we are headed in a very fun direction.  But as always, before we get too carried away with results, I want you to see where it is we are starting.

We're planning to change up the paint color (and that's just the start of it!)

Pardon the lack of photo captions, but I think you get the idea. I will soon present the concept board so you can dream along with us as we move forward.

That's all for now.  Until next time, could you bake me some cookies and send them my way? Chocolate chip would be fantastic.

Creative Juices...much more filling than sugary drinks

Inspiration has hit....along with a bit of cooler weather (FINALLY!)  And actually that finally applied to both the inspiration AND the cool weather.  After ANOTHER heat wave in Baltimore, we had another week of less work than we had originally planned.  I was pondering what I might be able to accomplish in spite of it all, and figured, "Hey, why don't I do a painting for the dining room!?!"  So, tonight, that is EXACTLY what I did.  IT- WAS- A- BLAST.  Am I a bit over excited about making a painting? Probably.  But as the mom of two energy monsters....errr...darlings, I don't always get around to doing the extra fun and imaginative projects such as paintings.  Those things are luxuries these days.  BUT, hubby went off with some of the guys tonight, and as I sat in a quiet house, this project beckoned me. I couldn't say no!  I decided to use the new fabric for the dining room roller shades as my rough inspiration for the artwork. I should also note I painted this piece on an old bathroom shelf we tore out when we demoed my house.  I may save strange things, but I often use them eventually for something cool. Just remind dear hubs for me next time he laughs at my stash of "I"ll use this one day" stuff.

  NOTE: I still haven't decided if this will go in the kitchen or dining room (That is if the homeowner likes it of course...)  That's kind of how design works sometimes.  It isn't always an exact science. In fact, much of the time it is an art.  So, as the room evolves, it will most likely tell us exactly which route we need to take it.

Blah blah blah...ramble ramble....I need to work on being a more interesting blog writer. But until I master that skill, here are some photos of my evening of entertainment for your viewing pleasure.

I put a lot of texture into the piece and pulled the colors and flower inspiration from the shade fabric. I kind of like the whimsical feel it has. But that might just be me.  I'm kind of excited to see what this does visually once it is in the space.

This is my color mix station...kind of a piece of art in an of itself really.  I need to do this more often! 

There you have it.  A quick Saturday evening project that will hopefully liven up a space and bring charm right along with it.  No moral to this story. Just take time out to be inspired once in a while.

Return of the Blog Post

You may have noticed a brief hiatus.  Indeed, I was enjoying a break from the hustle and bustle as I returned to Indiana, PA where I was able to reunite with old college friends and the new slew of children that have since accumulated.  Sometimes, you forget how much has happened in life until you return to an old segment of your life.  It was so refreshing! The kids were great (even on the 4.5 hour journey there) and did just as well on the return leg of the trip.  And of course, who doesn't like a trip down memory lane that involves the place you met your spouse? (Ok, maybe some would rather forget...but I quite enjoyed it.)

During this particular trip, I was reminded of the importance of breaks and rest.  Golly, burn out is inevitable without it!  So, the past few days have been break days without blog house work.  All rest, however, is eventually met with things that do, in fact, need to be done and addressed.  So, we are getting back to work this week in a hopes that we can accomplish some more projects.  Coming up we hope to: have the dining room wall patched up and prepared to paint, create the dining room rug, find chairs for the dining room, create diy accessories, and if all goes smoothly, new dining room floors will be installed!  So lots to come.  If we are lucky, we won't hit any snags, and things will sail.  Hopefully that is the case, and I will bring pictures as the project moves forward.

Also was reminded just how fast the time does slip by....so perhaps in hindsight, the blog house project will seem like it happened quite quickly.  As an example of how quickly time happens, and how much changes in such little time....below are some pictures of little Elliott James on his 1st birthday, and on his 2nd.  One year isn't that long...but boy has a lot changed!

Soon, I'll be posting before and afters that have you thinking the same thing!

Connecting the dots

Was it just me, or did all of you have connect the dots games in EVERY coloring book as you grew up?
I always thought it was funny....because I could see the picture even without connecting the dots, so it was just a formality of sorts to outline the image.  Now that I'm all grown up (or at least more grown up) I feel the same way about design projects.  I can see the finished plans in my head, and I love it, but filing in the blanks and connecting the dots makes it more clear for others who aren't inside my head. 


Before I get too far, I have to share this "smiley" picture of Elliott on his 2nd birthday. We celebrated the day by letting him get his very first library card.  He was so proud....but mostly just wanted to run around the library like a wild man.

What's that? You aren't reading this blog to hear all about my kids? Ok....Then back to the blog house I suppose.  The mold spotted wall has been torn into for investigation.....hopefully the worst of it will soon be behind us.  Also, we've moved some of the pieces into place just to visually map out the way we are taking things.

What a cool piece.  I'm excited with the direction things are going. Things are finally starting to move into place more and more each day.

 Awesome vintagy-rusticy-modernish fabric for the dining room. Fits in perfectly with the design direction we are going.  Also, the homeowner recently discovered her bird fetish, and thus was very pleased to see the birds incorporated in the fabric.

 Another view of the fabric. GREAT deal from a local fabric remnant store.  I'm sure we will be returning there sometime in the near future for some more great finds.

 In case you haven't yet noticed, I'm the queen of awful picture taking.  Hopefully this blog will give me some practice and allow me to improve.....but in the meantime, here is a picture of the fabric in application.  We recovered the original roller shades with the funky print and now have really fun new window treatments that add pizazz to the space.  Of course, the look will be much more thrilling when the rug and painting are complete thus incorporating the colors more completely.....but if you can follow the dots, I think you can trust that the end picture will be complete and fabulous.

Today, I feel like some of the dots were connected at the blog house.  The homeowner did a fantastic job clearing out the dining room, and we went to a fabric shop and purchased a fantastic fabric with vintage flair that we intend to use on the windows.  Little pieces perhaps, but they were pieces that instantly made me feel like the picture was coming together.  We are still looking for some inexpensive (perhaps even free) wooden dining chairs to paint for the room.  If any of you blog folk know of such a thing, please don't keep these secrets to yourself!  If you hang in there with me, I do believe the next few weeks will result in some REALLY fun before and after photos.

Until then.......be patient while the dots of your life slowly connect.  When you look back, it will seem silly that you didn't see the end picture.  Trust that there is an end picture, and that it DOES make sense even when you can't see it all.

Ready, Set, PAINT

Today we sorted through the dining room, assembled a piece of furniture, brought some pieces down from upstairs, and laid the groundwork to pull together our next projects for the dining room. 
When comparing the pace of the living room transformation, the dining room seems to be lagging, so it can be difficult to feel like a project is taking so long.  But the reality is, this room has a lot more to be done behind the scenes. A lot of projects that won't be super visible at all times, but will make this house function in a sensible fashion. Not only that, but the hustle and bustle of our daily lives become factors as well. And that's ok. Coming home feels all that much better when you are returning from a hectic schedule.  With each day we work, we are providing one more space of escape and peace in the home. Before long, the hustle and bustle will just serve as ways of making these homeowners even more grateful for the place they call home.

So here are a few things we are in the midst of, and anticipating.

I'm no Bob Villa, but this is my attempt at constructing what will soon be the organization station desk in the dining room. In a few weeks, we'll see if my "handywork" will hold up to the true test of human use. 

 I got this poster for the homeowner for her 30th birthday.  I also secretly (well I guess not-so-secretly now) really want to get it for my own house sometime. Because hey, if everybody knows the rules, I'm pretty sure this poster would bring order to my home.  If not, at least I could smile at it in the whining, frowning, and complaining moments....(not that they ever happen.)  Oh well, until I obtain one like it, I'm hoping this will bring some cheer to her home.  We haven't entirely decided on placement of the artwork pieces yet, but this one has a special place in the dining room for sure.

 When I was doing the initial walk through of the house, I saw this dresser hidden away in an upstairs room.  It is a fabulously fun piece, and I really wanted it to be seen.  SO? We have moved it into the dining room where it will serve as a buffet/kid art storage/pet dish storage/extra eating space for guest piece.  I just love it when pieces can be turned from a single use item into a piece with many many uses.  Can't wait to show you the end result of this one.

 Here are the drawers that belong to the dresser.  For the style of this home, I actually really like the worn nature of them.  What is this style you may ask? I'm calling it a cross germination of modern funk with rustic charm.  Sound like an oxymoron? Maybe, but it is turning out really cool, so we're rolling with it.

 If you examine extra close you'll see we are getting things cleared out and organized piece by piece. Once things are cleared out, we'll get to work on refinishing pieces and setting up organization stations.  And yes....the blue IS going...that portion of the project is just more work intensive, and is taking a while to accomplish. But as with all things, it will get done! But while we wait on handyman help for this project, we're working on the other items that we can do in the meantime.

 The original table top shown below will be painted solid (I'm withholding the color for now) . A fun rug will also be an upcoming DIY project to add interest to the room. I wish I could tell you all of the fun things planned,but goodness, I have to save something for future posts. Just know that I am officially excited.  Hope you are too.

As I was working today, my sweet Elliott came in with a plastic hammer and said "Hey Mom, I fix it, K?"  What a sweet little helper he is.  Also, he is turning 2 tomorrow! My how time flies when you are having fun.  Maybe that means the dining room progress will start to fly.....we'll see.

 One last view of the table before the look is totally transformed.  That, I believe, is a project very very near to being finished. And the floor below? Hopefully also sooner rather than later.

 I am reminded of the story of the tortoise and the hare. Slow and steady wins the race.  Shortcuts will only hurt us in the long term.  SO? Stay tuned, and when the time is right, you'll see the amazing transformation.  Also, final living room reveal pictures are VERY CLOSE.  A few pillows, accessories, and wall hanging projects and I'll bring the final before and after pictures.  In the meantime, take it slow and take it steady. No need to rush ahead.  Life is crazy enough already. Just enjoy the small victories, and before you know it, you'll be looking back on big successes.