Fans, Lights, Rugs, & Paint... Oh My

When we first looked at our house, I didn't even notice that I would later want to be replacing practically every single light fixture in the whole place.  Holy cow does that add up quick.  So of course we are doing it as we can.  The first thing to go was the ceiling fan/light in the family room.  It was black and silver/chrome and looked like an airplane.  Sadly it worked really well and had a cool remote, but seriously, look at this thing...

 it had to go!

 Here's an up close and personal view of it.  And in the background that one above the kitchen table was the next to go...

Not only was it ugly, but it was not centered where it should be at all.

 So not my style.
This was back when we had no idea how to place the furniture in this room.
And back when it was driving me crazy that we had not figured out window treatments either.  
This room is connected to the kitchen and eating area and it is a huge room that felt so cold and uninviting to me before we had started to put our stamp on it and figure some things out.  

We got the new ceiling fan/light at Lowe's.
Since the room is so big, we went with a 60" fan.

 So much better.

Although I like the roth + allen light from Lowe's that we put above the table area, we have since learned that it is not bright enough for this space at all.  Luckily we have another fixture upstairs that needs to be changed and so we will put this one there eventually once we find another replacement for this spot that will be brighter.

 After a couple months I still wasn't happy with our tv on that big wall to the right of the fireplace, so one night Mr. H and I moved it all around and finally it started to come together better.  But as soon as we did that, all I could notice was how awful the paint looked throughout the whole house.  I knew I wanted the interior to be grey, but I had no idea how light or how dark or where to start.
Choosing a grey was super hard!!! Usually I know right what I like and I go for it.  But the greys that I thought I would like looked too purple in our house.  Or too blue.  Or too light or too cool.  

We finally chose the one we liked the best and painted the hallway with it and lived with it for a while before deciding that was it.

Luckily, the more we painted, the more we loved the color.  Even the girls have been helping.  It's been a family affair.  ;)

One morning the room looked like this as I left for work...

 and when I got home Mr. H had it all put back together again and the paint looked SO nice!

The paint that was on the walls before was a matte finish and it was starting to show every little scratch and every spot the girls have run their hands along it, etc.  It looks so much better now. (The bamboo shades have all been from Home Depot or Lowe's and the curtain rods and panels in this room were from JCPenney.

Of course you know how as soon as you do one thing to improve the room, it makes you notice how bad the next thing looks?

The rug was the next thing that had to go.  It wasn't quite big enough for this room, and we'd had it for years in our old house and it was time to be replaced.  

We wanted something shaggier and soft since the flooring everywhere else is hardwood and tile.

I have been looking everywhere for an 8x10 rug that I liked that wouldn't break the bank, but I was finding nothing.  Well, I found things I liked, but nothing I was willing to spend that much money on.

Until recently!  Sam's Club had a great deal on Drexel carpet rugs so we snatched one up and we love it!

 Oh and funny story, while we were moving things around to put the new rug down, Mr. H stepped on this...!!!!

IN MY HOUSE!!!!!  In the family room!!!!
Are you shivering with heebie jeebies yet?!?!  I am!
A couple days before we found it I sent Mr. H a pic of what looked like rat poop that I found on the INSIDE of the window sill when I was cleaning.  I text him the pic and said I sure hope this is not rat poop and that we have rats in our house!!!  He replied that it looked like lizard poop, and that we have so many lizards outside it might have gotten pushed through the window somehow.  Well, as it turns out, it was lizard poop!!! And that damn lizard had been living in our house!!! Under our couch!!! Probably sitting there right underneath us, slithering away while we watched Scandal the night before!!! O.  M.  G.  

Thank goodness I waited for Mr. H before I started to move things around and put down the new rug!  I would have flipped out and probably called 911 if I found this lizard and he was not home. (Shivers) Anyway, he caught it in a box lid, and I won't tell you what Abbey did to it in the backyard after that, but it won't be coming back.  

So after the lizard fiasco, here's how it turned out with the new rug down...

Claire's a fan. 

This space in the room has been stressing me out too because I didn't know what to put here, and don't like how this wine rack looks...

but I do love my new SWIM sign that I bought on Etsy.  I looked for one that said POOL all summer and never saw one I liked, and when I saw this one I had to have it.  And it gave me a vision for the space too.  Now I'm looking for a wider and shorter wine rack/buffet type piece to fill the space, and I've got ideas on how to style it and I'd like to find a fun mirror to go above it.  I'll let ya know when I find it.  The little end table in the pic I found on clearance at World Market and I loved the bit of red on it.  Sitting on it now is this book...

I'm reading my co-worker's signed copy of The Vincent Boys by Abbi Glines.  It's really good and I think it's so cool that the author signed the one I'm reading!! 

Anyway, 

back to the family room...

we got this cool back lighting for the tv at Ikea yesterday and it's plugged in to access through a switch.

This room is dark as the sun starts to go down, and this little bit of lighting really adds a lot.  We were excited about this find.  

Recently I also found an orange lamp at Marshall's along with this great pallet type tray that I knew would be perfect to hold the girls pencils and crayons on the homework station.

 Makes me giddy.
And this lil notebook just screamed my name...

Love my list note pad.
I've already got about 4 different lists going in it.  

That's all for now.
I am coming down with Claire's cold so I'm off to make some tea and watch Homeland with my honey.  
I'll be back tomorrow with a WIWW post.  
Ta Ta for now friends. 

Guest Post by Jennifer Riner from Zillow- 10 Ways To Style Bare Walls

Happy Monday my friends!

Today I have a special guest post to share with you from Jennifer Riner from Zillow.  Jennifer emailed me a couple months ago and asked if I was interested in hosting a guest post from Zillow.  She wanted to write an article in the area of DIY/home improvement projects or home decor.  Since we recently moved into our house and I am currently trying to figure out how to style lots of bare walls, I thought that sounded like a fun topic of interest for my blog! 

Jennifer currently lives in Seattle and writes about real estate, interior design, and home improvement for Zillow.  She graduated from the University of Wisconsin with a BA in Journalism and Strategic Communication.

Thank you so much for this great article Jennifer! I got lots of great ideas for my bare walls, and I was nodding my head along in agreement with you throughout the whole thing!  You confirmed lots of potential ideas that I already had swirling around in my head, and now I am super motivated to work on styling my bare spaces.  So without further ado, here is Jennifer... (And ps- don't mind me but I might pipe up in italics throughout Jennifer's article to share some of my photos as well.)  


10 Ways to Style Bare Walls
By Jennifer Riner of Zillow

While design enthusiasts often rely on neutral wall colors, they don’t allow their rooms to remain completely bare. The trick to making white walls work is styling them with an array of unique trimmings, on one or all four sides of otherwise basic spaces.
Rather than repainting entire rooms, consider reworking white walls using the following 10 options.

1. Bold Wallpaper

Source: Nina Interior
Contrast neutral interiors with striking accent walls, outfitted with unique geometric patterns. Homeowners can choose between permanent and temporary wallpaper solutions. Leaseholders specifically benefit from the latter since temporary wallpaper yields quick removal, ideal before move-out. 

I LOVE the wallpaper idea! In fact, I just ordered this wallpaper to use in our loft area upstairs, and on one wall by our garage downstairs to create a mudroom wall for backpacks and sweatshirts, etc.

The paper is even textured like real brick!  I can not wait to put it up!!!
I also just bought this cute wall art that I'm going to hang in the loft area too.  I think it will look really good against the brick wall paper too.  It's going to go above the new yellow media center we just bought for the tv in the loft.

2. Gallery Walls

Source: The Green Room Interiors
Showcase personal mementos, family photos and inspirational quotes in classic frames hung in non-traditional layouts. Measurements aren’t always necessary and sometimes simply estimating a frame’s placement creates more of an eclectic design.

3. Lacquered Paint Accents
For more adventurous homeowners, lacquered paint accent walls present an unbeatable shine, sure to bounce light throughout interior spaces. Dare to go dark with rich navy or bold black lustrous finishes. Even though darker pigments absorb more light than paler shades, the polished finish of lacquered paint reflects light for striking, well-lit interiors. Modern lacquer combines high-gloss paint and water-based acrylic, so the fumes are no more dangerous than standard paint. Still, use caution and make sure areas are well-ventilated during application.

4. Color Blocking
Rather than painting solid hues, alternate colors to form various geometrical shapes against white backgrounds. Use complementary shades to create striking juxtapositions that add visual interest. Maintain clean lines by measuring and marking geometrical patterns on walls with tape prior to painting. 

5. Mirrors

Source: Alysha Findley
Multiple mirrors vastly increase the brightness of interior rooms. Consider hanging a few large, or multiple small, elegant mirrors along one side of a room. Walls opposite of large windows are usually best to hang mirrors so sunlight can bounce throughout airspace easily. Home stagers often recommend mirrors for homes on the market since they help attract house hunters looking for bright and airy abodes, but these can be used regardless of listing status.

I love the mirrors idea for walls too.  I've had my eye on this Captain's mirror from Cost Plus.

I also really want a sunburst mirror to hang on the wall above the bed in our master bedroom, but I just haven't found THE ONE yet.

Please ignore how horrible this picture is.  The lighting in our bedroom is always so tricky.  I re took the pic so many times of the day, but could not ever get a good one.  The walls look almost green in this picture and they are actually a really pretty grey (Elephant Skin by Behr).  Ah well, you get the idea.  Blank wall.  Needs more love.  I still need to buy a rug for our room too. And new nightstands.  And a cozy chair and table by the window.   And... and... and... ;)

This one is from Cost Plus.

6. Floating Shelves
Showcase trinkets and décor by installing floating shelves on blank walls. Hang floating shelves parallel to each other, in offset vertical lines anywhere on walls. 

7. Built-in Bookshelves

Source: Zillow Digs
For larger collectibles such as books or albums, consider built-in bookshelves. Built-ins tend to absorb extra square footage, so smaller rooms are not realistic spaces to consider.

8. String Lights
Hang holiday lights year-round where ceilings meet walls. Small string lights provide relaxed atmospheres to otherwise dark spaces and create ideal night lighting for softer illumination. 

9. Tapestry
Hang tapestries to create worldly, unique interiors. Textiles are simple to install and remove, making them practical alternatives for indecisive residents. Tapestries add dynamic texture, bold patterns and a variety of colors to bare walls, and are ideal for renters unable to make permanent changes to interiors. 

10. Upholstery
More permanent than tapestries, upholstered walls add texture to blank living spaces. Limit upholstery to a single wall in an appropriate area, such as behind beds for a dramatic headboard.
Consider mixing and matching some of the aforementioned ideas, but don’t overwhelm a perfectly good blank slate. Sometimes, a few accents are all a renter or homeowner needs to showcase their personal flair. And, if white walls prove too dull, consider repainting the entire space. 

Speaking of paint, Mr. H just painted our guest bedroom over the weekend.  I love the way the color turned out!  We used Cathedral Grey by Behr.
Before...

After...

What a transformation this room has had already! 
So far it's gotten new flooring, new mirrored closet doors, paint, new bamboo window shade, and you can't see the light in the room, but it was a hideous awful gold thing and we replaced it with a much prettier one.  Next light that needs to go is that ugly one in the pic above right outside the guest room in the hallway!  There's two of those in the hall, and I'd like to replace them with something like this...

This one is from Lowe's.

This is another blank slate to decorate by our front door.

 I recently found that my house was clean sign at Kohl's and it made me laugh.  Such is my life right now, so I had to have it.  I plan on putting an entry table against this wall, and styling it with a lamp and a few things, and then maybe a mirror and a few other things on the wall.

 We want to paint the inside of the doors black.  I'm sick of wiping off grubby handprints every few days!!!

 We are also getting ready to have this tile in our entryway torn out! I can't wait! 

The tile runs down the hall through to the kitchen and family room.  We will stop the demo at the end of the hallways, and the new flooring will match the laminate wood that we've put in the rest of the house.

A few hours after I took that picture down the hallway, we went out and bought this new rug for the kitchen table.  

We also adjusted the light to hang over the center of the table too.  I love how the rug defines the space now.  The rug is 6x9 ft from Cost Plus.  We also got a few other fun finds which I'll share soon.

Some day we'd like to replace the tile in the family/kitchen room, but for now its staying.

This space by our tv drives me crazy with how unfinished the walls look.

 You can see the paint samples to the left that we are trying to decide on.  I think I've narrowed it down to two.  And I think a family established pallet sign would look really neat hanging on the wall above the tv.  Maybe kinda like this one...

This is the wall opposite of where the tv is.

We hate these akward cutouts in the wall.  We know someone who we are going to have fill them in and eventually create a clean slate to decorate on.  I'd like to get plantation shutters for the windows in this room.  And a farmhouse dining table.  And a new chandelier. And new baseboards.  And...and...and... lol.

One thing at a time.

Rome wasn't built in a day right?

But now thanks to Jennifer, I've got some really great ideas on how to style my bare walls!!!

Thanks so much Jennifer!

Have you ever been stumped on how to decorate a wall in your house?

What did you wind up doing to it???

Kitchen Makeover Finale!!!

Hi there.

How's everybody?

It's been a busy Monday here.

So I'm gonna try to make this quick.

Wanted to get some pictures up of where we are at now in the kitchen.

Last Thursday morning our kitchen still looked like this...

I left to take Claire to speech and pick Hannah up from school.

We grabbed lunch, and when we came home, our kitchen looked like this...

 That night I decided I'd set our coffee up in the bathroom.  But as a joke I laughed to myself while I took this picture of the pot right next to my bed. 

I posted this pic on instagram and facebook and said "Well, when the kitchen is out of comission... I may be onto something GENIUS here!"  
I cracked myself up.  Mr. Hass saw that and asked me if I was even planning on getting out of bed the next day at all.  hee hee hee.

So Friday morning the girls had school, and I ran errands and stayed out of the house until it was time to pick up the girls.  When we got back home I couldn't wait to step inside and see it...

 But, I couldn't really do more than peek at it because moments later we were off to Hannah's first Daisy Scout field trip at the bank.

 I'm so glad we were able to find such a great troop for her to join.
She's been having so much fun, and I've gotten to know some really great women and I think I'm having so much fun with it too.  :)
Later that night once we finally got the girls fed and bathed and to bed, we were able to tackle Operation Put The Kitchen Back Together...

 Only problem is, 
it was Friday, 
the end of a loooong and bussssyyy week.
And we were both exhausted.
Still sick from our darn blasted colds that we still have.
But, it was now or never so we put on Pandora and got straight to work.

 Mr. H was a real trooper.  Poor guy has had a sinus infection and had to go to Urgent Care last Wednesday for some antibiotics, but he still helped me get the job done.  He is a MASTER at measuring out that sticky contact paper.  A pro I tell you!  I hate that kind of thing.  All that measuring, and numbers.... blah blah blah!  He was my man.  Thanks for that Mr. Hass.  

After a couple of hours work,
we had to clean out the debris from everywhere below the countertops, and then had to decide where things were going to go because we decided to re organize the whole entire set up in every cupboard,
and just when I started to feel like we were getting somewhere,
the kitchen island still looked like this...

 And this is a picture after the couch had been somewhat cleared, but I'm tellin' ya, stuff was EVERYWHERE!

 And if you know me, that just makes my OCD brain go crazzzzy.  
It's like I can't even think with that much clutter around my head.

So we finally got all that jazz put away.
But, still no running water from the faucet until Saturday.
So, Saturday morning, this is how I rinsed the dishes from breakfast...

 It was a little cold outside, but it worked. 
Mr. H had to work on Saturday and Sunday, so he had our go to handyman guy show up at 9am to hook up the plumbing and install the new faucet and garbage disposal.

 He finished just moments before we had to run out the door to sell Girl Scout cookies for a cookie booth outside of our new Chipotle.

 Hannah had so much fun.  
Mr. H swung by to pick up Claire.
And we stood out there until 5pm trying to sell cookies.
Only sold 34 boxes.
People kept saying "You guys are everywhere!"
Ha.

 So it was pretty darn exciting once we had running water IN the kitchen again!!!!!
And HOW MUCH BETTER does that new sink look huh???
Remember the nasty old one...

and now my nice new pretty one...

And I LOVE love love my new big fat sink!!!! 
It just seems so much more functional!!!

By the way, sorry these are all iphone pics.

I've been so bad about pulling out my big camera.

The iphone is SO easy!

Especially with the new app I bought called camera+!!!

SO anyway, what do ya think?????

 The rest of these finished pics are taken in the evening.
Sorry folks, but that seems to be the only time I can find a second to myself these days.

 I just love being in my kitchen now.

And a little peek into our newly organized and re papered kitchen storage...

We couldn't be happier with the end result!!!

We've talked about and dreamed about getting granite for so long.

I love to cook.

I love that our family so often congregates in the kitchen.

And now I love that we have a beautiful space to enjoy together.

Life is good.

Happy Monday.