It's been a while since we've had a room makeover to reveal! I am excited to finally share Marshall's new bedroom. This project started brewing in my mind almost as soon as we found out we were pregnant with our second baby boy, and I could not wait to start working on it. Except, I had to be extremely patient because there was a looooong list of other projects that needed to happen first, before this one could. Patience is not one of my finer virtues!
This room has seen many arrangements over the last 10 years that we've lived here, but most recently it was my beloved home office. I was quite spoiled to have an entire room with a large dedicated work station, craft supplies, a comfy reading corner and a TV. It also doubled as a guest room when needed. Here's a look at the before. You can read more about my home office and the awesome desk we built.
We always knew that if we needed it, it would become our third bedroom (as it was intended). There's no one I would rather have enjoy this space than our soon-to-be big brother, Marshall. At 2.5 years old, he is so fun and sweet and high energy (with a side of crazy). I wanted to make his room fun and functional with some of his favorite things.
We left the paint color the same, a tan/taupe with a hint of gray, which was the perfect neutral for my simple color theme of navy blue, red and gray. I started with the bedding and found a navy blue comforter with a reversible gray side. I knew I wanted to keep the red chandelier (minus the beads and baubles), as well as the beautiful hand-made red alphabet quilt that my friend Nicole made. Marshall likes firetrucks so I thought they would be perfect for bed sheets.
Finding the right bed frame was one of my favorite parts. I picked up this maple frame from our local charity garage sale for $8. $8 people! I couldn't wait to paint it. What I really mean is, I couldn't wait for my darling, patient, helpful husband to paint it. He did the most beautiful job! Here's a look at it before (with some light sanding). It wasn't in bad shape at all but it had some wear and tear. I really wanted it to make a pop of color in the mostly tan and wood room.
I just love it!
I kept the shelves that were already on the wall and styled them with a few fun things I already had. The little red lantern matches the bigger red lantern on the night stand - I love when coincidences like that happen! I purchased these adorable vehicle prints from a shop on ETSY. Marshall was so excited about them. I wanted to tie in a few touches of firetrucks to match the bed sheets. So cute.
I switched out the curtains in our living room so Marshall could have these gray and white ones to add visual interest and pattern.
I found the perfect spot to hang this sweet "I love you more" sign that was gifted to me by my friend Heather, from Reclaimed Palette. It goes so well with the wood accent wall in the room!
I wanted Marshall to have a desk that he could grow into, and this is the one from my bedroom growing up. It's also the very first furniture project I did that launched my blog 8 years ago! We moved it from the kitchen and switched it with another piece. I made a cork board and a magnet board with large frames that I already had. We also had a bookcase that fit nicely in the corner.
Of course, Marshall's tee-pee had to have a spot in his room. He still loves running in and out of that thing, which was a gift on his first birthday. Along with his basketball hoop.
I searched for quite a while for the right dresser and found this one on Craigslist. It was probably the most expensive piece in the whole room (at $50). I like how the light wood compliments the wood accent wall. There is a mix and match of furniture in here, but I know it will be well-loved and I'm not worried about it getting "beat up".
I'm so happy with how everyting turned out and came together. More importantly, Marshall is enjoying his new "big boy" room. It makes me so happy (and sad at the same time), to see him growing up, but I love each new stage and watching him learn and grow. I hope you love your new room, Marshall, because it was made with love just for you!
The hardest part of any major renovation is the "during" stage. This one was definitely a HUGE challenge for us. It probably would have been a better idea for us to not be living here while the work was in progress, but we managed to be out of the house during the day and make due by living out of our office and upstairs bedrooms in the evenings. However. The. Dust. All. The. Dust. I'm still finding areas that I know I've cleaned, multiple times, but the dust is still settling, months later.
Basically, we had to move everything out of our house (downstairs) as if we were moving out. But we weren't moving. We considered renting a POD, but the cost outweighed the benefit for us. Somehow, all of our stuff went into the basement, garage, bedrooms, and where ever we could find a place for it. "Moving out" only to move back in was pretty annoying, I gotta be honest.
Then, it was demo day. I didn't even take photos of the worst of it. There was plastic covering the windows and doors and a layer of dust and debris literally everywhere we stepped. The goal was to quickly get in and get out of the house each day.
As you can see, the old ceiling has been removed, exposing the wood beams and old insulation. One major benefit was replacing the insulation and adding new insulation where it was lacking. Oh. And there was a dead bees nest in our kitchen. That was FOUR FEET LONG. So. Yeah. I'm glad I wasn't there to see that! I'm praying the bees don't somehow find their way back in.
Our skylight has always been a great source of natural light in our otherwise dark living area. But when it was all opened up, it was evident how "wonky" it was, not framed symmetrically or correctly. We decided to have it re-framed, creating straighter lines, and actually taking up less surface area in the ceiling.
At last! New drywall going up. The rooms started to take shape again. Just the sight of this was enough to give me faith that it would all be worth it.
There was a LOT of mud and a TON of sanding that needed to take place. And then more mud. And more sanding. There were areas of our ceiling that were sloped and had difficult seams. But Jesse did a really great job blending everything as much as possible and making it as smooth as it could be.
And then new lighting. Oh, sweet, glorious lighting! I've never been so excited about lighting in my entire life. Andrew and I were both thrilled about this part. Here's a sneak peak at our LED recessed lighting and my new kitchen fixture. Isn't it pretty?
That's a much condensed look at the work in progress. I assure you, it wasn't this neat and tidy until it got toward the end of the two weeks. Andrew and I both did our share of sweeping, dusting, and scrubbing the floors on our hands and knees. He also worked into the night, many nights, to paint, re-paint and touch up all of the walls. Once again, he is my painting hero! It's amazing we're still married after all the painting I've made him he's done in our home.
Stay tuned for the big reveal!
My office/craft room is currently undergoing a full makeover. I've been dreaming up a couple DIY projects and pinning inspiration. But, as per usual, it's been a little slow going. I definitely have the "vision" and pieces are starting to take shape.
We already painted the walls, which made a dramatic difference (as you can see above). No more teal! The new color is "revere pewter" a taupe/tan with a twinge of gray undertone. Here's a look at the old wall color. Just not my taste anymore.
Next on the list is replacing the carpet (which is quite old, worn and an odd color). I can't wait for that!
I also hope to "build" a long desk with two cabinets for storage, inspired by this Young House Love DIY project. There will be enough space for my computer, printer, sewing machine and supplies, all in one work station (instead of having 3 different desks/tables like I currently have).
There is work to be done, but I'm very excited about this office makeover. The chaos and lack of organization while I'm in "office limbo" is driving me a little crazy. I can't wait until everything has it's place and I can craft and design to my hearts content! I'll be tackling a few smaller office projects in the meantime, so stay tuned.
Welcome to our home. Prior to this past weekend, if you tried to approach our front door, you might not be able to make it up the front steps because evergreen bushes would overtake you. My sincere apologies.
What bushes you ask? These bushes.
Two giant evergreen type monsters that kept growing out of control, with no pretty way to shape them.
The more I looked at them, the more they reminded me of Oscar the grouch. It's very possible that a trash can could have been hidden in them. Andrew hated them and has wanted to rip them out for a long time. We both were ready to see them go.
Our weapons of choice: pruning shears, a knife, "lucky machete" (name that movie), a shovel and a giant crowbar.
Who needs a chainsaw when your husband has muscles like these? He did most of the work. I just helped.
The roots/stumps were the most difficult part. We dug, chopped and hacked them loose. Sweet victory!
We couldn't believe the difference! Those unsightly bushes were taking up SO MUCH space.
Now, we can actually see the front of our house (and the steps). We can invest in some more landscaping and hopefully make the existing beds look better.
We haven't paid much attention to this part of the house, but we would like to. We haven't decided if we want to extend landscaping in front of the walkway, where the new empty patch of dirt is. Or if we want to plant grass and concentrate on the beds that are currently in place against the house.
We also have plans to paint the front door and possibly the shutters, along with staining the deck. What we really want, is to have "Yard Crashers" come help us, but I have a feeling that won't happen.
Here's a look at the before and after, sans bushes. What an improvement! Now to figure out what to do with the rest of the space...
