October 2011

Since the remodelling began, I've been showing bits and pieces here and there, but haven't posted a completely finished view of the room. So, here are some pictures of the mostly done space.

there are a few things left to do. This dark chair by the window needs fixed up. I got it for $3 at a garage sale recently. (this is the mud room, the main entrance to the house from the breezeway)

I still need an island, and found a piece at the Salvation Army to redo. And the chandelier over the table needs to be hung so that it hangs over the center of the table.  I'm missing a light switch cover. 

The best part is the floor!!!!!  (I do have some rugs, but had to wait a few weeks to set them out so the top coat on the wood would cure)

I had hoped for a more even, cocoa brown, but love this dark color the stain turned out.  After all of my trials of stains, it didn't even matter, because the spot under the fridge and stove where I was experimenting was a different wood than the rest of the floor anyway.  The house was built on whatever wood was growing nearby, and all took the stain a little differently.  

But its all perfectly beat up, and wonderfully distressed, and exactly what I had hoped for.  We got lucky, when we started tearing out the layers and layers from years of linoleum and vinyl, we could have found a big mess. Instead just a few areas needed fixed, and it all worked out better than I could have hoped.

The glass block back splash (only about $150 from Home Depot's online store) is really pretty with the sun coming through. 

There had been a regular window on this wall previously, and I was hating the thought of losing that light.  This was a last minute idea to fix that and it is one of my favorite parts of the room.

(wooden spoons are kept in the pitcher)

This is the same spot before, you can see the window that we lost.

And here is a before shot while the wall was still between the two rooms.

The buffet is now under the dining room windows, and I moved the corner cabinet over to this side of the room.

This is a before of the same angle.

My son keeps teasing me because despite the flooring, ceiling, and wall changes, everything is just the same. I kept the color of the walls a toasty tone, the cabinets didn't get repainted, I reused all the stuff in the room. 

Mostly because now, even more than before, our house is very open and you can see from one room into the next. If I'd changed the colors too dramatically I'd have had to redo all of it.

And I like my stuff.  And did I mention that I am cheap?  I tried to keep costs as low as possible by reusing what I had.  If you only buy what you love, and shop for unique things with a timeless feel, I think you can get away with shuffling it around and giving yourself updates by reusing your pretties in different ways.

I like to use lots of neutral colors, so there is a soothing background in my home. Its easy to mix and match that way. And if I need a splash of color, I can add accessories here and there.

The big painting that was in the dining room, is now in the living room.

And now the dining room curtains are in the living room too.  The living room curtains might become a shower curtain later on…

This is another before shot, looking into the kitchen from the mud room.

Same angle, without the wall.

I can't get enough of the ceiling!

We took out the wall between the kitchen and dining room, but added a small wall between the kitchen and mud room. Our fridge is now turned to face the kitchen with its back to the new wall, this has been a good change, and is much more functional than before.

We really like the new fridge with the double drawers on the bottom for the freezer but- it has a teensy little ice maker. I didn't notice that before… I might get a smaller freezer to keep in the garage too.

I'm also going  to try to wean myself from the habit of cooking way, way too much, then freezing some for later. Because months later we just throw it away. 

These are two watercolors I did years ago. One was hanging in the mud room, the other in the living room, now I've moved them to the kitchen for a spot of pink in my creams and taupes.

While the room is mostly neutral, there are still lots of roses and pinks in all the smaller details.

And there are still whimsical pieces scattered about too.

Believe it or not, I really did scale waaaayyyyy back and didn't put all my pretties back out again.

But I kept all  my special favorites, and some things are tucked away to rotate back in with seasonal changes.  Somehow, having one big space made me feel like the clutter was too much.  I had to pull some things down off the wall and pack some more stuff up after I thought I was done. I felt better after those changes.

I did away with some stuff, and tried to be more practical with others. A lot of the dishes in the step back cabinet in the mud room are things that I use a lot, and they were hard to get to in the regular cabinets buried and stacked up out of reach. Now they are behind glass, easy to find, easy to grab when I need something.

I guess what I am saying is that I put the more decorative, less useful stuff away in the harder to reach places or got rid of it, and instead gave myself easy access to things that are practical.

Best of all, the contractor was great to work with, and the job went fast, and came out under budget. He still has a few loose ends to tie up and will be back for those, but I am over the moon, thrilled with the job he did and my new space!  Sometimes I just like to sit and look at it.  And pinch myself. 

I'm  linking today to Cindy's show and tell.

PS- I have FINALLY added some more dress form kits to the Boutique.  They are neutral, like these examples, with French text, old German sheet music, some flowers, ruffled crepe, sparkly bits, lace, pearls, and buttons. Plus everything else you need to build your dress form. Half have wooden spools, the other half comes with porcelain insulators.

Just in case you are ready to start making some Christmas angel dress forms. If you order a kit (which comes with online directions) please let me know if you want a packet of mica flakes to go with it to embellish an angel. I'll throw it in for you.

Also- if you have already paid for the online class, please let me know, and I'll refund that amount from the cost of the kit. edit- one kit is left, it has a wooden spool topper

And another PS- Pixie Pie is home from the hospital and recovering nicely! Thanks for all your care and concern. We were very worried about our little sweet heart. Her best buddy, Sugarwings has been talking nonstop about her and waking up with nightmares about her cousin being sick. I'm so glad she is better, it was pretty scary to think of her so ill.