Living Room: Part Two HA!

I think it's kind of funny, and mostly sad that I left you with our living room update (AUGUST 11, 2011 NO LESS) like this: 

Because we did in fact finish the project. Every darn nook and cranny of that behemoth of a built-in, DONE! You have seen little snip bits here and there, but I thought it would be super dandy to post some shots of the whole room. Here was my inspiration photo I found on pinterest last year:

We were terrified to the max painting the walls brown, but we really thought it would look super sharp against the white trim and built-in. And yes, we painted the built-in much to our (and many, many others) dismay. We thought about re-staining it a darker color, like our front door, but finally decided to go for it and paint it. It was the look we wanted, so we bit the bullet and painted on the first stroke, nausea and all.

The room is a far cry from being complete, we would like to add drapes, a new clock (The kids used it as a drum during renovation), more artwork, and sew more pillow covers. This is about as much as we are going to do to the room for now, more on that in another post coming this week. 

Take a look at our new room!

Custom artwork done by Lisa Barbero, so cool!

The built-in in all it's white glory. 

 This is an area everyone loves about our house and says," I am totally going to do that in my house!" So flattered. 

I have always felt a large part of me stems from my grandmothers, they were awesome! Okay, I may not quite as great as them, but they are women I strive to be like. This wall reminds us of eight very important people, with out them, we would not be here today.

We also splurged on new carpet and are okay with it. It is so soft and just the right weave and height.  

 I sprayed our old tables bright green. Terrified my mother, but I really adore them and think they look much better than before.

Looking at this last photo, we definitely need more on the walls. I always look at the wall for the time where the clock used to be and that back wall is just so...brown. We will see what I can come up with!

Multi-Purpose Room: Part One

Playroom, office, laundry station, craft room, and library is what it actually is. And it is the smallest room in our house, go figure? In our decision to live larger in a smaller home, this was my first undertaking. Quite frankly because it is the easiest, and more importantly, least expensive room to update.

I should first emphasis we are de-beiging our house. Keeping some creams. Cream good. Beige bad. Light good. Dark, fake brick wall, bad. So very, very bad.

Along with most Americans we are a family on a budget. Budget = paint. And since I am an expert HGTV watcher, Genevieve Gorder authorized me to let you all know that the best way to update any room is paint. I wouldn't necessarily say I am updating though, more like hiding. Unfortunately there may not be enough paint at my local store to make this wall JUST GO AWAY.

After I put so much GD lacquer on the thing (guess that movie phrase!), I painted the old shelves with some left over gray paint used in our family room. So far the cost of this update...a whopping zero bucks! A trip to JoAnn's with my coupons, Walmart, a couple of boxes bought from Ikea, a few things I already had, and I have officially organized our crafting and art supplies. There are still a few things in the mix, but you will see where I am going.....

These photos are luh-hame I know. Hopefully soon I will have photos up of new lighting options for our basement. The total cost currently for this room's face lift is around thirty-five bucks. Not too bad for storage merchandise, eh?

I have a few ideas on how to update and/or do away with those lovely early 90's door fronts on the cabinetry. I have always wanted to use chalkboard paint, but never had a place to do it. And because these doors could either stay or go without really any blows to my bank account, I may try it. Fabric curtains reminiscent of those under old farmhouse sinks are also an option floating around my head. Any opinions appreciated. More updates on this room and the living room to come next week!