Updating the light fixtures was a given when we bought this house. The style fit the Tuscan theme the previous owners had going but not the light and contemporary open look we want. The kitchen pendants are one of the first things you see no matter where you enter the living area so they are front and center. Change was due! It was fairly easy to decide the basics. Like how many pendants and how they were spaced. The current three pendants were well balanced for good task lighting. One is directly above the deep sink and the other two are equally spaced on either side and light the center of the counter below. Keep that. But we needed to change the height at which the pendants were hung. They measured 40 inches from the countertop to the bottom of the light base. ... [Read More]
DIY
How to apply decorative nailhead trim
We used decorative nailhead trim on a quick and easy upholstered headboard. Nail head trim can be used in all sorts of upholstered projects. So this a separate post for reference in whatever upholstered project you happen to be creating. That and the headboard post was getting way too long! :-) Nailhead trim comes in a roll of faux nailheads as shown above. Buy as many rolls as needed to equal the length of trim necessary for your project. You will also need a package of single upholstery nails as shown. The roll includes a faux nailhead with a hole in the center about every fifth circle. Use the single upholstery nails to nail through the hole and into the wood underneath. We were constructing a headboard, but the techniques apply to other projects as well. Tools ... [Read More]
Front Door Makeover and the five stages of a DIY Project
We've been planning to paint the front door and the perfect weather this weekend was just the motivator I needed. This is the finished door -- visible from the street, lighter color to brighten up the small entry area, a happy pop of color! As I painted, I thought about the 5 stages of almost every DIY project we've done, big or small. And at this point, after three houses -- that's a lot!!! Stage 1-- Planning Figure out what you want to accomplish with the project -- in other words set the parameters. For this project our goals were to: make the door visible from the street, using a lighter color to brighten up the small entry area, creating a happy pop of color! This is the time to solicit opinions, to research options, if necessary and even figure out how the job can be ... [Read More]
New Home — Week 40 Update
It's been quite a while since I've shared a peek of the projects going on as we make this house our home. Here's just a few of the things we've been doing. . . * means a tutorial will follow. Eventually :-) While there was still snow on the ground, we added some rugs to the tile floor. This one is in dining room and looks like the one in the back entry. It's a fun contemporary pattern. The big front entry rug uses the same colors but in a more traditional pattern. I've had a difficult time finding curtains. These lined tab top curtains* are made from tablecloths! We also began a big project in the fully finished basement, adding a wall of built-ins* to the game room and a bigger one in the media room. This one in the game room is almost finished and the storage is in ... [Read More]
Garage Entry Reveal
We’ve spent quite a bit of time on the garage entry. Why?? Well . . . . .the garage entry is visible from the living room and several other places in the house. It is the place we most often use to enter our home, the passage way to storage and trash disposal and most importantly, Wheels kingdom in the garage. Our coats and outdoor gear are stored in the closet on one side and the other side has a drop zone cupboard and bench. It’s multifunctional and gets used a lot! For such an itty bitty space, it has a big impact. As we made first one change and then another, I realized they fit into three inter-related categories. We wanted this space to be 1) Functional 2) Good looking 3) A supporting player that does not draw attention to itself. Since we are making this house “ours”, this ... [Read More]
New Home Update — Week 22
A new coat of paint -- well, several coats actually -- changed that shiny, yellow faux oak but really metal fire door between the house and the garage into this. I love it! Although it may get a darker, grayer coat eventually because it does get a lot of traffic. We'll see how it holds up. It makes the real oak wood closet doors look better too. Thanks, Chris, for the suggestion to paint the frame! Lots more changes coming to this small space! It's where we enter our home most frequently and is quite visible from the living area. I see the wreath drifted off center -- We added four new cabinets to the garage for storage. Second from right has painting equipment. So glad to have it out of the house and organized!! We topped the four cabinets with the three cubbies we ... [Read More]
