Little (big) things

One of the first rooms that felt finished at our old house was our first master bedroom.  We did, of course, end up changing bedrooms after we converted the half bath to a full en suite, but as soon as we moved in we chose the most light filled room to serve as ours.  I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted there so it came together pretty quickly.

This move was completely different as we had two kids to consider.  We felt it was most important to get their spaces feeling like home first.  Since then all of our money and time has gone to communal spaces it feels like.  All of which is fine, priorities and all.

But, before we had even moved we bought a huge, 70's era dresser off of Craig's List for $50 delivered.  The price was amazing for a 72 inch, nine drawer work horse.  It was meant for our daughter's room but we never got around to making it over while we lived there.  Then, when we moved here the kid's rooms were too small for a beast like that, and our room needed more furniture and storage.  So ours it became.

The wood was a dark, speckled mess and the door on the front which hides 3 more drawers had been ripped off by the hinges.  We didn't notice that part before we bought it since it was delivered, and there was no way we were telling the girl we didn't want it when she had driven it to us.  So the first thing the hubs did was remove the top so he could rebuild the support that the door attached to.  After restoring that he coated it in about 3 coats of Rustoleum glossy white and we Brasso'ed the bejeezus out of the handles.  Now it is one of the stars of our (still unfinished) room.  For $50 and a LOT of elbow grease we think it came out great!

It has a totally retro glam feel to it which adds a touch "off" to our otherwise vintage feeling room.  I am thinking that the large, scalloped brass lamp may end up in here and we need to get some art going to the left of the TV.  But the hubs did an awesome job bringing this piece back to life!

More thrifting for the win!

So this has been a busy year for me, I just got my real estate license at the end of last year, have another, full time job, have two small (3 and 5) children and a husband and life.  Projects are slow because of all of this, so is down time.  But I managed to make time again recently to go thrifting ( I LOVE thrifting) and found some awesome brass lamps.  I had found one a while ago at the Habitat ReStore but they wanted $25 for it, which is probably reasonable, but not for me.  Luckily the Good Will near me had these today and I really love the urn shaped one.  The scalloped top and bottom kill it for me!

It helps that I got both for less than the one at the ReStore.  I haven't had time to get them cleaned up yet, or even remove the tags, and they definitely need new shades and honestly probably to be re-wired, but after a good shining they will be gorgeous!  Can't wait to see where they end up!

The Living Room - Pulling it Together

So, now that we have the living room painted it's time to get the room finished.  That was one of the last big things to do in there (other than replacing the floors) but now it's just a matter of time and budget to finish it up.  I am really trying to give it a breezy, cottage feel.  The walls turned out a little lighter and brighter than I expected, even after having samples on multiple walls for a year, but that really isn't a bad thing since the hubs thought the sample color was going to be too dark.  We still need to get some art on the walls, some new drapes, and I really want to upholster our coffee table.  I'm thinking navy and white with some orangey, coral accents, I like the idea of color but I'm not sure how much I like the reality of a lot of color.  Here is some of my inspiration, I have been collecting these images for awhile and some I can't remember where I got them but I do seem to like a certain era of Southern Living.

via

Anne Turner Carroll for Southern Living

Haskell Harris' home in Southern Living

Beneath My Heart

Forever Cottage

bhg via

Hopefully I will be able to get the room "finished" soon so that I can move on to something else but we all know how that goes!

A Cabin Getaway

My in-laws live in a mountain community near a larger, more touristy village, and the hubs and I have played around with the idea of buying a small cabin in the vicinity for our use when we visit them and as a vacation rental for some passive income.  So every now and then I check out real estate listings in that area and dream about possibilities.  The last time I got on and looked I came across my favorite one yet and couldn't resist thinking about some aesthetic tweaks I would make.

First, the before's (all photos from Georgia MLS):

To start, I know this detracts from the cabin vibe, but I would blow out all the interior paneling with some warm white paint.  I don't feel a cabin has to feel like a cave and that would brighten things up considerably.  I wouldn't change much at all in the living room other than some new, white slip covered furnishings, I love that wood stove!

In the kitchen I would paint the lower cabinets and take all the uppers down.  I would probably take out the range and put in a base cabinet that holds a microwave and then install a cooktop.  Some open shelves above and dark stone counters and call it a day.  I'm thinking something a lot like these.

via

via

via

It looks like the bathroom has a good head start with hex tile floors.  Just painting would be easiest but a subway tiled tub enclosure would be nice too.

And that deck would be perfect for morning coffee.  It may be a pipe dream but it sure is a pretty one.