6 Months in Our New House

 

Six months ago, Josh and I moved into our little place out in the country. Since then, we have been working so hard to make the place our own--painting every room, changing light fixtures, major clean up on the outside, and so many other project along the way. 

It really is a dream come true for me to be able to design and decorate my very own space after renting for so long, and this little house of ours is starting to feel like home! 

I haven't shared any before and afters or project updates because I kept waiting for things to be DONE. That's what you're supposed to do, right?! But I've realized that when you own a house, things are never really done. I also had this "fear," I'd guess you'd call it, about not having things perfectly decorated or trendy enough, or whatever the heck Instagram is all about. But you know what--it's my house, I'm proud of the work we've done, and I want my family and friends to be able to see it! So after six months of work, I want to start sharing some things that are done(-ish!) for those of you who care to take a look. 

We are updating every single room--and they are all in different phases of completion. But I want to start with the first project that I did when we moved in: a large set of built-ins in our living room. 

The main living room's color scheme was mustard yellow paired with dark brown wood trim and shiny brass everywhere. Two giant ceiling fans were all you could focus on when you walked in the front door. Those things have all been changed (I'll share that in an upcoming post), but the set of built ins on the far wall made the room feel even darker than the color scheme and very heavy. They were previously used as a very swanky stereo cabinet--cassette tape organizers, speaker holes, and cords everywhere--and the previous owners used the old stereo space for their TV.  

Our challenge was (and still is) to make them look like built-ins for books, decor, and storage--no stereos in sight! 

This before picture was taken when we were looking at the house. Note the dark wood tones, the brass hardware, the black speaker holes, and the giant opening where the TV is... and the gold walls. 

We removed all the doors and shelves, busted out the speaker holes, took out the cassette tape organizers, removed all the outlet covers, and cleaned and sanded everything. One of the cabinets is cedar lined, which was a fun discovery! 

Alright. Don't get mad--but I did paint all of the woodwork in my house. Our house needs all the help it can get to seem bigger and brighter, and the dark woodwork was not helping. Plus I love the look of white trim. After a lot of trial and error with paint--and getting advice from experienced painters--I finally landed on paint that would cover up the dark wood and also not scratch off. 

I used Sherwin Williams Extreme Bond Primer (water based) and then used three coats of semi gloss Emerald (also by SW) in the color Alabaster. I can't stress enough how much of a difference working with good paint makes. It's worth the extra dollars. 

Here they are after being primed with one coat of paint. Before I painted the last coat, I caulked all the seams including that dark line you see up against the ceiling. Caulking made the finished product look so much more professional and complete. I also spray painted the shelf hardware white which made it blend in a little bit better. 

We came up with a solution for the speaker holes by simply adding in a piece of quarter inch plywood and caulking/painting it to match. Now they blend right in! We also added new black hardware. 

It's all done! I painted the cords in the big opening so they would blend in a little bit more, and then I sat and stared at it for a couple of months before I decorated it. 1. I wanted the paint to cure before I put anything on it and 2. I think I was intimidated or scared I wouldn't like how it turned out. But I love it! 

And here we go--almost all done! That big opening is still screaming for some function, so I had an idea to find a big wicker trunk in which to store throw blankets. 

Something like this! I think it would add back in some warmth and texture, but also be functional... and not a giant black TV. 

So there you have it--my first ever house project complete! I hope this post provides you with some inspiration, a satisfying before and after, or give you a chance to snoop! :)