Thursday, May 8, 2008

Serenity Now...

Well, we're done with our remodel...sort of done, I mean you're never really done when it comes to your house. But, for now we are putting down our tools and taking the summer off to bring "normalcy" back into our lives (whatever that is). I spent the last two weeks away from blogland to wrap things up, I guess you could say my role was that of the designer/contractor/superintendent/taper and painter in this lovely year long first time homeowner's dream...

(on the left is living room before we moved in, then on the right is at it's worst...)


..lessons learned and then some, out of it we realized that I'm pretty stubborn. I recall one morning in particular, over a cup of coffee, we discussed how to resolve the horrible wall finish through out the house and I said "If we have to have popcorn texture walls, I might just throw up and never stop..." Must have been decaf in that cup...but to clue you in to the work ahead of us, see the above disaster...

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So when a girl wants smooth walls, well she just has to pick up the spackling knife and do it herself, and I really did! Any imperfections and that's all me...it looks a lot better, but after just one bedroom I was ready to shoot myself in the foot.

I'm really happy though, with the fireplace, we lucked out when we found a lil old carpenter to do the custom mantel for hardly anything and we used the left over marble from our bathrooms to do the surround...

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(on the left is the lovely mirror above our vanity, and the right well uggg!!)

Our guest bath just wasn't very welcoming to say the least. A gem I know, but it all had to go...

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Can't wait to finish this one up, I have roman shade and curtain fabric to select and I just can't decide. And then there's the rug and linens too! I rushed out the morning it was done and grabbed what I thought could work from Target (above), not too bad, but explaining to my hubby that it's only temporary was another thing...

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(different angles, but the after is on the left showing the white painted wood work and the before is on the right)

We opted for a quick fix in the Kitchen/TV room, so we painted the woodwork white, replaced the counters and appliances, and soon the ugly carpet (yes, carpet in the Kitchen) will become lovely hardwood.

My poor parents came to visit not too long ago to see the progress and they said "What happened to all your furniture???" We got rid of everything from our college days, and we were left with the few pieces, our bed, tv, and two Ikea barstools (above). No kidding, so when I say I'm happy to get going on furniture, I really mean it!!!!!!

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Underneath the ugly carpet was the ugly hardwood on the right, which refinished very nicely and I have to say I'm just so excited to have a whole house full of dark hardwood!!!

Okay, that's all for now...I just started purchasing furniture, my first pieces were some vintage chairs off of ebay, that I'll be reupholstering soon. Oh, and I plan to include you in some of my design decisions, cause ya'll have good taste and why not!! But, I'm glad to be back to blogging, it's been two weeks but feels like forever...

35 comments:

cotedetexas said...

omg - are you lying? Is that the same fireplace? It's fabulous! I"m in shock! you have to enter this in a magazine remodeling contest - it's just the best! Your bathroom looks great too - and those wood floors! They look perfect. YOu know for the bathroom - how about a flat shade with a border in black, like a fret key design or something like that - really graphic. It would look good with the shower curtain!

Great job, I'm really proud of you!!!
Joni

Anonymous said...

Hi Glamour Girl:

How difficult and expensive is it to restain the floor to a darker stain?

Thanks

Suzy said...

It's looking amazing! Congrats on all the hard work paying off. Can't wait to see more photos!

Anonymous said...

Your house is sure turning into a home. It looks great and it's amazing how much work you've done.

My husband read this post- I had left it up on the screen and he happened upon it. When I returned he made a comment as to my sharing some traits of yours. When I read the post and laughed out loud at the Target bathroom scenario, he said that was just where he had seen the similarity.

Leah said...

Looks like you did a great job with the remodel! Can't wait to see how you decorate.

Leah

Unknown said...

awesome job on that fireplace reno! it's 10 bazillion times better!

Puhvis Kukk said...

Wow, the fireplace looks awesome! How hard was it to remove that wood covering from walls. There are ton of houses in our area that look like that, always makes me shudder.
I wish there was a list of things that are fairly easy for the buyer to fix/replace and another list of things that will be v expensive to do on your own when you get a house.

The Peak of Chic said...

Wow Kate! You have done an amazing job!! Way to go!!!

Abbie said...

Talk about a transformation! That is amazing. Congrats on such a terrific job.

girl meets glamour said...

I would never lie to you Joni, thanks so much. I love the idea for the roman shade!! I've been ordering tons of samples from everywhere, I think Schumacher must laugh when they see me on caller id :)

So glad I got the Joni stamp of approval!!!

Take care girl,

Kate

girl meets glamour said...

Hi Anon,

Well I just picked from a "standard stock" stain chain set. So I could have gone with 10 colors all for the same price. There are some things we didn't do ourselves on this project and the floors was one of them. I just didn't want to risk it since it was the only flooring in our house.

Hope that helps and thanks!!

girl meets glamour said...

Thanks Suzy!!! Glad you stopped by, and Happy Friday :)

~Kate

girl meets glamour said...

That's too funny Karyn!! I know we're not alone with our ever changing minds...it's tough when it's your own house esp.

Glad you stopped in!!

~Kate

girl meets glamour said...

So glad you like it Leah, thanks!!

~Kate

girl meets glamour said...

Thanks Maison21!!!

girl meets glamour said...

I'll tell you what "h", taking the paneling off was easy, but underneath we found tons of heavy glue and some cracks in the dry wall and instead of trying to repair it we just went over with a thin layer of sheetrock...I get what you're saying though about the easy things to do...it's hard to really know.

Thanks for the comment!!

~Kate

girl meets glamour said...

Awh, thanks so much Jennifer!!

~Kate

girl meets glamour said...

Thanks Abbie!!

~Kate

Sarah's Fab Day said...

Looks wonderful, I love the floor and the fireplace. Seriously a total 180, nice work!

Decor To Adore said...

You truly have the gift of looking at a space with rose colored glasses and then making it a reality.
Fantastic job!

Style Court said...

Kate!

Congrats. I think you did an amazing job. What a canvas you created. LOVE the shower curtain and your choices throughout.

And the fact that you did most of it with your own hands makes it so meaningful.

Oh and the fireplace -- wow :)
Enjoy!

ALL THE BEST said...

Kate is looks AMAZING!!! You really are doing a fantastic job! Can't wait to see more!

Pink Wallpaper said...

wow, what an undertaking!! you must be sooo proud and feel so good to be at a stopping point!! way to go, its look great!!!

London Calling said...

Very inspired for our own remodel! It looks fabulous.

Alkemie said...

Kate, the whole place looks totally transformed!! What an amazing job you've done! Especially seeing the before photos! The bathroom looks 100 times better and the wood floors look beautiful. I love hardwood floors. Can't wait to see what more you do with the place later on when it's furnished! Thank you for sharing!

Karen

Mrs. Blandings said...

So much hard work - what a treat! Now the icing on the cake will be the fun part.

girl meets glamour said...

Thanks so much for all your sweet comments!!!

~Kate

daddylikeyblog said...

Wow. You're amazing!

Anonymous said...

Everything looks fantastic! You really had your work cut out for you, but you rose to the occasion. Congratulations!

Michelle said...

AHH, girl, you are rocking it! I am so inspired, can't wait until I want to shoot myself in the foot over something, for reals!

TIG said...

Welcome back, Kate--your place looks amazing! The fireplace is stunning and everything is really beginning to take shape--looking forward to seeing what comes next.

ArchitectDesign™ said...

What an amazing transformation! You should be an example of 'you can do it' to people when they look at small, old & dated homes in great locations and pass them up for tacky mcmansions in the far out 'burbs'! I know it's a lot of work but look at the beautiful results!

JLC Studio said...

This looks fabulous!! Love the white painted woodwork...so fresh!

BeachHouseBingo said...

If you want a rug to match that shower curtain, this is one of my favorite sites to find them: ElegantLinensPC.com. Love the black and white, so modern.

Anonymous said...

What color is that blue paint on the bathroom walls? I LOVE LOVE it! I have to know... :)