For inspiration, I always refer to all the blogs I follow - I love reading them on a weekly basis (if not daily for some!!).I sometimes feel like I'm intruding into the private lives of these people. I'm always amazed at how honest and down-to-earth they are.A couple of blogs I must admit to stalking daily is a beach cottage and young house love - love 'em!!When I started thinking about what style would suit our house, I came up with a few types I really like - rustic with a very slight industrial edge, a touch of beach (that we all love) and a french twist thrown in the mix. Anyway, I will stop chattering and get back to my 'to do' list. So here it is;- Paint trim, mantle and bookcase semi-gloss white (antique white usa, actually - we love the creaminess!)
- Paint inside of fire box black
- Paint tiles - not sure what colour at this stage
- Replace halogen downlights with a more energy efficient led alternative (already in progress, thanks to hub!)
- Replace coffee ta blewith something larger to suit proportions of 3 seater
- Purchase a small side table for next to 2 seater - it has to be long and narrow to fit in the space, I'm hoping to find a pigeon-hole style for the spot.
- Purchase lamps, one floor lamp and one table lamp - I quite like the brushed nickel look, but I could change my mind ;)
- Cushions for the couches, in linen, red, patterned
- Red vases
- Artwork/photo above 3 seater couch - not sure at this stage, something big maybe (I would love to frame a large photo of our favourite holiday spot, which is a beachy town 'course!)
- Photos above 2 seater - 2 x large photos of daughter in one, and all three of us in another, ikea white frames.
- Keep rug, hub really likes it, so we need to work it in!
- Decorator items for mantle - I'm a bit stuck on this one, ideas on this one would be so good - but all in time...
Much to think about..and I still have a few prep bit and pieces to do, such as filling nail holes, gaps and sanding areas.Will keep you posted tho with all my progress :)Chat soon!L
At last hub and I agreed to focus our energies into only one room at a time - instead of doing bits here, there and everywhere!We chose the loungeroom for our first room to get out of the way. Only because we do spend most of our time in this room, and we wanted it to look spot on :-)Here's a shot/peek at the loungeroom in 2008 before we moved in, with wiring, etc going on; |
| circa 2008 |
and, here's a more up-to-date photo; |
| circa 2010 |
We made a list of what we want to do (which I will type up in my next post), and have also recently purchased the leather lounges, a 3 and 2 seater - which, of course, we need to keep & integrate into our new-look loungeroom - I can't wait to get stuck in!!So... until my next post!!L
Hi!!As promised here's the 'before' pic of our kitchen, taken in October 2008 - it was really dated, which in fact made it look even smaller than it really was; |
| Kitchen 'before' |
To save money we tried to keep everything in basically the same spot - as in, oven, sink, dishwasher, etc. which worked out really well for us :)That's all for now, but I will be back soon to chat about our latest project - our loungeroom update (and some tricky decisions!), as well as some more history and pic's of this here house!Catchya real soon,L
After much frantic searching I was unable to locate my 'before' pic for the kitchen to go with the 'after' one I took this weekend. I do believe it must be on my work computer - so stay tuned! I will be posting that one tomorrow hopefully.Now as it stands, the kitchen is quite small and cosy - but there's just something about it that appeals to me. |
| Kitchen 'After' |
We only have a couple more things to complete - blinds, pantry pull-out basket system, some glass shelving for the overhead cupboards, and painting the trims white. And... I would really love to replace the set of windows overlooking our small patio with some type of by-folding arrangement, with a long bench/table on the other side - but this would be a larger project for us for another time, oh well!!Till tomorrow.... catchya soon!!L
How do I begin my first blogging entry? (thats what I'm thinking as I sit here completely clueless!)Well, I guess I begin with a bit of a background...We (hub, me and daughter 7) first moved into this home 2 years ago, it was a doer-uper of course. We immediately went for the kitchen (I'll post before and afters real soon, promise) it was small, but we did what we could with what we had. I personally love the kitchen now, there's still a bit more to do (do not look too closely at one window), and I really enjoy cooking in there on weekends - looking out the window at all the greenery!Next we (as in not me) ripped up cork tiles, black glue and all, carpet, scalloped wood panelling (not paintable at all by the way), and removed doors, architraves, old blinds and curtains - the list goes on and on. Needless to say we had a rather interesting first 6-8 months in this house. I think I'd better post a couple of example pics now.So, I will leave it there for now - while I go and organise a few photos of the house to give you a better idea of what I'm talking about.Be back real soon!!L(yay! red wine friday!! a celebratory tipple for my first blog entry? just one of course - I'm really a coffee lover deep down! although you will laugh when you see the size of our new wine glasses - just one would likely fit half a bottle :) )
