Make Me Over: Kitchen

Maybe you read my post about painting kitchen cabinets and had an inkling that I might be doing some kitchen projects soon.

Well, guess what- I am!

It all started with one look at this to die for white kitch.

I love the brightness of this room, it just looks so clean and inviting. So I thought maybe I'd like to take my kitchen from its Bistro days to something a little more classic. So what does that involve exactly? Well, let's take a look.

Since my kitchen and dining area open to each other, they really needed to be considered together.

The first step is to continue the light wall color over to the walls painted red. This is "Burnished Clay" by Behr. Because the red is so vibrant, I'll be using Behr's Ultra Paint-and-Primer-In-One to save on time and coats!

Next I'll try my hand at tiling a backsplash- and after much indecision, I've decided on a brick style travertine.

I had been considering a slate tile, but I think when it comes down to it, the travertine has more mass appeal for later resale. Plus, it will be more neutral so I can change up my decor more easily (given my history, you know).

After tiling, I may take a break...but if I still have some motivation, I'll say goodbye to my light maple contractor stock cabinets and hello to creamy white doors with some character. I haven't yet decided if I want to play around with a two tone look (as in, painting the bottom and top differently-or painting the bottom only and leaving the top alone).

And, you know that boring counter I have?

I'll be covering it with some bead board painted to match, and finish with some base molding.

So, are you a white kitchen fan, or does it scream sterile and boring to you? I think the interest comes in the details, whether it's retro hardware, colorful accents, or textures like bead board.

The Great Paint Debacle

If you remember, I mentioned in this post about how I wanted to repaint my living room.



I agonized over colors...the red couch is not so easy to work with, despite the guy at Benjamin Moore insisting that it was versatile. I decided on "Nimbus Cloud" and a friend offered to help me paint. The plan was to paint the two olive walls, and extend color to the foyer which was tan.

Here's where it all went wrong. I knew with the first stroke of the brush that I hated Nimbus Cloud. However, paint can't be returned, and I thought that maybe I'd like it more when it dried and cured. So we continued on. The next morning, I still hated the color. The nice subtle blue gray on the swatch was sky blue on my walls.

It turns out that those little samples they can mix up for you and Lowes and Home Depot actually have a purpose.

Totally annoyed at my stupidity, I went back and got more swatches, taped them up, and decided on 2 colors to get samples of: Glidden's Wood Smoke and Slate Green. I put them up on the walls in 4 different locations and this morning decided on the Slate Green. Here's a little peek!

It's still a little bluer than I thought it would be, but I do like it. I love that it feels rich and saturated, but much brighter than the olive color that was there before! Now I just need to decide on a color for the rest of the tan walls...

On another note...what do you think about the couch pillows? I'm not sure how I feel about it yet, but I just wanted to experiment with the look.

Make Me Over: Linen Closet

Behind closed doors, this closet has been suffering in mass chaos since we moved in over 3 years ago. Stuffed with towels, toiletries, first aid supplies, it was practically begging for a do-over.

Sorry for the blur, but it is indicative of how the closet makes you feel when you open the door!

Here it is now, after about an hour of work and a $12.99 set of baskets at TJ Maxx

I started by emptying the closet completely and sorting everything. This included throwing out things that I was never using (hard for a toiletry/cosmetic collector like myself!) I decided I'd need a basket for first aid/sun care supplies, one for medicine and extra toothpaste/mouthwash and another one for the rest of the items. By getting rid of a lot of stuff, I was able to consolidate everything to fewer shelves, leaving an extra that now serves as toilet paper/paper towels/lightbulb storage.

Now we can find exactly what we're looking for without topping a host of bottles to the floor or through the cracks!

Make Me Over: Living Room

If you've read my recent post regarding some mistakes I made with the living room, you might have a good idea of where I'm heading here.

First I'll give you a little tour of what it looks like now.







It's not horrible, but it lacks finesse-something that's taken a few years of reading and pouring over magazines looking for inspiration. So here's the plan:

1) Move the red couch to the wall where the TV currently resides. Interestingly enough, when we first bought the house this was the intended place for the couch but it never made it there....

2) Add seating in the form of a small love seat or a couple of accent chairs

3) Move the TV to the corner where the recliner is

4) And that leaves the recliner...well, after 3 years it's time to say goodbye. I suggested putting it in the basement, but Mike thought he wouldn't use it down there and it would be really difficult to move it up or down stairs. So, we decided to try and find another home for it and use the money towards the makeover.

5) Add curtains, and rearrange wall art.

6) Find a new accent type wall piece instead of those tic tac toe shelves.

7) Replace the geometric rug with a natural fiber rug like jute or seagrass.

So, there's the plan-stay tuned for updates!

Make Me Over: Master Bedroom

I know it seems like I'm harping on the master bedroom, but come on-it's the master bedroom! I am spending more time planning this makeover than I have even thinking about any other room (unfortunately what that means is there is a whole lot of thinking going on, and not a lot of doing). I really want to get it right and create a space that is both relaxing and energizing. It feels lived in, but is neat and polished.

I also thought this would be a good opportunity to introduce my new house series, "Make Me Over." Since most of my house is still in transition, I have been hesitant to share pictures. But I know one of my favorite things about reading other blogs is seeing pictures of the home! How could I continue to hold out? Everyone starts somewhere, so it would be hypocritical of me to keep my decorating skeletons in the closet.

That said, I'm in the final stages now of planning the master bedroom now and wanted to share the grand vision. It's changed a lot over the past few weeks-even with respect to furniture I've already refinished like this and this.

Without further ado, here are my plans.



We'll start by painting the walls a soft gray, then I'll replace the art above the bed with a white framed collage of some wedding pictures and those monogram art canvases I made awhile back. I'll replace the upholstered headboard I made (a few years ago for our queen size) with a new bed (complete with footboard!) We'll build nightstands and top them with taller lamps. The short ones just don't match the scale of the bed.

Meanwhile,



On the other side of the room, the dresser I just stained will be getting another makeover in white with vintage hardware. The mirror will also be getting a face-lift, perhaps in one of the other colors in the room. I'll move the dresser and mirror to the adjacent wall (it will be facing the balcony door) and create a reading nook in that alcove. We'll build a bookcase and move the chair into the space, then finish with that swing floor lamp I picked up at the thrift store. I'll add white blinds like those in my office to help darken the room at night.

I'll refinish Mike's dresser to match mine.

Source List:

• Nightstands- A pair of these in a distressed color like perhaps turquoise


• Bed- King Size Farmhouse Bed


• Bedding- Better Homes and Gardens Citrus Blossoms (on the reverse side)


• Curtains- Made from painter's drop cloth canvas


• Bookshelf- Thomas Wide Bookshelf

Well there you have it folks, I've laid out the plan which means I have to commit. Stay tuned for updates!