We'll start with the outside and our front gate. Now, there wasn't anything really wrong with our gate, but it wasn't very private for one thing and it didn't keep Prince Budaj contained. He easily scaled the gate when we were leaving one day on several occasions and then we heard from our neighbor that he was getting out and wandering around. When he tried to approach our own little Houdini, he simply jumped back over. Seeing as this was not long after we got him was reassuring that he knows where home is and he knows he has it good here.
Before/After: Here's our new gate with a little window to peek out.
Our oleanders are in full bloom!
Before/After
The living room was basically a blank canvas, with the exception of an ugly bright green wall. The color in there now is pretty light, but we have some dark wood furniture and the accents help soften the room and make it cozy. We got new curtains and window hardware at Bed, Bath & Beyond. We still want to get a cushy rug for in front of the couch and actually, perhaps a new couch very soon!
Before (previous owner's furniture) & After
We still want to replace the ceiling fan (currently in the dining room) with something Tommy Bahama-like.
We were thrilled to find a counter height dining table we both liked for a smokin' deal. Originally we had a glass top table, but we needed more seating. Above the table, you'll notice one of our cruise art auction purchases--Koi Garden, which we love. We're going to center it (before we had the hutch in that corner behind the door. Like I said, the fan is going away sometime soon hopefully. We'd like to get a pretty chandelier to go over the table
instead.
Before (previous owner's furniture) & After
Ah yes, the infamous red room. Probably the most frustrating and extensive painting project, the downstairs bonus room (AKA: "Dog room" and library) started off bright red. We're talking Red Wings red. Had the paint not been streaky, we might have kept the color, even though it's not what we thought it would be, but alas, it was terribly uneven and we had no choice but to kils the room and start over. We took the opportunity to pick a color closer to what we had intended originally. The result was more of a "merlot." We completed our bookshelves wall with two additional bookshelves from IKEA, as well as drapes from IKEA and new window hardware.
Because the room is where the dogs like to hang out a lot of the time and their nails click on the floor constantly when Gracie and Budaj are wrestling (which reminds me to get some footage of that because it's hilarious), we decided we needed a rug, which have worked out really well. We have a white dresser we're going to put in here that will house all the dogs' goodies inside and their very own tv for during the summer when we lock them in this room and outside to save on cooling costs. (The room has it's own a/c unit on the end. Eventually when we replace the couch, our current couch will slide 12 feet out to this room as well.
Before/After
The kitchen was a whole lot of white, which seemed to be tinted blue. When we were painting, we discovered the reason for this hint of blue in the color...when we took off the light switch plates, the original color was underneath and was pretty much highlighter blue (without exaggeration). We went with a dark blue instead to flow with our sports room behind the kitchen. There was no microwave originally so as another housewarming present, my parents got us a new built-in microwave, which Brady and his dad installed quite skillfully.
We are still planning to do a thin brick backsplash to give the kitchen a downtown loft sort of feel. We'll probably cover one wall with the brick as well. We want to replace the lighting with some recessed lighting and some counter lights as well.
Before/After
The sports room started off as box storage when we first moved in. We're happy to report that the floor is clear and it's looking more and more complete. Our autographed Avs jerseys now have forever homes (we have 4 to get framed still too), as well as our wedding jersey, and all of our miscellaneous hockey stuff. We originally wanted to get a pool table, but unfortunately, we wouldn't have enough room to be able to play. Brady did find an awesome deal on a professional air hockey table though, which we love. It even has an MP3 connection. It's a good thing there are shutters on those windows because the pucks tend to go a-flyin' ;)We might put in a chair rail or a stripe around the room at some point.
Before
After
The stairwell was an interesting painting project because of the high ceilings. To get the top roofline, Brady and his dad used a very tall ladder that leans against the wall rather than being a more solid A-frame. I couldn't watch. It was too scary, but it looks awesome! We chose a darker brown that flows well into the living room. The official color
is Behr "Brown Tepee," but I prefer Brady's dad's idea that it looks like hot cocoa :) We have our photo wall going as well.
The blanket on the landing is yet another comforter/bedspread turned dog bed. One of the dogs is always laying over here.
Before/After
Now, about that light fixture--I give it less than 6 months. It's extremely bright and not our style at all. We're just waiting for one to go on sale at Home Depot or Lowe's that we like.I've posted our guest room #1 photos, but just to give you the complete picture of the house...the room divider screen helps block morning sun and was used at our wedding!
Before/After
From the closet
Guest room #2 is still in the works, but we have it painted and we have the headboard in finally! ($5 find at Goodwill that Brady painted white) We still need to hang up pictures, etc.
Before/After
From the closet:
The upstairs bonus room is definitely still under construction. I was so happy to finish painting it though :) About 2/3rds of it is going to be our office and the other 1/3 is a massage room. Yeah, we're spoiled, hehe
Brady did a fantastic job with the guest bathroom. It's an Egyptian theme...the paint is textured like sand and has flecks of gold in it. We have all the bath accessories, but it still needs new towels, a towel rack and a couple rugs.
Before/In Progress
We're still working on our master bedroom, but here's the stock image of the bed we got!
Well that concludes our tour! It's been a lot of work and we'll continuously make changes and improvements to the house. We just love our house and it's perfect for us because we've got a lot of flexible areas for the future :)
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