Inspiring Ranch Re-do

I think the nesting urges are starting to kick in because I've been cleaning out even the most random corners of the house. Last week I went through my old magazines. I only managed to get rid of four or five and a couple of duplicates, but they are now all organized nicely. In the process, I re-fell in love with a few old favorites, including this Atlanta house published in Cottage Living.


His-and-hers desks in the living room are hidden behind louvered doors on tracks. And I'm kind of obsessed with the buffalo-checked slipcovers on the chairs.






The front entrance, before.


The much more charming entrance, after.

Photos by Megan Thompson.

Atlanta Before and After

If you liked the keeping room I posted last week, you'll love the rest of home that designer Amy Morris updated for her parents. Of course, the basalt medallions in the entry had me at hello!



So much of the design I see online looks like it was decorated in a day via the internet, so I was happy to see that Amy used so many local sources. Of course, it takes longer and requires more foot-work to do it this "old-fashioned" way, but the end result is so much more personal.


You can see a more detailed source list here, but some of my favorite Atlanta spots were listed: Scott's Antique Market, South of Market, and Lewis & Sheron.


In the before photos, you can see that house was a pretty typical Colonial with a pretty typical 90's decorating job.


Amy brought it up to date with a simple color palette and chic furnishings.



I especially loved the more casual spaces like the breakfast room here, and the keeping room below. And I think I need some rope light fixtures in my life.


The wall color here is China White, by Benjamin Moore, which is the color I have in my kitchen and breakfast room (which I might start calling the keeping room! Ha.).


The dutch door and brick floor in the informal entry are so charming.


The master bedroom, before.


And now the lighter, brighter after.


The master bath, before.


And the much-improved after. I love the color of the vanity (Graphite by Benjamin Moore).




And finally, the master sitting room.

Photos by Emily Followill for Tradional Home. The architect on the addition and remodel was Bradley E. Heppner Architecture LLC.

Tia Zoldan, Before and After

I am sure you will recognize one of my favorite stories from Cottage Living magazine as Tia Zoldan's California house. Julie of Milk and Honey Home recently profiled her and featured some new pictures of her house. Which of course made me immediately dig out the old pictures to compare! The new look is definitely more sophisticated, and in many ways more glamorous than the version that was featured in Cottage. Have a look.


Living room, Before: I think we can all agree that this is "the mix" done so well. It looks chic but not overly decorated.


Living room, After: Tia often chooses large scale and interesting artwork, and it looks like this new piece inspired a new color palette. The once-white walls are now a soft gray. The coffee table seems to have been painted, and the sofa recovered. Looks like some of the popular ikat on the throw pillows. She still uses an ottoman as extra seating and layers a rug over the seagrass. It's interesting to see the same basic idea in different incarnations.



Kitchen, Before: The mostly-white kitchen had a classic subway-tile backsplash with a pretty border, and warm accessories.


Kitchen, After: The walls got a coat of green-gray paint, and it looks like the window trim and sashes are darker. The two upper cabinets are painted as well. I love this look, especially the floors (laid in a herringbone pattern before it was so trendy) and that great rug. I don't know what the banquette looked like before, but I suspect it wasn't black.


Console, Before: I'm actually not sure this is the same area, but let's pretend. I'm looking at the console in the left side of the photo.


Console, After: The sconce is updated, and I love the round mirror. I usually prefer symmetry, but this arrangement is cool.


Dining room, Before: I've always loved the mix of chairs, and I also love to see a generous rug under a table. Bare floors can look a little naked!


Dining room, After: I'll be honest, this is not my favorite -- I'm just not glam enough for gold chairs and zebra, I guess. But, I can see its appeal. In the very left of the photo, it looks like one of the striped barrel-back chairs is still around, even though the host's chair has been changed (is that burlap?!). The table is the same, and again, it's fun to see the different ways to use it. The wall color looks different, though photography can really play tricks with color. This does appear to be the same color as the kitchen, so maybe it is new. The curtains are definitely new, and while I'm not sure how I like them cutting off the top window, I think this faces the street, so they are probably necessary. I'd love to know if that big green armoire is still on the wall to the left!


Bedroom, Before: I've always liked this. Again, not an over-decorated look.




Bedroom, After: The bedroom also got a dose of glam with gray paint instead of white, and new lamps and bedside tables. The new curtains look more tailored, and the darker fur throw is sexier (for lack of a better term). The headboard and sconces remain, and I love subtle mix of patterns on the bed.


Daughter's room, Before: The girls' bedroom was sweet, but not overly so. I love the mix of feminine florals and mis-matched furniture.


Daughter's room, After: She has definitely grown up! I believe the girls are nearing their preteen years, and this room reflects that.

I've loved seeing this transformation -- it's as if the house has grown up with the family. As I am still making decisions on our first house, it gives me hope that even a designer has to start somewhere (where those Ikea chairs in the dining room?) and that upgrades can be made as you go. Even if Cottage Living has already knocked on your door!

Office to Guest Bedroom, Part 1: The Closet

In the process of making the guest bedroom the baby's room, we had to deal with the office. Since we were consolidating the two rooms, these were the priorities:

1. Closet space and a dresser for Wes. Our bedroom has a single closet. It's just not happening.

2. A place for guests to sleep. We have family and friends out of town so this is essential.

3. A smaller desk area. We made a skirted desk not long ago, but there wasn't room to keep it and bring in the bed. Admittedly, the desk didn't get much use, but we still needed a dedicated bill-paying station and a spot for our laptop (other than the dining room table).


First up was the closet. Wes has been using it, so it got a good clean-out, a fresh paint job, and a better arrangement to accommodate some of the things that were in the desk and elsewhere in the room.

We swapped a small, low dresser for the one that was in the guest bedroom. The small dresser is finding a new home at my sister's house.


The closet needed doors, and since we put the dresser in front of it, there wasn't really space for anything but a curtain. I made a simple one out of a drop cloth from Lowe's ($9.48) and a tension rod from Target ($3). I still haven't mastered my sewing machine so I just used iron-on hem tape.

On the wall that used to host the small dresser (the larger one couldn't go there with the bed in the room), I finally hung the warbler prints I've had for a few months. The frames are simple ones from Target ($16.99 each) that I painted with leftover trim paint (Bennington Gray by Benjamin Moore).

Day 998's spring update

As the weather is warming and the flowers are peeking out, I suppose it's time to lose the plaid blankets in our bedrooms. I love them and can't wait to bring them back in September, but, I like to keep things fresh. Changing things around a little helps satisfy my shopping urge, honestly.

In the guest bedroom, I wasn't ready to go to the full-on summer look of lots of crisp blue and white. I went to my fabric stash and found a pretty green and blue floral remnant I bought out of a clearance bin for next-to-nothing.


The repeat is large and needed to be appreciated, so I took a cue from the bedroom in this house and just hung it over the upholstered headboard. I folded the edges under and ironed the creases. A couple of pieces of painter's tape (I didn't have any straight pins handy) holds the bottom in place.

It doesn't match exactly, but I think it "goes." And I love the way gold-toned mirror picks up golds in the fabric. A quick, easy -- and free! -- fix for spring.

Before and After: Stainless Steel Paint

Stainless steel paint has gotten some mixed reviews in blogland. Nathan loved it, Lauren hated it, and I've been left quite curious. We've been working on a few little fixes to hold the kitchen over for a real makeover, and one of the items that really needed attention was the rust-colored and grime-covered hood over the stovetop.


After the cabinets got a fresh coat of paint, I just couldn't ignore it anymore. This picture doesn't even do justice to the grime (Wes had to use his finishing sander to get it off -- seriously, how does that much grime get on top??) but you can imagine that it stood out like a sore thumb from our white, almond and black appliances. Or maybe they all just stand out since they are all different colors? Anyway. I thought that surely some paint couldn't make it worse.


And I think I was right! Does it look like actual stainless steel? Perhaps not. But does it look 100 times better? Definitely yes. I don't think I'll use it on the refrigerator, but the jury's still out on the white dishwasher. Have you tried it?

Day 886: Santa came early

I decided a few months ago that I was going to ask for dining chairs for Christmas. I mean, you know you're getting old when ... right? I knew I wanted upholstered slipcovered chairs, and it didn't take long to decide on the Henriksdal chair from Ikea. Really, you can't beat the price, and so far we're quite pleased with them.


I'm also so pleased with the way the former living room rug looks in the dining room -- it's a perfect fit! And so much warmer and more finished-looking than without it, yes? Don't worry, the living room floor isn't bare, it's covered in my $19.99 Salvation Army rug.


It was too much of a deal to pass up, though I got it home to discover that it was most definitely almost completely covered in mildew (lovely!). Luckily, a quick Google search came up with simple instructions that worked immediately. I mixed one part bleach with 6 parts water* and applied it with a spray bottle. I used a toothbrush to work it in on the most soiled parts, and it dried mildew-free. Above on the left is the cleaned side, and on the right you can see the mildew. I think it may have darkened the rug very slightly (or perhaps it wasn't completely dry), but since I bleached the whole thing, you can't tell a bit. And yes, I will making more frequent visits to that Salvation Army.

*Just FYI, you should not bleach sisal or jute.