I have been meaning to post these before and after pics forever. This was a remodel I did a year ago. Somehow I've just never gotten around to posting about it. Probably because I was originally going to make this blog just about cards. But then I added jewelry. So I might as well throw in everything else, too!
I have to confess that I am an avid DIYer. My husband is not. All our tools are ones I bought or were given to me as gifts. I was so excited a couple of years ago when I made him a poker table for Christmas. I had to buy a new circular saw (mine bit the dust), a new jig saw (Ok. I'm hard on saws! My old one bit the dust, too), and a new staple gun (You guessed it, my old one died....) But I digress. That is fodder for another post.
Anyway, I am also an HGTV fan, although I don't have much time to watch it anymore. But I'm all about getting a look forcheap less. So, though I'm showcasing the new & improved bed and bath, I'll point out some of my previous fixes, too.
So this is the bed before (don't know why all the before pics look yellow!) What you don't see is the really cool "crown" type of canopy I had hanging behind the bed. I didn't think to start taking pictures until after it was down. Anyway. I really loved the red and gold but was getting tired of it. The accent pillows are made out of clearance satin drapery panels and scarves I found at Walmart. The dresser scarves on the nightstands are velvet placements from Big Lots,
This is the bed after. I had done this at our previous house, too. Instead of a headboard, I framed out the area above the bed with crown molding, and painted it cream to contrast with the blue. Then hung a print in the middle. The flowers in the print were originally too white, so I just swiped over them with a sponge and some vanilla stamping ink to tone them down. I should mention that my husband asked me, "Why didn't you paint the whole room? Why one wall?" Guess he doesn't get the concept of an accent wall.
The foot of the bed was a bit crowded with the love seat and the hope chest. But I loved having the love seat there. So, I finally ditched the love seat and move the hope chest, adding pillows to make it more comfy for sitting (out cats love it!) The long cushion is a piece of foam rubber covered with a body pillow cover that I picked up on clearance. I used the same wall sconces, just changing the candles, which I also found at Big Lots, along with the mirror. The 2 smaller pillows were part of the comforter set that I decided to use here instead of on the bed.
One of these days I'll get around to hanging the tapestry in my living room. I'll need to ask my mom, but I believe this was brought over from the old country by my great grandparents, so I hate to have it put away.
This photo has my electric fireplace that I bought about 12 years ago. My husband griped that I was spending too much money, but I'd wanted a fireplace in the bedroom forever.Now he turns it on (flame only since I'm at the certain age where my body temperature fluctuates from second to second!) The mirror was one from our previous house that had gotten a corner broken off. I painted and distressed molding and glued it on to create the frame. The problem is that when I wanted to hang one as you see above, it couldn't be done. The molding was glued even with the edges of the mirror because of the size of the broken corner. Therefore, there was nothing that I could attach hangers to because the back was all glass. Hence the need to purchase a new mirror.
My good friend, Cindy, who helped me paint, had suggested I find a way to raise the fireplace so both occupants of the bed could see it. I am very proud of the result. I built this myself from mdf, 2x4s, and crown molding. I simply took the fireplace insert out of the old surround, removed the gold trim, and then built supports inside the new surround to hold it in place (think legs made out of 2x4s, essentially). Then I added the mosaic trim. I found the coolest stuff at our local home Depot for helping with that. It's basically a huge sheet of super sticky double stick tape. You cut it to the size of your tiles (in this case mosaic tiles on a mesh backing). Then you stick it to the surface you are tiling, then add the tile. Then you can grout immediately. No waiting. No adhesive mess. Fabulous stuff!
Now on to the bathroom......
Bathroom before repeated the red and gold. Geraniums in the flower box at the tub. Window scarves tossed over brass curtain rods. You can't see it, but the can light by the shower does have a decorative surround that I bought for it. The colors were suitable for the "after" bathroom as well.
Now the walls (only 2 of them. One here, one in the next pics) are the same color as the accent wall in the bedroom. I purchased the window scarves on sale at Menard's. The wall hanging here and in the next picture are from Big Lots. I forget where I got the shower curtain, but I was thrilled that it had the accent stripes of brown and the brown flourish in the center, both echoing the new bedspread. I replaced the geraniums with a board on which to place spare towels on one half, and filled the other with sand, decorative glass stones, and battery operated scented candles.
The cabinets here are the original plain oak ones, although I had swapped out the handles a few years ago. When we moved in the mirror was plain old construction grade, and I added the painted/antiqued/distressed molding. I found a great lighting option for can lights (which I hate). You can buy pendant lights (now in many styles, only available in one when I got mine), that you use by simply unscrewing the can light bulb, and screwing the pendant into its place. The cord is adjustable so you can have it hang however long or short you like. Then you put a regular bulb in the pendant. I liked it so much when I got it that I ordered two for my kitchen, too.
The thing I really hated in the bathroom was the brass light fixture and the silver towel bars/rings. Because of the bass ackwards way the light was put in, though, there isn't really any other option. So instead, I got metallic spray paint (hammered bronze) and painted the towel bars/rings and the light housing. I also broke down and painted the cabinets the same brown as the fireplace, the frame behind the bed, and the mirror molding. People who know me well know this was a major breakthrough because I just can't bring myself to paint over perfectly good wood--especially oak. But I'm glad I did! It finished off the room in a way that could never have been acheveed by leaving them oak.
So there you have it. Everything but the fireplace got finished in two days, thanks to the help of my friends Cindy and Christine. The surround took me another day to build and another to install (I did have to work at my job, too!). I love the way it turned out. It didn't look bad in the regal red and gold (although the pics don't do it justice). But now it's peaceful and serene. Spa-like. I love it!
I have to confess that I am an avid DIYer. My husband is not. All our tools are ones I bought or were given to me as gifts. I was so excited a couple of years ago when I made him a poker table for Christmas. I had to buy a new circular saw (mine bit the dust), a new jig saw (Ok. I'm hard on saws! My old one bit the dust, too), and a new staple gun (You guessed it, my old one died....) But I digress. That is fodder for another post.
Anyway, I am also an HGTV fan, although I don't have much time to watch it anymore. But I'm all about getting a look for
This is the bed after. I had done this at our previous house, too. Instead of a headboard, I framed out the area above the bed with crown molding, and painted it cream to contrast with the blue. Then hung a print in the middle. The flowers in the print were originally too white, so I just swiped over them with a sponge and some vanilla stamping ink to tone them down. I should mention that my husband asked me, "Why didn't you paint the whole room? Why one wall?" Guess he doesn't get the concept of an accent wall.
One of these days I'll get around to hanging the tapestry in my living room. I'll need to ask my mom, but I believe this was brought over from the old country by my great grandparents, so I hate to have it put away.
Now on to the bathroom......
Now the walls (only 2 of them. One here, one in the next pics) are the same color as the accent wall in the bedroom. I purchased the window scarves on sale at Menard's. The wall hanging here and in the next picture are from Big Lots. I forget where I got the shower curtain, but I was thrilled that it had the accent stripes of brown and the brown flourish in the center, both echoing the new bedspread. I replaced the geraniums with a board on which to place spare towels on one half, and filled the other with sand, decorative glass stones, and battery operated scented candles.
The thing I really hated in the bathroom was the brass light fixture and the silver towel bars/rings. Because of the bass ackwards way the light was put in, though, there isn't really any other option. So instead, I got metallic spray paint (hammered bronze) and painted the towel bars/rings and the light housing. I also broke down and painted the cabinets the same brown as the fireplace, the frame behind the bed, and the mirror molding. People who know me well know this was a major breakthrough because I just can't bring myself to paint over perfectly good wood--especially oak. But I'm glad I did! It finished off the room in a way that could never have been acheveed by leaving them oak.
So there you have it. Everything but the fireplace got finished in two days, thanks to the help of my friends Cindy and Christine. The surround took me another day to build and another to install (I did have to work at my job, too!). I love the way it turned out. It didn't look bad in the regal red and gold (although the pics don't do it justice). But now it's peaceful and serene. Spa-like. I love it!
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