Lighting

It's been awhile (a long while) and no promises but I decided I needed to start recording these updates on a regular basis again. We'll see how that actually goes...

I've done a few updates to the lighting since I last posted including getting a new fixture for the front entry and moving that fixture to the back entry which made a huge difference.


That being said there is still a long ways to go. I despise boob lights. Could there really not have been a better choice then these jokers?

Capital Lighting

They are builder grade and due to us having a very limited budget while building these lovelies were scattered throughout our house. Now that we are becoming a little more settled (still a LONG way from being comfortable though) I'm starting to become ready to switch them out for more up-to-date fixtures with a bit more character. Although this house started as a 5-7 year house for us, we're already at 4 years and have no plans to even being moving anytime soon....although I did recently list us on Zillow at a make-me-move price about $75,000 over the last estimate of our house. That's why it's classified as "Make Me Move" right?

Here are some updates I'd like to get to eventually. I keep lots of records on my Pinterest boards now but that doesn't record where we've been & the path along the way :).

KITCHEN:
1. It's so dang dark in here, I want to put in some under cabinet lighting operated on a switch.

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2. Again, speaking of the darkness, I'd like to add a semi-flush mount fixture in the center of the room. I loved this one but apparently Ballard doesn't carry it anymore.

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3. I really like the look of little pendants hanging down over the sink. I don't know if this would end up being too busy & I don't know about having to have pretty bulbs but I like this one.

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LAUNDRY ROOM:

This just has your standard boob light which does a good enough job of lighting up the room but I'd like a little more character. Something along these lines but less expensive & smaller.

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STAIRS:

The lights we currently have are good enough but not really my style. I'd like something low-profile but with style, like this, but that emits a bit more than just a "warm glow."

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TIM'S CLOSET:

Poor guy has a straight-up florescent fixture, ugly as can be & awful colored lighting no matter the bulb. I'd like to get him something that gives better light for him & isn't ugly (for me).

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UPSTAIRS BEDROOMS, BONUS ROOM & MASTER BEDROOM:

I know some people don't like ceiling fans but around here the mugginess just sits on you like a wet blanket and without the extra airflow from ceiling fans in the bedroom it just gets to be a bit stifling. That being said, I'd like to have ceiling fans that are attractive and add to the room rather than detract. The upstairs rooms & bonus room currently only have lights in them & we have an ugly ceiling fan with a light kit so I'd like to replace all four with something like this, but not $400 each, yikes!

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FAMILY ROOM:

We currently have 4 can lights & a fan in the den but although the plan was originally to add a light kit to the fan I think I'd rather just replace it. If I couldn't convince Tim to get rid of the fan altogether I'd likely just get the same as what is in the bedrooms but I think some negotiating with putting the fan in the bonus room just might let me get away with getting rid of that one. In that case I think I want a rustic looking chandelier which I haven't seen any of that really interest me just yet.

HALLWAY:

Our upstairs hallway just has can lighting (smart!) but our downstairs hallway still has a boob light. I think that I'd like to replace it with the flush-mount that matches all of our other pieces.

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HALF BATH & OFFICE:

I can't remember if the half-bath has a vanity light fixture or if it has a ceiling mount. I could swear to you that it is a ceiling mount though. I have some big plans for this room (at least for now) which a large light would compete with too much so I think I want something pretty, but low-profile.

The office has the most basic flush-mount imaginable right now with no character at all but I'd like to replace it with this very simple flush-mount that does not look like a boob. (side-note: I'd also consider this for the Laundry Room & for the Hallway).

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MASTER BATH & GUEST BATH:

This is our current fixture in our master bathroom & I'm pretty sure its the same but with a different number of lights for the guest bathroom:

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Nothing really bad about it, but nothing particularly interesting either. I also want to frame in our mirror & put a built-in cabinet between our sinks for more storage so we will need two separate fixtures for that to work. 

For our master bath, I'd like something a little quirky & am willing to spend a bit more since I will be using it/seeing it multiple times each day. Something like this could be fun.

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For the guest bathroom I think I'd end up waiting to see if our first child ends up being a little girl or a little boy because I love both of these (although they'd both be too small).

Little Girl:

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Little Boy (in antique brass):

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Ultimately I think we can all learn a lesson from this...boob lights are not a necessity and even builder basic could transition into something much more attractive such as this. :)

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Updates (Downstairs) - pictures & details to follow!

Front Entry
- Got a rug (HomeDecorators.com)
- Got a new light (Ballard Designs)
- Got a table (Craigslist - $35)
- Got some art (by friends)
- Made some curtains (I did it)

Dining Room
- Got rid of the table & chairs (sold on Craigslist)
- Got a hutch/china cabinet (Ballard Designs)

Hallway
- Got rugs (West Elm)
- Got art (frame gallery fm Target, others custom framed)

Office
- Painted (mixed a few random colors together)
- Built desk & shelf (I did it)
- Built in corkboard (I did it)

Back Entry
- Replaced light (from front entry)
- Got a vase... (that empty area was killing me - Neiman Marcus)

Family Room
- Got a TV (& surround sound - thanks lightning storm - Jeff Lynch)
- Got some art (custom framed & donated by Grandma)
- Got tables (Rug & Home)
- Got couches (Hand me downs, sold the others on Craigslist)
- Got lamp (local antique store)
- Got pillows (Pottery Barn)

Kitchen
- Curtains (shower curtain from Pottery Barn, spray painted rod from West Elm)
- Art (spray painted EAT from Hobby Lobby, frames from Pottery Barn)
- Under cabinet storage (Lowe's)
- iPad mount (gift from brother & sister-in-law)
- Barstools (hand-me-downs)
- Rug (Pottery Barn)
- Trash Can (Bed, Bath & Beyond)
- Added spice rack to lower cabinet (Lowe's)

Pantry
- New shelving configuration (I did it)

Master Bedroom
- Quilt (Pottery Barn)
- New Dog Bed (I did it)
- New buffet (Local antique store refinished by me)
- Bedskirt (Pottery Barn)
- Art (by me)
- New TV (Best Buy Black Friday purchase)
- Bedside lamps (Pottery Barn)

Master Bathroom
- New rugs (Pottery Barn)
- New towels (Belk)
- Updated gallery wall (by me)
- Reconfigured Tim's Closet (by me)
- Reconfigured My Closet (by me)
- New toilet plunger (ooh fancy... - Lowe's)

Half (Guest) Bath
- Storage Cabinet (Pottery Barn)

Laundry Room
- Air Register (Lowe's)
- Art (Ballard Designs)
- Drying Rack (Ballard Designs)
- Rug (Ballard Designs)

Laundry Room Re-do

Ok, so I've been pretty slack around here lately. Lots to catch up on but for now it's really just a teaser. Here is a link to my original post about our laundry room.  Well, we're FINALLY getting around to fixing it up. The in-laws are generously gifting us with a new front-load washer & dryer & the pedestals as our Christmas gift this year. They got an AMAZING deal on a fully-loaded Samsung washer & dryer set (not sure if that is the exact one but they look really similar) from our local Sears Outlet on Black Friday & they will deliver tomorrow.

Well since those giants are huge & extremely heavy so we knew that if we were ever wanting to re-do the floors that now was the time. I first read about cork floors over at Young House Love through their kitchen remodel & became interested. We first looked into slate but with the laundry room being right next to our bedroom I wanted something that would be a little quieter...not to mention warmer on the feet. We found the last 3 boxes of our style & color (pictures coming soon) at Lumber Liquidators for about $3 a square foot & started the install Tuesday night. I have to say that it was pretty easy & actually went really quickly once we got the prep work out of the way & got the hang of it all.

All of that will come to you soon enough but for now I wanted to share my plans with you for our future laundry room space as well as my checklist to both keep me in line & you in the know!

Here is a view from the ceiling. Feeling a little cramped? The room is just 4.5' x 6.5' so we need to use every imaginable space available to us. You can see the washer & dryer peeking out just a big under the blue cabinets (still haven't committed to that color but its my initial idea) & there are some other cabinets on the other side we'll get into in a minute. That thing on the back of the door would be the ironing board that I'm going to get some brackets to install & hang it there.

The green square on the floor is the Le Poeme rug from Ballard in Sage that is only $50 for a 2'x3' rug...sold!

The gold on the left wall is actually these safety pin plaques from Ballard as well that my sister & her husband bought us as part of a wedding gift. I have a big crush on them.

Here is a better view of the room as you walk in the door. We will be keeping the same wall color, just touching it up a bit.

Now turning to the right you'll find the washer & dryer with cabinets. Not really sure what the extra strip of white is at the top, it was just supposed to be crown molding.

 

Cabinets on the sides will have doors (see reference idea below) & yes we have an old birdseed bucket that is used for a multitude of things but came with the ubiquitous name of "puke bucket" thanks to what it was called in my childhood. Mom & Dad kept it classy folks. The silver bar will be for keeping extra hangers around & most likely will inevitably be used to dry my bras...the class is embedded in the DNA. I haven't done a lot of measuring so my idea of how this will all pan out may not be accurate but this is the rough idea. I'm loving these knobs from Anthro but will pbly see what Hobby Lobby has before diving in.

Next up, the left side of the room.

Hidden behind the door will be a rack for our OXO Floor Sweeper & my newest friend in the cleaning game, my Shark Steam Mop. On the right side will be a much thinner cabinet.

I'd like to put a tilt-out drying rack up top to dry larger pieces of clothing so they aren't scattered throughout our downstairs, similar to this old piece from Ballard.

Below that I'd like a shelf for perhaps some carpet cleaner, stain remover, etc & a taller shelf for the things you need but don't really want to see like the plunger & toilet brush. Finally below that I'd like a built-in area for our dog's bowls since that is typically where we keep them but it would be nice to have them look a little more professional.

I think that's about it! So here is our ever-growing to-do list. I still have to run everything past the husband & the master builder (my dad).

1. Order new floors
2. Get underlayment for floors
3. Remove shoe molding
4. Install new floors
5. Get a pipe collar to cover where the new flooring meets the dryer vent. - canceled this, they don't make them...oh well!
6. Install pipe collar - see above
7. Get quarter round
8. Paint quarter round
9. Install quarter-round
10. Touch up baseboards & quarter round
11. Remove existing shelf
12. Touch up walls
13. Touch up trim around doors (see here for the issue with it) 
14. Trim transition piece
15. Replace transition piece
16. Get washer/dryer delivered
17. Order rug
18. Order new air register (ours was stark white & I found one in aged brass online for only $6)
19. Place in new air register
20. Get hooks for ironing board
21. Install ironing board hooks
22. Buy crown molding
23. Paint crown molding
24. Install crown molding
25. Buy cabinet materials
26. Buy new dog bowls (the ones she has now are a little gaudy for my taste)
27. Build cabinets
28. Paint cabinets & cabinet trim
29. Install cabinets
30. Install cabinet trim
31. Install cabinet knobs
32. Buy hanging bar
33. Install hanging bar
34. Replace light bulbs to be the swirly efficient kind (see why the peeps at Lowe's love me?)

We've still got a LONG ways to go with this project but I'm really excited to see progress & will share how far we get after the weekend!

Knick Knack Paddy Whack

So as I get the last 2 rooms of my house in some semblance of order I thought I'd show off some knick-knacks that have caught my eye lately, granted I am not the biggest fan of knick-knacks but I do really like these and have come to the realization that I don't have to have a place for everything right away and that I do have the option of keeping thing to switch up the look every now and then. This is also called making excuses in order to buy things I don't really need aka FOMO (the Fear Of Missing Out).

Birds - yes, for some reason I have a fascination with birds, as long as they are too scary or real looking then I'm a fan. I don't know where I picked this up or why I like them so much but I did and I do.

2. Faux Flowers - Faux is a nice way of saying fake which is a nice way of saying that I can't keep pretty flowers alive so I resort to genus fauxous for my flora and fauna. I don't do the fake plastic/polyester combos though. Ok I'm lying I don't know what the fake flowers I buy are made out of but I know that I don't get any that are too gaudy or obviously fake looking, well at least not to my untrained eye.

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3. Metal & Glass - I love the window panes that are so old the glass looks as though its dripping, same with vases. I like them to look well loved but still in mint condition whether it be by glass or the antique pewter collection from Pottery Barn (oh how I heart you).

4. Chargers - I'll be honest, I don't exactly have a true need for this but I like it and I'm sure I'll use it one of these days. It just matches both kinds of china I got and pulls them together, plus its such a pretty blue.

5. Serving and Storing - These aren't the only serving/storing pieces I want but they are the coolest out of the bunch. I mean who couldn't use an old dough bowl or a long hollowed plank of wood? And a glass dome, isn't that just standard these days or shouldn't it be? In my book they all should, pretty little things.

6. The Randoms - Don't ask me what I'll do with them or why I like them but I do and think they should be in my repertoire of decor, you know just in case I ever need a random set of antique keys or some pretty storage or pottery pieces. You can never be too careful with those sorts of things.

Be Our Guest: Part 2

Bedroom #3, its the poor forgotten little thing that was completely empty save for Tim's PlayStation 2 console and games for awhile. We showed it a little love with a bed and leftover pillows, blankets and etc but it still can use a lot more, bless it.

I have absolutely no idea where the pillows are from, I want to say Target but then again I think Bed, Bath and Beyond. Regardless I got them back in college and the blanket, mattress, lamp and TV table are from Tim's college apartment yet again.

The closet has some medical supplies from after Tim's surgery, leftover wedding decorations, Tim's mom's wedding dress and my wedding dress (the lady at the dry cleaners told me it looks like a corpse all laid out in the box...gee thanks). It also has the comforters for both guest beds that I need to get some duvet covers for but can seem to make a decision on yet. Shocker.

Things we have left to do here:

1. Get a bedframe - I'm not crazy about/not locked into the way the bed is set up right now which leaves me completely open to getting a new bed. I've always wanted a metal bedframe but am afraid I'll get my arm stuck in the middle of the night. I'm not a peaceful sleeper, ask poor Tim how he gets so many bruises. Putting one in a guest room lets me still get it but saves my extremities from trauma. The majority of my friends are much more coordinated than I. Ballard again has a great one that would work perfectly.

2. Get a nightstand -  everyone always has something they need next to them at night, whether it be a cell phone or an alarm clock. We need a nightstand in this guest room so that our guests have a place for their things at night. Ballard Designs (shining yet again tonight) has a neat one thats pretty inexpensive.

3. Get a TV stand - Once again the Durham end table would have to be my choice because I can do so much with it in the man cave later (i.e. place the two of them together to make a coffee table, yes please).

4. Get curtains - The view from the window in this room is all shingles which wouldn't be an issue except they have these little windows that allow anyone to peer into this room. Curtains it is. 

Just a heads up, I have to say that I'm SUPER excited about my post for tomorrow so stay tuned :).