Home Update Ideas – Part One

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You’ve heard me talk about my friend and fellow partner in crime decorating maven Stacie. (Check out our other makeover here and here) Well we partnered up again to do a home makeover for our long time friend Shellie. Shellie is a busy boy mom who wanted an overhaul of her main living space. She had neither the time nor desire to do it herself, so that is where we stepped in. Shellie is the lone lady in a house full of boys and it was just that time in life when a little feminine touch and décor addition was needed. She has great decorating items in her house, but the needed fresh eyes to rearrange and bring life to her space.

When we walked into the space Stacie and I pinpointed a couple of areas to focus on, made a list of things we would need new and made a game plan on how to re-work what she already had. This update included more than decorating accessories. We updated light fixtures, cabinet hardware, oversaw a re-stain of some built ins and bought furniture. It was a big job for this sweet family:

Our friends live out in the country. For real…while we were there working their dogs killed a snake in the backyard. I’ve never seen anything like it. This is who greeted us each day when we arrived and then kept a watchful eye on us… Yes that is their driveway…

Then there is all the stuff we have to lug along so we have all we need…

Never mind the minor foot surgery Stacie had to perform after I stepped on something sharp at my house that morning…Good thing her day job is a nurse!

Now for the decorating part…

One thing we felt the room needed was a place for the eye to land. There were so many things in this space, all interesting, but all spread out. So your eyes didn’t know where to stop to take it all in. This is a great decorating tip. It is ok to have stuff, but not in every space possible. You need some open space in your rooms, on the walls.

By moving the ducks and showcasing all the like things on one wall it frees up the fireplace to be a magnificent focal point for this beautiful room. Stacie gifted the family with this amazing window from Shellie’s church to adorn the mantel. Isn’t it glorious!!?? And – you really notice it because nothing else is competing for attention.Another area that needed some thought was storage. This family really uses and lives in their living room. The kids play there, their toys are there, Shellie works in this space too. All that togetherness brings on a need for a place to put all their stuff. One tip we gave Shellie to help wrangle all the dvds they had was to take them out of the cases and put them into books with cd sleeves. That eliminated the need for all the shelving you see below flanking the piano. This one little thing is a HUGE space saver.

In order to get the toys out of sight and make this room a little more adult friendly we had to come up with additional storage. Stacie found this AMAZING piece of furniture at none other than Habitat Restore. It took the biggest chunk of the budget, but it was worth every penny! It added a bit of feminine glam to a heavy on masculine room. What do you think?

We have all been there when our kids and their stuff over run the house. Shellie is exiting that phase of life and getting a handle on it was a priority for her. We encouraged her to make use of the new furniture and use the built in she already had to organize games, toys and all the other things life brings. The built ins are a major focal point in this room. After thinking on a few options the homeowners decided to go with staining the built in. It turned out beautiful! Shellie bought a few new items she liked, but other than that we just rearranged the things she had around her house to make these shelves a show stopping display. The pictures that were previously on the sides of the built in were a little small for the space. Scale is so important in decorating. We moved those pictures to the entryway, where they are on prominent display now. In order to add some personal touches to the room we wanted family photos to be in the mix. Canvas wraps are a great idea. If they are still to small, do what we did…simply layer them on something else. We took and old canvas and wrapped it with a coordinating fabric, added a flower touch and bingo…perfect size! The mirror on the right was from the entry and we painted it for a hint of color.

Lastly we moved Shellie’s collection of Italian glass vases from the tops of her kitchen cabinets and displayed them throughout the living area. They were just to pretty to be hidden away! Check out the second half of this makeover – the kitchen. There is just to much to go through in one day!!! Join our e-mail list so you don’t miss a thing, or please feel free to post to the social media of your choice! Sharing is caring. Thanks friends!