Planning To Reality: Our New Shed

I told you earlier this year about our hopes of building a shed in our backyard. I'm happy to say, the building is up!

In order to get that building up, we've had to do lots and lots of planning.

First we had to decide on the type of shed we wanted. We decided to go with TuffShed based on great recommendations from several friends. We went to visit our local TuffShed retail location and worked with a great salesman, who gave us some discounts and worked with us to customize it exactly as we wanted.

Second we had to figure out just exactly where we wanted the shed and how it should be positioned. This is where Brent and I disagreed (for a little while). But I won and the shed now sits how I envisioned from the beginning.

Next we had to find out where our sprinkler lines where. The last thing I wanted was to put this building down over the top of lines that we may need to move or fix some day.  So I started digging around the perimeter I'd outlined above.

Once we determined that our chosen location was "safe," we had the shed built. These guys were quick! The space went from nothing to done (sort of) in just over two hours.

 

 

 

 

NOW, you may notice that the shed is a different color than our house. No, we didn't chose that as our final palate. We are just trying to save money. So we're planning to paint it once the weather warms up to match the house. (We have leftover over paint from last summer's painting)

We also have plans to move the fence line forward a bit. Once that is done, we'll have a new cement pad and sidewalk laid down leading from the front of the house to the shed in the back.

And this spring, I'm going to plant some perennials on the side of the shed in a small bed for some added color.

Lots left to do, but we're already so happy to have the extra storage space--the freedom to move around in our garage now.

Here's to SPACE!!
~Karli

Refreshing a Master Bedroom

Today I'm sharing a little bit of a refresh on our master bedroom.

I showed you all our master bedroom a while ago, but since then we've added a couple things.


It went from this when we moved in....

 

To this last spring...

 

To play off the yellow that I've been loving, we purchased a large yellow rug from IKEA. I love the pop of color it adds to the room! It makes you not notice the bad carpet as much...or at least that's what I tell myself. :)

 

The next thing I did was add two mirrors. I hung them behind each of our side tables. I love how they bounce the light around the room! They also add some weight to the otherwise large, overbearing wall.

 

We also added the yellow throw. We keep it on the foot board, because it's really just for looks.

Porter decided to take a snooze during the middle of this photoshoot. I can't blame him.

We also got a close-out Sleep Number Bed under those covers. We can both have our own firmness now and we're sleeping better!

There are things I still want to do to this room. First, I'd like a larger sitting chair over in the corner where the small black wood chair is (something I can look for at flea markets this summer). I'd also like to replace the baseboards with the large white ones we used on the main floor. Obviously carpet is on my list too, but that will be quite a ways down the road. And looking at these photos makes me think I need some larger pillows behind the white ones on the bed. There's always something to do!

Here's to another year of style (and better sleep too!)
~Karli

Love participating the Thrifty Decor Chick's Before and After Parties! Here's to many more!

Powder Bath Reveal!

As promised, today I'm revealing our new main floor powder bath! I'm so excited to share the progression of this drab little bathroom.

 

It started like this. Tan, brown, builder-grade mirror and lighting. It also had a medicine cabinet on the small wall to the right of the sink. The floors were tan tile.

 

 

Some paint on the walls and cabinets, new cabinet hardware, a new mirror and towel rack, and the addition of some DIY paintings made the space look better.



 

 
We covered up the medicine cabinet hole with a painting.

 
And then, when it was time to get new floors on the main level, we just tore the entire thing out! It was liberating.

 

 

So, on to the big reveal after the new floors. Here was our inspiration post.

 

Love this new sign on the door that I found at an antique mall. People never knew which door was the bathroom. Now there's no question. :)

 

 

 

The hall where the bathroom lives looks so different now too!

 

 

 

When you open the door you're greeted with a brighter, clean looking room. I plan to change out the towel and a few other small items each season. For now, it's red for the recent Christmas season.

 

 

We need a bit of art to hang on the walls, but for now I'm loving the clean lines of the tall beadboard.

 

 

The vanity and sink are from IKEA. My dad helped me install it. I love how tall it is and how easy the sink is to clean. There's just something about a spotless white sink.

 

 

The vanity is awesome! The drawers are soft close, which I love. And the bottom one is tall enough to hold spray bottles, so all of our cleaning supplies live in here! I also love how it sits on little legs instead of on the floor. It looks like a piece of furniture now.

 

 

And that hole where the medicine cabinet was is now invisible. (Can I just point out that sink again?! Love that its all one piece!)

 

 

Here's another point of reference for where this bathroom lives in our house.

 

 

Just between the front door and kitchen. By the way, do you love that I painted all the trim bright white and the doors black?! I can't get over what a difference it makes in the house. It has a classy, timeless look. (And those new floors...are you kidding me?)

 

 

And another new piece that lives in that hall...

 

 

I found this at the antique mall too. It's a lovely pond with trees reflecting in the water. It makes me feel calm and serene. The black and white decor is really working in this part of the house.

 

Thanks for stopping by to see our latest makeover. Working on a home can be a slow, tedious process. But as we complete rooms and projects like this, it gives a huge sense of accomplishment. We did it!

 

 

 

All my best,

Karli

Powder Bath Makeover Progress

While we had all of our floors torn up on the main level we decided it was the perfect time to give our powder bath a makeover as well. It was very basic and a little boring before, even with our DIY canvas paintings, cabinet paint and new hardware, new lighting and a new mirror.

This is what it looked like for the last year and a half. Totally fine and useable, but I just wasn't wild about the low cabinet, weird counter top and the hole in the wall that we hid with a canvas. :)

 

There's a hole in the wall behind that small canvas.

So after we spent hours and hours tearing out the floors (and the cabinet and the toilet), we were left with this.

 

Once the floors were installed, Brent and I started executing the inspiration we had for the room. We hung beadboard, baseboards and trim pieces. The pics below don't have the final pieces of trim in.
 

 

Brent and my dad closed up that hole in the wall and then we simply ran the beadboard six feet up the wall so we didn't have to mud and re-texture.

Then with my sweet dad's help we got to work installing our new cabinet and sink. There was only one moment where we thought we might have to call "a real plumber" but in the end we did it all ourselves...no leaks!
 

 

 

I promise I do work on the house too, but I'm usually the one behind the camera catching other people in action.

I'll reveal the finished product next week, but here's one of my favorite sneak peeks. Before our floors were installed all the baseboards and doors were stained brown. Since the doors were off, I took the time to paint them all...BLACK and all the trim is white.

It was a lot of work but it was ALL worth it. I am in love with our main floor.

Karli

The Art Shed: Part 2

I have had the pleasure of helping my good friend, Judith, convert her outdoor shed into a new space. For lack of a better name...we refer to it now as "The Art Shed." Did I mention that Judith is a real artist? If you haven't already done so, check out what we started with and the progress on the shed up to this point. 

Here is a photo of the Before (which you can see more of here):

Here is the shed with the added insulation.

Here are photos of the After:

Welcome to "The Art Shed"...step through the front door and check out the new space. 

We are finally ready to reveal the new look with furniture and artwork in place.

    Through the front doors you are greeted with color and art.

On this wall, you see the little green table which Judith's father made many years ago.  See this post to learn more about it, Judith's New Old Green Table. It is the perfect spot to display some of her art. A large basket on the floor is filled with rolled art paper and a fun green yard chair is great for sitting a bit.

Painting the table this shade of green really works with her art.

The Shed will be used in a variety of ways: as a display area for her art, as an area to work with clients on custom work, and perhaps even as a work-space for Judith and other artist friends collaboration on art projects.

This table provides a work surface with seating for two.  

The mustard box sits on the table and holds art supplies.

                   

Judith made this great floor lamp.

 A mustard mat for guests to wipe their feet at the front door.

   To the right of the door, a metal shelf holds art supplies and hanging on the door is one of Judith's signature pieces, an angel painting.

Judith's husband, Larry, found this wood chest in Kentucky. Don't you love the bold floral painting leaning on it?

Here is a close-up of the fun indoor/outdoor rug.The rug was the
inspiration for the color choices in the shed.

    Judith places paintings in this stand, handy for browsing. The bell chime that hangs above her was a gift from her daughter.

 

  It will be exciting to see the ever changing artwork on display in Judith's Art Shed. Here we placed a fun artsy clock that she created.

It has certainly been rewarding helping my good friend transform her shed into a place she actually wants to spend time. She and her husband, Larry, are really the greatest people to work with. I hope they enjoy their made-over space for many years. I know that Judith will...she'll be out there changing the artwork on a weekly basis. She has so many great pieces, she'll be busy for quite a while!

Check out more of her work at http://angelcatpainter.blogspot.com/. She is an extremely talented and delightful gal and I am so very happy we could work on "The Art Shed" together.

Kandy