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 McOlson House: Design Boards

Yesterday was a fun day! Karli delivered Marie and Travis the design boards we put together for their main living areas. This included the front room/dining room, the kitchen space and the family room. Below you can see each room's design board with notes for the two fo them as they start to execute the plan.

While Karli was there, the placement of the furniture in the front room was adjusted and Marie sent me a message today saying that she's going to buy the paint right now.

Here's the front room design. The walls will be SW Accessible Beige and the ceilings will be white.

Marie's front room by mrsmillspaugh featuring a sand table

A view of the room

 

The front room and dining room are open to one another, so they all need to be the same paint color. We also wanted to repeat the mustard/yellow accent by painting their side board and then hang that "inspiration piece" above. You will see that piece right as you walk in the house, so all the accent colors have been chosen to play off that.

The dining room view

 

 

Marie's Dining Room by mrsmillspaugh featuring black mirrors

Next up is the kitchen. They shared the floors they've chosen for the entry, kitchen and family room and we must have guessed correctly, because something very similar is represented below. We talked about painting their island SW Tricorn Black as shown below. Then potentially dropping three pendants. The eat-in kitchen will get a new light too. This whole space and the adjacent family room will be SW Functional Gray.

Kitchen view

Marie's kitchen by mrsmillspaugh featuring green salad plates

And finally, the room that presented the more challenging aspects of the entire project. The room is large and expansive. It also has a large wall that is calling for some art. The location of the TV required some creative thinking.

Family room view

So we've proposed two large square canvases hung vertically above the black console to draw the eye up. We also suggested adding a small bookcase under the TV, near to the stair railing to "ground" the TV. It should be painted the same color as the walls for balance.

We left lots of options for patterened curtains and rugs. We wanted them to be able to choose their favorite within their budget and timeframe. Their existing furniture will work in the room (rearraged ever so slightly) with potential additions of a chair (in an accent color like teal) and some transitional seating like poufs or cubes.

We also suggested that they paint the inset where the clock hangs over the fireplace a green. It will balance the two green canvases hung on the adjacent wall.  

Marie's family room by mrsmillspaugh featuring modern patio furniture
 

We really enjoyed putting these boards together and can't wait to see how it all comes together.

Kandy and Karli

DIY Canvas Art Project Using a Stencil

I decided to try a little DIY art project for my Master Bedroom Makeover.  Karli and I have worked on projects like this before (one of the most popular posts on our blog!) so I decided to tackle one by myself, with the help of a stencil. I had purchased a package of two art canvas at WalMart.

 A package of two.

I used a base coat of flat white ceiling paint.

I had purchased this stencil at Hobby Lobby.

  

I rolled the design on with the same gray paint I had used for the walls.

Quick and easy art project.

    

This is a classic design, yet modern.

This was a fun project for the bedroom, inexpensive and quick. Probably not what my artist friend would have created, but it works for me!

Kandy                                  

I Did It: Drip Art Canvas

You ever have one of those spaces in a room, where you can imagine what you want, but it doesn't seem to exist? Our front room was one of those spaces. After some time spent arranging furniture (and giving that red loveseat that Brent didn't like a slip cover), I had an empty wall just begging for a statement piece.

I had an arrangement with several smaller frames and black and white photos on an adjacent wall, so I knew I wanted one single piece on this wall. On another wall in the room I had a colorful abstract floral. So I knew this single piece shouldn't compete with all the colors there. I also didn't really want it to be "anything." Meaning I didn't want a flower or a street or a photo. I wanted ART.


A glimpse of the artwork I'm referencing.

After searching and looking for months, I decided it was up to me to paint this thing in my head. While Mom and Dad were here for Thanksgiving, we headed off to Michael's for a stretched canvas. Lucky me, the day I went it was 50% off.

I first painted the entire canvas white. Might seem silly since the canvas is already "white." But I needed a nice even surface that wouldn't soak up too much paint during the next step.

Here's where it got fun.

I stood the canvas up and painted a really wide stripe of SW Sassy Green (leftover from the dining room). And then I did something that seemed so wrong. I sprayed the green I'd just painted with water. I sprayed and sprayed until it started to drip. Then I sprayed more so I got lots of long drips going. I wanted them to go all the way to the bottom of the canvas. Once I was happy with the amount, I let that dry.


Here come the drips!

But I wasn't done. I turned the dried canvas upside down, so the part I'd just painted was on the bottom and the drips looked like they were running up. I repeated the process in a slightly narrower stripe on that side.

Basically, you just spray to your heart's content, until your eye is happy with the result.

I'm thrilled with it.I love how simple it is. I love how you can't tell which direction the drips are running and they all just blend in with one another.


Love this!



Don't forget to paint the edges too!



And the view of it's new home. You can also see the new closet door. Read about that project here and here.


What do you think? I think this was easy enough for anyone to do. Pick your colors and have fun!

~Karli

DIY Canvas and Powder Room Makeover

When I started decorating the powder bath on the main level it looked like this...

You can see the towel rack, but you can't see the medicine cabinet on the small wall. Who puts a medicine cabinet in a powder bath? Anyway, I took out the towel rack, toilet paper holder and medicine cabinet in short order.

Then it was time to think about paint and some artwork.I saw this piece at Target, but again, I'm thrifty and didn't want to pay $50.

So I bought some canvases at JoAnn's Fabrics and some acrylic paint colors that I liked. I also bought a cool sponge ball pack. It had four different sizes of circles. Lastly, I bought this tub of Modeling Paste. It easily mixes with the paint for texture on the canvas.



Available at JoAnn's.

Then Mom and I had some fun one weekend. We painted two canvases. The larger hangs on the wall as you walk in and a smaller one hangs over the hole where the silly medicine cabinet was.



As you walk in the powder bath door. You can also see that I painted the cabinet black and added new hardware.

 

Here's a close up of the black cabinet and great new hardware. I still want to change out the faucet.



I took out the builder mirror and replaced it with an afforable framed one from Target. On my list for this year is the light fixture and the switch/outlet cover.



Here's a side by side just for giggles. I love how its turned out so far.

~Karli