For me, one of the things that totally feeds my soul, <i.e. my Joy, and Joys are a large part of what this LBPs project is all about> is *Home Decor* (making my house a home). I joke about how when I was 4, and my mom was finally in a position to buy “nicer” furniture, I got to trail her on trips to Ethan Allen (EA), and play in the kids’ zone while she met with an interior designer. I loved the miniature wooden upholstered furniture in the play area, and I LOVED (even more!) visiting in the mock rooms, sitting on the pretty couches, and pretending it was MY living room.
{My mom, btw, has not changed a bit. Fast forward 35+ years to last May when I was visiting CA for a week. Eleven AM on a Tuesday and she was out back painting gold picture frames silver! Love her!}
In any case, the need to have a satisfying home runs VERY deep in me. This last spring, when I was finally putting paint on the kitchen walls, I literally wanted to eat the color as it was going up. (Well, not eat it as much as consume it, if that makes any sense..??)
ASIDE: Doing this LBPs project and beginning to ask people what brings them joy, allows me to understand where I find my joy. This has been incredibly freeing for me. Too bad I hadn’t learned this before arguing with my hubbo-to-be about the storage of my beloved sofa!! (Had I only juxtaposed it with his motorcycle, or boat, I think he would have gotten it a lot sooner!)
And today, I use this LBP forum to post some of my recent home transformations! I look forward to hearing more about YOUR home transformations (or whatever brings you Joy)!
A little more background:
When I moved to New England back in 1998, I brought no furniture (too expensive to ship) and planned to live on the cheap. I had VERY little money and was about to take on too much school loan debt (if I only knew then what I know now!). Because I was so determined not to take on more debt post-grad school, I refused to buy furniture. I bought a couch at a thrift store for 50 bucks, and just about everything else in my apartment was given to me. I didn’t want to buy cheap furniture because I didn’t want crap to represent me. I figured — “no one can think I actually chose this stuff – they must know I am waiting for something better!” — I did have *some* standards though. The sofa I bought from the thrift store had serious cool factor as it was moss green VELVET!! And I didn’t take just anything – A lady in my building dumped a baby blue piece of carpet on me (I tried to resist by saying, “what if it doesn’t work for me?” and she insisted that it would!?!) Needless to say, that carpet did NOT end up in my place. I’d rather go without than go with something just totally WRONG!
Finally, in 2006, my mother encouraged me to take some of my bonus moneys and buy some bedroom furniture. I had been “stacking” clothing in piles around the periphery of my bedroom, and since I was actually living in CA for a brief stint, Mom was able to see the unfortunate condition of things; she said the right words, and we made a date with Morgan at EA. It was the beginning of something beautiful. My own personal, “Coming of Age”.
But really, I was finally able to settle in and do ‘er right was when I bought my condo in 2007. Below is a photo of my condo once I got just about everything I wanted in there. Had I stayed longer, I probably would have painted at least one wall in the living room….
In 2008, I met my husband too soon! (JK!! The timing was just right, of course.) And it just made sense for me to move into his single family home and rent out the condo. Hubz had spent tons of time and money renovating the exterior of his home, but left the insides for little ol’ me!
I moved in with him April of 2009 and the kitchen renovation couldn’t come fast enough. We are really enjoying our updates, but do expect to move within the next couple of years. Ultimately, we felt these upgrades would be necessary to make the house more sell-able; no matter what, they have made it more enjoyable and user friendly!
Below are before and after shots, looking into the front entry from the kitchen. Because the house was built in so many phases, some “rooms” don’t make very much sense. I have attempted to make what used to be a dumping-ground-entry-way into a nice OPEN entry. An Entry with Purpose! Removing the corner unit and painting the walls and wood trim made such an incredible difference. Also note below – we replaced the stove with a stock 30-inch base cabinet.
The before and after below represent one of the two biggest issues of the old kitchen (the 1st being that 30-inch apartment-sized stove). Having the fridge so close to a wall was not ideal. I’m sure you’re thinking, “change the door hinges for easier access.” Well, had we done that, the door wouldn’t have opened all the way, making it about as dysfunctional as the below. The solution hit Hubz one Sunday morning when he was watching an episode of Income Property; he noticed an oven in the same position as our then fridge. By moving the stove to the refrigerator space, we were able to move away from the 30 inch apartment-sized stove and get a real-sized brand new one!
The shot below is another of another space that had no purpose. I had visions of the mirror from about day one. I also knew we had to address the lighting issue. It was so dark over here!! (Also note random swatches of paint in the wall.)
The two images below represent our new seating. We thought about buying a custom table and then decided not to because: We probably won’t be in this home for long, and the thought of a custom table not fitting (literally or figuratively) in a new home wasn’t appealing (my condo sofa’s been in storage for longer than I actually used it!!).
And I reupholstered the stools (at left) using a shower curtain I found at TJMaxx. I wasn’t looking for “the stool material” at the time, but I often try to check out the home dec section of the store whenever I am there. I picked up the curtain for low money and have plenty left over should food get spilled and they have to be re-done down the line!
I am super proud and we feel super accomplished having completed this work ourselves. The only thing we didn’t do was cut the counter top! I am blessed with a super talented, persevering husband. Hubbo installed the ceiling pot lots; installed several new electrical boxes (including a mega one for the fridge); did some major plumbing (we never went without counter because he was able to detatch and reattach the plumbing when the folks came to template). I did the painting (EXTREMELY arduous with the wood trim that needed multiple coats of primer, then caulk before paint), and cleaning, and organizing and agonizing over paint color. We installed the backsplash and the floor together. The shine from the backsplash and the hardware on the doors were what finally made things come together. Amazing what a little shine does to a space!
Is there anything that you do or experience that you love so much that you want to consume it, so to speak…?
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