OUR FIXER UPPER | LIVING ROOM RENOVATION

Thank you guys for all of the encouraging words about this new chapter in our lives. It still feels pretty surreal. Over the past four months we have torn down walls, built new ones, replastered the ceiling, replaced floors, demo some kitchen counters, painted, decorated, uprooted trees, replanted trees, demo floors, tile, and a whole lot more that I can’t even begin to tell you about.

I thought it would be fitting to start our house tour with OUR FIXER UPPER LIVING ROOM RENOVATION.

We have been working extremely hard and I think we’ve finally reached a good place. We have finished most of the larger projects and are finally moving into the smaller, less expensive and more time consuming projects. Can I get an AMEN?

The original ceilings were stained and had cracks that paint alone would not have been able to hide. For that reason, the entire house got fresh knock down ceilings and a bright white coat of paint.  We painted the walls with Behr’s Maui Mist which has a slight blue tint to it. The shaggy 70’s rug was completely removed and although we made a huge attempt at keeping the Terrazzo floors, the stains were too stubborn and the floor emitted a chalky dust everywhere (not suitable for a crawling baby). We opted for covering the Terrazzo with the coolest “reclaimed” laminate and replaced all of the baseboards. We also removed the antique curtains and kept the walls the same color throughout. Maybe as time goes on, we’ll add some color to the walls, but for now simple works.

 Interested in seeing more?  Here’s our  OUR FIXER UPPER | KITCHEN RENOVATION

 The entrance also needed a bit more light and we decided to keep my grandfather side table/lamp as an extra source of light and as our designated “key” table.  This piece of furniture is not only practical for us, but it used to sit right next to my grandfather’s La-Z-Boy (see initial picture- orange lampshade by the window) and it brings back a lot of memories. We gave it a quick paint job, and brought in a new shade.  Because lighting was such an issue, we also brought in this oversized mirror to help brighten up the room. This room is simple, classy and gets used every single day… which makes me very happy. The entryway itself is super small because it shares it’s space with a coat closet.  We thought about demolishing the closet, but it was already full of stuff two days into our move. We figured that we needed the extra space and would revisit that space later. People have a lot of questions about the floors.  So far, we’re really happy with the laminate flooring.  We know that water is the enemy of laminate flooring, so we try to do the best that we can to keep them dry.  The floors are super easy to keep clean.  We broom them and use a Swiffer wet-jet to wipe them down. So far, so good. We love this pendant.  It brings in a rustic and industrial feel to the house and it goes really well with the overall look. I wanted hooks by the front door to keep my purse/dog leash etc. I had these IKEA hooks laying around from our old apartment and I thought a raw piece of cedar plank would be the perfect base for a hook line. Nothing fancy, but I like them. And to finish off the tour, I thought I’d leave you with a picture of my kids because they make my world go round!