Dining Room Before & After

Hello All! I hope your 2017 is is treating you well. It is going by so quick, January is almost over. I realized I left you hanging after a B&A pic of our Dining Room on IG. Sorry about that, but better late than never.  Let's get to it shall we....here is our new farmhouse table and benches at Thanksgiving..LOVE them!

I took these photos when we purchased the house and did our final walk through. The furniture in the before pictures below is not ours, but you can see the dark dated paneling and overall starting point.

Before

This view is from the adjoining family room. When I look back at before pictures of this house I wonder what on earth were we thinking. There is absolutely nothing I like about any of it, except the house is in a good neighborhood and school district. It has good bones and we took a leap of faith.

This view is looking from our kitchen. Again, not our furniture. This room seemed so "cave" like. The windows are actually large, but they didn't let in any light. 

Here is what it looked like just after we moved in

We originally had a round glass and wood Tuscan style dining table as you can in the pic below; which we sold and opted for a farmhouse table and benches.  We had an electrician properly hang a chandelier and put on a dimmer switch. The old light was a wall plug and swagged on the ceiling. I had originally hung faux silk curtains, which were changed out when we got our farmhouse table. You can read about the curtains here.

AFTER

This photo was taken right after New Years.  I left the Christmas tree trimmings in the basket...and oops I forgot to pack away the Santa's Sac. :) 

I would really like to get new flooring in this space one day, probably wood looking tile. We had so many other unforeseen projects on the agenda after moving in, replacing something that wasn't broke had to be put on hold. The tile floor is not my taste, but its in good condition and is easy to maintain. We scrubbed the tile and grout and it cleaned up very nice. 

The trim was painted white and curtain rods hung wider than the window to allow as much light as possible. Side note - it took an 5 gallons of  Kilz to cover the wood paneling. Luckily, we have a few good friends who work for pizza and beer.  This is now a light and airy room. The dining room takes a lot of use from dinner to craft projects. I'm so happy this space turned out so well. That paneling was scary.

Thanks for stopping by and letting me share our dinning room with you.  What was your favorite part?

∽Jenn 

Master Bathroom Before & After

Hey Ya'll - Hope you having a great day!!! We are in our rainy season here in Florida so indoor activities it is! We are getting back in the grove from vacation, Costa Rica was amazing! 2017 is all about "Moving Forward". Sometimes it's good to reflect on the past to see how much you have accomplished! Our Master bathroom is no exception. 

I have looked everywhere for our before pictures and am sad to say I could not locate them. Here are a few images I found on google (sources unknown) that were just like what we had. Let me paint a visual picture for you. The master bathroom in our 1967 ranch had lime green avacadoish (i'm making that a word) colored title. I'm sure that is nice for some people, but not for me.  There was a wall in the middle of the bathroom housing a tiny shower I will describe as a closet. It has white and dark green title with flowered title accent and a stone like floor. Don't you want one too? LOL! This is what we were working with before the renovation; an blonde oak vanity, medicine cabinet and light box with brass hardware. Above the green tile there was silver shiny wallpaper, Yikes! And then there was a watercolor flowered boarder near the ceiling.

 

We like traditional choices for our 5x8 Master Bath. Yes you read that correctly...our bathroom is 5x8!  By keeping things classic we can easily modify it as our style changes. Our contractor is a close family friend and bless him a million times over for being so patient with me.  Basically the entire bathroom was gutted down to the studs and we removed the weird shower wall. Now let me add that when we removed the old shower tile and pan (which was leaking btw) we found that was only the first layer, it was really tile over tile. So we had another layer of tile to take off. Additionally, a new shower pan had been installed over an old leaky shower pan. So we came across hidden issues and unexpected expenses once it was opened up

Here are our finished results....

Come on In

We added a pocket door and widened the entrance from our Master just a tad. What a different a few inches can make not to mention a big improvement from the bifold closet door that used to be there. We can now shut off and lock the bathroom if needed.

The glass shower makes the space feel much larger. Our custom glass surround is just what this space needed to be functional yet not feel crowded.

A Single Vanity, Fancy Medicine Cabinet (lots of storage) and Lighting to fit the space. My husband even found me a makeup mirror! 

Up close of the glass mosaic and niche in the shower. Can you imagine.. just about where the shower handle is now... there used to be a wall! The angled shower door allows for flow but does not hinder space.

For extra storage we use a simple adjustable shelf bookcase from Target that can be easily moved or changed when needed. Find it here. Baskets from Homegoods keep everything neat and tidy. The painting was done by my Husband's Grandmother, I love the bright pops of color in this space.

The total project plumbing and all took about 6 weeks. Well worth it considering we no longer have to state at green tile. I would love to hear your feedback. Please leave a comment on your thoughts and please follow me on Instagram and Facebook. 

💓-Jenn

Shop The Room

Wall Color:     Warm Buff in Semi-Gloss Valspar Lowes
Trim:             Anthem White in Semi-Gloss Valspar Lowes
Shower:        Frameless Neoangle Glass Surround Custom Order from Lowes
Wall Tile:        6x6 Del Conca Roman Stone here 
Glass Mosaic: Discontinued, here is a similar tile
Vanity:          Discontinued, Here is similar one different finish
Vanity Top:    Desert Gold Granite Top
Floor Tile:      12x12 Del Conca Roman Stone here

       

IKEA Vivan Curtains (updated 5.28.17)

Hello Y'all!!! I'm excited to share an update we made in our Dining Room... A farmhouse table and benches! #bestdecisionever...which then led to a curtain change of course. 

The curtains in the dining/family room combo were a gold-beige with a silk like finish. Since we are transitioning from Tuscan decor to more of a modern vintage style there was a clash of beige vs. beige going on between the curtains, the wall color, and the new table. It just didn’t feel right. I am shying away from a formal look all together, I want some glam but a comfortable modern mix. 

For the next few months, I looked at hundreds (I am not kidding) of curtains in stores and online; keep in mind I need 7 panels so it’s hard to find anything on clearance racks when you need that many. And a side note, please forgive the bad photo quality as I did not realize this was going to be a post when doing this project. 

IKEA to the rescue - I found Vivan Curtains* in white. They have a flowing gauzy lightweight flow to them. They are a true white and lend a casual feel. I also wanted to make sure whichever curtains I get have a hidden tab top option to make them pleated and do not block out light since this room is north facing. Vivan checked all my boxes and best of all they come in a pairs so who could go wrong. Also they are 98 1/2" in length so I can customize how I want them to hang. Here is a picture of the packaging for reference. 

Now for the fun part. The curtains are 98.5 long. But not to worry IKEA also has Sy Iron On Hemming Tape*. I wasn’t sure about this little product or that I could actually hem these curtains. I am defiantly NOT a seamstress; but I tried. I knew I had at 1 extra panel for an oops.

I removed my old curtains, cleaned each window and Curtain Rods* thoroughly.  Before I hemmed anything I washed all 8 panels according to the directions as I wanted to make sure any shrinkage or issues were addressed before I started hemming. Then I Ironed* every panel..yes I know I go overboard. LOL. I have a basic steam Iron* and board* because I really only it for special items and projects. 

Next I hung the panels on the backwards on the curtain rods*. Now, in this house nothing is level or even so I did not feel comfortable just measuring each panel and hoping that would be right for all 7 panels. I need to physically see where to measure and this seemed like the only for sure way. Since I wanted the curtains to slightly brush the floor, I folded the material up to the right length and used straight pins to secure.

I took them down one panel at a time and ironed where the hem would go for a clean crisp line. Then I cut the excess fabric leaving about 2 inches to make my hem.

Next, you will need a damp rag (I used a white washcloth) and a the iron to hem. I rolled the tape along my hem line and folded the 2 inch allowance back over the hem tape. So your hem tape will be in between the 2 pieces of curtain fabric. Make sure you are working on the reverse side of your panel so your hem will be on the correct side!  Then, I placed the damp rag over the hem and pressed down with the hot iron, I held it there about 7-10 seconds. You will hear a scorching sound from the wet rag. Work your way down the hem line until you’re done. 

It was really that simple! I did all 7 panels in about 2 hours not including their initial wash. My curtains ended up being about 86 inches once finished. 

They feel so clean and light, it really gives the room a casual feel. What do you think? Please leave a comment I love to interact with you guys!

Til next time ❤∽ Jenn

*This post contains affiliate links - you don’t pay more if you click on these links but I might earn a small commission which allows me to keep bringing you more blogging fun!

Shop the Room
Wall Color - Warm Buff in Semi-gloss by Valspar
Room Trim - Anthem White in Semi-Gloss by Valspar
Table and Bench -custom made locally stained Medium Walnut with Satin finish
Curtains - IKEA Vivan in White
Curtain Rods - Bird Cage Oil Rubbed Bronze Rods
Chandelier - Lowes (discontinued)
Paintings - by my Husbands Grandmother
Black and White Buffalo Check Pillows - similar
Wood Chairs - found at an thrift store a few years ago
Iron - Black and Decker Steam Iron
Ironing Board - here
Hem Tape - Hem Tape for Curtains
Faux Fur Rug/accent throw - faux fur white