Decorating a shared bedroom for two little girls

This post is long overdue. In fact, I think my last post about this room's transformation was before Etta was born in March. The room's been sort of done for a while. There were a few hangups, and I kept thinking I was going to make a couple of more things for it. Reality says, probably not, so here it is!

I had to do some major decluttering in here. Not only with the practical stuff like clothes, but also a lot of accessories and decor. I removed everything we weren't using and anything that didn't feel especially special. This room has always had a few too many things in it, so I was glad to get it under control. There's still a lot of "stuff" in here, but there's more breathing room now.

This room is small, like maybe 12' x 12' including the closets, and there are three windows and FOUR doors to contend with. The furniture placement took a bit of finessing. The architecture of the room is such that the twin bed is too long to fit on ANY of the walls and leave enough clearance for the doors to open. I know it looks like it would fit lengthwise in that inset with the windows between the closets, but it's literally two inches too narrow. Ugh.

If you're wondering how things are going with the two kids sleeping in the same room, we really haven't tested those waters yet. Etta is a fabulous sleeper. (I am so thankful, and seriously marveling at how this girl can be so easy when the other one was the complete opposite.) We may try her in the crib pretty soon.

I feel like this room has really come together this time around. I liked it before, but there was a transition period after we took the crib out where the layout didn't seem to work as well. A larger rug under most of the furniture seemed to solve that. the touches of pink don't hurt either. It's so happy!

See the first incarnation of Elise's bedroom here >>

DIY Kitchen makeover reveal

The kitchen makeover we started way back in January (when I was seven months pregnant, no less) is finally done! (Or more like "done," because nothing around here is every really done.)

This wasn't a gut job to reach unattainable "dream kitchen" status -- more like a very practical and realistic update. We kept what worked (the layout, the cabinets, the tile floor) and replaced what didn't (the aging appliances, the pinkish counters). A new paint job did wonders for brightening the space. I ended up re-painting the white portion of the wall and all the trim as well just to freshen it.

I didn't add up every last penny, but I think were all-in at around $4000, and about $3000 of that was for the appliances alone. Not bare bones, but totally affordable for such a dramatic change that better fits our style.

I still want to figure out a solution to make our countertop microwave look more built-in and I might hang a few more pieces of art, but when things are 95 percent complete, you might as well call them done and show everyone the before and afters.

And more photos...

I have a number of posts coming up on some of the details, but if there's anything you really want to know about, give a shout in the comments!

p.s. I'm kind of dying that I didn't get a photo with my schoolhouse light in it. It's one of my all time favorite things, and it really caps off the room. Maybe next time.

See all the kitchen related posts >>

Sources
Appliances: Whirlpool
Microwave: Frigidaire
Range hood: Broan
Counters: Wilsonart 'Oiled Soapstone'
Faucet: Kohler
Paint: Cliveden Gray Morning (Valspar)

Office / sewing room mini-makeover reveal

It took me a while, but our office is finally re-assembled and ready to show you!

Overall, I know it doesn't look that much different from what was there before. All of the furniture and artwork went right back where it was. Might be uneventful, but it works well in this configuration and I wasn't looking to do a major overhaul.

So what did change? The walls went a light shade of aqua. Well, three of them did anyway. I kind of underestimated the amount of paint it would take, so the fourth wall got white instead. Plus the marred ceiling got a clean white coat of ceiling paint. All the paint was leftover from other projects. So that didn't cost a penny! It has certainly lightened up the space and the semi-gloss finish bounces more light around.

The most notable change other than the new office chair was nixing the cubby shelf I used to have above the sewing table in favor of some cuter storage. I finally hung up the house shaped shelf I picked up thrifting two years ago (!) as well as a small printers tray I nabbed earlier this year to make the spools of thread easier to see. And I added a new chalkboard. More on that in another post.

I also went through every box, bin and drawer to get rid of all the excess or unnecessary things. And I caught up on my filing (boring) and shredded a bunch of old documents. Feels good to be organized!

Everything's so tidy and neat, makes me want to get sewing! I may or may not have started on another quilt. OK, I did. Instagrammers get sneak peeks! Follow me @lansdownelife if you are so inclined.

Stairway makeover reveal

My stairway makeover is finally complete. It only took three months, including some procrastination. (I'm really good at working on a project until it reaches about 95% completion, then the fire goes out.)

This project involved stripping ugly and peeling wallpaper, drywalling, painting stripes on the walls, painting the stairs and addressing a couple of egregious design dilemmas. But all is done now, and I couldn't be happier with the way it turned out!

This space is very tight and narrow. The door to the stairwell (shown in the first photo above) is a scant 23 inches wide and the stairs themselves are only three feet wide. Not a big deal if it's open on one side, but enclosed like this, it feels so much smaller than that. (Plus it makes it nearly impossible to take good photographs. Sorry, I tried.)

Despite the limitations, I did manage to squeak in a few decorative touches. I hung these two round mirrors in probably the only spot they wouldn't be in danger of getting knocked off the wall. Like I've mentioned before, I find it nearly impossible to go up the stairs without touching the walls. I'm sure everyone else does too.

I found this convex porthole mirror at an antique mall for $16. I'm not sure if it's old (probably not), but I thought that was a pretty great price. It's about 14 inches in diameter. The small mirror above it I pieced together from a round frame I found at the Goodwill Outlet and a mirror from the craft store. A little bit of E-6000 adhesive and all is good. I like how the wood tone corresponds to the banister and the door.

Speaking of the banister, it was the only existing piece that made it back into the space. It was in good condition. I liked the brass hardware. So I didn't see the need to replace it.

I also found a spot for these hanging brass monkeys I picked up a few months ago. I tucked them back in the corner behind the door frame as an extra touch. I kind of like how they are half hidden.

One major change was the lighting. The old sconce was pretty hideous and didn't adequately light the space. We actually installed two sconces replacing just the one, though I'm noticing now I don't have a photo of them both. (One is at the top of the stairs and the other about half way down.)

I scoured the entire internet for affordable (less than $100) sconces that would fit the space. I found this one for $57. There was one I liked slightly better, but at $99, the price difference was just too great, especially when multiplied by two.

Before I ordered, I did a final search on the name of this sconce and found it for $22 plus free shipping at a no-name online shop. The shop had good reviews and let me use Google checkout, so I took a chance. And they were at my house within four days. Two sconces for $44! Bargain accomplished! Lesson: Before you click "buy," always Google for a cheaper price.

The top of the banister used to be mounted to the wall with an unfinished piece of lumber. How chic! I decided that had to go and replaced it with this shield-shaped plaque I bought at Jo-Ann and painted the same color as the wall. (I'm kind of into shields for some reason.) I paid less than $1 after coupon. Cheap and better.

Elise talks about this space like she's annexed it as a part of her bedroom. Hopefully, I won't find her sleeping in there. I'm just glad she loves it as much as I do. It looks like it belongs with the rest of our house now, and it isn't the abrupt transition between her bedroom and the upstairs playroom it used to be.

See the before pictures >> 

See all the stairway updates >>

Final reveal: Bedroom mini-makeover

Wanna see my bedroom? The mini-makeover in our master bedroom is done!

What we had before was fine. Boring. There was nothing special about it. 

But I took most of what was already there (the furniture, the curtains, the colors) and just layered on top of it. It was missing all those finishing touches that make a room look put together. 

I'll let the pictures do the talking from here. I will have a couple of follow up posts about some of the details, but please let me know if you have any questions in the comments. I'd be happy to answer them!