Showing posts with label Update. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Update. Show all posts

Monday, August 26, 2013

Quickie bathroom refresh: New shower curtain and repainted register


Our main bathroom was calling out for some attention. We did a gut renovation in early 2010, but a quickie refresh was in order. First, a new shower curtain.


The old one was water-stained and snagged, and I was growing tired of it anyway. Changing out a shower curtain is so cheap and easy, there's no sense in living with something you don't like anymore.


I found this one at Target for $20. They have so many pretty options right now in their Threshold line, but I loved this all-over floral design the best. We definitely need a white curtain in this bathroom. The window is in the shower and when pulled closed, a white curtain still lets much of the light through. Getting rid of that swath of dark black at the top definitely brightened things up.


Quick change #2 was repainting the register. I feel like this is something I post about all the time. I think I've done like three other posts about painting registers (!) so I won't bore you to death again, but I just love our house's vintage cast iron registers. Especially in this room, it's an important period detail that's very noticeable.

I stripped and repainted it in 2010, but since then a bit of rust had started to peek through the paint. I had even used a rusty metal primer, but I guess the humidity in this room is just too much for even specialty rust products. We have an exhaust fan and use it all the time, and the rust probably would be worse if we didn't.


I did two thin -- almost drybrushed -- coats of black latex enamel and called it done. It took three years to start rusting, so I didn't even bother using another coat of primer. I may come to regret that decision in the future, but I really didn't want to buy any more paint. (Have you seen my stash??)

I went all black this time instead of two-tone. Looks pretty slick! Definitely an eye catcher. Plus, the black should mask any rust that starts popping through again.


p.s. if anyone in the STL spots a vintage cast iron register like the one above at an antique mall, e-mail me at erin (at) lansdownelife (dot) com or shoot me a message through Facebook. I'm trying to scoop one up for my kitchen, and I've seen them from time to time, but of course, now that I'm on the hunt for one, I never ever see them.

Monday, June 3, 2013

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)

Friday, July 16, 2010

$100 Bathroom Challenge: Done and under budget!


Our upstairs bathroom makeover is finally finished and came in under budget at $83.32! Let me take you on a tour.


I would like to thank paint for making this makeover possible. This bathroom's biggest problem was the blue on the walls and the vanity.


It wasn't pretty, it wasn't our style and it didn't coordinate with the floor. I could have done nothing but paint the vanity and walls and this bathroom would have looked a thousand times better.


This room needed a simple color correction, and I was happy to give it one.


The almond color on the walls helps bridge the gap between the chrome fixtures and the brass shower.


I challenged myself with an arbitrary budget of only $100, but it wasn't much of an issue since I kept all of the fixtures. I also added some items we already owned: the nightstand, the medicine cabinet, the tablecloth that I sewed into curtains.


I made or found all of the artwork and framed it inexpensively.


What's that black bat-shaped thing, you ask? It's a hinge from our old fence! The hardware was too pretty to throw away. I have a few more pieces that will probably surface in future projects.


After hanging the cabinet earlier this week, I realized I needed some sort of artwork in the space below it, but didn't have time to make anything. I found this piece of wood in the basement that fit the bill perfectly; it was already red! I have some vague ideas about what to do with it, but for right now, it's just a placeholder.

I'll have an addendum on that later, but for now I'm calling this room done! 

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How I spent my $100 budget

1 qt. Semi-gloss wall paint ... $11.42
Curtain rod ... $4.49
1 qt. Semi-gloss paint for vanity, mirror and nightstand ... $11.42
2 Frames ... $0.02 (yep, for real)
Mirror ... $26.91
Bathmat ... $7.47
Paper for top of nightstand ... $4.32
Knobs ... $3.22
Tissue box ... $14.05
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Total spent ... $83.32
Amount unspent ... $16.68
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The rest of the posts in this series:

1. Another bathroom update: Before
2. My color plan
3. Painting the walls
4. Curtains made from a tablecloth
5. Painting the vanity
6. No cost vintage boxer wall art
7. New mirror & bathmat
8. Hang a pretty book as artwork
9. Clock makeover with a Pottery Barn twin
10. Nightstand repurposed for storage
11. Silhouette artwork
12. Repainted medicine cabinet

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