Hi my super amazing friend!
I can't believe it's 2024 already and we are moving fast into it!
As I am looking back on some of the things I learned from last year, and did, I am grateful for the opportunity to serve you. As I continue to develop my own design business, my own home is always my laboratory!
SO....just for fun, I will share some of my learning experiences with you.
FIRST, I experimented with a peel and stick wallpaper. The fun part about the source I used was, I could pick any pattern, and design it with the colors I specifically wanted. I'm thinking "THIS should be EASY, this should take very little time". Well, I learned the easy part was picking out the colors. Although I am very happy with how things turned out in the end, I think from now on, I will likely "stick" (no pun intended) with regular wallpaper. Unlike regular wallpaper, the peel and stick kind is a LOT harder to move once you have stuck it in place. The dining room built ins were slightly easier because the pieces were smaller, and there were no protruding objects to work around.
Dining Room built in wallpaper project (below)
I love the sage green color that lends a great backdrop for any season!
A little bit more here so you can see (July 4th decor :)
In the bathroom I discovered the wallpaper can stretch a bit when you try repeatedly to get it into exact position, which is very very frustrating.
As I was working around sconces that I had previously wired in, I discovered air bubbles and some stretched out areas in the wallpaper after placement. My kitchen guy suggested it was perhaps like one of those vinyl car wraps that could be shrunk back to size with heat. I dried it on low with my hair dryer and smoothed it out a bit. It worked fairly well. The rest, well, I used wallpaper glue to smooth it back into place. I think, overall, it turned out nicely.
Here is the bathroom peel and stick wallpaper.
I also stenciled the floor tile after painting and top coating it.
A little larger pics:
SECOND, I painted my dining room hutch.
Talk about procrastination! It was a tough decision because even though I was tired of the finish from the 1990's, I was sentimentally attached to the memories of bringing up our children in that era. I put this project off for YEARS! Finally I went with a self leveling type of paint in a color called ReThunk Junk Resin paint in the color Cotton. The interior was painted a different soft grey green.
Below: BEFORE (all items had been removed and stored to get ready to paint)
AFTER:
My grandmother's "Mt. Vernon" china is in the top
Do you love it? I do.
The thing I learned here was -even if it's not too humid, if it's too hot outside it can dry too quickly, giving the self leveling part little time to well, self level. A friend of mine who does this all the time, helped me finish it up and in the end I am quite happy with it.
THIRD, I decided to paint the floor tile in our bathroom (see pic above with the bathroom wallpaper). I know, crazy, right? Well, we did get a gorgeous new vanity, but will wait a bit for a new tub and subway tile surround and flooring, so I painted the tile black, stenciled dragonflies, and put a top coat on. It may not last forever, but I HATED the builder grade tile. I know that will give me time to figure out what I really want. I am still searching for the perfect bathtub!
LAST, I got my custom kitchen island made (FINALLY -YAAY it took months), and although I sacrificed some storage below (the prior island had doors), it opened up the kitchen SO much and I am very happy with it. A local craftsman made it for me, and I ordered the handles online. Originally I had another plan to use a black salvaged granite piece, but when a pic of a French country island in a magazine really resonated with me, I knew I would keep the same lovely countertop as the rest of the kitchen but have gorgeous light pickled wood on the island to make it all balance out with the white cabinets and the flooring. I AM SO HAPPY with this.
On the bottom of the island are my grandmother's Pyrex bowls.
The handles complemented the dark pewter no-frills pulls and knobs on the kitchen cabinets.
I paid more for this quartz, but I wanted a marble look without the issues marble can bring. The granite company took great care in the placement of the veining when they cut!
I'll will be doing a blog soon featuring my new kitchen, because that is one of my favorite rooms in the house now.
Anyway, I hope your 2024 is amazing and hopeful and filled with small and precious moments. Remember, the only way to get started with a project is to get started! :)
What's your dream project for 2024? Mine is to get our backyard of this 100 year old little house looking like something. Please share! I love to hear from my people!
Happy 2024! Let's make your home YOUR home!
Warmly,
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