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Mashup Monday 2: 14 Inspired Kitchen Banquette Benches

Posted on December 17, 2018January 9, 2019 by admin

Over the Holidays, Specifically in time for the annual sale, I have requested a trip to the magical land of Restoration Hardware. For those of us who don’t live anywhere near one, this is a big deal, so don’t judge me. We are going so I can touch and feel a sideboard that I’m planning on using as a base for our breakfast nook/island with banquette seating. So, of course, in anticipation of my big purchase, I am trying to decide which type of banquette seating I really want to do that will serve the look and functionality I’m trying to achieve.

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*Update: soul-crushing disappointment: the sideboard is not on sale. We’ll still go at some point so I know if I like it, for when it DOES go on sale. I will take LOTS of pictures to share.

In case you haven’t figured it out, this is how I passive aggressively start projects. I buy the pieces I want to use, then leave them in the middle of the room until Rainman reluctantly asks what’s supposed to happen with them. The bench will need to run the length of the wall under the windows (backless so we don’t limit visibility to the pool and backyard) and have the ability to house small appliances that will be homeless when Rainman reclaims the pantry for an office closet.

Here are some ideas for banquette seating:

The banquette above is a very nicely done seat. I would definitely do cushions, but this is a solid concept. Unfortunately, I don’t think using premade cabinets will work for us as they open from the front and we’ll have an island in the way, making it more difficult to get things in and out. I love the stained finish, though.

The DIY one above is a very clean look and I love that it has the flip-up bench seats. I think we may want more detail than this one, however. It is fantastic for the nook it’s in and I love their heat register solution. We also have one to contend with in our future bench seat.

The blue roof cabin banquette is a super simple and attractive design. I really like it but I would want to have the squares centered vertically whereas here the base molding covers much of the bottom.

This is a neat idea also, but I want a solid flip top instead of the cushions mounted on wood.

With some caulk and paint this could be a very nice bench. If your plan is to have a painted piece, MDF really makes anything more affordable.

This is very nicely done, although aesthetically I think I prefer the base bumped out instead of recessed as it is here- especially since I have some small appliances that are wider at the base.

This is a very basic, clean design. Once again, I think these are pop off cushions, and I would really prefer a hinged lid.

Here’s that beautifully crafted hinged lid. I love that the cushions are separate for wash-ability.

I love the thickness on these cushions though I question their longevity on a kitchen banquette. If they are washable slip covers that would be awesome. I can’t imagine trying to cut the base molding on these angles. Ugh.

Like most things in Veranda magazine, the next one is impractical, but breathtaking. They should just rename it “shit-you’ll-never-have-because-you-have-kids magazine”. I’m telling myself, willing myself to walk away. (My sister asked me why this is impractical: the pretty little knobs will become footrests and get ripped out. The light-colored fabric will become immediately stained.)

Once again, Veranda, I admire you for your optimism. Breathtaking and unrealistic.

Any DIYer could be proud of this simple, little build. Add some quarter round and cushions, and voila, you have yourself a pro level bench.

I love this whole space, except the face of the bench. Just a few pieces of trim will make this space varsity level.

Once again, if you’re using stock cabinets and want drawers, these are very nice.

I think we’ll eventually settle for a basic board and batten style, with a hinged top, and removable, leather cushions (for easy cleanup).

Thanks for joining us on our adventures! For more inspiration check out our blog.

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Mastering the Scene: Styling Your Demijohn at Christmas

Posted on December 8, 2018 by admin

Pottery Barn demijohn with solar fairy lights.

The reason the demijohn is one of our favorite decor foundation pieces is that it is so versatile from season to season. This year we went with basic solar powered fairy lights to create that warm Christmas glow… and I just love it.

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This particular demijohn is available from Pottery Barn. Solar LED Fairy Lights are really stunning. Here’s a glimpse of some other Christmas vignettes in the home.

(I’m not an affiliate), but Yankee Candles (and their not-so-sneaky offshoot Kringle candles) are my favorite. If you’re ever up in Deerfield, Massachusetts I highly recommend a visit. They have a year round Christmas area (with the most authentic Santa ever), an outlet with discounted mis-poured candles, and a great (albeit pricey) home goods section. Next time I’m up there I hope to shoot a tour and share it!

Unfortunately, my favorite Christmas candle (Fireside) was discontinued several years ago, but I’ve been gifted some from outlet leftovers from loving friends and family- so now I ration my last candle like a grinch.

The grandfather clock always looks good with some holiday cheer.

Thanks for checking out some of our holiday decor!

For more ways to style the demijohn in other seasons check out this post.

Check out more of our blog here!

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Customize Your IKEA Hack

Posted on November 27, 2018March 14, 2019 by admin

IKEA hacks are all the rage, and with good reason. Pre-built, reasonably priced items that can be totally customized give me plenty of reasons to get on board. Can you say: factory finish?

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So, when it comes to the Hemnes line (Hemnes is IKEA’s real wood, upgraded line)- the hardware is a dead give away that you’re using IKEA shelves. Updating the hardware creates a HUGE impact for not very much money.

IKEA Hemnes cabinets with stock hardware

On our giant living room wall builtins IKEA hack, we used two sets of black Hemnes cabinets, each with three drawers and glass doors (please excuse our tardiness- they’re not finished). They were totally snooze-fest level with the existing hardware.

You can completely change the look and feel of the whole thing by finding hardware that speaks to you. At first I really wanted long, brass handles. However, 16″ hole separations on the drawers really limit non-custom options (the quotes I got on custom bars were in the $100 each range, and I needed six). So, I went back to the two pulls per drawer option and found something in the same family as what I wanted before.

I found these Antique Brass Bin Pulls pretty reasonably and the two Cast Brass Cupboard Latches for a total of $142, both from House of Antique Hardware.

House of Antique Hardware, bin pulls and cabinet latches

They made such a difference. Aren’t they just gorgeous?

A few notes on installation: the pulls came with screws instead of two sided hardware. No way were we risking that accident-waiting-to-happen with our fifty kids, so I sent Rainman with one of the pulls down to the hardware store to hunt for a screw, washer, and nut that would work and go all the way through inside the drawer. Since we purchased them at Lowe’s our color options were limited. I haven’t decided whether I want to paint the hardware heads to match the pulls yet.

I originally intended to use one pre-drilled hole on each side but after we looked at the spacing we decided to straddle the existing holes and drill all new holes for each bin pull. They just looked better balanced.

The cabinet latches were a little more difficult because the pre drilled holes were too far back (toward the glass).

There is not a whole lot of wiggle room when installing these latches. I moved them down to a place I liked better visually and filled the old holes with a basic brushed brass Chicago screw. They have to go to the very edge to latch and the drilling has to be done very precisely.

Here are the Chicago Screws we used to cover the existing hardware holes.

I would love to see different ways you customize your own IKEA hacks! Thanks for joining our adventures!

Check out more of our projects here.

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16 Ways To Use Brick Veneer Inside Your Home

Posted on November 16, 2018March 14, 2019 by admin

When I’m perusing Pinterest late at night when I’m supposed to be sleeping (don’t tell me you’re not guilty), I find that I’m always attracted to images of older homes. Beautiful, preserved stone or brick walls that have either been re-exposed in a renovation or have been there the whole time. Stone mixed with plaster, crumbling/repaired brick, or even painted brick fireplaces… I love them all. One of the things I have chosen as a challenge for myself in transforming various projects is making them feel like they’ve always been there. Even if they’re new and modern, they should feel homey… like there’s history behind them.

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My new obsession is using accent walls of brick veneer to add some age and depth to different projects. It’s smart and it’s classic. Brick has been around in different forms since the dawn of time, and I LOVE it.

49077a92-a0e3-4d49-aa17-b3ec95960311 — Built in shelves, part of IKEA hack, with Castlegate Old Mill Brick Veneer, dressed with farmhouse candlesticks and preserved boxwood

Our first experiment with brick was a complete and total pain in the tail. I, of course, chose a super narrow space to install it, because I feel like Rainman really needs the additional challenge of working in a tight space on top of doing something he hasn’t done before. I’ll do a project tutorial soon, but I’m just not ready to relive that pain yet, nor do I have enough wine in the house to really delve into it.

Anyway, along the way, as I was researching different looks I found some fantastic applications for brick veneer in the house. I’ll share my favorites with you:

As an accent behind builtins or shelves:

6b89b47e-8f76-468e-af7b-11afbb00f0de — Built in shelves, part of IKEA hack, with Castlegate Old Mill Brick Veneer, dressed with farmhouse candlesticks and preserved boxwood

This is our unfinished builtins project (IKEA hack) with the brick veneer behind the shelves. I love the effect. After researching multiple options, I finally decided on Old Mill, Castle Gate Brick Veneer. I always check a local distributor first, and although he was able to do it for 5 cents cheaper a brick, we had to buy an entire pallet and there was a six-week lead time. In any case, we really love how it turned out, and the Old Mill quality was excellent.

Here are some of the images that inspired me and continue to provide planning inspiration for possible future projects:

As an accent wall in the bathroom:

Image Source Unknown (Instagram Account Deleted)

So, this is a great space. I really like the vanity. But, honestly, without the brick accent wall this room would be pretty vanilla, right? It was a fantastic choice in this room.

In the bathroom with antique fireplace:

1e2609f7-9f2e-4283-8b21-ffcac3f66c41-1 — Image from Signature Hardware

There is a lot going on with this bathroom. I honestly don’t LOVE the shower, because I think the “modern” level is overdone and clashes with the other AMAZING elements. The preserved antique brick fireplace is incredible (minus the hearth in the modern tile). The clawfoot tub is equally fantastic. I also love that they refinished what appear to be original wide plank floors. If you look carefully you can see a chandelier in the shower glass reflection…. reinforcing my deep belief that no bathroom is truly complete without a sparkling chandelier. Bravo.

As a foyer accent wall:

This is such an amazing space. The combination of herringbone wood floors, the brick, the incredibly detailed wood moldings, the classic settee, and of course, the maps. This person might love Restoration Hardware. It’s a rich, warm, classic look and I just adore it.

As a kitchen accent wall:

The antique brick really adds interest to this space. I also dig the bank of apothecary drawers and the banquette seating.

For a more modern take on the kitchen with an antique wall:

The scale of this room is part of what makes it so cool (did you see how thick that table slab is???). Doing this wall in brick veneer would be a pricey undertaking.

Over the stove:

Sigh. Yes, the antique brick surround for the stove wall is happening and in our future kitchen renovation. For real. Don’t you love the beams and the lighting?

On the fireplace:

This is one of the coolest two-sided fireplaces ever. And I love the faux skin rug. I would’ve loved to see a wide plank, hand finished hard wood with this. It would have been epic.

A totally different take on a fireplace:

This fireplace inspires my inner Hobbit. So much movement, and paired with what appears to be heart pine… what more could one want?

As an accent on window walls:

I love brick accents around windows, especially if they are original, or made to appear to be the outer wall of the home. These are uniquely awesome because of their depth- they were able to incorporate a great panelled look on the inside. Really nicely done with superb depth.

The loft pictured here is incredibly well done all around. They really captured a moody ambiance.

As a column wrap:

My favorite part of this column wrap is that it appears to actually be an original home element. Very cool that they kept it.

As an archway wrap:

The difference in materials on the archway does a masterful job of separating living areas. The flow between spaces here is exquisite.

Isn’t this an awesome transition from foyer to living area?

In the dining room:

This is obviously a commercial space, but what a perfect combination of gray velvet tufted seating, antique mirrors, rustic wood floors, iron table bases, classic artwork, and of course, the brick.

On the basement wall:

Once again, realize this would be an expensive undertaking. But, the look is so unique. I love it paired here with medium tones in wood flooring and the bright white baseboards.

As a brick ceiling:

After a fairly frustrating installation of brick on a wall, I’m not totally sure how one would accomplish a ceiling installation. Nor do I think I know anyone with a marriage strong enough to survive a joint brick ceiling installation. But, if it was possible, the results are breathtaking.

Brick floor inlay:

Isn’t this amazing? I love combining the materials of deep wood tones with the whitewashed-look brick. It is really something special. They accomplished something very similar below.

Something interesting to note on the image above is that I believe this is new construction. This is varsity level use of different depths, textures, and finishes to make the house feel homey and not too new. There are three different styles of doors in one hallway and the mixed use of wood floors and brick is cool (though I’ll admit the antique-size brick would have been a visual and authentic improvement). Overall, really well done.

Master bedroom accent wall:

I really like the style of this entire space (it’s new/old), classic/eclectic, well done and homey. The heavy grout is very popular right now.

As a staircase brick accent wall:

If I ever walked into this space, it is truly “gasp” worthy. Unbelievably elegant and warm.

Have you used brick veneer interior applications?

Using brick inside offers an opportunity to completely transform the feel of a space. It creates warmth, texture, and depth. Are there other interior brick applications you love? I would love to see pictures in the comments section!

Thanks for joining us and check out more of our fabulous DIY and project blog here!

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Privacy Hedge in the Southeast: Arborvitae or Leyland Cyprus?

Posted on November 13, 2018March 14, 2019 by admin

Two years ago, when we moved into our new place in Eastern North Carolina, we found one area of our yard that wasn’t hiding the neighbors quite well enough. Friends of ours are landscapers, so I asked them to come take a look and give us their honest opinion. The two most popular for our zone were the Arborvitae and Leyland Cyprus, so we had to choose between the two.

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I’m sure you’ve seen the Thuja Green Giant (Arborvitae) or Emerald Green (Arborvitae) in the nursery magazines you receive in the mail, as well as the Leyland Cypress. They’re all listed as “fast growing” trees and they’re fantastic as mature privacy hedges. They’re both relatively disease and drought tolerant and grow well in a variety of soils.

There were several mature Leyland Cypresses already, and they’re wider than the mature arborvitae, but I didn’t love the way they grow if they have neighboring trees encroaching. There were Leyland Cypresses EVERYWHERE in our neighborhood (sometimes, you can just look around and figure the neighbors might know what they’re doing, or at least the local landscapers). The Arborvitaes seemed to be more of what I had in mind. Tall, slender, fast growing, and I liked the lighter green. But, the Cypresses seemed to be the PROVEN winner in the neighborhood.

So, which do you choose?

1b671983-9b73-417e-92c8-8108d26cc1ea — Arborvitae Hedge, Emerald Green

We chose the Arborvitae, and I’m about to show you why you should, too.

I have one word for you: HURRICANES.

Not long ago, a strong Category One hurricane came through our area and wreaked havoc on everything including the trees. We went from being able to see one neighbor vaguely in the winter, to being able to see at least five. EVERY LELAND CYPRESS HEDGE in the neighborhood was destroyed by the hurricane. We took down the hedge between us and the neighbors (the trees were essentially laying on our driveway). This is what the trees look like that we haven’t taken down yet in the backyard:

6fd9ba8e-1f15-4709-8262-13fdd51af36f — Leyland Cyprus after the hurricane

Now, you might argue that the Leyland Cypresses were bigger and creating more drag (they are ABSOLUTELY wider and create more drag) but, neighbors with a mature Arborvitae hedge have the only hedge that survived the storm. I don’t know the mechanics, I just know that our young trees made it and so did the neighbors mature trees that were Arborvitaes.

cc791277-00e3-428a-8a69-47286e6de3ba — Arborvitae Hedge

I know that I haven’t yet seen an undamaged Leyland Cypress in our entire area.

a264d60b-28ed-4a96-acc2-10fac019cc7d — Damaged Leyland Cyprus after hurricane

Basically, if you live in a hurricane prone area, our experience has been that the Arborvitaes are more likely to survive than the Leyland Cypresses. We purchased some of them from the local landscaper and some from Brighter Blooms. The ones ordered in the mail always surprise me, because I’m initially disappointed, and then once they are planted they catch right back up.

Happy planting and thanks for joining us! Check out more of our adventures on our Blog!

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How To Preserve Roses

Posted on October 29, 2018February 17, 2021 by admin

I’m so excited. I got BEAUTIFUL roses for my birthday. I know we’ve all lied to our significant others at some point, and told them we didn’t like flowers, but if they were smart, they knew it was a lie and bought flowers anyway. Because there are significantly fewer tears that way.

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We won’t talk about that time that I cried like a little girl because, even though I had dropped copious hints, I didn’t get flowers for my birthday. We’re complicated creatures, women. Poor Rainman.

Yeah, I’m that girl. (If you are in the dog house, and need to buy flowers, this is a great service).

Ugh, they’re just gorgeous from every angle. But, I have a secret. These are in the process of “preserving”. Did you know that you can prevent those gorgeous roses from keeling over on you?

There are two really good methods for doing this and I’ll go through both!

Method One (best for roses that you want to use in arrangements later… more finicky than method two):

This is pre-preservation. I always love the arrangement from our local florist, although I don’t love their choice of cheapo vases. Even the “budget” line shouldn’t be a throw away. Anyhoo, when I get to the preserving phase, I’m really only interested in the roses. I love them at Christmas for their deep red and am looking forward to bringing them back out.

You really only need a couple of things to do this:

Your preserving vase (mine is an antique but I have these also, which are super cute and very reasonable)

Vegetable Glycerin

Florist shears/ scissors (as you can see, I was using the poultry shears instead of going to get my nice florist shears which drives Rainman totally NUTS)

Small hammer

Fill your vase with about 1.5 – 2 inches of glycerin.

I start with the longer roses in the arrangement. Holding the vase next to the edge of the counter and the rose stem next to it, I eyeball where I want the cut. Snip! Take your little hammer and flatten the end of the stem. Roll it and flatten again. Mash it up so it opens up (this helps the glycerin get into the stem).

I do the center (long pieces) first, then fill in around the edge with the shorter stems. For mine, I remove all of the leaves and toss everything other than the roses.

Move them to a location out of the sun to start the preserving process.

Preserving Roses: Red rose bouquet, beginning preservation.

I have to be honest: I adore how these are turning out. They will be gorgeous for my Christmas scenes. These can possibly last years if handled carefully and are such a better option than silk!

Tip: Make sure to add glycerin over several weeks until the stems stop absorbing, then dump out any excess (the glycerin will start gelling on the petals and getting goopy if you leave it).

Method 2 (My Favorite):

This is the PERFECT preserved roses in a hatbox method!

You’ll need:

Floral Shears
Activa Silica Gel for Flowers
Hat boxes
Gallon/2 gallon ziploc (depending on your number of flowers)
Roses

Step One: Snip off the leaves

Step Two: measure how long to cut your roses! Then cut them at that height at an angle (check your height by putting it in the box).

Step three: Remove the three outermost petals on your roses.

Step four: Put your roses into the bag and pour the silica beads over it. Gently shake it to completely cover and get it inside the petals. Once they are covered, put them into a cool dark place for about a week. (Don’t worry about using all of your silica, you can re-use it!)

Step Five: Once all of the petals are preserved, shake the silica off carefully, and place them gently into your hatbox. These can last more than a year if you preserve them correctly!

Thanks for checking out our little tutorial! Feel free to comment and ask questions below and check out more of our great projects here! Cheers!

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I am honest about my experiences with different products and write because I enjoy it. I do however, have the opportunity to earn money for my writing, also.

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DIY Custom White Board and Batten Wainscoting and Crown Molding

Posted on October 25, 2018March 14, 2019 by admin

The beautiful thing about this particular renovation, is that our house flooded. Yes, I said the GOOD thing. Bear with me. Hang on. I’ll explain.

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Before

I’m so embarrassed. This is the living room before the flood:

We had lived in our old house for several years and, aside from the fact that we were packed in there like sardines, we didn’t have the time or energy to get to some of the upgrades on our ever-growing-wish-list. We have a STUFF problem. As in, we have too much of it. Without builtins, there was stuff everywhere, with no rhyme or reason, just looking cluttered and awful. For me, this creates stress, and no matter how clean the house was, I never felt settled.

So, then the clouds parted, and the rain came. Well, not actual rain. The hot water supply line under the master bedroom sink broke in the middle of the night (directly above the living room) and completely destroyed the living room and most of the contents.

The Flood

Imagine waking up in the middle of the night to a hot, steamy room. “Is the shower on?” Nope. No shower. But, I stepped down into ankle deep water to investigate, UPSTAIRS. Not good.

Wet living room ceiling from bathroom flood upstairs.

This offered up an opportunity for a few things, since we have fantastic homeowners insurance. I’d like to take a moment to give a shout out to my homies at USAA who made the insurance claims process painless. The contractors were so relieved when we said we had USAA. That was enough to solidify my belief in their awesomeness.

Demolition

The first thing that happened was the ripping out of the all of the sheetrock and flooring in the living room. Which made it look really weird. But, also awesome. Why? Two words: Popcorn ceilings. Even one room without those would be amazing and it was on my list of stuff to make happen.

Ceiling Sheetrock removed from living room ceiling.

A week and a half of industrial blowers and dehumidifiers later, the living room was dry and ready for REconstruction.

Reconstruction

So, honestly, the hardest part of a renovation is getting started. My favorite way to kickstart the process is to walk into a room with a crowbar or a sledgehammer and start swinging. Then Rainman sighs, and says, “so, that’s the next project, then?” But, in this case, we HAD to do the renovation, because it flooded. YAY!

So, demolition complete, the living room was ready to start rebuilding. Keep in mind, I knew this was not our forever home, so I took some design chances I probably wouldn’t duplicate now.

Sheetrock

The crew came in and put in sheetrock (we paid an additional $250 to have the ceiling flat finished instead of popcorn which felt a lot like extortion, but it was worth it).

Tips: When we were “interviewing” contractors we asked if we could make changes to the insurance-approved punchlist after the fact to make sure they were on board. Many contractors will work with you, using the existing insurance payout, plus your add ons, to do upgrades. They will also give you credit for things you do yourself to help pay for some of the upgrades. Why not do upgrades when you have free labor? For instance, in order to put up the sheetrock the fan had to come down first. After the sheetrock was installed, the fan had to go back up. There was a $150 charge approved by the insurance company for an electrician to take it down, and another $150 to put it back up. Rainman installed the damn fan in the first place. We arranged to do that (and several other things) and applied the credit to the upgrades we were having done elsewhere.

This inspiration post is JUST for the wainscoting and molding, although we did install builtins, completely redo the fireplace and surround, and install beautiful flooring. I’ll cover the others separately.

Customizing

I painted my accent color first after Rainman drew me straight lines based upon where I pointed. That way I was sure I liked the height. I also wanted to make sure my awesome industrial airplane canvas fit where I wanted it mounted (I am notorious for prematurely hanging things on walls still under construction and dressing un-finished builtins).

130520e1-9acf-450b-9cd6-d2f181df85bd — Roughing in paint before wainscoting and hanging the airplane art.

Designing the Board and Batten Layout

The artwork fit perfectly, so I was able to give him the go-ahead to draw out the grid for the boards. Now, here’s the customization part: depending on the scale of your space (we were dealing with standard eight foot ceiling height) you may want a tighter grid, or something more spaced out. You may want wider or thinner boards. We drew out our boards and I liked the look. We used 1″x6″ pine boards for a majority of the grid.

2bf89612-aee2-4d36-a341-4ae16374cd74 — Crown molding going up on one wall to make sure we like the width of the crown “stripe.” If you look closely, you can see the grid for the board and batten penciled in.

We tried really hard to avoid going over light switches or outlets, but we did hit a few. Because the outlet was in an area that would be covered, we just did a cut out for it. Ditto for the dual light switch.

5b991d44-9f77-43d1-aab6-253c81c07259 — Board and batten grid going in. Before paint and finish work.

The grids were installed using finish nails, via a finish nailer and compressor. My husband got these Bostich nailers and compressor as a gift from his father like 15 years ago and they all still work great. We ran the vertical boards against the door frames and in the corners first, then the top and bottom horizontal boards (we used a wider baseboard), then the verticals (between the top and bottom), then the boards in between the verticals.

ce0e4edb-b5be-449f-a5a5-0f054916e861 — First round of caulk and paint.

We did quarter round to cap the wainscoting and a white quarterround to finish it out against the flooring, also.

3f87f224-d0e4-4322-a9d8-7d6c80c90ce0 — Board and batten grid on the long wall.

I apologize for the grainy photos (these are pre-blogging days and were on my phone). You can see the grid before we started the finish work. Above, the first layer of crown molding has gone up.

Finishing Touches, Crown Molding, and Engineered Brazilian Hardwood Flooring

The additional white quarter round against the flooring really set off the deep color in the gorgeous engineered Brazilian Cherry Hardwood. I absolutely love the contrast of white against wood.

This shot shows the second detail layer below the crown and how the wainscoting looked. This is not a crown molding installation how-to. There’s a fantastic tutorial available from the Familyhandyman.com if you’re new at this. Rainman’s tool of choice on this (that we’ve used over and over) is The Dewalt Compound Sliding Miter Saw. We’ve used it to do an entire house of molding (at the old house) and it still does EVERYTHING we need at the new house.

So, this is an awful, grainy photo again. But, it shows how we continued the trim against the builtins. The top of the builtins was open. We capped the builtins with crown (so it continued around the room) and the detail piece tied it in beautifully.

30c72f3c-323a-4944-8880-ed4434b24a2e — Two pieces of molding really add depth to the ceiling.

Here’s the final crown stack up, with only two pieces.

9f26fa06-3667-4286-b708-24880e493b22 — Crown molding stack-up.

And them labelled, for guidance.

The finish work was time intensive once all of the crown and wainscoting was up. All of the molding took two layers of caulk (around every edge of the grid and to fill nail holes) to really be finished and THREE layers of gloss white paint. But, it turned out beautifully.

The Finished Product

Beautiful new ceiling, builtins, fireplace, tile surround, new brazilian cherry engineered wood, wainscoting, and crown molding.

This was one of the listing photos of the living room. The white wainscoting and molding REALLY punch up the color contrast and finish the room beautifully. See the finished Old House Tour for more great makeovers.

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The Bed All Of Our Guests Buy After Sleeping Here

Posted on October 15, 2018March 12, 2019 by admin

Have you ever had guests ask, “what kind of bed is that?” after they stay at your house? That happens to us every time someone stays here. EVERY TIME. The funny thing is, since we moved here I’m starting to figure out that the luxury mattress market is a racket. I just saw another brick and mortar store is closing hundreds of locations. This has to be why.

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When we moved in here two and half years ago we had a kid in college, two in high school, one in middle school, and one in diapers. We had one queen sized bed and the rest were twins. Knowing that it won’t be long before the kids start leaving and getting places of their own (and possibly returning with significant others- EEK), I decided to set everyone up with a queen mattress (other than the little one).

We live close to a vacation area and I figured it made sense to be able to host couples/visitors in each one of those four bedrooms (with queen mattresses) and kick the kids out to camp in the common areas. But, here’s the thing, I only had one and I needed three more (and didn’t want to spend a fortune on mattresses). So, I started looking around and reading reviews. There are a TON of mattresses for sale online. I found one for under three hundred dollars and, still feeling skeptical, hit play on an order for ONE to test it out.

Zinus platform base with storage, Ultima Comfort Bed immediately after “inflating”

Here’s the funny part. This was an all hands on deck fun thing for the whole family as the mattresses came in (after one test night, I ordered the other two, while still in disbelief). The mattress comes in a big bag, like an oversized sleeping bag, and when you puncture the bag seal the mattress starts to “inflate”. I recommend you have it where you want it when you start the process. It’s memory foam so I guess they just suck all the air out before they ship and it inflates in minutes (when my nephew ordered his in cold weather it took about 12 hours to fully inflate).

Zinus platform base with storage with Zinus Ultima Comfort

Just to clarify, I started blogging in September of 2018. We purchased three of these in June of 2016, well before that. My mother in law ordered one to replace their old (and WAY more expensive) memory foam mattress. My sister ordered one. My husband’s aunt ordered one. And my nephew ordered one. All before I ever started blogging. I didn’t get a free mattress. I didn’t even get a discounted mattress. I just got a good deal on a great product, as did my relatives, who got to test out the mattress at my house.

Zinus platform base with storage underneath for existing queen mattress

The price has DROPPED since I purchased three (which is always SLIGHTLY irritating). It’s sort of unreal, but I guess they’re wildly popular and they can do that.

I also ordered four of the bases they sell because it acts as a box spring, but I can store bins underneath (with five kids you’d better believe we need the space). We didn’t even have one for the existing queen mattress we already had because it was on a platform bed at the old house (check it out in our Old House Tour).

Storage space underneath Zinus box spring frame and Zinus Ultima Comfort mattress

The downsides with the frame: You’ll have to buy bedskirts because they’re ugly. The foot and head of the bed are rounded at the edges and were compatible with NONE of the headboards we had. So, currently the headboards are wedged against the wall and not attached to the frame. If you plan on lots of athletic activity in bed and are concerned for your safety, I recommend bolting the headboard to the wall. Otherwise, I have no complaints.

You’ll notice that I only posted three bed pictures, and not four. That’s because my fourteen year old is the embodiment of Pig Pen and is going to be grounded if he doesn’t fix his room. Maybe once he cleans it so I won’t be embarrassed I’ll take a picture of bed number four on the platform base. But, anyhoo.

So, here’s the deal. These weren’t free to me. I paid full price for them. If you buy one I will get a commission, but I promise if they suck I would tell you. We love them.

I feel like this is a public service announcement to tell you that you don’t have to pay thousands of dollars on a mattress when you can get a really good one for a couple hundred bucks. We’ve had them for 2+ years and there is no evidence of sagging or compressed sleeping spots. I’m impressed.

We paid $2000 for a mattress in 2010 and need a new one. We’ll be getting one of these and saving a whole bunch of money. I can think of plenty of things I’d rather spend the other $1700 on. By the way, since we purchased these, Zinus has come out with like fifteen different versions of their mattress. I can’t vouch for any of these, just the Ultima Comfort. But, I think it’s a solid company, so let me know if you try one of the other versions!

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Taking A Stand On Fake Book Decor

Posted on October 6, 2018March 12, 2019 by admin

Okay. I briefly considered titling this blog post, “the death of all that is good and Holy,” or “things that make you want to start drinking before 5 PM.” But, I thought it might isolate some readers. This isn’t something I would normally do, but I feel the need to take a stand AGAINST a trend. I started seeing things pop up on my Pinterest feed with books in bookcases BACKWARD. “What in the world?” I thought to myself. So, I looked it up.

Books turned around backward for preferable “style” in Atlanta Homes Magazine

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It turns out, if people’s books don’t match their decor, or the book jackets are too colorful, PEOPLE ARE TURNING THEM AROUND TO MAKE THEM LOOK NICER. And people are like, “yeah, that’s so AWESOME, what a great idea.” I’m going to stop right now. I’m taking a deep breath. I’m going to my happy place.

I’m finding tutorials on how to turn YOUR books around and tales of designers conquering their client’s ugly book collections by doing so.

This one from houseofpictures.com is especially stark.

Let me take a step back. I understand the need to have a nicely styled bookcase. I GET IT. My bookshelves in common areas are grouped in muted color families and they look fantastic (if I do say so myself). I have some really NEAT books. I have collected them over the years. I have a true vintage/antique book collection. I love it when people ask me about them or where I picked them up. I’m proud of my collection. We might be the only freaks left in the country with bookcases that hold real, actual books.

Please excuse the unfinished bookshelves.

But, I have to be honest: it actually makes me ANGRY to see books reduced to shelf decor. I see ads everywhere all of the sudden for FAKE BOOK SETS. Yes, I said FAKE BOOK SETS. Restoration Hardware (which I normally love) has entire collections of blank-paged books which you can get for the bargain price of hundreds of dollars. Are you freaking kidding me? Books filled with blank pages. That people buy. To look like they have real books. This feels really, really fraudulent. WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE? ARE THEY WALKING AMONG US?

Can you imagine going to a friend’s house and seeing your favorite book on a shelf only to find it’s empty? As you pick it up and open it, you exclaim, “I had no idea you were a Jane Austen fan! I just love her, don’t you?… What the…” The pensive, confused, awkward silence that followed would be embarrassing for everyone involved.

Look, in the event you absolutely have to have some “book decor,” I have an idea: Go to a damn used bookstore and pick out some books! You don’t even have to read them, just pick out titles that seem interesting to you. That way, in case of apocalypse, or GOD FORBID the wi-fi goes down, you can leaf through something interesting. Used books are WAY cheaper than buying these ridiculous blank page book sets and they inspire far less anger in people like me. I know I’m responsible for my own emotional stability, but for the love of all that is holy, have a heart.

Carefully selected titles, in a warm rhinoceros sandwich.

How in the world are people supposed to judge you by your books if they’re backward in your bookcase? How are they supposed to know what kind of person you are if they can’t see your carefully selected and displayed titles?

What if they opened one of your books and found the pages blank?

Don’t let your visitors find out that you’re 1) Intellectually void or 2) As empty and soul-less as the blank books masquerading on your shelves.

I’m being a little cheeky here, but, seriously… It makes me sad. I was a bookworm as a kid and I’ll admit I’d probably be bingewatching netflix on my smartphone like every other teenager if I were young today. But, it makes me sad. It makes me scared for our future as a society if books are just something we dress builtins with and dust once a week.

Please, please don’t do it.

Isn’t this the coolest? Also, real, actual books.

If I may, and you’re feeling REALLY uncreative, here are some options that won’t make your Academic-Snob friends cringe quite so much:

Book sets for built ins that look like antique books but actually have hidden storage inside. There are a gazillion options on Amazon and Hobby Lobby to name a few.
Actual vintage book sets, such as Harvard Classics in monochrome sets.
Lord of The Rings series hardcover box set.
Shakespeare, the Yale forty volume set (which comes in a nice faded blue).
Charles Dickens box set, if you’re really trying to impress someone.
Or just explore sets on discount book sites.

But seriously, you really should take an afternoon, find a book shop and pick out some neat books. Smell the dust. Take your kids’ smartphones away and drag them with you! Experience the thrill of the hunt! The satisfaction of the kill! Get out. Discover. Explore. Read. I highly recommend it.

Aaaaaaaand, I’m off my soapbox.

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Transform Your Front Porch: Take Down the Railings!

Posted on October 5, 2018March 12, 2019 by admin

So, here’s the deal. Sometimes it’s super expensive to create a breathtaking transformation to your house, and sometimes it’s FREE. Sometimes all you need is a little elbow grease (and maybe some basic supplies you already had on hand) to make a huge impact.

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This is the second time I have taken down the railings at a home that we own. The first time the porch was basically at ground level and it was a no-brainer. The impact was immediate- INSTANT curb appeal. I loved it. See the complete “after” transformation on the old house we sold in 2016 here.

Okay, it’s a little hard to see the LACK of railing there because of the out of control hydrangea. Trust me. The railings were removed. Details on that crazy garden you can see here.

When we moved in to our current home it had those same railings, but they were serving an entirely different purpose- safety. The porch is a few feet off the ground. In the middle of our epic and back-breaking front garden project (which you can check out here) I decided to rip them out. I knew that the dirt would end about a foot below the front porch/deck so it would be safe to take them down. I feel the need to say, “I’m not telling you to take your front railings down. I haven’t seen your house. It could pose a safety hazard.” Please consider safety: toddlers, old people, clumsy people, etc. as you make the decision to keep your railings or not. We may eventually put in black, wrought iron railings, but for now I like it just like it is.

Here’s a picture before my project A.D.D. took hold:

So, I seriously stopped mid project, stole one of Rainman’s hammers, and started swinging away. As I suspected, the sellers had covered up rot with white paint (pretty typical) and the railings came down in about 30 minutes. Of course, this made me realize the bicycles and miscellaneous crap all over the front porch would need to find a new home (not exactly HGTV ready).

Tip: Painting and caulking front porch columns and railings is an ANNUAL MAINTENANCE ITEM. It should be on your list. Otherwise they rot. Case in point.

And here’s the front porch immediately after taking the railings down: Sigh. I’m in love.

Above you can see the pile of railings (dry/rotted wood is excellent for starting bonfires) to the left there and the bare wood on the columns where the railings used to be.

While I was having A.D.D. and happened to have a nephew visiting (can I get an AMEN for cheap, available labor???) I decided to get some painting and staining done.

I had him sand the front deck and get any loose deck screws back in. If you don’t have a good sander, I have several of these. I have one I keep for just drywall finishing, then others for miscellaneous sanding projects. They’re cheap enough it doesn’t break my heart to burn them up or buy a new one, but they’re surprisingly hardy.

I also had him sand around where the railings had been on the posts so we could get a fresh FLAT coat of white and the seam would be invisible.

I splurged on some good deck stain and sealant and we did two coats. For stain, I recommend throw away brushes, which you can get pretty cheap at Lowe’s. True story: in seventh grade my son did a science project on which of three deck stains offered the best moisture protection (based upon water absorption and weight). I used that brand. I love the color and it’s amazing the difference it makes. It ended up being a smaller splurge than I expected because that huge front deck took less than a gallon for two coats.

So here we were, working along and I noticed those damn builder grade lights. Project A.D.D. strikes again. Yeah, those definitely had to go. I hadn’t even noticed them delaminating until I fixed all the other stuff.

So, we took the opportunity to change out the porch lights and found a great deal on really nice looking lights.

While we were out there I handed Rainman black spray paint to put a fresh coat on our 10 year old rocking chairs and little black table. He hit the rough spots with sand paper, cleaned and dried them, tightened the hardware, then spray painted. TADA! Good as new.

We will be doing another update soon (cough* cough*) on working shutters for the windows. We are currently doing price comparisons on shutters and hardware. After the hurricane we realized we can’t spend two days putting up plywood every time we evacuate. Also coming soon, the tutorial on how to put up plywood over your windows before you evacuate for a hurricane.

Anyway, drum roll please…

Doesn’t it look AWESOME??? Bear with me. The right side over by the staircase is still in need of rework. Here’s another view from the rocker:

Everything’s all nice and painted, stained, and ready to move on to the next thing! I just love how our mini-flip on the front porch turned out. Big impact for minimal cost!

Check out our other projects and wins and fails here. Thanks for stopping by!

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I am honest about my experiences with different products and write because I enjoy it. I do however, have the opportunity to earn money for my writing, also.

Slavetodiy.com is also a VigLink affiliate advertiser which works similarly.