I wish I had prepared better and had before pictures of our Spring Break projects – but it all happened so fast, I didn’t dare pause long enough to snap photos! It all kind of began on a trip to Target. I found these great pillows and was totally ready after the winter we had for a breath of spring. I don’t know what I was thinking because these are really not my typically color pallet. I guess I was that ready for a change!
I like to play it safe with neutral furniture and neutral walls and flooring – then it is cheaper and easier to update seasonally, for holidays, or for a much needed change like we had here! So we went from navy, cranberry and forest green colors to this light mixture. I fell in love (hard core) with the geometrical prints and chevron that dominates the stores right now. I kept the navy blue candles, lamp shades and large canvas – then I added a canvas map of sorts in anticipation of our upcoming family trip to see Lady Liberty. I repeated the same colors and patterns in the entry way, and with picture frames that I found at Kohl’s (still adding to the frame collection… that is why the arrangement looks unbalanced – work in progress!)
I drove so fast to Goodwill to discard the hated light that hung over the dining room table (here when we moved in) that unless I can find a throwback photo with it showing – it’s gone! The problem that prevented a sooner switch was that it has to be plugged into the wall. I am very fond of the Moroccan shade that replaced it, AND plugs into the wall!
I realized after I thought I was done that the curtains were still the cranberry and didn’t really match!! I bought 1 panel for each window, cu it in half and sewed it (there isn’t a ton of room on either side for a lot of fabric to hang, but I wanted the more colorful look and feel that the panel gives vs. the valance.
So all in all, I am no professional decorator, but I feel like I have a balanced space that is functional, colorful and while I feel like it flows throughout the house, I feel like it is off set as well. The art and photos make the space meaningful and are symbolic in one way or another to our family. Here is the big reveal….
The boys bathroom got an up-do as well. A new shower curtain, some baskets for their toiletries and some new canvas for the walls gave their bathroom a more mature look and feel and the colors were richer.
We touched up the staircase going upstairs and I love the black and white retro photos that wrap around and lead upwards with trios of the little ones
The new faucets in each bathroom have more of a swan neck to them and gives so much more room under to brush teeth, wash hands and faces – love it! And with the brushed metal and sleek contour, no crud gets up under the plastic globe knob where it is difficult to clean!! I love that aspect even more! The showers all got new shower curtains and rods. The boys requested the kind that bow out and give so much more room – or as they put it, shower curtains that are “like in a hotel”.
I really stepped out of my comfort zone in the master bed and bath. I kept with that retro look and feel, and after getting the bathroom updates (including a moen shower head that is big enough to fit a small under it’s diameter), using a lemony yellow paint, navy blue carpet and green shower curtain…then we used similar round mirrors (they came as a set) for “art” or to add a little more depth or dimension to the room. Love the new shower head and curved rod for additional shower space in our room as well. Now the boys want a shower head like ours!!
When I asked my hubby to pick the master bedroom color – I wasn’t really considering green…but I love how it turned out paired with grey and orange!!! He said he was thinking of Ireland when he picked the color, so I tried to pick some nature scenes, but sure enough – our trip to New York showed up in a canvas set of the Brooklyn Bridge – it signifies the connection to the old country and our immigration here generations ago.
Without further ado, the finished room is here…
Our last “re-do” room is the half bath downstairs. It is such a little space it was daring to go with a dark wall color, but I like the results and the contrast with the white worked well. I also like the opposite color patterns in the rug and curtains.
While I cannot profess to know anything about interior design, I am pleased with our upgrades and how it all came together!!!
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