Almost done!

So I've done all the painting, removed the carpet, removed the old closet doors, added window treatments, got new nightstands, stained a headboard and dresser, switched out hardware, and added new lighting and accessories, designed a storage ottoman, and framed and hung artwork. It's been a long process, but I still have bifold closet doors to measure and price, and fabric to find to reupholster my two chairs. After that I think I will finally be finished! But here is where I am currently.

Hanging artwork and photos...

So I had figured out where I wanted to put all my artwork around the room and now it was time to hang them. Since my walls are a thick plaster I had to drill pilot holes first with a powerdrill, push in and tap in lightly plastic anchors, and then screw in the screws. Measuring and leveling are important and marking is too. I was able to hang up the beautiful panoramic photo my boyfriend took of Florence, Italy.

I also hung my collage frame and dresser mirror, as well as my full length mirror.

I've also many other pieces from Norman Rockwell's "Saturday Evening Post", and John Waterhouse's "Lady of Shalott". I also created a piece that I love. I love gerbera daisies, they are my favorite! I had made this piece two years ago with fake red orange and yellow gerbera daisy heads and mounted them on a piece of white foam core. These colors are vibrant on their own, but against this wall color, they truly pop. So it was my idea to frame them with two transparent sides, and no frame backing. This way the daisies seem to float in front the of the wall color and really pop! I had fun doing this. I found an appropriate sized frame for my daisy layout, and got a large piece of plexi and cut it down to the appropriate size. I then hot glued the backs of the daisy heads in the pattern desired onto the plexi and inserted it into the frame and hung it! Quick, easy, and beautiful!

Cool DIY storage ottoman

So my boyfriend and I found this warehouse that sells products that would otherwise have been thrown out, but are sold there for really cheap, because they're being recycled by the buyers and not tossed. We found some old drums, and this thick felt-like padding material. We cut the felt with a utility blade to wrap the outside and inside of the drum. We took the lid and locking mechanism and spray painted them a uniform silver/gray to cover up any imperfections. We hot-glued the felt on the outside and inside. One side of the thick felt was black and the other was a dark gray, so I cut circles in a random pattern and reversed them so that the gray circles stood out. It was a fun project and cost about $5 each for the drum and felt. We had the other materials already. And now I have a perfect storage ottoman that also serves as an additional seat. (we tested and each holds us no problem).

Finding the right window treatments and fabric for the accent wall...

I had shades on all the windows, but fall is underway and winter is coming soon and these old houses and windows are quite drafty. So I found blackout thermal curtains for behind my bed. I found sheer, gray/silver curtains for the other 5 windows, and great thick gray and black 84" panels for the accent wall behind my bed. It took a while to finally find some that would tie into the rest of the room.

And yes I am 25 but sleep with stuffed animals <3

Dresser finishing touches...

I was able to switch out the hardware for fairly cheap. I found these pulls at Home Depot and they were discounted and tied in perfectly with the look of my bedroom. I also found these gray patterned felt panels that I velcro tabbed to the closet door to cover up the little lamb. They can be easily removed at any time. But they also tied in great.

Staining the dresser and headboard...

So I finally found the right woodtone for the dresser and the headboard. Since the headboard was basically as its basic, no stains, or treatments it was a breeze to stain because it took the stain very well and dried quickly, making two or three coats for the darker color easy.

The dresser on the other hand was a bit of a process. It is a family piece which is actually a child's dresser with 4 drawers and the right side is a little closet, with a little lamb decal on the front. I didn't want to ruin that or stain over it so I stained around it. The dresser had to be sanded down repeatedly, but because it was finished with such a shiny texture it was very hard to get past that, hence why it wasn't taking the stain at first. I used the technique of using a rag to wipe in on, but it wouldn't take. So instead I chose to brush it on and not wipe it off, which created a really dark, rich color and the sheen from the coating underneath came through still which makes it look really nice.

Mostly done...still have a lot of side projects to complete...

So now that the painting is done, which really was the largest task and most time consuming, (especially since I work full-time and have become a weekend warrior and working on the paint for 2 hours every night after work) I was able to finally place most my furniture and new purchases within the space!

I still have to hang my pictures and artwork on the walls. I also still have to find fabric for slipcovering my chair, and for my accent wall behind the bed. I also need to find curtains/window treatments for the 7 windows in this room. I also need to find the right stain color and stain the headboard I bought (also discounted at the mill store) and for the dresser I already had. So even though it may look fairly complete, there is still a lot to accomplish.

My vision finally coming together!

I was so excited just to place my bed and put the new comforter set on it. The night stands are actually saddle stools that I got at a mill shop for a discounted price. The lamps were from Target, which were a lot like the designer lamps I liked but were less expensive but still had the same look. The runners on either side of the bed and the area rug are believe it or not from Walmart! Go to a Super Walmart and their carpeting department is 1000 times better than any regular Walmart, and also at a good price.

Taking all the tape down, cleaning, and bringing furniture in!

So after I was done painting the trim after 3 weeks of slowly painting a few hours every night, and taking all the tape off I used a razor blade to scrape any excess paint that got behind the tape on the windows. This works great to clean any of that excess paint off. Now its time to clean up all paint supplies and again sweep and mop the floors. I can finally bring in my furniture and new accessories and materials.

Painting Trim = tedious, and a lesson in patience

So since it took a full weekend just to prime, paint, and get rid of the carpet, I decided to save the trim painting to nights after I get home from work. This proved to be very tiring, tedious, and a lesson in patience. Since the trim around the windows and the window mullions themselves were a buttercream, I had to repaint all of them to the bright crisp white that I wanted to make the teal pop and to have a clean crisp contemporary look. Once again it is extremely important to tape, and I had a lot of taping to do! This was a lesson in patience. I used two full rolls of painters tape and I used two different sized brushes. I used a 2" for the trim and small 1/2" brush for the mullions. Painting trim and mullions really made me appreciate the detail and craftmanship that goes into assembling these old windows. Do a good job and go slowly...patience is the name of the game, but you will be happy when its done and it looks great!

Ripping up carpet...

So if you have allergies like me it is important to buy a filtered mask, safety glasses, and gloves. With all of this I was able to protect myself from years of dust and dirt and whatever else. I started at one corner and pulled up, and with an xacto blade was able to cut strips as I was tearing the carpet up. If you cut the carpet and underpad into smaller pieces it is easier to dispose of. After the carpet was in garbage bags, I swept the floors, pulled up the staples with pliers, vacuumed the floor, and mopped. Luckily these floors were in great condition protected by the carpet for all those years.

Closet...taking doors off and priming and painting

So the closet was a bit of a task. There were two sliding doors on a track. This all was dismantled and will not be coming into the room again. The two sliding doors make it difficult to see the whole closet. I intend to eventually install bi-fold doors. There were two heavy solid wood shelves that needed to be taken out. Have a rubber mallet available to do that demo work. The original wallpaper was also in the closet. If I were to properly redo the closet I would have taken the paper off first. But since it is the closet and no one will really see it,and removing wallpaper is tedious, I primed over the wall paper and painted it all white. This way the white serves as a canvas and you'll be able to see your clothes and shoes, etc.

Painting!

So I chose the paint color, and I absolutely love it! It's a dark, bold color by BEHR called Teal Mosaic. It is a large room and the dark color will not make it feel small at all. Now it's time to paint.
First- Cover up your test swatches with primer again so you get your true paint color, evenly all the way around the room.
Second- Since you have the tape down already from when you primed you're all set to go with the paint!
Third- Edge out the areas near the tape lines and then roll on the paint! You'll probably need 2 coats to get the full effect of the color.

Painting...test your color choices

So after the primer had dried...I had chosen 3 blues that I thought would like nice in this space, and in accordance with my overall vision for the bedroom. Depending on the brand you can get small samples of the paint for about $3 each. This is a great idea because you can paint swatches around the room to see what it looks like in different lighting. Always test with artificial as well as natural lighting! I ended up choosing the darker teal blue on the right hand side. This really reflects the colors found in my inspiration of the dark hydrangea flower. The wood bowl shares the same tones of some of my furniture and also serves as an inspiration for the tones I'm looking for in other pieces that I'll incorporate into the space.

Priming....it takes a long time

If you are covering a dark existing color, you need to prime. I have asthma and allergies and found a great primer that is mold and moisture resistant. Make sure you have enough primer and don't skimp on priming. If you have a light enough color only one coat may be necessary, but I absolutely need two coats in order to get a true color later.

What you'll need:
-primer-(gallon or more)
-roller and roller refills
-roller trays
-angled brush (1" or 2")
-painters tape (and lots of it!)
-dropcloths
-rags

First- get a lot of painters tape especially if you have a lot of detailed molding and baseboards, like I have in this room.
Second- Tape everything off. It is a lengthy process but totally worth it. Do a good job too it'll make painting the edges much easier. Also put drop-cloths down to protect your carpeting or floors. (For me since I was getting rid of the carpet I actually used it as a drop cloth and didn't put any down.)
Third-Get an angled brush and start painting the edges along the tape lines, this way rolling the primer on will be a breeze. Also take your time and do a good job. Primer is thinner than paint and will splatter easily, especially when rolling, so be conscious of your pressure and speed while rolling to minimize splatter.
Fourth-After all the edging is done, start rolling! (and you'll have to do two coats depending on how dark the existing color is.)

Bedroom Renovation

I have just recently graduated college with a Master's in Architecture and accepted a position at a mid-size firm close to my parents' house. I haven't had a bedroom in the house in over 5 years, and having lived in apartments for the past 3 years has made moving home an interesting transition. This transition from moving myself and a full-apartments worth of belongings into a bedroom is difficult. To help feel like I have my own space I put most of my belongings into storage for a short while until I can establish my bedroom.

This blog will follow my process of moving into and redoing my new bedroom. This house is over 200+ years old, has great hardwood floors and lots of architectural details in the window and door surrounds. This room is a large room and has 7 windows, which can be difficult in placing furniture as there is not as much open wall space. It also includes built-in shelving above a section of 3 windows. The scope of this project will include;
-covering a dark green wall paint, and repainting a new color(yet to be decided)
-repainting all the buttercream colored trim and window mullions
-ripping up the carpet and cleaning the hardwood flooring beneath
-finding/building nightstands
-finding/building a headboard
-staining my existing dresser to a darker wood tone
-finding new lighting, area rugs and runners, and accessories to complete the room
-sewing a floor to ceiling accent wall of fabric behind the bed
-sewing a new slipcover for my yard sale find club chair
-building a radiator cover for the old steam radiator

As you can see this is a long list of things to do. With a full-time job and some available weekends, this will be a weekend warrior/ night-time 2nd job kind of renovation.I'm excited to document the process and any tips I discover along the way!