Another Little Project I've Been Working On...

My kitchen has lots of the same wood tone in it. The cabinets, the floors, the island. Even the walls are a beige. I had to do something to break up all that wood tone.
(Here's a before and after within a before and after. I installed under cabinet lights recently. Boy do I LOVE the extra light in the kitchen and on my workspace.)





The island seemed like the perfect spot to get to work.

Dull, boring, more of the same.


I decided I would install beadboard around the sides and back, trim it out, and paint the whole thing in chocolate brown. I also added some hardware to dress it up a bit.


I love how this gives the island more of a furniture look. And it's hard to tell from the pictures, but the brown goes beautifully with the countertops.

Some recent treasure finds...

Let's start with this cute little footstool I found at a garage sale. I LOVE the woven top.



I wasn't too crazy about the light bamboo base, though. Too much tan. So I spray painted it and I love the results.



And how 'bout this dresser and this bunny I've had around for a while. I got the bunny at Goodwill and the dresser off Craigs List for $10.


I FINALLY got the dresser done yesterday. I will probably get new handles, but for now the old ones spray painted in a brushed nickel finish will work nicely.

I love how this detail stands out now that the horrible rag painting finish is covered up.


And this bunny looks so much more sophisticated now, all dressed up for Easter.


And lastly, here are some pieces for my china hutch that I've collected from Goodwill and yard sales.

I love the ironstone tureen. And the pitcher/vase. Who am I kidding. I love them all.

My best find recently is not ready to show yet, but I am SO excited about it. I can't wait to share!

*Sorry about the poor quality photos. I'm still trying to find a good spot in my house for photographing stuff.

My Dream Home

Recently I purchased a copy of the magazine House Beautiful because I did not have the power to resist the images of this gorgeous Houston home. I enjoy and appreciate many various decorating styles, but without a doubt, this is the one that is the most me.

Just look at this beautiful entry. All of the wood and stone in this house in reclaimed. This is a brand new house made of antique materials. I think I would change out the doors for something similar but with windows.


It's like being in a castle. I like the play of light from the window here.

I'm pretty sure I could be a better cook in this kitchen. My favorite part? The fridge covered in zinc. I love how rustic it is.


And after cooking a fantastic meal in the kitchen, we could retire to this fabulous dining room. I've already posted about my love affair with this clay color. I think the chairs are a bit ornate for my taste. I would replace the dining set with something more casual, a farm table perhaps.

After dinner, I would curl up next to the fire with a good book. My favorite thing in this image? Those double doors in the background.

Who doesn't want a gorgeous grand staircase like this?




And those shutters make me swoon.


I love love love the shutters here. The chandelier and chair are just the right touch in this space.

And my very favorite image:


Seriously, I love everything about this so much it makes my heart ache. I kid you not.

You can click on the link for a few more photos I didn't include here.

Progress at a Snail's Pace...

The basement project is progressing, just very slowly at this point. We decided we would frame the bathroom and the next bedroom and install the electrical in both, before we proceeded with the drywall in the first bedroom. We needed to have the inspector come out to look at some changes to the electrical and we figured, why not have all the electrical done so he could make just one more inspection. This seemed simple enough, considering how quickly we banged out that first room. However, a few factors are now coming into play that weren't before. First of all, I had squirreled away some funds for the start of the project. Now we have to have some time to squirrel away some more. Next, now that Lincoln is here and participating, we need to work around his schedule as well. He and I want to learn as we go so we can do this ourselves at some point. And lastly, we have a plumbing question that needs to be answered before we can build the next wall.

But here is what we have accomplished in the past week or two.

More electrical work in the first bedroom and hallway. The proper outlets have been installed. The first ones we put in did not meet a brand new code. They must now be the tamper resistant kind. Doug also put in a light fixture in the new hallway and wired for the other two. These will eventually be recessed lights.

Our friend, Jesse, came and put two new circuits in the box to accommodate the bathroom and the second bedroom.



Lincoln and I put in a heat run to the first bedroom and consulted with our friend Spencer to determine what our plan for cold air returns should be.


We have picked up the building materials we need for framing the next two rooms. Hopefully I can get a plumber out here today to answer our question and give us an estimate on future plumbing work. Once that is done we can proceed with framing.

In the meantime, maybe I'll start working on my kitchen backsplash today...