So we are neck-deep into this whole "renovate your entire home while you are simultaneously living in it and raising small children in it" thing. I thought it was time for a little update.
You remember this post where I showed you the ghetto conditions we started off with, right? Well, we have a few rooms that are finished...this being the first. This is what we label as our "formal living room," although you should note that the chick typing the word "formal" counts chipping her front tooth on a wine bottle and picking up a live opossum from her dining room floor with a snow shovel (crazy story to come) as two of her best experiences of the last 5 years. I'm just sayin'. Not too formal.
When we were packing to move to Omaha, we got rid of as much as we could to really give ourselves a fresh start. We sold, gave away, and threw away furniture and clutter in hopes that we would get a new style and a new look in our new home.
This little pew was a craigslist find. The couple told me I could have this antique church pew for free if I came and picked it up. For FREE! There was nothing that was going to stop me from picking up that gem. So while Shawn put the boys down for bed, I took his truck and drove to the house. They had told me they would be gone, but left it on the front porch for me. Once I found the location, I greeted the agreed-upon pew. All SEVEN FREAKING FEET OF IT. People....Shaquille O'Neal could have napped on this thing. And when I went to lift one side it felt like he was napping on it. Somehow I figured out how to hoist that sucker into the bed of the truck, close the tailgate and have it make it home...all by my lonesome. I came out of it with sweaty pits, what felt like a mild hernia, and a year's worth of payment into the swear jar. Oh, and a free pew. We cut it in half and re-attached the arm
and voila! Uncomfortable but stylish seating!
This was the before. You can't see too well, but the walls had floral cream wallpaper with lavender trim. The ceiling was a product of the 70's brainchild - popcorn texturing! We had that stripped, remudded, then painted. We peeled all the wallpaper, then washed the glue off the walls, painted the walls and repainted the trim.
These suckers were no help at all, but had a lot of fun throughout the process.
We have met a carpenter (Damond) who began to help us out with little (and slightly big!) projects, and quickly became one of our closest friends here. He is pictured above, cutting out the wall between the dining and living room to make the doorway bigger, and give the allusion of more space. All the walls are plaster (old skool) and are crazy-hard to alter. But Damond can do it all. :)
Post-paint job and pre-furniture explosion. This was the day I got my new natural-fiber area rug. Love it.
I have realized that although I would love to be super talented when it comes to decorating, and vision, and taste....sadly, I am not. No matter how hard I try...I just don't have that gift. This girl, however, DOES. Above is Jeannie, my neighbor and what I affectionately refer to as my "life stylist." The girl has some serious skillz, and is responsible for almost every decision in the remodel/redecorating project. Love ya Jeannie.
So...that concludes the tour of room #1. Hope you had as much fun as we did, and just think - you didn't even have to sweat at all or pay for anything. Stay tuned for more.
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