You guys have no idea how exciting it is to have an actual before and AFTER of the Myrtle House! I mean, as much as I love renovating (and I do), three years is quite a long time and we are ready for this baby to be ova! So, even though the bathroom is missing some paint, I'm writing it off as D-O-N-E. Finished, friends. So let's talk a quick walk down memory lane, shall we?
My Parents' Kitchen | Design
My parents have a large 3000 square foot home in the burbs here in Raleigh. It was a great house for them while us five kiddos were growing up, but now as they look towards retirement and being empty-nesters, they are considering downsizing and putting their house on the market. Their home was built in the early 1990s and hasn't seen much updating since, especially in the kitchen. Budget is the name of the game here since the whole house will need to be updated.
Budget Shower | Entertaining
My dear friend Amanda tied the knot in 2013 and I wanted to throw a little party in her and her fiance's honor before the big day. In the past during my more reckless spending years, I have spent a ton of unnecessary money on entertaining. Over time, I have learned that the sweetest get-togethers don't have to cost a lot of money. Some of my favorite memories include entertaining family with cheap bottles of wine and Trader Joe's frozen pizza. In fact, the party I spent the most money on (complete with a hired bartender) was the most miserable soiree to date. I was trying to impress a bunch of people whom I shouldn't have been and it was just a mess. This wedding shower was different. It was simple; full of true friends and lots of laughter.
Best Navy Paint Colors | Paint Colors
I am thinking that many of you found my little blog from my most popular post to date: Perfect Shades of Greige. Since paint colors seem to be such a hot topic (one I think a lot of people want to hear about), I wanted to write a post on my newest color obsession - navy!
Sewing Table Makeover | Myrtle House
On Instagram, I have been going on and on about the pantry in the Myrtle House. Funny story about this room - once upon a time, it was going to be a powder room. Towards the end of the subcontractors' work, I came to my senses and realized that we didn't need 3.5 baths in a 1500 square foot house. So we changed the framing a bit and the door placement to create a walk-in pantry. The house was far enough along where the plumbing was already run to this area. Talk about a waste of a few hundred bucks! The pantry is not quite ready to show it's pretty face (still some touch up left) but I wanted to show you how cute this little sewing table makeover turned out. It is one of my favorite projects to date!
Sewing tables with the built-in sewing machine are pretty cool. My mom had one so I learned how to sew on it as a kid. Basically there is a leaf on the top that extends to create a table top and then the sewing machine hidden in the belly of the table rotates and locks into an upright position. You control the speed of the sewing machine by a lever you push in with your leg. A really neat design and innovative engineering. That being said, I am embarassed to admit that we abused the heck out of the sewing table Brian's grandmother had at the Myrtle House. Since it was so heavy, we used it to support our table saw and tile saw. Once when we didn't have a locking front door, we used it to barricade ourselves in for the night (keeping it classy). After two and a half years of abuse and neglect, this table had seen better days but I knew I wanted to incorporate him into the house since it was such an integral part of the renovation. So after a little love, he is now the prominent piece in our new pantry and will serve as a coffee bar table!
As we near the end of our renovation, the budget is getting tight. Who am I kidding, the budget was tight a year ago. We have been trying our best to recycle and repurpose anything and everything left in the house. When we installed our laminate counters, we cut out the sink hole and had a decent slab of laminate left. I threw it in a closet where it sat for weeks, but later discovered it was the perfect size to fit over the sewing table. We cut it down to size with a jigsaw, ironed on some white melamine edging, and boom - instant farble table. The best part to me is that this transformation literally cost nothing since I had all of the supplies (including the Sherwin Williams Mindful Gray cabinet paint) on hand.
So even if we murdered the poor little sewing table, I can sleep at night knowing that we kind of brought it back to life. I think it may be time for this reno to end - I am starting to personify furniture...
Modern Bathroom Design | Inspiration
After growing up during the 90s, I (like most millennials) have sworn off brass lighting, faucets, and hardware. Brass might as well have been a four-letter word in the housing industry for the majority of the last decade, especially in my book. When I saw those first flecks of gold pop up in trendy bathrooms a few years back, I thought the designers had lost their mind. People have worked so hard to rid their home of the brass! Put your house on the market with brass door knobs and you might as well have popcorn ceilings and tacky floral wallpaper; you can kiss that quick sale goodbye. I fought it off as long as I could, but even I have to admit, marble, gray, and gold look so dang good together. Satin nickel was starting to get a bit boring. And when I saw this light fixture at half price, I knew I was a goner and joined the dark side. So here is a little inspiration board for an inexpensive bathroom I threw together that embraces the brass tones (or champagne-bronze in this case).
Light | Vanity | Floor | Accent | Wall | Faucet
There are so many good deals on this board. The vanity is 20% off, the light fixture is 50% off, and those wood floor tiles? 75% off! Sure, the marble accent and faucet are a bit of a splurge, but they add SO much to the overall design. I think the warm tones of the gold and wood balance the coolness of the grays. Since I am officially out of bathrooms to design (at least for the moment :) please let me live vicariously through you. Go out and snag up these bargains to transform your bathroom into a gold-infused oasis. And send me pictures if you do!
I would love to hear from any real estate investors, renovators, or house flippers - would you put gold fixtures into a property you are selling or are potential buyers still scared off by brass?