Neutral Living Room Reveal

This turned out to be my favourite room in the house.. It's the very first thing you see when you walk in the door!!  It's a super open space to the rest of the house so everything really had to flow together seamlessly.. even the second floor overlooks it! We didn't have to paint it (thank goodness! look at that ceiling!) It had been recently painted in one of my fav. paint BM Natural Linen. We made the conscious decision not to place a TV in this room to keep it Tranquil.. A place to talk, read a book or relax and enjoy the view..

We chose to go with a sectional for this room to create some definition and basically create a room from a pretty open floor plan. The two chairs in front of the window allow for even more seating. Also sharing this space is a Antique cream painted desk which was given to me as a gift from my Aunt Maryanne.  The round marble coffee table was a lucky goodwill find and seemed to flow well with the mirrored round nesting tables. The picture below shows the room in its natural light glory... The floors look so much darker and richer. You can see how we refinished them here. 

In front of the window we have our 2 painted white bamboo chairs that I got off Kijiji. The mirrored nesting table between the chairs holds some of my larger designer books. Underneath the table I have a large wicker basket (a garage sale find for $1) that holds are my extra magazines.

The fireplace Mantel was a huge selling feature for us. We loved it, not sure if you can tell from this picture but it is like 5 ft high.. Instead of hanging a single picture above the fireplace. I decided to layer some items we had.. Wall art here we come.. We layered 2 large Mirrors, a wood rectangular one and a white round mirror from our old bathroom. Paired the mirrors with a map that I framed from the Bahamas. I also picked up some driftwood boats that were made locally from a local home decor shop, they flowed perfect with the coastal theme I was going for. On either side of the fireplace I used my black and white pics that my mom had taken from our trip to NYC, framed in Ikea Ribba frames. The wall sconces were changed to vintage Corbel looking sconces (Restoration Hardware Baby) with squared Linen shades. 

The white bead board backed built-ins showcase a mix of new and Vintage finds. 

This was the view from the upper hall... I eventually changed the striped fabric on the chairs to a simple light beige linen fabric so I could have more pillow options for the different seasons.. I have a slight pillow addiction!!

When my niece was 2 she told me "too many pillows Aun Aun!" It was soooo cute!.. It has stuck ever since... ALTHOUGH I didn't listen.. she's only 2 what does she know? :) 

As this room progressed it really took on a Nautical theme, I tried to go with natural materials whenever possible. The new additions to the room are.. The wicker storage basket currently used as a end table, a wicker tray on the coffee table replacing the mirrored one and the large basket in front of fireplace.

We backed the white sectional sofa with 2 sofa tables. I hate seeing the back of a sofa.. One is my old hall table you can see the before pics here and the other is a vintage louvered record player/Side board (That I eventually painted) It was my Granny and Papa's that no one wanted at the time.. Hello Home!! They come in handy for placing a drink, allowing for more storage and best of all more beautiful places to decorate!!

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Ensuite Bathroom Reno Reveal

This was our largest Reno yet!! And I couldn't be happier with the way it turned out.  The original bathroom was awkward, it did come with a ton of counter space but only one tiny sink and no where to place a makeup chair. It also had a plastic shower insert and these weird brass and glass sliding shower doors.. so to me the whole thing was a gut job.. the only thing that survived was the walls :)

Full Source list below:

BEFORE.. clean but awkward vanity layout,  plus it was missing a tub.. but not for too long ;)

Bye bye old bathroom..

We tossed and turned with layout ideas.. It wasn't a super large space so we really had to think about it. The corner wall was knocked out to open up the bathroom a bit more. . Originally we had planned to put the tub where we eventually put the vanity and have 2 smaller vanities when you walk in straight ahead.. But then the tub would have gotten lost in the corner.. SO we decided to install tub basically straight ahead and keep a larger single vanity to the right..We would have loved a double sinks but there just simply wasn't enough space in this bathroom for more than one.. a small sacrifice for a fabulous tub!

The ideas.... We wanted a Spa-like calming bathroom.. I wanted creams and whites.. But I also had a budget.. So the hunt for deals started. We had contractors do all the hard work while I sourced everything. The Free-standing tub was a must!!! It was the focal point of the project!  For the floors we decided on a natural Travertine in a random pattern. And since we were doing it from scratch we also chose HEATED FLOORS.. Omg!! what an amazing treat in the middle of the night!!

Shower Tiles Close up:

For the shower we kept it the same size as before but added a tiled bench. The shower floor tiles are done in a neutral marble basket weave tile. The main shower wall served as a huge Accent wall for the room. We chose mini marble subway tiles. To save on the budget the two other shower walls were tiled in a simple white subway tile.  And to tie it all in we added 2 tile stripes in the same marble tile as the Accent wall.

We added a hidden spot/ledge for all my our shampoos and bath products

We had to add lots lighting considering the bathroom only had one small window by the toilet. We decided to hang a pendant over the bath tub, 2 wall sconces on either side of vanity mirror, a shower light and some pot lights.. all on my fav must have! .. Dimmers!!

The Vanity is from Rona. It was originally dark brown wood (see above pic) but I painted it BM cloud white. I loved the shape of it and the beige marble top. It reminded me of a white vanity from Restoration Hardware that was way out of my budget.. so I just painted it to achieve the same sort of look.

Capriz shell light over tub was a great find from Home Depot. The Chrome train rack from Pottery barn, The train/towel rack gave more display space and a easy spot to hang my towel while taking a relaxing bath.

I chose to add a little sparkle by using Restoration Hardware Crystal knobs... I just love them. I have used them in every house. Even in the kitchens.. But I always remove them when I sell! As most buyers don't fully appreciate them as much as I Do.. and at $14 a knob it gets damn expensive.. so onward to the next house they go ;)

The freestanding acrylic tub was a great Rona find! The vintage looking faucet was a HUGE SPLURGE!! But since we got the tub.. We needed amazing fixtures too :)

The Pottery barn train rack/ towel holder and bath caddy. (Sorry for the Blurry Picture!)

The bevelled mirror was only leaned against the wall until I found better art work for the space which I eventually did.. I was originally going to hang the mirror horizontal above the tub BUT the view from the mirror reflected all of the ugly stuff in the bathroom like the light switches and the heated floor temperature gage. So needless to say that was not the first thing I wanted reflected in the room when people walked in.  Shown  in the reflection below you can see how I used a bamboo bench to house spare towels, sponges and a big candle for our romantic nights ;)

The REVEAL.. We completed our dream bathroom with White box mouldings to tie into our Nantucket Coastal Spa bathroom theme.. It was creamy and white just the way I had envisioned it!!

Source List:

Paint Color- BM Elmira White

Moulding/Trim Paint Color- BM Cloud White

Freestanding Tub- Rona

Bathtub Caddy- Mercer line Pottery Barn

Tub vintage look faucet- Home depot

Shell Light over tub- Home depot

Chrome Train Rack- Pottery Barn

White towels- Homesense

Vanity- Rona (Painted white)

Crytsal knobs- Restoration Hardware

Medicine Cabinet/ VanityMirror- Rona

Wall sconces- clear-out at Home Depot

Vanity Faucet- Martha stewart Harbor line

Millwork- My handy Husband.

Shower Faucet- Uberhaus Gaia from Rona

bamboo bench- Homesense

Round Mirror- Homsense (Wrapped the rope around myself)

Shell Shadow boxes - Homesense

White Bath Mats- Homsense

Glass shelves with iron brackets- Vintage shop find

Large Floor Mirror- Urban Barn

Shared with:

House of Hipsters - Found & Foraged Linky Party

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Family Room Reveal

Our Family Room is a fairly large room 25x19ft.. so It was kind of awkward to decorate. Yet we still wanted the room to feel super cozy because it was a separate room from the rest of the house. We knew we wanted our family room to be our main TV area as the living room wasn't going to have a TV in it. All I knew is we needed a BIG tv stand/ Media unit.. Especially because the wall was so large and a small stand would get lost on the wall.. so I looked around online and found a few .. Ballard designs and Pottery Barn have some beautiful ones but they were out of our price range as we still needed to buy 2 beds, a sofa/ sectional for living room and a large harvest table for the kitchen.. This new house was costing a small fortune!! Then Finally I found the Media Unit we decided to go with ... It was Ikea's Liatorp!! Once it was delivered, it took a while to put together.. But in the end I LOVE the added storage it gave us! It also has some weight to it and filled up the empty wall space perfectly.

This Room wasn't a complete overhaul. We did Re-finish the hardwood to a darker Java stain which you can see here. We changed the french doors, added Oil rubbed Bronze door handles and hung some curtains to frame and soften the patio doors.

One of the Major things on my Reno list.. was new french doors!!.. The other ones had a floral pattern on the glass and brass in-lay (see picture above). I am sure they were quite expensive at one point.. but I just couldn't stand them...SO we got these new simple ones from Home Depot for approx $150 for the pair. We Love the way they looked BUT what a disaster removing the plastic glass covers.. The doors were pre-sprayed so I thought that would save time???.. Big Mistake!! INSTEAD it took hours to remove the plastic covers, clean the floors and clean the glass panels.. They Literally had random white paint flecks on the Panels still till this day.

Love my new Simple French doors.. Once I cleaned up all the mess! ;)

Here I have a new antique looking wood and iron door leaned agaist the wall. A french provincial chair that I more recently re-covered in natural linen material. And our old dining room Buffet painted in BM Alexandria Beige. Above the buffet we leaned a white -wash painted vintage gold mirror. We also framed the patio doors with oil rubbed bronze curtain hardware with square finials and my fav. Linen with white polka dot curtains.

Our White Media unit was from Ikea. I Just LOVE the Display and Storage space it gives. It allows me to display my Papa's vintage Boat and some other vintage pieces like wooden Boxes that were my other Grandfathers. Also Displayed are various souvenirs from trips I have taken. The Antique ladder that I used to have by our old bookcases now acts more like wall art. Sometimes I switch it up and put the ladder in the corner but it can block my motion detector which kind of defeats the purpose. During the holidays we hang fabric bows off the Ladder.

 

On the walls we hung a large Vintage Map that I had custom framed.  It ideally should be moved more left. But the previous owners left a few screw marks and to avoid repainting,  I just used the same screw spot where they had Art previously.. I know.. Lazy! Which is also why I like the ladder leaned up beside the Map, it fills in the empty wall space better.

Here is a better view of the Liatorp Bookshelves..The right side of the Bookcases holds some Vintage Encyclopedias, Vintage Kodak Cameras from my Parents and our Moss L&C from our wedding.

 Here is a Picture of Our Family Room with the 'Love Collage' still hanging up. Its a mix of white and cream picture frames..  some vintage painted frames and some Ikea and Homesense finds. Also included in our Love collage is a round mirror, a metal script font 'LOVE' sign, a mini chalkboard and lastly a white shadow box with linen backing housing some small trinkets from our wedding.

Here is the Family Room when we were selling the house. I had to take down our Love Collage, In its place I hung a simple Grey Vintage-looking frame with chicken wire inside to fill up the wall space above the couch.  It was kind of sad taking down all our memories, But I knew we would be hanging a smaller version at the new house soon .. I have a new spot already picked out ;)

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Nautical Inspired Blue and white Laundry / Mudroom Reveal

So when we bought this house.. I knew this laundry room was too big to just be used for laundry. So I thought since it was right off the garage why not make it a mud room too.. My husband was in charge of buying the washer and dryer HIMSELF! Keep in mind I am a neutral girl.. and he bought BLUE ones! Sooo the blue and white theme began.. I actually LOVE them now!! 

We kept the wall colour. It was painted in BM Natural Linen. We also kept the cabinets, sink and shelf. And Changed out the white plastic Cabinet hardware to Chrome handles to match with the faucet. See Before Pic below:

We Hung a wooden Laundry sign above the closet doors. I used some Vintage Mason Jars I had picked up a a Garage sale a few years back to hold various sewing items like White Cotton thread spools and spare loose buttons.

A Blue Wooden Seahorse is one of the first things you see when you walk into the room. I used the extra height above the Mudroom Benches to display Vintage Glass Bottles with a Antique Wash board and a Antique Iron.

Here is our LG Blue washer. More Vintage Glass Jugs with Vintage cloths pins inside are displayed above the Mudroom Bench units. The laundry Tin was a is the perfect hiding spot for all our Random Missing socks.. How does that even happen???

The mudroom benches is a great spot for extra storage. I love them so much! Inside the big drawers are small tools, hardware and spare paint... It saves me from running into our cold garage every time I need a measuring tape. The greyish wicker baskets above are from Ikea, they hold some of our extra winter gear like mittens and hats And the hooks are fabulous for hanging our hang-to-dry laundry

Source List:
Laundry sign- Vintage shop a few years ago
Wooden Blue Seahorse- Homesense
Blue and White Rug- Alslev Ikea
Mudroom Storage Units- Walmart.ca
Wicker Baskets- Byholma Ikea
Antique Wash Board- Antique Fair
Vintage Glass Jugs- Garage Sale
Antique Iron- Antique Store
White Laundry Tin- The Bay
Mason Jars- Garage Sale finds
Mason jar soap dispenser- Etsy