It has been a long time since I’ve posted an update on the house (oops) however, we have been working. Last August, we rearranged our house to better fit our family, adjusting the layout to better fit our days. Six months post shuffle, I am still loving our new arrangement. I like that our daytime activities (cooking, blogging, playing, relaxing) are all on one level while the nighttime ones (sleeping) are together as well. We have definitely optimized our little place with this rearrange and I’m so thankful to my mom for her inspiration.
On to the updates.
Before the shuffle, MJ and I painted what would be our bedroom but little else. We weren’t sure yet what we were going to do for the children’s beds. In the end, we decided that a bunk bed would be best, one that would hold two full size mattresses. MJ and I found one on Craigslist, sprayed the whole thing white from its original black and had one hell of a time putting it together. In spite of not having all of the hardware pieces or directions, we were able to make a sturdy bed frame.
Before we could put the bed inside, we had to paint the tiny space and get rid of the horrid rose colored carpet as seen in these photos. So MJ and I painted again, this time painting the trim white as I we went. Tedious work but I LOVED the look. To replace the carpet, we purchased a carpet remnant and laid it ourselves. It’s definitely not perfect but it’s so much better than it was.
Now with the bed.
Don’t worry if your initial reaction was, “Wow, there isn’t space for much else in that room.” You’re right. There isn’t. But since the only activities that happen in the room are sleeping and dressing (and the occasional bed jumping), it works just fine.
After painting the trim in the children’s bedroom, I was definitely convinced that I wanted the look to continue. So out came the paint and brushes again and we painted the rest of the doors and trim in the basement. Again, agonizingly tedious, slow-going work but so worth it!
The white trim has lightened up what was a dark space and, I think, made it feel much richer and refined than it would otherwise be. Here is a close up of the mantle which I finally spent some time organizing. I am not an experienced decorator but we like how it all looks.
Just recently, MJ and I had the guts to remove the ugly fireplace front to make room for an electric fireplace insert which we found unbelievably discounted. We still have a bit of work to finish it off but we’ll get there eventually.
And you might have noticed that there is nothing on the walls. I am still enjoying the blankness although I am not enjoying the storage room filled to the brim. Maybe I’ll make some headway this spring.
That’s it for the basement. We have updates to share for the upper level too (like all white trim thanks to a paid painters!) but it’s not quite ready yet. There are a few lingering paint projects to do, including my work space, and since I’ve finally decided on a color, we might even be painting this weekend. Ugh… I mean hurray. :)
Spring always inspires me to start redecorating, how about you? Do you have a list started?
Any projects you are working on presently or have completed recently? Tell me! I’d love to hear about them.
Take care
When my kids were little they had bunk beds in a tiny, tiny room that wouldn’t hold much else but the bed and them and it did seem odd at first but it really works. It gave them less room to make a mess!! I think everything you’ve done is stunning. Good job Amy C!!