Just do it!

To say we’ve been stuck in a rut the last several years is an understatement. My outlet for stress is a good home project. I love nothing more than to look at a room, picture the change, and see it so satisfyingly transformed. Maybe it is years of being a teacher. At times, you wonder if anyone has actually heard a single word? But a room. A room hears every word and listens.

My basement transformation took some time. I actually didn’t even quite notice that it needed a change. Funny how that can sneak up on you. Several years ago, we remodeled the unfinished half of the basement into a lovely bathroom, laundry, and storage area (for another post). The other side of the basement has received new lighting, paint, and carpet in a babysitter-toilet flooding episode( also another post). It really did seem spruced; until it didn’t seem spruced.

Pandemic time made everything fast-forward and suddenly my basement of toys for my two boys seemed like a relic of the past that needed to find a new purpose for buddies that could finally come over and hang. It needed a refresh, but one that could still be worry-free for friends and sodas and pizzas.

I’m not much of a daredevil, but there is something exhilarating and therapeutic about just going for it with that first swipe of paint on bare wood or brick. Just trusting it will work out. Also, maybe just being OK if it doesn’t.

After

Before

Let’s Hang

My mom had a knack for finding the right item out of a haystack: Homegoods, antique shops, Tuesday Morning. She would spot an item and place it in your room perfectly.
My mom and I always daydreamed about having our own interior design business. My younger self would have thought it could have a chance. My older self can now see we would have been great at it.
My mom had this sweet grass basket for years. I’m sure she bought it many years ago for far less than the talented Charleston ladies sell these baskets for now in the downtown market. I found it on top of the old Frigidaire in my parents’ basement: dusty, tired.

I took it home and my dad was so glad to have another item out of the house: another chair off the deck of the Titanic ( as he would say).

It sat awkwardly in several spots. Never quite right. A little out of place. Then, it found its spot. I looked at the wall. I looked at the basket. I thought, why have you just been sitting there all this time? My mom would have known you were here to hang all along.

The Blues Ain’t That Bad

I’ve been so busy enjoying my new bathroom, I forgot that I had the blues about that charming 50s pink. I’m just in love with the new blue: Sherwin Williams Sea Salt to be exact. It’s the perfect shade.

We didn’t change the footprint of our bath at all when we updated it: it just didn’t make sense with our second floor layout.  Regardless, I was not left disappointed. I can’t believe how just a few choices and changes made it feel so much roomier: a window, hooks on the wall, a vanity with feet.

We went with a classic tile style that would blend well with our 50s home. I have to say though–some of those patterned and colorful floor tiles were awfully tempting.  In the end the warm-toned 2″ hexagon marble floor tile steels the show! We loved it so much we added it to the built-in shelves at the foot end of the shower–which are as convenient as they are beautiful.

The window though.  I was so relieved when I told our contractor that this windowless bathroom was driving me crazy. He agreed immediately—either a great businessman or equal lover of natural light-there really is no substitute. What a way to start each day.

Simple Gifts

I often wonder how to give the perfect gift. In this day, there are so many gifts we have to give: teachers, bus drivers, the mail man, the music lesson teacher. It’s not a must, but we want to show our appreciation. It can be overwhelming though: the creative idea that doesn’t cost a fortune.

This gift came by chance. I’ve been seeing these adorable white jar vases around town. Cleaning my basement, I found a stash of Crafts of Christmas Past and I just started tinkering. There is just something wonderful in a pressure-free craft.

I collected my jar, my leftover white spray paint and my cute washi tape from the dollar aisle at Target and went to work. I loved my creation. Now, the beautiful fall crysanthemums really add most of the true beauty, but I like to think my craft inspiration really makes it shine. I love that this gift says “Happy Birthday” in the best of ways: not overboard, and just enough.

Nothing like a gift you’re excited to give!

The Light Side

Maybe Halloween struck a chord this year. We had Light Side versus Dark Side in my house this year. It’s hard to say if Darth got beat out with the candy stash this year, but for me, the Light Side won me over.

This craze for white and light has got me hook, line and sinker. I took one look at my dining room and new it was time for a refresh. So, I put on my brace pants, took a deep breath, and slathered the primer on my wood built- in hutch. Then, as primer always looks horrific, I went to bed filled with remorse. In the end, the Light Side won. Their next battle is the wall color.

Hexagon Love

Is there anything more timeless than a crochet blanket? Or maybe a better question-is there anything more rejuvenated than the crochet blanket?  Or crochet in general. I found the most charming crochet coasters at a boutique store the other day.  Perhaps my own tastes have taken a nod to nostalgia as I’ve aged. Or have our trends just embraced the classic; I do notice that most girls under 20 are wearing an entire outfit that could have existed in my middle school closet. So maybe I am just searching a bit further back.  Either way, I’m in love with my newest cozy blanket in my family room. 

With modern colors and a simple style it’s not just a blanket: it’s art. I can take no credit for the craftsmanship. My skilled sister gets all the credit, but it’s award worthy.  It’s a gem I couldn’t find anywhere else and it’s the perfect cozy addition to my room.  I am suddenly not dreading the cool weather.

 

Pink Bathroom Blues

I come from a long line of pink bathrooms.  My grandmother’s home in South Minneapolis was a charming pink with ruffled curtains and the most lovely soap smells. My parent’s home I grew up in is an original pink and black Art Deco style bathroom with a built-in vanity that is of a nod to a different era. My first home had pink and green tile  that with some white paint and new lights became glorious. I loved it.

So when we bought our 1950s home in the suburbs of Minneapolis and I went into the bathroom as we were looking to purchase the home–sigh–I could only dream about the color this bathroom once was.  Was it once powder blue with a touch of grey?  A charming peach? In my grandest dreams it was pink–all pink–tub, walls, floor.

A Place to Call Home

My sister and I were having the conversation the other day about growing up in our parents’ home. We were recalling how my mother’s stylish home incorporated loved pieces of furniture bought-gasp-second hand. It wasn’t seen as a downgrade. She loved the chair or love seat she purchased at the estate sale, and it fit her room. It was seen as a stylish purchase rather than something she settled for.We were wondering when had life become so disposable? 

Inheriting my mother’s love for home design, I am drawn to the room that needs the small touch. My husband would say it’s an obsession of sorts, but he loves it in the end. My spot I’m enjoying right now is my favorite transformation of our home.