#dwh2 : Wetbar

Over the holiday break, 2 more portions of our house received attention.  One of which, the wet bar.

When we were looking for a new house, a bar was actually on my "wishlist"...kind of strange yes I know. But alas, I thought it would be a fun thing to have in a house.

We have a lot of wood paneling in our house and because it is so dark we decided to paint some of it. 

The wet bar and entry were the first to get paint.

 

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 bar before 

v

And drum roll to the before/after combined photo............tica tica tica tica - CHING!

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After

v

 

It took a few day to let the paint cure. It took several coats of paint to cover the dark wood paneling. And with white, we wanted it to be smooth.  There were lots of holes to fill before, sanding, priming, painting, fill holes, more paint. It was quite the process.

So after the paint cured - the bar received some decoration. The first chapter of decor is now displayed.  This will be a fun place to decorate as the seasons change.  I think the space needs some artwork perhaps on the other walls...Time shall tell.

#dwh2 : Den Inspiration and flooring

We have an actual den in #dwh2.  In #dwh1 our den was actually one of our bedrooms.  We had a plethora of rooms that were about the same size at #dwh1 and one of them ended up as the den. Not an interesting story, but a story none the less.  So in #dwh2, we have an actual defined den.

I have mentioned before that we have a really sassy green linoleum in our den/kitchen/laundry room/butler's pantry. The big dilemma in this is that the den is next to the pool room so whatever flooring that lands in that room has to be able to handle wet feet. So for now while I ponder this great mystery, the green linoleum stays.  It is in good shape, no big rips anywhere.  I spent a whole hour (or two) during fall break trying to peel back a section of it in the laundry room/hall area.  As it is, there is actually  not one layer, but two layers of tasteful linoleum under there.  SURPRISE.  Bonus fun. I know that's exactly what you were thinking...me too. The cost to have it removed from these areas is rather substantial and not a cost I'm ready to deal with right now, to many other things to do. So for now, I consider options to make do with what's there, or change it with very low cost.

I give you option # 1  - Tory Burch Themed Den. 

photos: via Google images and Pinterest (Tory Burch Stores)

One very noticeable component of these spaces, the use of green.  Our floors are literally the same color green as the carpet in her stores.  The den also has built in book shelves, obviously I'm not going to display purses and shoes in them...though don't put it past me. I have several Moroccan style rugs that could go in there as well as 4 silk yellow curtain panels.  I'd rather have orange but I think the yellow will actually work better.  The walls in the den haven't been painted yet.  Regardless of what happens with the floors, the room is getting painted WHITE (yes I know shocker).  The natural light is so sparse, white is really a good option.  And quite seriously, remember the floors are GREEN.

OPTION #2 : Lay Luxury Vinyl Plank Flooring
Apparently there is a very small difference in the cost between removing 2 layers and removing 3. 
So for a small amount of money, I could lay another flooring over the top and be done with it for a while.  No green.  That might be nice.  Then it wouldn't matter what my den theme was, it wouldn't have to consider the floor color into the palate.  How often does that even happen? This flooring rolls consistently between all of those spaces, so whatever we decide it has to be done all the way. There's no threshold to break it up.

I bought a box a few weeks ago and layed out the box on our kitchen floor to see how it looked.  End result...it looks good. Doesn't look like plastic flooring, and totally eliminates the green issue.

The reality is that removing the green linoleum is going to be approximately 2017 (after I finish this degree and can focus on a serious renovation). For the time being...what in the world do we do with the current floor?

Thoughts?

Thoughts as we close 2013

This year brought really good things...

01. We rang in 2013 with really good friends. 

02. Celebrated my 30th birthday in January

03. Many good concerts (attended and participated in)

04. Spring Break in San Fran

05. Graduation from Union University with 2nd Masters

06. Acceptance into University of Memphis Doctoral Program

07. We rented our midtown house (to the most lovely tenants ever)

08. Moved to our new house in East Memphis - A.K.A. #dwh2

09. 4th of July in DC on the choir tour

010. Second summer at Juilliard in NYC

011. Week in Florida before school started

012. SCHOOL STARTED, Yay!

013. First semester of ed doc work - yes it was fun!

014. Great semester of music lessons.

015. Great fall with activities at St. John's and St. Mary's. 

(The hubs and I work for the Saints.)

016. My Family visited from Kansas in June and November. 

017. Geoff's Dad came in December. 

018. Successful programs and services in December.

019. Health and Safety - I should have said it sooner. 

020. Lots of rehab to our beloved #dwh2. 

021. Lots of goodness on the horizon for 2014! 

With that goodness in mind - here is some graphic text/perspective curtsey of Pinterest.

38 hours left in 2013. 

Here comes 2014...and many more! 

(images: via the ol' Pinterest )

#dwh2 : The entry way

I posted a couple days ago about the entry way in #dwh2. Instead of verbalizing a lengthy post. I'll let the photos tell the story.  I went a little crazy using my "Beautiful Mess" app.  It is a good one.  The editing options directly on the photo are excellent.

So...here it is...the entry way mid way through the project.

At this point the paneling has been filled/sanded/primed/filled, etc.  The before/during photo gives me butterflies. I am so excited for the entry way to be finished. The bar is also going through this transformation at the same time.  But for now, let's focus on how much brighter the entry way is!

Can't wait to share more photos when it's finished! Stay tuned.

#dwh2 : Wood Paneling

It is safe to say that we have a hearty dose of dark solid wood paneling in our house. There were actually two positive components to that last sentence (if you can believe it).  1. that the paneling is solid wood and not faux and 2. that it is dark wood. Believe it or not the paneling is pretty, there is just A  LOT of it. 

We have been in the house now for 7 months and it is now time to paint some of the paneling. First up, the entry way and the bar. The entry way is a defined area as is the bar.  Both rooms are near to the living room, which is another space that is covered in paneling.  The bar and the entry do not have as much light, thus they are for sure getting painted as the areas are dark.  So here are some before so we can remember the dark wood paneling in all the 1960s glory.

Thanksgiving Table 2013

It is safe to say that Thanksgiving 2013 as come and gone - we are past Christmas at this point.
#sheesh. This post was saved in my drafts and I never (either/and/or) 1. never finished it 2. remembered that it was there 3. forgot what I was going to say 4. All of thee above.

4 is the likely answer in this scenario. The table was fun. The family was here.  Tasty food was consumed. All good things to be thankful for in 2013. 

Christmas Holiday 2013

Handsome made his annual trip to Kansas. 

He is reporting excellent conditions. 

I always worry he won't want to come back home with us.

 

 

 

It's nice to have a little time for R&R and to celebrate the holiday season.

Happy and Merry to all! 

Here comes 2014.

May he rest...

#dwh2 : Butler's Pantry

We had a "butler's pantry" in our last house and it was lovely. The built ins had been refinished and are in a crisp white finish (which I love). In the previous house the built ins were part of a whole room that was also probably supposed to be the breakfast room - it was between the kitchen and dining room. 

In #dwh2, the butler's pantry is a little hallway that connects the kitchen to the dining room and then also has a door way to the wet bar, which is it's own little space all together. 

Also, if you've read my blog before you know my style, all of these photos are what I like to refer to as "keeping it real"...hehe…no pre photo staging here.  I'm lucky if I can remember to take the photo…let alone stage it pre-renovate. So anyway, when the contractor was here a few weeks ago he worked on both the kitchen and the butler's pantry. The wallpaper came down and the whole space got a fresh coat of white paint.  

We have yet to paint the cabinets.  That's a really tough call for me.  The cabinets are custom cabinets, and yes they are what we could file under vintage, but none the less the wood is still pretty.  So painting them is not a done deal as of now. Right now I'm going to paint/renovate everything else around them and then we will see what we have. 

Now, just the other day I was flipping through Instagram and found this photo that's below. 

(Photo and design via Lance Jackson - Parker Kennedy Living - find on Instagram, it's fab.)

Talk about gorgeous! I love this.  Now, blue is probably not on the palate (like I've said 300 times I am a white paint person).  But MAN…this has me thinking.  It sure is fun to look at.  I really like the mirrored backsplash as well.  That is an excellent idea until you consider the number of other floor to ceiling mirrors we have in the house…so back to the drawing board on that one too!

None the less - way to go on this space.  The lucky key holder to this bar is in for a daily treat!

More on the butler's pantry as things continue to come together.

#dwh2 : Laundry Room/Hallway

The laundry room at #dwh2 isn't really a room unless you stand still. Rather it's a hallway you walk through on the way to the den or to the pool room or to the 4th bathroom, or to the garage, or to the pantry. So if you stand still to do the laundry (which most people do) it is a room.

Behind those shutter doors are our washer and dryer.  When moving in, the washer and dryer were the only appliance we had to buy (for the time being). We went with our standard LG front load red washer and dryer with pedestal. We had these in our other house and really liked what they did for our clothes, you know...clean them and all. If it's not broke don't fix it, right? And besides, who wants to learn the new buttons (totally kidding)?

Good bye gold paint.

See the door in the wall...That's a fold out ironing board. 

There are two of them in the house. They're lovely. 

This space was finished about a month ago...

More when it's completely finished.