Welcome to my first post of my first blog ... ever! Why am I so nervous? It's just a blog? Maybe because I've been reading so many others' that I want this one to be "perfect" ... hmmm ... is that possible? Perfection? Nope.
So here goes ...
So here goes ...
My name is Gina ... and I enjoy (okay ... let's get real here) ... I LOVE to decorate. The mere thought of it raises my blood pressure ... gets my heart racing ... gets me PUMPED UP! But what energizes me the most is decorating on a shoe-string budget. Anyone can purchase full-retail price (or save up and buy full-price) but in order to achieve a look that is unique AND low cost ... that's where the fun (and the challenge) begins :O) Seeing the beauty of something that is worn or tarnished and restoring its beauty with a little paint and imagination! Woo Hoo! Now you've got me started ...
So ... maybe I'll just start by sharing some before/after shots of a project that's been happening for several years ...
When we bought this house 5 years ago ... it was move-in ready. So let's define what move-in ready means to Gina ... I really liked the custom-build aspects of the house ... lots of crown molding (I'll share later just how much wood molding does for a house) ... Pella Windows ... hardwood floors ... But as time went on (not much time at all) ... I started to paint ... refresh ... revive and redeem!
Here's a picture of what the foyer used to look like ... you'll notice I have pictures cut out of magazines (those that inspire me the most during a project) and pasted to the wall :O)
When we bought this house 5 years ago ... it was move-in ready. So let's define what move-in ready means to Gina ... I really liked the custom-build aspects of the house ... lots of crown molding (I'll share later just how much wood molding does for a house) ... Pella Windows ... hardwood floors ... But as time went on (not much time at all) ... I started to paint ... refresh ... revive and redeem!
Here's a picture of what the foyer used to look like ... you'll notice I have pictures cut out of magazines (those that inspire me the most during a project) and pasted to the wall :O)
Here's what it looks like today ...
What changed? Opening up the stairwell (once a dark, scary, dungeon-feeling space) made the whole foyer feel open, airy and spacious. Plus, the finished basement now feels like the main part of the house ...
I really wanted boxed newels for the posts at the end of the handrails ... I researched these and found that they are VERY expensive (like $600 per post!) yikes! So I did a little digging at The Home Depot and found these (which are better sized for our cute little cottage) for about $40 each! Yeah!
And then there's wainscoting ... do I need to say anything more? If you're going for the cozy cottage feel ... wainscoting is a must. It is a pain to paint (I'll share more about painting tips later) but soooooooooo worth it. We added the wainscoting right under the stairwell going upstairs and it was also installed from ceiling to floor in the stairwell going down to the basement. What a difference.
I really wanted boxed newels for the posts at the end of the handrails ... I researched these and found that they are VERY expensive (like $600 per post!) yikes! So I did a little digging at The Home Depot and found these (which are better sized for our cute little cottage) for about $40 each! Yeah!
And then there's wainscoting ... do I need to say anything more? If you're going for the cozy cottage feel ... wainscoting is a must. It is a pain to paint (I'll share more about painting tips later) but soooooooooo worth it. We added the wainscoting right under the stairwell going upstairs and it was also installed from ceiling to floor in the stairwell going down to the basement. What a difference.
Here are some other pics ... before ...
and after ...
before ...
and after ...
There's a story behind this floor ... originally when the walls were white and the trim color was olive green ... I really didn't like the floor at all -- it's 20-year-old linoleum that was going to get ripped out soon after the stairwell was opened up. BUT after painting the trim Decorator's White by BENJAMIN MOORE PAINTS and painting the walls White Sand by BENJAMIN MOORE PAINTS ... I fell in love with the floor! I panicked! We had destroyed the floor during construction thinking it was going to be replaced! I quickly researched how to revive this old thing and learned I could scrub much of the marks off ... but learned it would also need to be WAXED occasionally. Oh my. Well, it turns out that the wax makes it look amazing! I'm not kidding you ... everyone that sees the foyer comments on this floor. Pledge's Premium Floor Finish w/ Future Shine is a must for old linoleum floors. Not fun to do ... but when you're working with a shoe-string budget ... something has to give ... I should buy a pair of knee pads!
Hubby (Dan -- I love this man!) installing new door ... you'll notice there was once an upper atrium we chose to remove (hated to lose the natural lighting it allowed in the foyer) but needed to in order to have the exterior trim we wanted for the door. That's another post I can share with you in the future ... the Curbside Appeal of 2008 still in progress :O) Sorry ... I digressed ...
Dan installed a 6-panel door and then ...
we had a our contractor, Kevin, finish it out with beautiful trim work. Nice ...
Amazing trim all the way from the door jam to the ceiling ... good trim makes a house ... you'll hear me say that over and over and over and over ... seriously ... look at magazine pictures (especially Pottery Barn) ... look past the merchandise and really look at the setting ... you'll find it EVERYWHERE ...
chunky trim molding!
chunky trim molding!
and new hardware ...
At my next post ... I'll share how the basement turned out :O) Here's a preview of the construction process ...
Be blessed in your decorating! :O)
~Gina~
ReplyDeleteWhenever I am with you I always want to have a pen and paper at the ready because you are such a wealth of information. Now I am so happy that I don't have to! :-) Your blog has already taught me so many different things. Thank you for being so specific about what I need to buy and why. I am eternally grateful to you for taking the time to share all you have learned along the way! I can't wait for your next post!
~Barbie~
this is FANTASTIC!!!!! now i don't feel like i need to keep coming over to your house with my camera snapping away like some wierd stalker!!!
ReplyDeleteand i love feeling like i can actually hear your voice in your posting. oh gina - who is more excited - you, or the "sistuhs"????
don't ask.
ReplyDeleteROCKIN it as always! This is gonna be fun!