May 6, 2017

I’m Addicted to Temporary Wallpaper

I was hesitant to go as bold as this gold and white chevron in my entry. After I had put it up I wondered if it was a little bit too much. I decided to give it some time to grow on me. It’s fun, under $50, very easily replaceable, and takes just an hour or two.

I also used temporary wallpaper as an accent to my south-facing walls. This paper makes me feel so fancy and is so much more interesting than paint.

The brick wallpaper was my first experience putting wallpaper up vs. spending a million years tearing it off of walls either in my own prior homes or helping friends. I guess you can say it was addicting. I put it inside the cupboards as well to make it look as if the brick goes to the ceiling. 😀

The last wallpaper that I’ve used was in my bathroom renovation. I was originally going to buy a busier print from a store on etsy, but found this pattern/color on sale at Target and couldn’t pass up the deal.

You never have to worry about the commitment or your resale value. Just put it up, enjoy it and take it down when you need a change!

July 24, 2016

Kitchen DIY: Before and After

Now that most things are complete, I thought it would be neat to take a picture from the same position as the before pictures that were posted when the house was for sale! And yes, I did *almost* everything myself. I took a few weeks off from work and had my lists. There were really long days and nights during the demo and installing the flooring, but I am super thrilled about how it turned out!

Before:

After:

remove flooring
remove wall
paint cabinets
replace light fixture
new appliances: fridge, dishwasher, oven
build island
custom fit pantry
concrete kitchen island countertop
granite countertops
paint window
new faucet
glass cupboard inserts

Note:

I did need an electrician to come rewire the wires that were in the wall I took down. I would have felt comfortable doing this myself, but it was January and 1 of the wires was for the furnace. There was also a wire that I couldn’t figure out. Turned out to be my doorbell.
I did need a HVAC person to come re-reroute the hot water heater exhaust that was in the wall I took down. I actually ended up needing a new hot water heater that would route out of the side of the house vs. through the roof.
I did have the dudes from Craigslist fabricate and install my granite countertops.

July 24, 2016

Kitchen Backsplash

Okay, okay, okay…this is not a permanent backsplash, but I don’t hate it. Eventually I would like to have white subway tiles, but the thought of tiling is very intimidating for me. I can do it, but I’m going to have to put my perfectionista pants on and I haven’t had that kind of patience in me just yet.

In the meantime, I have used a stick on wallpaper that looks like brick. Back when I moved in, I put this wallpaper inside of my cupboards. Now that some of my cupboard doors have glass, it looks like the wall is brick all of the way up.

The wood is from an old cedar fence. It’s nailed on with just a few nails and then I white-washed it. I used my jigsaw to cut around the electrical outlets.

I didn’t seal it or anything, it’s temporary, but I couldn’t live without something while I wait to muster up enough courage to do tile.

Wavy Pano Pic:

Cost: I already had the wallpaper, but when I’d originally purchased it for the inside of the cupboard doors it was $30/roll at Target. The wood was free from an uncle.