Renovations at the Oak House-Living Room

Wednesday, January 10, 2018

When we moved here, although many of the rooms were dated, a few had really nice paint colors.  But coming from my own home and having tons of old paint cans, we didn't want the sellers to leave behind any old paint.  I ended up sort of regretting that because now I had no way of touching up anything.


The existing paint color was a cool gray blue and had a very airy feel to it, but it was dragged down by the mauve trim.  Then the walls got nicked up in the moving process.  So when I finally got around to paining this room, I had to try to find a match.



I picked up lots of swatches and narrowed it down to a color called Evening Shadow by Sherwin Williams, which turned out to be pretty close.


Now the gray-blue paired with a crisp white feels so much more updated. With most rooms of this house, the goal has been to use existing furniture.  So the two chairs from my previous master bedroom found a place in here.  



I paired a house-warming gift from my mom with a Black Friday sale from Ikea to get the matching sofa.  And the bookcases from my previous sunroom are being used as a stand-in. Eventually I would like to either do built-ins or a set of wood/iron bookcases, or at the very least paint these white.   






  But I'm so excited about the changes so far!
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Renovations at The Oak House- The Laundry Room

I painted this room when we first moved from head to toe.  But  I recently found a little mini throw rug at Homegoods that really elevated the space.  


This room has so much potential, right?  I love the fact that it had 42" cabinets and a utility sink.  

BEFORE (listing photo)


BEFORE 
I started with taking down the little shelf over the sink.

PROGRESS
Next up was painting the walls, cabinets, and trim.


Even after painting, a little decorating can go a long way.  The rug lent a bohemian vibe, and I added a gold framed pinboard and wood frames to compliment it.  Still up is to replace the flooring, but it's so much better than before!

AFTER

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Renovations at the Oak House-The Family Room

We finally painted the family room a couple of months ago.  This was one room that really did not set right with me.  I know some people are really against painting wood.  Ever.  But I think that if you can't update it, you need to paint it.   


In defense of this particular paneling, I loved the bones of it.  I also think it would have looked awesome restained in a more modern wood tone like a gray wash or darker wood tone.  I also think it would have looked awesome in a deep navy or medium or light gray.  The possibilities are endless.  I am, however, a lover of the light. This room faces somewhat north, and gets its most direct light in the afternoon and evening.  So with that in mind, I wanted to keep it light and bright, so that no matter the time of day, it feels happy.  


When the room was being painted, the windows and doors were saved for last.  So I had the contrast of the wood tone against the white paint.  I remembered photos I had saved of dark colored window and doors and was inspired to go dark for them both. So glad that happened because the 'big white box' needed a bit of contrast. It also tied into the TV!


BEFORE


PROGRESS/AFTER










I'm not the biggest fan of this rug, and I plan to add artwork and drapes, but the transformative power of paint never disappoints.  The goal was to take this room from dark and dated to light and bright, and I think it was mission accomplished!
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Renovations at The Oak House-The Foyer

Monday, January 8, 2018

It's been quite a while since I posted any updates to the house.  But I have been working over the last few months.  I thought I would first show you some changes we've made to the foyer.  When we first saw this house, one thing that stood out was the natural light.  It filled this open, two-story foyer with the most incredible airy, bright light.


What wasn't so great was the mauve trim and doors and dated light fixture.  But those could all be changed.  Creamy white paint, paired with crisp, charcoal black doors and window trim make a bold statement while allowing the light to shine.




Even on a cloudy day, the space remains bright and its the perfect spot for some of my favorite accessories--houseplants! I plan to add more artwork and hang new lighting, and eventually even re-stain the handrails, but I'm loving the progress so far!







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