Recent Finds - A Salvaged Ceiling Tile

My parent's recently picked up this old ceiling tile from a salvage shop across the river. They actually have been quite lucky lately in finding old ceiling tiles.

I took two home before they could put them in the shop. They would have made one large tile, but were cut into two pieces. My original plan was to display both, side by side, above my couch in the living room. However, they would be within reach of little fingers and even if I sealed them, I still didn't want them that low. So I decided to put one on it's side, up on top of my dining room cabinet.

It makes the ironstone pitchers stand out more obviously.

I loved the colours and the patina, and even the Fleur de Lis pattern of the tile itself. 

Dream Home Drive - By

[ All Photos - The Growers Daughter]

I feel the need to explain a few things prior to getting right into this post.

1 - I am not crazy, I simply enjoy scouting out dream homes and photographing them while driving past. I swear, the owner was home, and he probably thought the paparazzi had arrived.

2 - I don't feel bad about this because for one thing, I'm sure many of you girls do the same thing. And two, I would take it as a compliment if someone wanted to photograph my house!

In summary, this is a house that my father discovered. Clearly this is something I've inherited, and thus can't help. He took us past last weekend while we were out antiquing. I was so inspired that I had to take some photos to share! I was so close to jumping out and knocking on their front door, begging to come in for a tour. I just kept thinking, if the outside looks this amazing, what does the inside look like?

Don't worry. I stayed in the car. I literally clicked  my way around the corner to show you the whole view.

So here it is! Isn't it going to look amazing when it's finished?

Clearly, this is work in progress. But look at all the amazing salvaged finds - and how the owner has incorporated them into the house - like the corbels and old moldings on the garage!

This is the view coming along the side of the house. It's a massive two storey garage, which I'm assuming doubles as a studio or workshop. I mean clearly this person has some serious skill.

I want to meet this person... and then go shopping with them!

How great is this back entrance?

 I zoomed in a bit for a closer look. I am in love with it, along with the great little things they've added to it. I love all the huge trim work and the rustic grey door and cute window. It's perfect.

This is now coming along the side towards the front of the house. It's a gorgeous brick century home that looks like it was once an old store!

At this point, I'm totally blocking the street... luckily it wasn't busy (and the blinds were closed!). I love the simple rustic urns with boxwood shrubs framing the front door.

This is coming along the other side. It gives you a better idea of the size of the addition. I love how they created this little room with walls of windows between the main buildings and did it in white. The whole thing just looks great together. Notice that old Gothic style window? And how about those corbels above the man door to the garage in behind?

And, just in case you couldn't really see what was tucked under that overhang, I zoomed in. I love my zoom! It's the perfect little vignette! Seriously, next time I'm knocking.

Hope you enjoyed the little tour! It was just too amazing to not share.

Mystery Makeover Reveal

[All photos - The Growers Daughter]

As you know, from my previous post earlier this week, I've spent the last few days with a paint brush in hand.

Seeing as you've all patiently waited for me to reveal what exactly I've been up to, I decided to let you see a day earlier than planned. I'll be honest - I just couldn't wait to show you!

Can you guess what I did? Because I shocked even myself with this one...

I repainted my entire living room and dining area. And, not just repainted, but finished furnishing as well! It's done. I can finally check these rooms off my list.

Now, many of you readers may be thinking 2 things:

1 - I thought you were going to makeover the sun room?? Well, don't worry, that's coming too. I just wanted to finish something I had started previously.

Or 2 - Didn't you just paint this room?? Yes. Yes I did. A few months ago I painted these rooms, which were previously a beige colour, a trendy grey. Now here's the thing. I liked the grey... but I didn't love it. I just wasn't satisfied with the space yet. So the paint clothes went back on for round to. And, I'm happy to report that they won't be going on again for a looong while - at least in the case of this space.

So, here's a look at what I did. To see the room before, go here.

I couldn't be more happy with the outcome. I wanted bright, fresh, simple and clean and I think I created the perfect balance of all of the above. I am in love with this space, and that makes me so happy.

Enjoy!

You'll notice that I kept almost all of the same furnishings. I love my pieces, but more than that, I love doing a project without spending a ton of money. I think the pieces look more polished and fresh with this wall colour. As well, the vintage pieces stand out more, but still feel clean and new.

 I chose to go with Simply White in Eggshell from Benjamin Moore. This has been my "dream" colour ever since I came across the blog A Country Farmhouse. Trina's entire house is the same shade and every time I browsed her site I envied how bright, and simple, and utterly gorgeous her house was.

I just woke up last Monday and decided that this week was going to be devoted to that space and by Friday, it would be painted, de-cluttered, scrubbed and furnished so that I could finally move on. By Thursday morning I had the space entirely put back together and it felt amazing.

I edited the decor quite a bit. I kept only the few things that I really loved and either donated or boxed away the rest to sell. This really helped keep the room simple, and in the end, I was reminded that stuff doesn't equate happiness or satisfaction.

 One thing I did splurge on, were new throw pillows. I wanted them uniform and I wanted to add a tiny bit of colour. I found these at Home Sense. The standard white pillows were $29 for a set of two, and the super comfy larger ones in a pretty shade of greeny taupe were $24.

To maximize seating space, since I only have two love seats and a chair, I added some throw pillows (which I already had) to my bay window. It's the quickest window seat ever! Eventually, I will most likely make a cushion for comfort, but for now, this works just fine.

Our dark piano looks amazing on the white walls. It's actually my sister-in-law's. We're "storing it" indefinitely for her. It's a stunning piece. I added two wall lights from IKEA which I already had to the walls for extra lighting. They match my set of lamps already in this space. Along with these, I added a table top lamp to the reading nook which I had as well.

I also found a few other little decorative pieces at Home Sense. Like these crowns - $6 for the small one and $8 for the large. The add a bit of rustic French flair.

 

We have an interesting corner of the room which is actually under our staircase. It's quite small but has built in shelves which are really quite functional. They house our collection of coffee table books without adding visual clutter. I think this space makes a nice little reading nook.

I bought this old chair at an auction for $5. It's a huge wing chair that sits high and allows you to curl up in it and feel like it's being wrapped around you. It's got gorgeous character but is in need of new upholstery - something I can't afford at the moment. Until then, I just drape an old throw over it and no one really notices.

I moved the chair out more into the middle of the room as opposed to being right in the corner. Positioning it away from the corner means that the person sitting in it doesn't feel separated from the rest of the living space. Actually, in bringing the chair out more into the open, the living room space was elongated more and feels more roomy. I tucked an old shutter and lead window into the corner as a few architectural details - a common theme in the whole space.

Previously, under the two small windows on this back wall, was a long buffet. It was great functionally but it made the dining area feel kind of cramped for space. I was afraid that without something there it would feel bare. I was surprised to find that it doesn't! It makes the whole space open and airy, which is a nice contrast to the other end of the room, the living area, which is more cozy.

This was my original dining table and chairs. I love this piece, and it looks great in the room. White one white is always a good thing.

This pair of corbels is my favourite of my whole collection. They remind us of sea creatures that are carved into the fronts of old ships. They make the perfect focal point. Also, the plates add a bit of character, bit still fade into the wall.

To the left, as you head into the kitchen, I kept this old cabinet. This was previously used to hold bolts of fabric during the war being shipped from Europe. The back was never painted to you can see all the old stamps and markings. It's gorgeous. It was my wardrobe growing up and has been numerous colours including royal blue and bright a pretty pink, before finally settling on white.

This amazing tray - another Home Sense find for $14!! - adds a pop of rustic wood in an all white and glass corner. All of those pieces are matching, and add a uniform contrast to the whites and neutrals throughout.

In keeping with my bright and simple theme, I found this old white window, all hardware still in tact, for $10. Again, it's a nice little architectural detail. I thought my collection of antique cake stands looked nice tucked on top of here.

 This candelabra - again, Home Sense for $14 - is a little centerpiece for my table. The minute I saw it I fell in love with it. The entire line actually, in case you couldn't tell! I bought them all. They just worked perfectly and were so cheap!

And finally I added some bouquets of fresh flowers to really make the room fresh and springy. These gorgeous hyacinths, in purple and not my usual white (I liked the pop of colour - gasp!), fill the room with the fragrances of spring. I also added a few white hydrangeas and some soft pink garden roses.

This old berry box is the perfect table top (or in my case, trunk top) tray. A few favourite books fit neatly on one side, and a few white pillar candles on the other.

So what do you think? Was it worth all the hard work. I think so! I couldn't be happier with it.

In review, the entire makeover costs were as follows:

2 cans of paint (supplies I already had) - $70.00

Furnishings and Cushions - $148.00

Fresh Flowers - $20.00

Total Makeover Cost - $238.00 and three days worth of work.