The Laundry Area - After

I decided to make the most of a quiet day at home today and checked a couple of items off of my to-do list.

This is my laundry area which is one corner of my kitchen - the sunniest corner.

After seven years of doing laundry in the basement (though thankfully not a dingy basement), a main floor laundry was one of my few "list items" I wanted in the home we were going to purchase. And as it goes, it wasn't a feature of the house we bought.

However, in the kitchen, there was a small corner area that was being used as an office space. It was too small for a breakfast nook, so we had our plumber come in and see if it was possible to plumb in a laundry area. Because water lines were already running to this part of the house for the sink and dishwasher, it wasn't complicated to do.

Originally, I had wanted side-by-side appliances in a built-in cabinet with a counter top and nice shelves above. But, due to the size of the space, a pair beside eachother wouldn't fit. So, we settled instead on a stackable unit which allowed just a small space beside for sorting bins. We sketched out an idea for a narrow counter with a pull-out drawer for the bins to sit on (similar to what you would put in your cabinets for recycling bins). Then I could still add a couple small shelves above for character.

But, as renovations go, we ended up spending a lot more on other more important renovations and for the sake of staying on budget, I had to re-think this space. 

Was it necessary to have built-ins right now? No. 

Could it still be functional and pretty without them. Yes.

So my inexpensive solution?

I simply installed our old shower curtain and hung two panel curtains I had in our linen closet. 

You know, it may not be a gorgeous built-in laundry area, but for now, it's simple and quite pretty.

I slide the curtain over to use my machines, which I love, and then slide them back to hide everything.

And it's okay that it's such a simple space, because there's enough going on in the same area to give it character. These shelves are across from it.

So once I had the laundry space taken care of, I moved on to my cleaning closet right beside it.

Now, while I don't mind cleaning, it's actually my husband that is the neat freak in our home. I do however, like cleaning just a little more when my tools are pretty.

I know. Completely ridiculous. I just can't help it. It's like pretty packing or an old piece with perfect patina - I'm just drawn to it. And I'm fairly certain it's hereditary as my Aunt Jeanette suffers from the same problem.

Don't they just make you want to clean?

I've found them over the years at Homesense and Marshalls, and while they are beautiful, none of them are really more expensive than regular old cleaning tools.

And before you go thinking that I flutter around my house dusting everything with a feather duster, this is reserved for my chandeliers. I just use a plain old rag.

And while I admit, I love the smell of a cleaners, I do try to use just basic cleaning solutions when I can. Like for windows, a little vinegar and mild dish soap with warm water does a beautiful job.

These plain spray bottles from the dollar store are perfect for it.

One of the reasons I needed to clean out this closet, was that I needed to make some room for my vacuum. To be honest, I was quite disappointed to leave my central vac behind. But I've actually come to love this new one. The suction is fantastic and the canister detaches to you can carry it on the stairs. And it pivots. (Pivot! Pivot! - I know that you heard Ross when you read that!)

The fact that it's white had absolutely no impact on my decision making... none at all.

Different baskets are also used for other things like garbage bags and my laundry supplies.

Here you can see the closet once I fit everything back in.

Ryan later pointed out that it's not functional having the vacuum on the left, rather it needs to be on the right so I don't have to move the mop bucket to get it out.

Why does he always have to be right...

And there it is. My most inexpensive makeover in this house yet! If only it would go this way more often.

And on another unrelated makeover note, I was thrilled to see that our interior house colour - Simply White - is Benjamin Moore's 2016 Colour of the Year. To be fair, I discovered the colour through Catherine Burke who writes the blog In The Fields.

The Sunroom Makeover - An Office Space

All Photos - The Grower's Daughter

My sale is now over, and I'm left with a few "holes" in my house. Actually, to be honest, this year I'm left with quite a few holes! That's always a good thing. It means that I get to replace old pieces with new ones and tweak the look of my house a little bit more.

One room that was left quite sparse was my sunroom.

If you follow the link below, you can see how it looked prior to the sale.

The Old Sunroom

I had picked up a few new pieces that I knew I wanted to incorporate into my house, but I wasn't sure where. As I was moving pieces back inside, this room just kind of came together. I have been lacking an "office" space that I really want to be in. I previously had one upstairs, and at the time, had one in our basement. Neither were where I wanted to spend any length of time. I want to be near Willen while I'm writing and I don't want to feel like I'm locked away somewhere. However, doing all my work on our living room couch, or at the dining room table was getting old (and messy).

I sold the daybed that was in the room before, and moved the wicker chairs outside as they were looking a little tattered. The sunroom became a free space. I didn't want a sitting area - we never used it unfortunately. I didn't want an entrance - we're now accustomed to using the front one. So, what to make of it?

After moving a few pieces around, using mainly what I already had, this is what I came up with. A workspace. I have to say, I'm extremely happy with how it's turned out. It's simple, clean and useful and houses a few of my favourite things.

Enjoy!

The space is open again, which is great for traffic coming in and out of the back door. Even though we mainly use the front entrance, we use the back door. The previous space didn't allow for easy access which was beginning to get annoying. This is much more efficient. Oliver has already found a new favourite nap spot.

I moved this old rocker up from the basement and threw on a couple of my old pillows. It's a lighter stain and it matches the wicker nicely.

I had this old wicker trunk sitting around in the basement. It's empty, but I'm planning on moving some storage boxes with old files inside it. Since they don't require easy access so it will hold them perfectly. The old frame is one of my favourite pieces, as is the old European water can.

The is an old cottage table that I painted Heavy Cream by Martha Stewart. It's simple and is the perfect little writing desk. The French bistro chair is the most amazing shade. It's a sort of grayish linen colour and was found at The Country Living Fair (photos to come soon!). An old black desk lamp was brought up from my office downstairs.

Trying to keep things simple, I added a small cream ironstone pitcher and a dainty little ironstone sugar pot to hold clips and things. A simple vase with pencils is the only hint of office, aside from the computer, in the whole space. I like that.

Similarly, I kept the decor simple and just added a small glass cloche with a rustic nest to incorporate more of the natural elements in the room. It matched the displays on the shelves nicely - another nest in a pedestal glass cloche, a small clay bird, old white corbels, and a shadow box housing speckled quails eggs.

The windows make the space light and airy.

To fill out the rest of the wall, I added an old white window with rusty hardware on either side of the desk, and an old sap bucket with a boxwood plant inside. It's adds some green to the room and keep the room light and natural.

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.

Sun Room Makeover - Before Photos

Okay, so here are a couple before photos of our sun room. I will be posting the layout photos of the room, so you can get the whole visual, in a week, when I'm ready to clear everything out. For now, here is just a preview. The above photo is the wall colour, and floor tile. It's an older photo, but neither will be changing with the makeover.

This was the sun room when we purchased the house. Ugh - I hated this colour. It's so dark. It defeats the purpose of a sun room, which should be bright and airy and full of light. Also, it really brought out the burnt orange and browns in the floor tile, which drove me nuts. Painting it cream really neutralized them and blended them in, which meant saving money on having to re-tile.

As you can see, it's not a huge room. It's 8" x 11". There's a great view of the back yard, lots of windows, and on the left side, it's a double french door that goes out to our back deck.

So, 1 more week to finalize some sketches and create my design. Then, it's makeover time!

But right now, I'm off to make a fresh batch of blueberry muffins for coffee with my cousin (she's bringing be kids, which means a play date for Willen and a brand new baby for me to enjoy!)