Then and Now-Master Suite and Guest Bedroom

Let’s continue the Then and Now series with our master suite and guest bedroom…



Our master bedroom (read more about it here) started with a bed and ONE of those awesome $8 round tables with a cover on it.  I wasn’t even lucky enough to have an awesome $8 end table…it was on Nate’s side. That was it.

About 6 months after we moved in, Nate’s mom was redoing her bedroom and gave us her old headboard (I think she felt sorry for us).  We recovered her lovely floral pattern with some white fabric.  I wish I would have photographed this process..but I didn't.

A few months after that I begged Nate for the Crate and Barrel night stands.  He finally caved.  And now I want these mirrored nightstands from Pier 1....how can I make him cave again? hmmm....

Earlier this year, I was bored with our striped comforter (and it had seen better days). I did some extensive comforter search and decided on the West Elm parachute duvet. LOVE.

We built a knock off of the West Elm Window headboard (read about it here).  I purchased some larger lamps and that brings us to today. I’m still deciding on additional pillows for the bed and waiting on curtains.  We are also going to build a bed frame...soon...hurry up end of tax season!!!



We haven’t made a lot of changes in our master bath other than adding trim around our ugly mirrors and replacing the faucets.  I’ll post on our faucet change in the next few weeks. Read more about adding the trim here.



I showed you our guest bedroom during a house tour post.  I couldn’t get over how ugly the room was.  That same week-end, I painted the room and purchased new bedding and lamps (all from the Room collection at Target…Room=inexpensive).  It’s crazy how a few fairly inexpensive changes can transform a room.  You can read about the room and our plans for it here.

Tomorrow I’ll show the changes we’ve made in our living room and office!!

**A blog that I love is sharing my dresser make-over today..check it out!  Modern Jane Design....you don't know how much this makes me smile...such a blogging nerd!!**

Then and Now-Kitchen and Dining Room

As most of you know, it’s hard to move quickly on house projects….they take time and money.

We have a set budget and keeping our budget is extremely important to us. 

We pick and choose projects each month based on what else is going on that month. 

For example, we don’t take on larger projects during months when we know we are going on vacation or need new clothes, etc.  When I go crazy and order a West Elm comforter, I can’t order West Elm curtains in the same month. 

It’s not that we don’t have the money, we just choose to be smart about our purchases.  There are things that we feel deserve the extra splurge (the comforter we sleep with every night) and there are things that we know we can spend less money on (a thrift store dresser that is more for looks). 

Due to our cheap frugal ways, decorating our house has been a fairly slow process.  It most definitely has not happened over night....just like Rome wasn't built in a day...all things take time...(I love cheesy sayings like that...)

This week I will show you the various stages of our house.  I’d call it “Before and After” but none of our rooms are complete so I feel that “Then and Now” is more fitting.

I’ll recap some rooms for our new readers and show some new-to-the-blog progress photos later in the week.



In the kitchen we added crown molding to the cabinets, a temporary picture backsplash, and bead board on the island.  This room took us about a year and is probably the closest to done.  We do plan to add a backsplash…..if we can ever make a final decision on what material to use.



Our dining room sat empty for an entire year after we moved in.  It’s the first room you see as you enter our front door.  We told people it was our meditation room.  We decided to purchase a table and chair set (darn matchy-matchy old self) after a year of living in the house.  We hung curtains (Target bargains) a few months after that.  I found the hutch at the Salvation Army last June.  I am still looking for a few others items to place on the top of the hutch and have been pondering chair covers.  We are eventually going to add crown molding as well.

Tomorrow I’ll show you the progress of our master suite and guest bedroom.

Do you have a decorating budget?  Do you want to learn more about how we budget? (I won’t bore you otherwise…) 

Do you have a meditation room? :)

Blonde Going Grey

Remember this Blonde dresser…

It went grey…

Olympic’s Zero VOC Mountaintop and Silver Charm to be exact.  I really like the Zero VOC for painting furniture.  The paint doesn’t smell…which is nice when you are putting the dresser in a bedroom…or when you are painting with some kind of viral infection that has taken over your lungs...(On a side note, when a Lowe’s employee tries to tell you that Valspar paint is low VOC and doesn’t really have a smell….don’t believe her.  It’s one of the strongest smelling paints.  Lesson learned.)

It always takes me a little bit to get used to something new living in our house.  It always feels like a stranger has moved in with us…but it’s growing on me.  I am, however, not completely sold on the top drawer handles.  I don’t love them but I don’t hate them.  I’m giving them some time.

It’s hard changing from a matchy-matchy decorating style to a more eclectic style.  I know it’s still a little matchy being grey and all but I still feel like it doesn’t “match”…baby steps. 

I had considered maybe a green or a plum but that’s just not really our style…and that’s ok.  Not everyone can be bold and daring.

Now to figure out what to add to the top of the dresser.  We are pretty minimalist people and don’t have a lot of “stuff” which means I will need to purchase some things.  I’m thinking a lamp, a fan, and maybe some frames.  Luckily I am indecisive...which will allow the paint to fully dry before I place anything on it.

What are your thoughts?  What do you think of the handles? When will my West Elm curtains arrive so I can "finish" this room???  So many unanswered questions!

(Read about my furniture painting process here!)