Around Our Home Lately

I’ve desperately trying to wrap my head around this blogging thing again. A large part of me wants to jump right back in and it be just as it was all those years. However, so many things in my life and in the way I think about my home has changed. My kids are cruising through childhood so quickly and now more than ever I want a refuge for them where I’m fully present. Even though I’ve pulled away a lot from sharing on Instagram and Facebook, I haven’t stopped decorating and renovating. Sometimes it’s just been hard to sacrifice the time to take the photos and collect my thoughts enough to put it all into a post. 

I still love interior design. I love homemaking and I love connecting and chatting with those of you who do as well. The urge to make my house more like home will always be there, as will the desire to share what I’ve learned along the way here on the blog. Thank you for sticking around and taking the time to pop in and read my posts, as sporadic as they’ve been the last couple of years. With all of that said, today I wanted to just share a few snap shots of our home currently. Renovating this house is going to be a process just as the last house was. There are so many irons in the fire at the moment, but I wanted to just give you a peek into a few spaces. 

Last week I painted our master bedroom and I finally made the half tester canopy for my bedroom. I’ve only had the fabric for years! For the latest year we’ve been living with the gray that was already on the walls. I debated for a while whether or not to go moody or stick with something light and neutral. After painting my dining room in Card Room Green by Farrow & Ball, I knew I wanted to use the color somewhere else in my home as well. After realizing that it paired beautifully with bedding and fabric that I already had, I knew it was perfect for this room. 

I’ll have to share the steps I took in making the canopy in another blog post. Three years ago I made one for Audrey’s nursery and I very much winged that project. I really loved how it turned out, but knew I would do a few things differently the next time around. I was much more prepared this time around and so making it went much quicker. I’ll share all the details on that soon. I’m currently waiting for swing-arm wall lamps to arrive to install above our headboard. As an avid reader, I’m very excited for those. For now, we’re loving the coziness of this room. The darker color is like a warm hug. I just love it!

Audrey’s room is coming along. Last fall I painted her walls a soft pink. I should have thought a little more about it, but I also painted the shelves we built in the same color. I really regret that choice. I need to paint her trim and doors in a fresh cream. When I do, I’m going to paint the shelves as well. I think the creamy white will be a nice contrast to the pink walls. We still figuring out the best furniture placement in both of our kid’s rooms, but both spaces are coming along. 

This is one of my favorite corners in our formal living room. I painted the walls and trim in this room last fall. This room gets flooded with sunshine in the late afternoon and evenings, but during the day the neutral color is super warm. I recently tucked a tiny TV into one corner. I like sneaking away to this room when I need a moment. There’s no toys or chaos in this room like the rest of our home, so I’ve claimed it for myself. 

I piddled with my hutch over the weekend. I’m a bit short on storage for dishes at the moment. I miss my old butler’s pantry so much! I’ve had to leave so many things boxed up. Slowly, I’m unpacking and finding places for this and that. We managed to let a lot of things go before we moved, but what is left are things that I really love and want to use. It will all come together with time. I have to remind myself often that it’s not a race. 

A few weeks ago I painted the upper half of our dining room in Card Room Green by Farrow & Ball. I have yet to paint the wainscoting. I’m still testing white paint samples. I love the ivory tone of the current trim color, but the center of the wainscoting is painted in a yellow/peach, which I am not a fan of. I’m hoping Sherwin Williams will be able to color match the trim for me since we don’t know what the color is. Finger’s crossed! 

This the current state of our powder room. Honestly, I don’t hate it. I actually really like the 90’s wallpaper. It’s surprisingly in great shape! My plan is to keep it and add wainscoting or tongue and groove. The vanity will stay, but will probably get painted. As for the countertop and sink, I want to replace the laminate with a Carrara marble countertop with an undercount sink and polished nickel faucet. I’m so grateful this room just requires a few cosmetic changes. The layout is very functional and the room has great bones. 

While renovating the laundry room, I decided to strip the hallway wallpaper and glue. It was one of the worst papers in the house. I still need to sand the walls and patch some places here and there. My plan is to install wainscoting around the bottom and I’m considering hanging a fresh wallpaper, but still debating that. We need to scrape the ceiling and update the light fixtures. Scraping textured ceilings is one of my least favorite projects. It’s horribly messy and rough on the back and neck, but it’s also one of the cheapest ways to update a space. I’ll always recommend scraping textured ceilings when possible. 

With whole room renovations taking much longer to complete these days, I hope to do more posts like this to give you all a look into our home in the current state. It’s always fun to see not only the before and after, but the in between as well. I still have lots of decorating and piddling, as I call it, to do in the few rooms that are somewhat done. I hope to have some “finished” rooms to share with you soon. I’d love to hear what projects you’re currently working on in your home. Anyone else removing wallpaper and repairing walls? Have a great week and happy 4th of July friends!