Playroom to Bedroom

We have a bedroom on the first floor of our house that we have used as a playroom for the girls. In the past year, we also put a twin bed in there for any guests we may have. Last year, I DIYed a magnetic dry erase board on one entire wall-it was a hit with the girls as they could play school. When we decided to list, we knew we should paint over the wall, so I reluctantly did-I think it was the last project I did. Then, I decided to stage the room the way it was intended to be-a bedroom. I had already painted the room a pale shade of lavender. It is a neutral, muted shade that goes with the other rooms, so I kept it. I decided to go with gray bedding with plum accents (this will be one of our daughters' bed, bedding, and accessories for her room in our next home). We already had gray window coverings and a soft gray throw rug on the floor.
The first step was cleaning out the room and packing everything they wanted to move with is and donating the rest.
Boxes, boxes and more boxes! (all in the garage for now).




This is the magnetic dry erase wall:







After I painted (sob):


Before/After the big clean out:



Here is the staged room:
















I'm happy with it! The girls have asked for maybe two things in the boxes, so I'm guessing we may not end up moving all of them.


Next up: Basement Bedroom/Office
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Front Deck!

When we purchased the house, there were windows on the front. In 2010, Hubby decided that we needed huge windows and French doors leading to a huge deck (840 square feet) on the front of the house. Best idea ever! He spent a ton of time designing the project and we hired a relative of a friend (awesome carpenter) to build it. The deck has added so much living space for us-we use it daily. We ended up putting an 8 person spa out there to enjoy the gorgeous sunsets over the lake. We added a latching gate to the front so we could let the girls ride their bikes without fear of them falling down the stairs- they loved it! The deck has doors underneath for storage and a built-in hose storage area as well. It's great!

The only thing we did that we should have waited was to stain the deck. I was too impatient to let the wood cure, so we had it done immediately-big mistake. The stain peeled, so before we could list my husband had his work cut out for him. He had to strip the deck, sand it, and then stain it. He did a great job, though, And it looks amazing!

Before:





After:











Next up: The Girls' Playroom becomes a Bedroom


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The Entry Update

When we fist bought our house, the entry was quite "interesting" with it's 1980's wood paneling halfway up the walls. We took it down, but unfortunately it didn't look a whole lot better since we didn't really know what we were doing and kind of destroyed the walls. So, we painted it and then "ragged" over it to hide the imperfections-it looked better, but started looking pretty dated as time went on.

When we decided to list the house, one of the realtors we met with (we met with 3) recommended having the entry resurfaced. We called in the sheet rock professionals since it was not a DIY project we could handle. It was pretty expensive, but looks SO much better now! I painted it myself when they were done to save a bit of money. Guess what color I went with? Behr Marquee in Varnished Ivory-are you shocked?! It's a nice, warm neutral so it just works well since we were listing. The entry took about a gallon and a half of paint-the fresh walls just sucked the paint up like crazy!

Before:



Here you can see some of the wall damage:




This was the line from the paneling:








After:



We have a little bench when you walk in the door. I found this "welcome home" pillow on Amazon that I thought was adorable (and perhaps a subliminal message as well!).







Next up: The Deck



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Master Bedroom

I had updated our master bedroom about five years ago, but the bedding had torn and the wall color needed a refresh. I used the same paint that we used for both bathrooms and the girls' room-Behr Marquee Varnished Ivory.


Before:
















After Painting:













After new bedding & decorating:
















Sources:

Paint-Home Depot
All Bedding (quilt, throws, throw pillow)-Target
Euro Shams-Amazon
Tray-Christmas Tree Shops
Lamps-Target
Placemats on nightstands-Target
Runner on dresser-Target
Tray-Target
Egg crate (used for cuff links)-Target
Curtains-Target


Up Next: Entryway







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Girls' Bedroom Update

Our twin daughters are 8 years old. When I was pregnant, I had to have a pink nursery for them. It was definitely pink-Pepto pink! We knew it had to be painted a neutral color before we went on the market. It's a very small room with slanted walls due to the style of the house (chalet). We also had to declutter and organize as best as possible while living in it. The girls are huge American Girl fans and insisted on keeping their dolls in their rooms. They had a playroom on the first floor which we staged as a bedroom and packed all of their other toys, so we let them keep their dolls out.
I painted the room the same color as the two previous rooms-Behr Marquee Varnished Ivory. I couldn't believe what a difference the paint made-it really brightened up the room and made it appear larger (well, large as a small room can look!). I'm sad that they are rapidly outgrowing their furniture as it's so cute!
Before:












After:




























I think the thing I'm most looking forward to is the girls having their own rooms with closets. It will be so nice to have space (and for them to be able to take care of their own laundry!).

Up Next: Master Bedroom Update

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Master Bath Update

Our master bathroom (the bathroom that is shared by the two bedrooms upstairs) was way overdue for some attention.
We used the same paint color as in the guest bath, Behr Marquee "Varnished Ivory".
Here are the (embarrassing) before photos:
Note the dingy linoleum, the carpeted step into the bathtub (who puts carpet in a bathroom??), the hideous curtain, and the too-short shower curtain.




















We ripped up the linoleum and carpet and had Armstrong tile planks in "Aegean Travertine" laid-huge difference!













I did a thorough cleaning, hung a bamboo blind, hung a new shower curtain, hung new towel holders and towel hook on the door, and accessorized (my favorite part!).















I found the totes at Target-I bought eight of them for storage. I also bought the matching clothes hamper.












These little rolling carts are the best! I have two-one is for make-up & hair stuff and the other is for nail polish.
















Sources:
Flooring-Home Depot (Armstrong Tile Planks-Aegean Travertine)
Paint-Home Depot (Behr Marquee in Varnished Ivory)
Storage Totes & Clothes Hamper-Target
Mouthwash Station Tray, Tumbler, and Dispenser-Target
White Paper Cups-Amazon
Art-Amazon
Toilet Paper Holder, Towel Holders, Hooks-Amazon
Shower Curtain-Target
Towels-Sam's Club
Bath Mat (not shown)-Target
Hand soap Dispensers-TJ Maxx
Face cloth Bundle-TJ Maxx
Rolling Carts-Sam's Club
Mason Jars-Target Dollar Spot
Aqua Jar-TJ Maxx
Next up: Girls' Bedroom
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