Master Bedroom - Progress

The master bedroom was the first room that we took a hammer to. We needed a space that was ours. Somewhere that didn't remind me of my grandmother, somewhere that wasn't covered in saw dust, or spackling -- and somewhere that we could relax without feeling the overwhelming urge to paint something.

While we are far from finished, I feel that a progress report is appropriate. Here is what the room looked like before we moved in:

Our first order of business was removing the wall of gold-leafed mirrors.

To be fair, the wall of mirrors was quite the statement. I mean, it was bold - right?

As much as I admire my grandmother's design decisions, we decided to return to the days of old -- sheet rock. (And by we, I mean Jeff.) That wonderful human being removed each tile one-by-one (only breaking a few) and donated them to a friend of ours.

Mirrors and wallpaper gone.

For the next two months, the room was in varying stages of construction and disarray. We purchased a new mattress, refinished our dresser, and even painted the ceiling the wrong color. It's a work in progress, but I think it's time for an unveiling.

May I present to you ... our bedroom:

What do you think?  The walls are blue, and...um...so is the ceiling (whupps).

What's behind curtain #1 you ask?

The master bath.

Yep, this room is pretty far down on our priority list as we'll likely bring in a contractor. So, for now, the curtain will remain closed.

Back to the main event. Ta daaaaaaa:

 

I'm pretty pleased with how it's coming along; however, we still have quite a bit of work left to do. Here's the run down on our master-bedroom-almost-finished-to-do-list.

1. Finish painting the trim:

2. Put in quarter-round molding around the base boards, and clean/polish the floors:

3. Install our ceiling fan (and get rid of this guy):

4. Put in crown molding around the ceiling -- and perhaps repaint the ceiling (the right color).

5. Finish painting the shutters that go over the main windows.

Currently, the shutters are half-painted and waiting their turn in line...in the place where all painting projects go to die:

6. We also need to replace the light switches, vents, security boxes, and outlets:

7. Oh, and the doors need to be painted (and perhaps new hardware).

This may just be me being mean at this point, but we also need to (8.) hang art work, (9.) buy a rug, and (10.) find a new comforter set for the bed. I can almost hear Jeff rolling his eyes right now.

Anyhow, the list is never ending - but I'm okay with that. It's slowly becoming ours, and I have no doubt that the room will evolve over time.

Here's a before and after shot for the road:

And one more, because I can't help myself:

Have a great night, all. I am going to go drink a glass of wine and pat myself on the back.

Weekend Wrap-Up

Our weekend started off with this little gal's first birthday party. Look how pumped she was about that cake. I can't say that I blame her; I dream of eating cake by the fist full.

With the holidays quickly approaching, we are trying to finish up some projects that have been lingering since we moved in -- that way, come January, we will be ready to tackle our normal-every-day-resolutions, like go for a jog, eat a vegetable, read a book, etc.

For now, here are a few moments from this weekend that are worthy of note.

We have been bare-bulbing-it in the master bedroom for almost 12 weeks. However, I'm happy to report, we finally have lamp shades on either side of the bed.

My office lamp now has a shade as well. I know this doesn't seem like a major improvement, but I've been glaring directly into 40 watts for the better half of three months, so it's a big deal.

Our breakfast room is officially without fruit. I stripped the wallpaper to find primed paneling underneath.

Now, understand that I did this room when Jeff wasn't home -- and besides setting off the fire alarm because of all the steam (true story), I managed fairly well. So, feeling over-confident and super accomplished, I decided to tackle the dining room as well.

Never again.

This wallpaper literally disintegrated under the heat of the steam. I was crushed, so I decided to move on to something I knew I would enjoy -- holiday cards.

We also made a great deal of progress on the master bedroom this weekend.

Updates on our bedroom to come soon. Right now, I have to get to work on this disaster zone:

That's the guest bedroom, a.k.a. the dumping ground. Honestly, it's starting to rival our formal living room, which currently looks like this:

How about that holiday-inspired table cloth window treatment on the left? I am sure the neighbors are pleased...

Anyhow, like I said, I'm going to lock myself in the guest bedroom to try to organize the pile of things we don't know what else to do with. For now, here are some shots of random moments from this weekend that ... er ... I don't know what else to do with:

This guy has an appointment with Santa "Claws" next Sunday. This was the look he gave me when I told him the news.

Happy Monday, all.

Ryan

[Wo]man Cave

This weekend, I took a deep breath, and tackled my [wo]man cave.  It is my studio and my office; and if I were five years old, it would be considered my playroom.  When we moved in, it looked like this:

Due to school, this room was open-for-business during construction -- and it was almost the end of me. However, I'm happy to report that it is finally finished; carpet stripped, walls painted, blinds up, and yes, I. know. where. everything. is.

It took me an entire Saturday to complete, but I am pretty pleased with myself. Here is what is looked like about mid-way through the unpacking and organizing process:

And after about seven hours of that (not an exaggeration) -- I ended up with this:

It's a dream, right? Here are a few of my favorite details:

Because every [wo]man cave needs twinkle lights.

Happy Sunday, all.

Ryan