Temporary Digs....

Entryway:
This piece I purchased, and it serves a really needed function.
The baskets house all of the dog supplies and a place to drop
keys, purses, etc. There is just this and a coat closet on this floor.

Well, if you know me, you'd think that every place I live is temporary, since we never stay anywhere for very long... but when I found out Perry was taking a job back in Vegas, I knew I couldn't make this "home" again. And, as you know if you follow my blog, we bought the house in South Carolina and moved all of our earthly belonging there and came to Vegas with just our clothes and a few personal things.

We will probably be in Vegas for about three years, maybe longer, but no shorter and we've definitely lived shorter amounts of time in other places and bought homes there and put down very shallow roots, but I'm getting older and it's getting harder and harder to do that. Not to mention, trying to find a place that would hold all of the things we had and have a place for everything... yuck, it's just miserable. There's always something that doesn't fit. Or there's that one space that just needs something that we didn't have... no more!

Guest Room:
The bedding, lamps and accessories in the
guest room I brought from the other house, just
rented a
 bed and nightstands .

Guest Bath:
The accessories in this room were left from
the yardsale too, I just bought the shower curtain
 and towels to match.

So traveling light has it's advantages, and definitely knowing that when it's time to move on to the next adventure, all we have to do is throw our clothes in the trunk and drive away is awesome, but it doesn't make our space feel very comfortable. We have rental furniture from Cort that serves every need, i.e. beds, dressers, sofa, table and chairs. Just the basics, mind you, nothing more, but then that's what we wanted, right?

Living Room:
The art and accessories in this room make it feel like home.
The coffee-table books add a homey feel and I love having
interesting photo books to share with guests.

I loved these pictures in a movie I saw
so when I saw them at Home Goods, I had to
have them! They just make the Dining
Area.

I don't have to tell you this, and it doesn't take a professional designer to know it, but it's the accessories and the soft furnishings that make a house a home... so what about keeping the belongings to a minimum and the whole traveling light thing? Well, I think I found a good balance with this place, I bought accessories, but kept them to a minimum and didn't spend much by shopping at Home Goods, Pier 1, and even Barnes & Noble.

Before we left SLC, we had a yardsale, and there were quite a few accessories that didn't sell, so I brought them in the car. Because I have an obsession for lamps and had a lamp "graveyard" in my basement in SLC, I didn't have to buy lamps for the bedrooms and I even had a giant one for the living room that I think works beautifully.

The main thing here is that we don't have anything extra. We have empty closets and cupboards because we have just the necessities when it comes to everything. (4 plates, 4 glasses, flatware for 4 settings, etc.) I've had to be creative in cooking without my kitchen full of small appliances and every different kind and size of pot and pan, but I'm getting along and it feels so freeing to have no extra clutter around me, and to also know that those things I love and hold dear are safely in my home in SC and I can go there whenever I want to and feel at home, away from "temporary home"!

My Secret Recipe?

Where we started...

Kitchens are always the most difficult part of a remodel. When we started this project we weren't expecting a total gut job. We thought we were going to be able to use the cabinets, however, it didn't take long to realize that we were going to have to get rid of everything and start from scratch. As you can see in this photo, the washer and dryer were located in the kitchen and the refrigerator is "floating" on the opposite wall. I decided to relocate the fridge, but the washer and dryer had to remain in the kitchen, here's how it all went down...

"gut job"

When we started ripping out the kitchen, we found that there was an old water heater in the corner cabinet and the exhaust vent over the stove wasn't even connected. We found electrical wiring that was "hidden" in the soffits and we knew it had been the right decision to pull everything out and get a clear look at the skeleton of the kitchen.

Once we had everything out I decided that it was the best time to relocate the stove, fridge and add a dishwasher. The things that you can't see is all new plumbing and electrical in addition to the new window, the only thing that stayed in the room was the paneling, it just got painted.

There was a small closet in the hallway and, initially, I intended to move the washer and dryer to that closet and increase the size of the kitchen, however, after carefully thinking about storage needs in the house, it was obvious that the house needed all the storage space possible and since there wasn't anywhere to get more storage, the laundry was going to have to stay in the kitchen. The only way to make it take less space was to bring in a stackable unit.

I decided to go with all white appliances since the washer and dryer didn't come in stainless. Since the appliances were white, I went with dark wood cabinets and dark countertops to enhance the contrast. Because I was on a very tight budget to do this kitchen that I hadn't even planned to do, I used stock cabinets, laminate countertops and vinyl flooring. Not only was the budget small because of all of the other things we had to do, but also because our purpose for buying this house was to get a good deal and keep the costs low.

I bought appliances that were on clearance (last years models) and was able to get a higher quality appliances on my budget. Also, by buying white appliances I saved about 10-15% of the stainless prices, and they function exactly the same. I bought my kitchen sink at the Habitat for Humanity Re-Store for 1/3rd of the price it was at retail. By painting the paneling instead of ripping it all out, not only saved money, it also saved time.

The vinyl flooring that was in the kitchen was in good condition and was fairly new, and we intended to keep it, however, the construction we did took a toll on the floor and in the end, I decided to replace it. I opted for a vinyl tile for the cost and also because ceramic tile would have added nearly an inch of height difference between the floors in the adjoining areas.

After

Ultimately, function is the most important aspect to kitchen design and this kitchen is very functional for it's size. The main thing lacking was a pantry and there was just no where to put more storage space. Fortunately, my dad gave me an armoire he wasn't using anymore and it was the perfect solution to form and function! Some things just came together and worked out for good, and others were carefully planned, but in the end, I'm very happy with the outcome.

"Pantry"

And, absolutely none of it could have happened without my great family who were there so many days working so hard to make this project come together!

For me, this was a great recipe that came together in a very "tasty" way!

Master Bedroom

For those of you who have seen my previous houses, you'll recognize everything about this room, except for the room itself. The main reason we bought the house in SC was to move our furniture one last time, so this time I designed the house to go with the furniture we already had.

As we were preparing to move, I made mental room plans with the furnishings and spaces in mind and only moved the things that I knew I had a place for. We had a much larger home in Salt Lake, but we knew we had to downsize and keep only the things we truly loved.

We chose very soft cream paint and I love the soothing feel of the space. We replaced the interior doors with white six-panel doors with high-gloss white paint. I definitely recommend the high-gloss for trim, it is so much easier to wipe clean and it makes such a great statement against any color of wall.

I'm not sure I can say anything about this makeover that the photos can't tell...

Before

Before

Primer goes on

All Primered Up

New Closet Interior Before Floors Were Done

My Latest Project or "Ginny's House"

Have you ever seen the show "Sarah's House" on HGTV? She buys a house and then remodels it one room at a time to make it her own. Well, I love that show and have done a very mini (at least budget-wise) one of those projects of my own.

Perry and I decided that moving all of our things was getting pretty tiring and we needed to find a home-base and start traveling lighter. (we've had 13 addresses in just over 11 years) So we bought the house he'd grown up in and moved all of our things to South Carolina and moved to Vegas only what we could take in our cars and rented a furnished townhome.

We knew the house in SC was going to be a real project because it had been neglected for some time and had been vacant for several years. But we were not prepared for just how much it would take to make it our own. We have been so blessed with family and friends who have helped along the way, and other than having the floors redone, we haven't had to pay for any labor. (I told you it was a blessing!) Our budget was blown the second day when we realized we'd have to gut the entire kitchen and replace all of the windows immediately.

We've replaced all of the windows, interior and exterior doors, lighting, electrical sockets and switches, thermostats and plumbing. We had to gut the kitchen and replace all the appliances and have gutted a 1/2 bath and took a closet out of the full bath to create a shower, thus making the 1/2 a 3/4 bath!

Every room has been painted, ceilings, walls and trim and the carpet removed and hardwoods stripped and refinished. We also had to clear a jungle out of the yard just to get near the house and even replaced the mailbox! The punch list keeps getting shorter and shorter and is now less than one page on a steno pad. We started on October 9th and even though we are not completely done, it is fully functional now.

This is just the first round of changes to be done to the house, I, unlike Sarah Richardson, have a limited budget and limited time to put into the job and my family has spent so much of their time working, we all need a break, maybe we will start again next spring. In the meantime, I'll share with you some of my favorite projects so far.

Let me say that the best part of this entire endeavor has been doing the work (sometimes really nasty work) with my Mom & Dad, Aunt Pat and Uncle Ray, Lauren, Aunt Judy & Uncle Del, Margaret Dunn, Aunt Ma, Uncle Melvin, Charles, Robert, Woody & Josh, Tyler and, of course, Perry. Aunt Pat kept reminding me, when it felt overwhelming, that we were just making memories and boy did we! I can't walk in a single room in this house that I don't see all of them there!

Before

The outside before and after shots, shown here, are from last month. We took down the mismatched shutters and replaced them with all matching ones.

The closed in front porch will be coming off so we can have a rocking chair front porch like a true southern house. And in the spring we hope to do some beautiful and much needed landscaping!

During...

The weather has been so yucky, I don't have more updated photos, but stay tuned, more to come!

a little more "therapy"

Connie and I were so inspired by what a difference a day made to the dining room that we decided to do a little sprucing up in the great room too. I forgot to take before pictures, so you'll just have to use your imaginations.

With the dining room  looking so fresh and bright, it made the others look  worse than they actually did. So we decided that after church on Sunday, we'd check out a home decor store for some fresh accessories and we'd spend our last afternoon together re-arranging furniture and touching up paint.

We moved the living room sofa from the center of the room to the window wall, which opened up the large space dramatically. We took down the heavier curtains and opted to just use the shears. We added the throw pillows to the sofas, which made them feel like new and took out the rug that was showing too much wear. The biggest change was bringing in a colorful, fun clock for over the sofa where she had a collage of family photos. While family photo walls are great, the collection was a bit busy, by bringing in one large item, it made the space seem more restful.

On the other side of the great room is a seating area with a fireplace with built-in shelves on each side. The shelves were mostly empty except for a few books which we moved to the bookcase that was on the other wall. We decided to take out the shelves and use the niches for two large pieces of art. I removed some of the family photos from this area and we pared them down to the most recent of each family member and chose frames that were most alike.

Because the two areas of the great room are open to each other, we chose to use art that had the same look and feel as what was already in there. The spot lights in the niches highlight the paintings and make the space feel very elegant.

There are very few accessories and that creates a more calm space, where the senses aren't so stimulated. Again, this make-over was mostly with things she already owned. We only bought the art for the niches, the clock and the throw pillows. The entire thing took about six hours and that includes the shopping.





It was so satisfying sitting down that evening and looking at what we had accomplished, but nothing could compare with the smiles and laughter we had shared while we worked together. 

So, the lessons here are these: Updating your space and creating order to your home can change your outlook on the rest of the world; You can make a huge difference in the look at feel of your rooms for very little money just by looking at what you have more critically; And last but not least, making these changes with a friend make lasting and wonderful memories!

Re-decorating "Therapy"

So, any of you who have read my blog for a while, or who have worked with me, either as a client or co-worker, know that I truly believe that our environments profoundly impact our spirits. When our lives get crazy and chaotic, we can retreat to our calm and serene spaces and get rejuvenated. But, when our homes are also crazy and chaotic, then we have no respite from the stress. This is definitely the case for my friend, Connie.

Connie and I became friends our sophomore year in high school, but after high school, as happens so often, we went our separate ways and lost touch for twenty years. (How can that be when we are only 39? well, stranger things have happened.) Since our re-connection we have tried to get together as often as possible and have enjoyed traveling together and getting to know each other's families.

In the past few months, Connie and her family have had some pretty serious issues to deal with and their lives have been turned upside down. Their home life has been in complete disarray and their once warm, cozy and fun-filled home has taken on the image of the upheaval as well.

Their family has lived in this house for twenty-two years and they have remodeled and redecorated and expanded to make it fit their family's needs. Over the years this house has become the place where their best memories have happened, so when the troubles came, the memories became difficult to hold on to and the house began to lose it's warmth.

My family went through similar issues a few years ago, so I wanted to share with my friend and encourage her, so I took a trip to the mid-west to see what I could do to help. Now, I'm no professional counselor, and I've never played on on TV, but every woman knows that a little "retail therapy" can lift the spirits like nothing else! So, we decided to go shopping and there was a Danish Furniture store just down the street and that's where we started! (I know you are wondering if this shopping trip was about helping Connie, or all about ME!?)

Connie had mentioned that she wanted to get new furniture and that freshening up the house was something she'd been thinking about doing, so even though I'm not a professional counselor, I am a professional designer, so I knew I could help!

All we had to do was polish the floors!

She wanted a new bedroom suite and a new kitchen table and chairs, but the room that needed the most TLC was the dining room. It was the most un-used room in the house and we decided to change that.

The carpet had seen better days and we knew that there were hardwoods under there, so we decided to uncover them and see how bad they were... but, they weren't!

Once the carpet was up, we patched a few spots on the walls, touched up the paint and decided to move the kitchen table (which was in good shape, just needed new chairs) in and went back out to find chairs and a new light fixture.

Now, you're probably wondering where the therapy took place, well, it was in the tearing out the carpet, focusing on something other than what was bad, it is seeing a change in your surroundings and feeling fresh new starts. Sometimes doing something physical can give a sense of well-being, but when you are struggling emotionally, it's hard to be physical. Some of this was hard work, but the more we did, the better she seemed to feel.

The kitchen table was a light maple finish and Connie had the two chairs that were in the dining room, they were in good shape, but one had a little candle wax on the upholstery and the legs were a dark color. We decided we'd use them so we removed the wax from the fabric* and decided to find a way to make the dark and light finishes "work".

I found a great natural fiber settee that had both light and dark in the woven materials and shared the same dark colored legs as the chairs. We decided that we liked the fact that it wasn't the expected, so we bought it and brought it home. We also found a fantastic light fixture that was simple and elegant, but added a bit of "bling" and after just a few attempts, we got it all wired up and working! (never underestimate the power of two women on a concerted mission)

The curtains had already  been in the room, we just brought them back in, and the new light fixture repeated the circle pattern of the curtains. We added round placemats to continue the theme. We brought back in the mirror and sconces that were in there before, but centered them over the table, which we positioned center of the light fixture.

Before

After (almost)

The best part of this therapeutic make-over, is that everything except for the settee and pillows, light fixture and very few accessories were already in the house. And, it took us only twelve hours to complete! (including the shopping)

After

The room is bright and fresh, and for one day Connie was able to focus on something besides the pain she'd been feeling for so many weeks. We spent that night just sitting in the space, we had our coffee there the next morning and so many times since I left she has told me she's using the room.

No, the trials are not over, the situation isn't "fixed", but there's a new outlook and a place of calm and serenity where she can go and rejuvenate. Her devotion book is there on the table, and there are no bad memories to distract her from prayer and meditation. It's a place that she can now share new and wonderful memories with her family.  And as her friend, I can't help but be proud and honored to have been a part of that with her!



*My Aunt Pat taught me to get was out of fabric by laying a paper bag over the fabric and then using a warm iron, go lightly over the paper bag and the heat will melt the wax and the paper bag with absorb it. You might want to use a thin towel between the paper bag and your iron, but it works! Thanks Aunt Pat!

Love & Passion

In May, my husband and I went on a vacation to the Pacific northwest. We started in Seattle and drove the PCH (Pacific Coast Highway) all the way south to San Francisco! It was absolutely the best vacation we've ever taken, and mostly because of the beautiful Bed and Breakfasts we stayed in each night.

One, in particular, Abigail's Elegant Victoria Mansion in Eureka, California, stands out most in my mind. It wasn't just about the hospitality of the Innkeepers, it was the home they had created! It was like a "Night at the Museum". The furnishings and the decor was so perfectly done, you'd swear you'd gone back in time.

picture moldings/medallions

They have lived in the home for over twenty years and have spent all of that time restoring and recreating the High Victorian style; true to the period the house was built. They've put so much time, effort and finances into designing this house back to it's roots! Not a single detail has been left to chance nor ignored. The pictures all hang from beautiful cords and medallions from the picture moldings.

Upholstered Walls

 They have original lighting throughout the house  and the effect is stunning. They've even used beautiful imported tapestry fabrics to upholster the bedroom walls!

Original lighting

Tapestry fabric walls

Probably the most impressive thing, if there is just one, would be the use of wallpaper. They have had the most amazing and intricate wallpaper designs done on the walls and ceilings of the main floor. This would be so typical of the period and they are gorgeous.

Just to note, this wallpaper doesn't come in sheets, it is painstakingly cut from rolls, each little design, and applied in layers to create these beautiful patterns.

Peacock in the window

The draperies are also very detailed and layered. They not only dress the windows beautifully, they are used graciously between the rooms. In the Victorian era that would have been to keep smaller spaces warm, and in modern times with central heating, wouldn't be necessary. That's what I like about their design, they did it for the design's sake, not function.

You can see better (professional) photos on their website, but these I took in the wee hours of the morning as we were checking out of the B&B.

'chick'-a-dee in birdcage

One of the other things you might have noticed is that, even though they have taken their design seriously, they haven't taken the decor too seriously... check out the chicken in the bird cage! It's a stuffed chicken, a sort of "tongue-in-cheek" response to the beautiful taxidermy peacock in the front room window. I love it!

 

Drapery in doorway

Now, not everyone could live like this, I'd hate all of the dusting, but I can certainly appreciate the style for what it is and definitely enjoyed looking at the beautiful furnishings (most of which are antiques!) The lessons here, I think, are to design your interior according to the architecture or period of the home, and to be passionate about the things you bring into your space.

Doug and Lily love their home and consider themselves curators, not just innkeepers or homeowners. Their passions for the home and the Victorian period have made their home something so special, not only to them, but to all who are lucky enough to visit.