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Hello! I'm Suzannah, a serious DIYer and mom of two little ones. Follow along with my DIY fixer upper house renovations, sewing and crafty projects, real food recipes, and de-stressing goals.
I believe you can love your home just the way it is, AND have the power to design and make big changes to make it better.
I'm also the author of DIY Wardrobe Makeovers!

House project update--Painting.

Well, the housewarming party is over, the pressure's off, and I'm taking a little break from nonstop house projects to blog about the house projects we've already done. Phew!

It's been a pretty loooooong list, so... how about I combine? Wanted to share the wall-painting projects we've done, since I think this will be it for a while painting-wise--I have a few other loose ideas but am not totally sure what will be painted what outside of these.

1. Half bathroom.
First, I painted the top half of the downstairs half bathroom this deep brown color, inspired by several pretty bathrooms I've pinned. Didn't want to overpower the room, so we painted the bottom half shiny white and put up a chair railing, sort of getting at the paneling look of wainscoting or bead board, but without actually buying and installing it. ;)

Before/after! (Update: See my stencil of the wall here!)

And here you can see my attempt at hanging art. Gosh, it is so hard to do in a new house. The pink and red in the Andy Warhol lips print really want to be picked up with another color somewhere else in the room... little rug maybe, or... I'm looking for a cute soap dispenser--preferably one that won't fall off the sink and break. Also desperately looking for a small cabinet thing to go in the corner across from the toilet to hold toilet paper and maybe a very, very small laundry basket for the kitchen towels and rags. Would love to have something bright in there. Oh, and it's hard to see since it's reflecting dark... but there's a lovely pretty round mirror there on the wall. MUCH better than the huuuuge framed thing that was in there before--way too big. The builder picked it out.


2. Guest bathroom.
Next was the tricky upstairs bathroom. It was so blah before. No windows, and the lightbulbs originally were really yellow... I changed them to cooler ones, but still not the same as natural light. And when I just put up a shower curtain, it was such an ugly room--plain except for a shower curtain that had no relation to anything else. I didn't know what to do in there to make it look better! My mom described it as "so suburban" and then as "mundane"--very accurate descriptions, Mom.

Before...


After!

My only idea for this room was grey stripes, like I've admired before in bathrooms, hallways, and dining rooms. I bought a shade of grey from the same Sherwin Williams paint card of the "Snowfall" paint that's in the whole house, SW 6000, and in the same eggshell finish. SW 6003, Proper Grey. I used a yardstick and wide sewing ruler to measure the stripes--9.25" apart, except the top one which is a teeny bit larger. Just picked a size that fit well on the wall. I marked every 5-10 inches, going along the wall horizontally, and then taped a line with masking tape.

These stripes were the hit of the housewarming party! Everyone loved them! I also had THE hardest time picking out towels for that bathroom. Seriously could not decide. All I like is grey and white, and that grey would have been super hard to match--the shower curtain isn't a perfect match but I want to add some embellishment of some kind to it which will hopefully distract. Also need a bath rug!! And I just threw those art pieces up there, but the red and pink in them make me thing a nice bold contrasting tomato red would look good as an accent somewhere in there. And would love something cute to go on the counter. Canisters for cotton balls or something...

3. Guest room.
The only other room I was sure needed painting was the guest room. I went back and forth but kept loving navy for this room--but of course you can't do too much navy without a lot of good lighting or space without looking cave-like. So my sweet husband painted one accent wall for us, and that's all it needs, I think. It's amazing what a change it made!

Before (well, yeah--practically empty):

After (paint and a lot of other decorating!!):

More on the rest of the pieces later!! We've been busy re-doing furniture too!

22 comments

  1. Dutch Girl10/11/2012

    Those stripes are lovely! I still think that a kind of red/ light pink would be a good choice, but that's my opinion. Or perhaps an other kind of grey (darker). greetz,

    Dutch Girl

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  2. great job so far! i love seeing your home come together. that nightstand in the guest room-is that an ikea hack? i've seen you pin some of those :) either way, it looks great! also, i love the lip print in the bathroom. i struggle with artwork for the bathroom all the time! i always want something appropriate but that is a perfect choice!

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    Replies
    1. Haha, yep, a Rast that my husband painted after clear instructions and an Apartment Therapy inspiration! Will be posting about the furniture-painting soon! Glad you approve of the bathroom art so far! =)

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  3. Wow - your new house is coming together so beatifully. You are so great at putting things together!

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  4. oh now i'm thinking i need to repaint several rooms in my house!!

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  5. Katherine10/11/2012

    I love the stripes! I think the gray is a great choice because it makes the stripes look more "adult" and less like a nursery.

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  6. Aww... It all looks so good!

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  7. Wow, Suzannah! We closed on our house July 31, and you are putting me to shame with all the work you've done! Granted, I am juggling a full-time courseload and a part time job, and my handyman is only available on weekends, but still!

    I was debating doing grey stripes down our hallway--I think you've inspired me to go for it! Are your stripes grey on grey, or white and grey? Is that other wall white, or grey? I am having a hard time telling from the picture. It looks great, though!

    My husband wants to do red accents in our grey and white hall bath. I say go for it!

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    1. Cool! It was a very stressful weekend right before the party... we both work during the day so I was going a little crazy and am more relaxed now!

      Stripes would be awesome down a prominent hallway!! The stripes are grey on very, very pale grey, the original wall color for all the walls throughout the house (Sherwin Williams SW 6000 Snowfall)--on the same card as the SW 6003 Proper Grey that's the darker stripe. I'd love to add red accents to the grey/white/light grey/aqua look we have going!

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  8. LOVE the stripes!

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  9. Oh I just love how everything turned out - you are a miracle worker doing so much in such little time!!!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks and thanks a million for your ideas and help!!!

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  10. oh my gosh, everything looks amazing!! I bet it feels so good to have those projects working out so beautifully! The stripes are amazing, I've pinned something similar, it's nice to see it done by a real person! :)

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  11. The stripes are so great! I can't believe how much you got done just since I saw the place. It looks amazing!

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  12. LOVE the striped bathroom! It's amazing what a new coat of paint can do.

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  13. Hi Suzannah,

    I must say you've done a great job, with your and guest bathroom, particularly the stripes are looking so stylish. Guest bedroom makeover is also reasonable. I'll be waiting for your post about furniture redo. Good Luck for your project. :)

    Eva

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  14. I love the grey stripes, they look great.

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  15. Thanks, everyone!!!!! Sounds like the stripes are a BIG hit online, too! Can't wait to share more pics!

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  16. I love the dark brown and navy, but WOW, those gray stripes! -Marci @ Stone Cottage Adventures

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  17. I love the bathroom design.
    Everything is so perfect.

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  18. Painting a home provides both decorative and protective functions. In its decorative function, painting adds warmth, accent, and interest. I enjoyed reading the blog.
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  19. The main concept of colors is outstanding. It looked more elegant.
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