Mulberry Street

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Before  - It was sad to see the yellow curtains and high gloss gold switch plate go, but alas, they had to. After The living room is closest to completion.  We installed four recessed lights and one decorative overhead light.  We put up new curtains, hung up our own pictures and bought a rug.  It's great to have a space that is clean, simple and away from the mess of toys.  Although, after the lights were installed, we've seen a lot more use in the room and the toys are somehow making their way in...ack.  At least everyone appreciates the functionality of overhead lighting.  Eventually we'll paint the molding white and the walls a gray/brown color.  It will look fantastic!

Right - the wall I claimed as my news center/landing strip area.  Unfortunately, two days later we took it all down for the wallpaper removal.  The timing was less than desirable, but, I have since decided to pull off the molding and paint the entire section of wall with blackboard paint.  This will allow me a lot more room to jot down thoughts and give the kids some space of their own.   Left - detail of the light fixture we installed in the living room.  It has been life changing to put in overhead lighting.  Lamps are nice and all, but they are just as expensive and not ideal for living with little ones. Right - my mudroom.  IKEA has all sorts of good storage and organization ideas.  I bought and assembled pieces from the STUVA system to create enough storage for all seasons - shoes, boots, bats, balls, chalk, gloves.   Left - my plan for the STUVA.  I've learned that it's best to write down everything that needs a home and then, ...

Lights before (left) and after (right).  Fancy chandeliers are not really our style, so we replaced them with more simple and straight forward light fixtures. Foyer: We re-purposed this chandelier for Genevieve's room.  Eric removed each crystal and spent an afternoon with Genevieve painting all the gold purple. Eat-in Kitchen :  I gave away this floral piece as fast as I could.  I'm sure someone painted it and sold it for some good cash, but I didn't have the energy to do all that. Dining Room :  Crystals as far as the eye can see.  The interesting thing about the original chandelier is that the gold sections were plated with clear plastic.  I guess it gives even the gold sections some pizzazz. Upstairs Hall : Simple.  Need I say more?  Because we replaced every single fixture, we were able to pick one style and install the various fixtures from that line, throughout the house.  It it nice to have some continuity through...

Bathroom remodeling takes some time, but rather than tackle them all at once, we've selected to remodel piecemeal. Kids' Bath : We tore down the wallpaper and installed a new light fixture, towel bars, shower rod and shower curtain.  We installed a new toilet too!  We plan to replace the vanity and paint the mirror.  We're undecided about the tile.  I don't mind the white and it is in good condition, so we might sit on that project for awhile. YouTube Video Master Bed Vanity : Tore down the wallpaper and replaced the light fixture.  We added a towel bar and voila - a very different space!  We need to replace the vanity and medicine cabinet (though the faux shutter look may grow on me...), and paint. Main Floor Half Bath :  Goodbye Wallpaper!  (I just can't say that enough!)  We tore down the wallpaper, replaced the toilet, light fixture and towel bar.  We need to paint the walls, replace the vanity and perhaps tile. W...

Wonder why we've checked out of our social lives?  We've spent most of our spare time working to update the new house.  The house was in great shape but it was out of date, like 30+ years out of date.  We have a lot of Super-Saturdays ahead of us, but we have already made a lot of progress to make the house feel like our own. Most recently, Eric spent two days wiring the family room with nine recessed lights.  He also took the opportunity to meticulously run speaker wire through the ceiling for the surround sound and hide it out of sight.  That man knows how to make a gal happy!  When the room is complete, I'll share some before and after pictures.  It's amazing what adding light to a room does for a space, not to mention how it suddenly draws each of us to the glorious light! Here are some other updates we've accomplished since moving in a short time ago... Genevieve's Room:  We took down the yellow curtains and hung her purple/green...