Operation Home

So, our master bedroom is painted. And not a moment too soon. Actually it was painted last weekend, but I ran short on time for taking pictures.

Anyhoo, we started out a dark tone of purple…

And ended up a pretty grey…

I know… This looks mighty similar to our last bedroom. Because it is. It’s actually the same Driftwood Grey by Glidden that we used in our last house, but I had it tinted 25% lighter. I just couldn’t get this shade of grey out of my head. Its just so interesting and complex with it’s sexy green undertones. In my mind, it’s the perfect grey. So, I wanted to keep it, but lighten it up a smidge to account for the smaller window and dimmer lighting. I actually think I could’ve even gone 50% lighter now that it’s up on the walls, but I’m happy enough that I don’t see it changing anytime soon.

Here’s a progress shot which shows the difference in colors. You can see how purple the walls were in comparision…

Here’s the view from the doorway (extra Brownie Points to anyone who can teach me how to take proper photos of windows)…

And for fun, here’s what it looked like when we took possession, before we changed the carpet…

I haven’t hung any curtains yet because we’re having our paper-thin 1970’s windows replaced in a few weeks (Woot!). Once that’s done, it’s on. I’d also like to get a bench or something for the end of the bed. I’m not used to having a room this big, so I’m not really sure what to do exactly… maybe some kind of area rug for visual interest?

I decided to make this little corner a seating nook…

I’m absolutely digging the vintage Naugahyde footstool. I found it on Craigslist and just had to have it. The end table came with the coffee table in the living room. I never finished it with anything because I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with it, but now I think I’m gonna Polyshade it darker to match the footstool. I’d love to add a standing lamp of some sort, and that fake plant will get a different pot (or I’ll maybe chance the life of a real plant again).

I’d definitely like to get some different art for our room this time around. Something modern and quirky that suits our personalities. Maybe some kind of oversized framed posters or something. I’ll have to just keep an eye out for what strikes me. I think between different art, getting a new, sleeker bed/headboard (once I actually find one), and a few other tricks that I’ve got up my sleeve, the feeling of the room will change immensely.

On to the little atrium area… which is now the home for our new MCM dresser….

And it fits like a glove. I’ve put no effort into accessorizing it again since moving it from the adjoining wall because I wanted a clean palette to work from. Hopefully, I’ll glean some decent art ideas from the blankness. I do know that I’d love to add some interesting floor-to-ceiling wall treatment behind it. I’ve seen some neat tutorials where fabric was applied to the wall for pattern, so maybe something along those lines. Plus, I’m thinking either a mirror above it or some light, bright art.

In other news, I’ve also painted the master bathroom. But thanks to the Home Depot providing me with the incorrect color, I’ll be repainting it before I show it to you. Don’t worry… I’ll divulge the deets at that time, along with some always-fun blooper pics.

We’ve also been researching exterior color schemes for the outside of the house. We were told during our inspection that the house needed to be caulked, sealed, and painted to make it more impenetrable to the elements and prevent further damage from occurring. We’ve gotten estimates and would like to get that done before it gets too cold in case we have another harsh winter. I’ll let ya’ll know once we’ve figured it out.

So, is everybody ready for Halloween?? We have a little Ninja Turtle roaming around these parts at any given time. And he’s not Lucas anymore. He’s Michelangelo. He now introduces himself as such to strangers. Though, strangely, he decided on Rafael for his costume. I guess it makes sense, though. If he truly IS Michelangelo, then Raphael is bit of a departure. On that note, if the Ninja Turtles dressed as each other for Halloween, would we even notice?? Yes, this is what I’m thinking about right now. Okay, time to go. Ya’ll have a fun, safe holiday!!! 🙂

We’ve always figured ourselves for “open floor plan people”. I mean, open floor plans are great for many reasons…. They’re open, airy, and offer increased visibility which is fantastic, especially if you have young children. Not to mention, they’re great for interacting with guests at parties. Our first two houses had open floor plans and we loved them. In fact, I don’t know that I’ve ever NOT lived in an open floorplan. My parents house is open. All of my apartments were open. And Joey reports the same. He’s only ever lived in open floor plans.

So, when we bought our 1975 ranch-style house with a closed floor plan (which I’m defining as having a separate kitchen), we automatically figured that we’d be knocking down walls to recreate that openness. And although we still might open the kitchen more up to the dining space eventually, we’re looking at it a bit differently now. Because, the truth is, we’ve noticed some unexpected benefits to having a closed floor plan since living here.

When we moved in, I’d assumed that I’d have to “get used” to the closed floor plan. “Deal with it” until we had the funds for a full reno. But, I was completely taken aback when we moved in, and I actually kinda liked it. No, no… Not kinda. I DID like it. Granted, we’ve only lived here for a short time, but still… like is like. And I figure, if I’m liking a layout with an independent kitchen this quickly, that’s a REALLY good sign. Why do I feel this way, you ask??? Well….

1. Family dinners are family dinners. This was one of the first things I noticed. Meals automatically became about us and our food. Not the TV. Gone are the days of redirecting Lucas’s attention from the TV to his plate. Gone are the days of Joey getting irritated with annoying commercials and leaving his seat to mute the set. Gone are the days of meals with little conversation due to other distractions. We can’t see or hear the TV from the kitchen, so it’s pretty much out of sight, out of mind. Our new closed floorplan has opened our meals up to conversation, which is pretty much awesomesauce.

2. Speaking of TV, there’s been much less of it in general. With our open floorplan, the TV was always on. I mean, we could always see/hear it, so it was just second nature to wake up, turn on the set and then leave it on the majority of the day until bedtime. Even if we didn’t sit and watch it, it was always on. We started realizing that this maybe wasn’t such a good thing when instead of singing nursery rhymes, Lucas began singing State Farm commercials. Seriously. We would laugh and then wonder if it was funny or sad. But, we just.couldn’t.stop. The draw of the TV was just too much. We couldn’t not have it on and once it was on, it was hard to turn off.

Now, in our new house, there are days when we don’t turn on the TV at all for most of the day. If we’re doing stuff in the kitchen, bedrooms, whatever, the TV just stays off because there’s no point in having it on. We can’t see or hear it anyways. And, we’ve found that Lucas would rather hang out with us, rather than sit in front of the TV without us, so he’s exposed less TV as well. It’s very different, but good. And nothing that we intentionally strived for. Just a beneficial side-effect of our home’s layout.

3. In place of TV, is music. Before, unless I was in the car or on a jog, I rarely just turned on the tunes. Namely, because the TV was always on. Now, when I’m cooking or doing something in one of the bedrooms, I find myself busting out the Pandora. I’d forgotten how great it can be to just turn on some music. Lucas likes it, too. We’ve found spontaneous dance parties to be much more common around these parts. Much moreso than in our previous homes.

4. Closed floorplans are ALSO great for having guests over. Just in different ways. We haven’t had a ton of people over yet, but in the few instances that we have, I’ve noticed several things. With our open floor plans, I could see and talk to my guests at all times, but I’m so bad at multitasking that this would often result in burnt food, or me forgetting something major… Like putting all the food out, etc. Now, I can pre-plan and get most stuff done before guests arrive, then finish the last few things in the kitchen with focus, and have the rest of the night to chill with friends and family. Thus, our guests actually GET all the food I’ve prepared. And the food is relatively intact (relatively). Also, the closed floor plan allows me to keep my mess contained to the kitchen, leaving a nice, neat dining and living space to entertain guests in. With our previous open floor plans, my cooking mess was out for all to see. It always made me feel scattered to have my countertops cluttered with stuff in front of guests.

5. I get my steps in. With an open floor plan, you can see everything, making things easier to find. With a closed floorplan, you must walk to find things. Some may see this as a downside, but as a lazy exerciser, I like it. Fitness is about overall movement and walking more contributes to that. At least that’s what I’m telling myself. 😉

6. I’m reminded of how much I enjoy cooking. Sans distractions, I can actually focus on this task alone. And I really love it. I’ve found myself rediscovering creativity in the kitchen, which has been missing for quite some time. I’m not sure if it’s the enclosed kitchen or the fact that I feel so at home in this house, but I’ve really noticed a difference in myself in this way since moving in.

Aside from that, I’m really finding our little, somewhat outdated kitchen to be quite charming. Even the nose-cabinets are growing on me…

(Flashback to moving day… I’ll have updated pics for you soon. 🙂 )

And I’m feeling more and more tempted to leave the cabinetry and layout original to maintain that charm (although, who knows… minds are changing daily around these parts). It’s just so relaxing to sit in our kitchen in the mornings, sipping my coffee, as I gaze at our yard through the french doors. Quietness. No distractions. I think it’s fair to say that I love our new home and feel so very fortunate to be here. Especially since something (ie: closed floor plan) that we originally saw as a downside is proving to be much more enjoyable than we’d originally thought. So, I guess the moral here is that you just don’t know until you give it a chance. And I’m really glad that we did.