Better Master Bath

This project just goes to show how a little paint goes a long way to make a BIG impact.  Sean convinced me that painting the entire bathroom the red/orange color would be too much, so we went with a neutral on top, added a chair rail and did the coral color on bottom.  I am really happy with how it turned out and am so glad I do listen to my husband sometimes!  Once again, the bulk of this project fell on Sean's shoulders as he painted the whole space (including the water closet-or "toilet room" for you non-construction folks), built the towel rack/hooks, and did the chair rail for me.  Love him!!  Oh, and took down that huge builder-grade mirror.  Let me tell you, that thing was beyond heavy.  It took both of us to carry it.

 But, I think the change makes the whole bathroom look a lot nicer.  I got each mirror on clearance at Target for about $30.  Big impact for less than $70.  I think that switching out a big, frameless mirror and adding a fresh coat of paint is the fastest, cheapest way to update any bathroom.  *That's the DIY tip of the day, in case you missed it.  

 See how the white walls and trim just used to go on forever? 

 Sean hard at work!  He also switched out our el cheapo ceiling light fixture for one that matches the rest of our fixtures.  Another inexpensive improvement.

 

There you have it!  The only two rooms left to be painted are the boys' bathroom and the guest room/bathroom.  I think we will take the summer off on indoor projects and I'll put my handy husband on full time deck-building duty.  ;-)  Thank goodness for him!

Master Bedroom Reveal

I am happy to say that the master bedroom is nearly done!  It looks about 10 times better with a coat of paint, some curtains and artwork on the walls.  After those changes were made, our mismatched furniture didn't look so bad!  (The bed is from IKEA about a year ago, but everything else is old Craigslist and Target stuff.)

Blah "before" pic. And "after":

 The bedding (aside from flower pillow) is all from West Elm, on clearance.  They have the best sales and practically pay you to take it home!  The curtains are from Pottery Barn, also a super find on clearance at 70% off.  The lamps are from Target and the art is from Hobby Lobby, Target & Etsy.  I added the pieces over time & that made it more affordable. 

I got a really neat print of the state of Missouri with our names, anniversary date and wedding location (Kansas City) on Etsy for about $12. I thought it was so cool and looks good above the bed with our wedding photo and the art from Target.  

 The California print is special because it has some of the places we visited on our Napa/SF trip a few years ago. 

 The coral accent wall turned out nicely and ties the bedroom to the bathroom.  The bathroom is about 95% done, so I will post pics of that separately when it's finished.  A big thanks to Sean for all the painting and hanging of curtain rods.  I am so, so lucky to have a husband who puts up with my home-improvement projects and takes on the bulk of the workload.  Thank you, babe!!  I appreciate all of your hard work!

Warm Welcome

 After almost two years of a lackluster entry, we finally have a warm & inviting little space to welcome visitors. Thank you, Home Goods!  Does anyone else love looking at "before & after" pics?  Aside from the crappy photo quality (It may be time for a new camera...), you can get a sense of the lack of interest before. PS: The art on the wall/in reflection is new, too.  I just forgot to take the "before" picture of the plain brown wall with a huge, plain brown rectangle hanging on it.  Believe me, this is an improvement!

Coming Soon: Master Bedroom Makeover!

We I am finally getting around to decorating in the master bed/bath room.  This space has been bothering us me since we moved in, mostly because 1) it is a so freaking white and 2) there is no bathroom door, which means the two rooms have to tie in together somehow.  I found the inspiration pillow (grey chevron with coral flower) from Home Goods several months ago, and have been slowly finding things to go in the room since then.  Well, it is finally time to paint!  Enter Sean's role: painter extraordinaire.  He can hopefully start tackling that project this weekend.  I am so excited to see the finished results and will post pics when it all comes together! 

Boys & Their Toys

I went to Hobby Lobby this morning looking for one specific thing and left with a playroom theme. Thank goodness for 50% off sales!  Since every Beilman male seems to have a love of real cars and we have watched Cars & Cars 2 about a gazillion times, an automobile theme seemed like a good fit for us.  I also recycled some artwork that I forgot I had--love it when that happens!  And no, the playroom almost never really looks like this.  Most days, you are doing good to not step on a Lego or HotWheels car when you step foot in there!

 A couple of weeks ago, Sean's mom sent us a huge box full of Sean's old Micromachines, Construx and Legos.  The boys thought it was Christmas day!  I think Sean has enjoyed playing with them as much as Carter & Davis.  Thank you, Grandma Pat, for mailing these and saving them for Sean for all these years.  It is so neat that our boys will now get to play with them, just like Daddy did!

 Davis loved the Micromachines.

 Focused on building something really cool...

Robot Room

After living here for 13 months, Carter's robot room is finally coming together.  I'm not finished with it, but finding robot decor is proving to be pretty difficult, so this will just be a constant work in progress.  

Here's the "before", in all of its boring white glory:

And now:

 There's that stainless table that Sean refurbished for me a while back.  Doesn't it look great in here?

 This picture is my favorite.  The photograph above the vintage robot poster is of Sean (on the right) and two of his engineering school buddies in college.  Zach (the guy in the robot suit) built that costume & they walked around campus one day "controlling" the robot.  Ahh, engineers.  Their sense of humor is, well, unique.  Anyway, this photo was the inspiration for the room.  I love it & so does Carter.  

Table Transformation

A while back, I asked Sean if he would rehab this table so we could use it in Carter's room.  This little wicker table is from my parents' apartment in New Orleans, back in the mid-70s.  We used it in some way or another the whole time I was growing up, then I painted it seafoam green & took it to college in the early '90s.  It was later repainted to fit in at one of my various apartments after I moved to Denver and now, it sits in my 4-year-old's room.  Crazy.  Sean pulled a miracle on this one...I cannot believe how cool it looks now!

 Before:

 Helping Daddy with the table...

 AFTER: Metallic silver legs, a stainless steel top and bright orange trim.  (It probably would have been a good idea to clean it before taking the photos.  Oh well.)

*We are still finishing up Carter's "robot room", but will post photos of the finished project after it comes together.  It is taking considerably longer than the cowboy room did.