Making a House Your Home

It’s so important to love where you live + surround yourself with objects that make you smile.  If not, you make it so!

 

 

 

 

 

Everyone’s been asking me for pictures of my new house, but it’s still a work in progress + there’s lots of loose ends to tie up!  So I’m going to dedicate this post to our previous house, which was a labor of loooove to say the least.  I haven’t paid true homage to the wretched before to our happy after.

Last year, we only had one weekend to find our first house together in Vancouver.  The rent was great + by god, it was A WHOLE HOUSE – we quickly moved in.  Ready to tackle this project.  Oh, + what a doozy of a project it was!

Welcome home…oh god, the colors.

Kitchen before.  May I ask you, if you don’t have high ceilings, why would you paint it dark navy?  Why????  Those are our globe lights $15 from Home Depot.

Aaaaaaaah.  Kitchen after.  I like it light, bright + airy!  The ceiling was a beyotch + a half to paint – 4 coats!!!

Hmmmm, looking closely I didn’t stage that photo very well.  Step ladder in the shot, clutter.  Amateur!!!  Please don’t judge!

Bedroom before.  Shudder.  So depressing.  Ech.  And I get an allergic reaction to nipple light fixtures.

And yes, those hats are ours.  That’s about 1/8 of our hat collection.

Bedroom after.  Jeff suggested the wall to wall white curtains behind the bed + I thought it was cray cray.  But it really gave the room a larger, softer feel.

Bathroom before.  Aaack!!!  It burns mine eyes!!!  The green looked like painter’s tape.  It was so offensive!

I met the previous tenants who seemed nice enough, but maybe they were color blind???

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bathroom after.

It’s amazing what paint can do!  We found the “medicine cabinet” mirror brand new at the thrift store + Jeff rigged it up for us!  He’s so handy!

Hallway before.  Complete with bare bulb.  Crack den style.  And why the navy + peach combo???  Why is that ever a good idea?

Hallway after.  I got the idea for the bookshelves from a children’s book shelving system.

Living room before.  Paneled wall + a picture we put up to hide the control box.

The room was 4 different colors.  Again, color blind?  I could not deal.  I know people say don’t spend money on a rental, but I would have physically gotten ill anytime I was in the living room.

Half the walls were covered in this horrible peach textured wallpaper that I had a lot of fun ripping away.  It just reminded me of bad 80’s horribleness.  Oh + behind the wallpaper, the wall was covered in floor laminate paneling.  Another beyotch to paint.

Oh lordy lord.  What a hot mess.

Living room after!

When the landlord + I showed the house to future potential tenants, a couple people asked me if I was an interior designer!  I felt all Smug Sulu about it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just kidding, I was really surprised + super flattered!

I love Swedish + Japanese design with a little mid-century modern.  Not too much!  I’m not a fan of mid-century modern interiors where every detail is perfected to the point that you feel like you stepped directly into the 1950s.  I don’t think that’s very creative.

Custom made, inexpensive sea grass mat I had made at Coolite Bamboo on Hastings here in Vancouver.  Jeff + I randomly walked in on a rainy day.  It’s in a random industrial area + it’s such a great resource!!!  The mat covered a cracked tile entryway + helped keep the pine needles at bay.

Our wall of books that hid the electrical box.  I’m really fond of our little objects that we’ve collected from all around America + Canada.

We put so much work + care into our little house, but we decided it was time to move into a space that was a little bit bigger.  I do miss the house.  Jeff + I had fun setting it up + we will always have good memories our first house.  And we had a great relationship with our landlord – they were such a warm family + I loved them!

Here’s a picture of our new living/dining area.

A nice, clean slate to work with!  No projects here!  Our new landlord has since painted the fireplace mantle white, which made me extremely thrilled!

The new house!

And that’s it for now!  Aha, what a tease!  Well, there will be more to come as the new abode progresses!  But we are very, very, very happy + cozy in our new place!  At what lengths have you made to make your house a home???  Miss everyone!