Our master bedroom has taken a backseat to many other projects.

We bought nightstands, organized the closet, hung an awkward curvy headboard under the window and pretty much lived with it like that for the past year. But I finally said to HH, “Enough is enough! Time to make this a room we want to sleep in every night.” I’ve slowly been acquiring pieces over the past six months and recently repainted. This past weekend we got around to hanging window treatments and installing new lighting. We’re not done with the room just yet but take a peek.

Clearly, I am still in the process of fine tuning the details {nightstand styling, hemming curtains, adding accessories, etc.} but I am already in love with this room.

It’s so weird. I had envisioned a dark and moody bedroom but somehow I ended up with a calm and airy one. If it had been totally up to me, I would have gone for those dark walls but HH was leery and told me more than once he didn’t want to feel like he was sleeping in a cave. So we went lighter and I’m surprised by how much I like it! The wall color {Benjamin Moore half moon crest} reminds me of a light gray-blue oxford shirt and it’s growing on me. Big time.

We hung a curtain rod above the closet and added four floor-to-ceiling curtains. It’s so nice not to see our jumble of clothes from bed.

The panels easily slide over to give us access to the closet. We thought doors would have been too cumbersome and we like how the curtains balance out the window on the other side of the room. And hanging the curtains high on the wall go a long way in making the room feel bigger.

We hung woven blinds and curtains on the window opposite the closet. The plan is to embellish the plain white curtains {maybe on the closet too?} with ribbon or something. And hem them. Obviously. I always like to wash, dry, iron and hang curtains BEFORE I hem them so I know they aren’t going to shrink up on me.

Ideally, I wouldn’t put my bed under a window unless it was architecturally interesting but we don’t really have a choice in this room. I tried to make the most of it. I looked at a bunch of pictures online of beds in front of windows. Many of them showed curtains falling behind the headboard but they were a little too fussy for me. The images I liked most were of simply dressed windows. So we just hung some woven blinds and called it a day. I like the texture and laid back feel of the shade.

We also switched out the curvy headboard for a straighter one to help the bed “fit” under the window better. I made sure to find one that wouldn’t overlap with the window. We love the original slate windowsills and like showing them off.

Our bedroom receives very little natural light. To keep it bright, good artificial lighting is a must. We added a new ceiling fixture, a table lamp on a dresser on the other side of the room and two swing arm lamps flanking the bed. The swing arm lamps are my favorite pieces in the room and are super functional for two like-to-read-in-bed kinda people. I actually ordered the wall lamps back in January and they’ve been sitting boxed on our dresser up until a few days ago. I was waiting to paint and receive our new headboard before we hung them. There has been a running joke in our bedroom for the past several months…

HH, trying to read his Handyman magazine by the light of a lone lightbulb on the ceiling: Boy, it sure would be nice to have some reading lights in here.

Me: Technically, we do have reading lights in here. They’re just in boxes.

The lamps support up to 75W which is more than enough for nighttime reading. The arm and shade are adjustable but I need to WD40 them. They’re a little stiff. I was this close to ordering the lamps in silver. That was my initial safe choice. But I am so glad I went for the antique brass. They feel so grown up. And I do turn 35 this year. Now if I could only keep my teenaged inappropriate humor under wraps…NAH. Borrrrrrrrring. {In my defense, I did just quell the urge to throw in a “that’s not the only stiff thing in the bedroom” joke. So sorry.}

The room is narrow so I thought horizontal striped bedding would make it feel wider. Plus, I never met a stripe I didn’t like.

I know you guys probably have a bunch of questions about where I got what but, if you don’t mind, I’d rather address those in a true “after” post. Especially since I’ll be adding in more accessories. But if there is something you are just itching to get your hands on, ask in the comments and I’ll be sure to source it for you. I just couldn’t wait any longer to share how things are looking.

In the meantime, I’ll be hanging out in my bedroom tweaking ’til my heart’s content. It’s funny. I used to blaze through this room on the way to the bathroom {the other bathroom is still gutted} and do my nighttime reading in the living room on the sofa but, now, I want to be in this room all. the. time. And it’s not even done.

images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

BAM. Five things on my dresser. But, first, let’s cut to the chase. I repainted our bedroom. I really, really, REALLY wanted to go for Benjamin Moore’s anchor gray – a dark, moody navy-gray. Alas, when it came down to it, our north-facing bedroom couldn’t handle it. It just would have been too dark. I’m not scared of dark walls {I have some in my mudroom and my daughter’s nursery} but I like them in rooms that receive a fair amount of natural light to begin with.

Instead, I opted for Benjamin Moore’s half moon crest. I first saw it in Orlando’s apartment. He described it as a warm gray but in our dim Ohio room it reads much cooler. Especially on wet and dreary days like today. {I have fantasies of moving to California just for the good natural light.} HH loves it. I like it. It really is the best wall color for this room which is infamous for casting strange dingy green shadows. Half moon crest is elusive and ever-changing. I like my paint colors that way. Sometimes it’s a cool gray, sometimes a warm gray, sometimes a blue-gray. My dream bedroom would have natural light flooding in all day but this is not my dream bedroom. I’m working with what I’ve got.

Enough talk of paint. Back to five things on my dresser…

Sources: Threshold gold decorative bowl // Robert Abbey Delta Lily lamp // Threshold decorative ball // Threshold glass & acacia server // Threshold square tabletop frame

I partnered with the good people at Target to bring you this tabletop styling.

It all started with those industrial spheres. They were the literal balls that got the metaphorical ball rolling. I like decorative pieces that are sculptural. I bought the lamp per Emily’s recommendation. She is right. It has the perfect scale. I added a brass bowl to corral pens. {The plan is to convert this dresser into a workstation…stay tuned!} I planted a trio of jade plants in a dip server. A DIP SERVER! Call me crazy. It proves that, indeed, you can plant succulents in anything. On a whim, I drew a quirky little geometric piece of art and framed it up.

This little corner is the last thing I see before I fall asleep at night.

It melts me.

There are still finishing touches to put on this corner and the rest of the bedroom but it’s coming along! This weekend’s plans include hanging swing arm lamps on either side of the bed and installing hardware on the top dresser drawer so it can be used as a keyboard pull out.

This is my final post in the Threshold series. Maybe that makes some of you happy. But my honest hope for this series was to inspire you to tweak your home. Play around. Have fun. Try something new. Even if you have kids running around. Even if it’s just one corner or one table. Even if you end up not liking it and redo it. Even if you don’t buy any Threshold products.

That’s all.

This post brought to you by Threshold, a Target collection. The Threshold collection focuses on specialized design techniques including hand-painted accents and artisanal touches to make each piece unique yet affordable. What differentiates Target’s new Threshold collection is its unprecedented style coupled with its high quality and affordability. Thank you Tar-jay!

images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

I’ve been itching to repaint the master bathroom. We painted it Benjamin Moore’s Tapestry Beige before we moved in. Don’t get me wrong. I love Tapestry Beige. It’s in our living room, kitchen and hallway. But in our naturally dark {boo} bedroom and bathroom it looks dingy. It’s not that noticeable on the blog because I’m able to lighten the pictures. In fact, you might not even be able to tell that I repainted.

I wanted there to be less of a contrast between the walls, trim and ceiling so I repainted the walls to match the trim and ceiling – Benjamin Moore’s White Dove color matched in Behr paint. I’ve never painted an entire room – walls, ceiling, trim, doors – one color before but I like it in our teeny master bath. With many of the small details painted the same color, the room feels less busy. I don’t know if I would like this effect in a different, larger room but in a really small bathroom it works.

The wall color helps camouflage the small cabinet {also painted White Dove} that we added last winter to house HH’s electric razor and toothbrush.

This picture better shows how the walls, cabinet and door sort of all fade together into a warm white abyss.

Because our bathroom is prone to splatters and drips {currently we’re sharing the bathroom with our three kids}, I chose a satin finish for easy cleaning.

With the master bathroom repainted, next on my list is the master bedroom. It will happen this week. I have no choice. My older kids’ last day of school is Friday and I’m banking on getting nothing done once they’re home for the summer. Our bedroom is naturally dark {it’s the room that gets the least amount of natural light in our house} so I’m going to play up that effect and go for something cozy. I’m tweaking my original plans just a bit. Here’s a peek.

More progress to come!

For those of you keeping track, the bathroom makes four rooms {the bedroom will be the fifth and last!} I’ve repainted since moving in not even a year ago. I shouldn’t be allowed to pick paint colors when I’m pregnant.

Click here to see who won last week’s Teal & Lime giveaway!

images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

Some of my favorite bloggers have a case of the kitchen blues.

John and Sherry of Young House Love recently painted their kitchen walls a happy blue. The blue-gray walls play nicely with the white cabinets, warm wood tones, gray accents and bursts of cheerful color.

Lauren Liess of Pure Style Home is using blue bead board in a client’s kitchen. I think it gives the farmhouse style kitchen a youthful feel.

Chris and Julia are in the midst of a complete kitchen overhaul. They updated their existing cabinetry with new paint – white on the upper cabinets and sophisticated navy on the base cabinets. I’ll be checking in on them tomorrow to sneak a peek at their new walnut countertops which are sure to look rich and handsome next to the navy.

What do you think of using blue paint in the kitchen? Would you try it? Where? Walls, backsplash or cabinets?

images:  1) Young House Love  2) Pure Style Home  3) Chris loves Julia

Hi Dana,

Paint color is my biggest home DIY nemesis. I’m inspired by your choices. I’ve noticed that the colors you used in your previous house were gray with green hues. Was there a design reason for having a green base in the paint colors? Even the dark accent wall that was in your master had green undertones.

I’ve also noticed that your new house doesn’t have the infamous green-based hues. It seems you’ve chosen warmer hues with subtle, lighter creams. I’m just curious, why? Is it the latest trend? What’s your strategy? – Angelina

Well, Angelina, I have to say that choosing paint colors for our previous house was a quicker and easier process. It was a large home with tons of tall windows, plenty of natural light and high ceilings. Those attributes alone set the stage for nearly any paint color to work well. I chose Valspar {Lowe’s} bonsai for 95% of the house. Three walls in the formal living room were Valspar {Lowe’s} dry riverbed which is a muddy gray. The mini mudroom and laundry room were a soft blue-green. I had a dark accent wall behind my bed. My craft closet was a light lavender-pink. Quite the mix!

Looking back, other than most of the walls being a gray-green, I had no real strategy in regards to paint. And it totally showed. I chose colors that I liked without paying much attention to how they worked as a whole. It wasn’t as noticeable in the house because the different colors were somewhat far apart from one another but if I had laid out all those color swatches next to each other, I think I would have realized it was a strange color palette.

I was intimidated to repaint anything on a large scale. {That’s why the few other colors in the paint palette were painted in small rooms or only as accent walls.} The rooms were huge and pretty much all open to each other and there was a two-story foyer. We paid a professional to paint the entire house the gray-green color before we moved in. I wouldn’t have wanted to redo the work we had already paid for and, for the most part, I really liked the gray-green. I chose it because the house’s numerous windows had views to the outdoors which was mostly green trees and grass. The green undertones worked really well.

Our current house is very different from our previous house. It’s older, smaller, squattier {technical term}. There aren’t as many windows and the ones we do have are smaller than what was in our previous house. We also have a deep overhang blocking some direct sunlight. And the house feels different to me too. From day one, it’s felt very masculine.

Many of the paint colors I originally chose for this house aren’t jiving with the masculine feel I get from it. It’s taken me several months to realize that. Also, paint colors look totally different in this house than in a house that is blessed with natural light aplenty. Thankfully, paint is an easy fix here because the rooms are smaller. So far, I’ve repainted Mabrey’s room, the boys’ shared bedroom and the mudroom {several times!}. I’ll be repainting the master bedroom and bathroom soon. Gradually, I’m building a paint palette that feels masculine and cozy just like the house itself.

What I’m getting at is my previous and current homes have different palettes because they are two completely different houses. It’s not my intention to follow any trends – although I’m seeing moody colors everywhere right now! I’m trying to choose colors I’m drawn to that also happen to work well in this house. I’m more conscious of the overall palette too. It’s been complete trial and error but a great color palette is evolving. Take a look…

Laying out all the colors together like this helps me to see the bigger picture and to see how the colors in different rooms relate to one another. I even went as far as to lay them out in the order that I normally see them upon entering the house. Nerd. {By the way, I stole the paint-dipped clothespin idea from Emma. She’s a genius.} Whites, grays, blacks and deep blues are giving my house a very cozy masculine look. I’m loving the way they all look together too.

Here, I’ve labeled them for you. As you can see, there are a range of light and dark colors. In rooms where the walls are dark, I use a lot of white to lighten them up. In rooms where the walls are light, I use dark items to ground them. I love contrast. FYI – The gravel gray will be going on the outside of the clawfoot tub in the kid/guest bath.

The palette isn’t complete. I’ll be painting our bedroom Benjamin Moore’s anchor gray but I don’t have it on hand. Maybe a paint palette update is in order when I do get it?

I hope that gives you a better insight into why you see a different color palette evolving in my current house. In my opinion, choosing a paint color palette for a home is just like anything else house-related. It takes time and a little trial and error. What looks good in someone else’s house may not be the best choice for yours. For example, I adore all white California rooms but, come to find out, they don’t work well in my midwestern house. Try looking to your wardrobe for inspiration. My current palette is very indicative of my wardrobe. Mostly neutral basics with pops of color and pattern in accessories. Thanks for the question Angelina!

What about you? How do choose color palettes for your house? What palettes are you drawn to? Do you have a great method {like Emma’s paint-dipped clothespins} for seeing the bigger picture?

images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

Blog sponsorship. It’s a touchy subject. But the truth of the matter is, if you have a blog that receives a fair amount of traffic, blogging turns into an expense – financially speaking.

When I first created House*Tweaking, I had a free Blogger account and I was working part-time as a pharmacist. Blogging was purely a hobby. Over the years, with an increase in readership {I’m still not entirely sure why you guys choose to follow House*Tweaking with so many amazing blogs out there but I’m truly grateful that you do. Thank you!}, I’ve obtained a URL and transferred House*Tweaking from Blogger to a “meh” web host and then to a private server. Oh, and I left my day job. Those things combined have made it necessary for me to look into sponsorship opportunities in the form of side bar ads, affiliate programs, writing elsewhere and collaborating with reputable companies. I am not looking to get rich. My hope is to cover the costs of maintaining this blog, DIYing projects and decorating our house so that I can continue doing what now has become a passion.

In working with companies, I always try to feature businesses and products that I would use myself. I say no to potential sponsors ten times more than I say yes. I really want it to be a win-win-win situation. The company gains some traffic. I cover my costs. You are introduced to an inspiring and useful product/service.

All that mumbo jumbo to say I’ve been brainstorming new ways to partner with businesses. When I signed on to write for Wayfair’s blog, My Way Home, I had an “a-ha!” moment. Why not feature items from their site that I would like to use in my own home? I had shopped Wayfair before {I bought the saddler’s bench shown above} and was really pleased with my purchase. I pitched the idea to Wayfair and the monthly “Wayfair in the House” series was born. This is the first of such posts! Here we go…

I’m so ready to have a cozy bedroom. I tried capturing a current pic of the room but was immediately photobombed by three rugrats. It’s hard to tell from the image above but there are random paint sample patches painted throughout the room. There’s even painted foam board living in our closet and paint swatches propped on the windowsill. Do you spy them? My nightstand drawer is full of color swatches and paint decks. It’s bad. I’ve tried no less than a dozen colors and don’t like any of them. This northeast room with not great light is tough. But one swatch I’ve kept in the mix is Benjamin Moore’s 2126.

Namely, I’m really drawn to anchor gray 2126-30. It reminds me of my favorite jeans. In thinking about our bedroom {and I do it waaaaaaaay too much}, I really want it to feel like a room that I would wear. And I like nothing more than wearing my favorite dark jeans with a heather gray top, leather boots and simple gold jewelry. HH also wears a lot of denim and gray so having masculine navy and gray in the room feels right.

Then I found this.

This post is brought to you by Ace Hardware. I was given a gallon of paint from the Clark + Kensington line to use and review at my leisure. Clark + Kensington recently outperformed other big name paint brands in a Consumer Reports evaluation. All labor and opinions are my own.

After a few teaser shots, here’s the real deal. A fully detailed post entirely dedicated to recent events in the mudroom/dining room/laundry nook {i.e., the Everything Room which a reader creatively suggested we call the “mudding nook” – I like it!} that involved a paint brush, paint rollers, Frog Tape and a gallon of goodness. I repainted the Everything Room for the THIRD time. In a little over a year. Sure, it would have been easier, quicker and cheaper to have gotten it right the first time but sometimes I need to make flubs. Finding out what doesn’t work is just as helpful as figuring out what does work. In the end, victory is that much sweeter. At least, that’s what I’m telling myself to keep from feeling like a complete failure.

First, a quick 360° around the room to help you get your bearings. {FYI – I took these pics on an overcast winter morning so the lighting isn’t the best but I didn’t have the patience to wait for a sunny day which, realistically, might not happen here in Ohio for weeks. Boo gray days.}

Sweet, sweet victory.

The color is Besalt by Ace Paint, color-matched in Clark + Kensington primer + paint in one. {Ironic, I would have named it Bepepper.} I chose a flat finish for a deep, flawless look. On the walls, it’s deep and dramatic. When I look at it, I feel like I’m looking into outer space. It tricks me into thinking I can extend my arm and magically reach beyond the wall. I can’t.

With three kids nipping at my heels and HH working overtime, it took me an entire day to paint out the room. Many of you ask how I get projects like this done with kids in the house. I don’t have a babysitter. I don’t have a nanny. I don’t have a magic answer.

I have to psych myself up for DIY when my kids are present and my HH is not. I put on my inside-out painting clothes and tell myself I’m not getting out of them until I’m done. Usually, the hardest part for me is getting started.

I prepared as much as possible in the early morning while Mabrey was awake and Layne and Everett weren’t getting on each other’s nerves yet. I taped off the chair rail, removed items from the walls, moved decor and furniture to the center of the room and got all of my painting supplies ready. That way, when I put Mabrey down for her morning nap and turned on a movie for the boys {Kung Fu Panda in case you’re wondering} all I had to do was get my paint on.

After Mabrey woke up from her morning nap and the boys’ movie was over, I took a lunch break to feed the kids and myself. I wrapped my paint brush and roller in plastic wrap to keep them from drying out while I was sidetracked. After lunchtime and playtime was over – about 2 hours later – it was time for Mabrey’s afternoon nap. I laid her down and turned on another movie for the boys. {The Incredibles this time} It bought me enough time to finish one coat on the walls. I had to touchup and cleanup with all three kids whining for dinner which was pretty stressful but I was in the home stretch and just wanted to get it done. We ate dinner at 7:30 p.m. Typically, I don’t let my kids watch 4+ hours of TV in one week – let alone one day – so when I do resort to it on special DIY occasions, I try to sequester the mommy guilt. I don’t always succeed. And that’s how painting with three kids and no babysitter goes at my house.

This primer + paint in one means business. Usually you’re looking at 2+ coats when you paint a color this dark over a really light color. I only needed one full coat and a little touching up. That saved me precious time and kept my kids from starving – hehe. I’ve used all different brands of paint and this stuff claims a spot at the top of my list. It has a great consistency {not too thick, not too thin}, outstanding coverage, virtually no odor and is less expensive than other big brands that boast similar properties. Awesome.

But enough talk of kids, mommy guilt and good paint. Let’s get back to the room.

Some of you worried that I had dismantled the gallery wall.

I assure you. It’s still kicking. I was smart lazy and painted around the 3M adhesive strips that are stuck to the wall. With the frames in place, you can’t even tell.

I did take down the abstract art {see it leaning on the chair rail?} and remove the two smaller frames that were above it. That section was feeling a little top heavy. The abstract art is staying and I’ll be adding some new frames to the wall.

When the walls were lighter in color, I wasn’t feeling some of the prints and fabric scraps that I added to the frames last minute for The Tile Shop shoot. But with this new deep charcoal, almost black, I actually don’t mind them.

I also cheated around the wardrobes and window. The wardrobes are secured to the wall with anti-toppling hardware. I had no time/patience/muscles to remove them. I painted around them with a 1.5″ angled trim brush and small foam roller. You’d never know unless I told you. Wait a minute.

I did remove the curtains to cut in around the window but I didn’t take down the woven blinds. Unless you came to my house and took the blinds down yourself, you would never know there’s a light bald spot behind them. Along with scheduled naps and screen time, I also cut corners whilst painting a room with three kids in the house. I never said I was perfect.

I can’t talk about the Everything Room without mentioning the laundry nook. Before I painted this time around, the nook wall was an accent wall the same color as Mabrey’s room. I liked the dark contrast and that’s what made me decide to continue a dark color around the entire room. But I thought a grayer, blacker color would work better because the Everything Room is fairly open to our black and white kitchen. {The paint in Mabrey’s room has more of a navy, green undertone.} There’s a short wide hall that connects the two spaces.

I owe you a big post all about the nook. It’s coming. I promise.

For now, just know that the nook fits into the room better with the rest of the walls painted dark too. It feels more like a part of the room – as it should.

Next to the nook is where the kids hang their outerwear and bags. I added a modest bench for putting on and taking off shoes. Normally, this area is chock full of stuff but at the time these pics were taken, the boys were at school so imagine more pint-sized coats and backpacks. This image does a good job of showing the true color of the new paint.

We painted the french doors Benjamin Moore White Dove {same as the wainscoting and all the trim in our house} back before The Tile Shop shoot. I like how they contrast with the new moody paint but could see a bright poppy red working too. I think I used up all my big girl cajones painting the room dark so I may need to grow another pair before I brave colorful doors.

So, yeah, this new color is “the one.” It makes the white horizontal planking on the walls look crisp. It complements the travertine tile. It brings out the black hardware in the room. It plays nice with our adjoining black and white kitchen. It’s masculine and dramatic.

With the right wall color in place, I’m excited to step it up a notch in here. You may have noticed that I brought in a cowhide rug. It’s from IKEA and I bought it almost two years ago. It was hanging out in the boys’ bedroom but it wasn’t working. I think it’s found its new home. I picked up four sheepskin throws to toss on the dining chairs. They’re also from IKEA. We remove them when we eat. They’re working out really well. They hide messes on the removable seat cushions in between washings.

I wouldn’t consider these images “afters” by any means. Things left to do:

*expand and tweak the gallery wall

*possibly add curtains that fall to one side of the french doors

*do something about the space between the two wardrobes. Currently, there’s a petite sofa living there. I DIYed a slipcover for it but it was a disaster. Turns out I can sew pillows, curtains, clothing – NOT slipcovers. For the photo shoot, I pinned and ironed the heck out of it to make it presentable but as soon as the shoot was over, I removed it. That’s how bad it was. Not sure if a built-in bench is my style. I’m kind of leaning towards a free-standing chaise or shelling out to have the little sofa reupholstered. Thoughts?

*work on styling. There’s nothing in that silver bowl on the table for crying out loud! I didn’t style anything for these pictures. This is how the rooms looks right now. I can’t wait to have fun decorating. And this room needs a little pattern wouldn’t you say?

*find a lamp for the fauxdenza

How do you feel about the new wall color? Love it? Hate it? At least tell me you’ve repainted a room three times in less than two years.

images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

Remember when I repainted the mudroom/dining room/laundry nook? {Yes, that’s all one room – let’s just call it the everything room, shall we?}

It was definitely an improvement. But it wasn’t quite right. This past weekend while HH was working overtime, I got stir crazy holding down the fort + three kids and decided to conquer that room {at least paint-wise} once and for all. I’ll share the nitty gritty details in an upcoming post but, for now, please enjoy some teaser shots.

No more messing around. This paint color is “the one!” So what if it took three tries?

images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

*THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED.*

Congrats to Tiffany who is needing to paint her guest bedroom and kitchen table!

It’s a new year and there’s a new paint in town. {Btw, did you hear that the color of the year for 2013 is emerald? Glorious.}

Clark+Kensington is a new premium line of low VOC primer and paint in one and it’s available exclusively at Ace Hardware. The paint line is manufactured in the USA and includes 120 unique colors for interior and exterior projects. The primer + paint combo provides excellent coverage in an ultra smooth finish. Formulated with special micro-bead technology, the paint delivers a denser film than traditional paints. An attribute that I find particularly useful here in the midwest where we experience long winters…the exterior paint can be used at lower temperatures of 35°F or above. That means I can paint outside until December. Watch out.

Lucky for you, Ace Hardware is promoting their new paint line with a giveaway this week! See details below.

PRIZE: one $100 gift card to Ace Hardware. The gift card may be used to purchase any item{s} from Ace Hardware.

RULES: You must be at least 18 years old and have a U.S. shipping address {no P.O. boxes please} to enter.

TO ENTER: Leave a comment on this post proclaiming “ACE ME!”

DEADLINE: Enter before Sunday, January 6th at noon EST. One random winner will be announced Monday, January 7th.

WHILE YOU’RE AT IT: Since we’re talking paint…share your 2013 painting plans. Will you be giving a thrifted piece of furniture a fresh look? Are you repainting a room in your house? Any plans to create your own art? I’ll go first. I don’t know where to start. I’m definitely repainting our bedroom – and probably bathroom – this year. I also have a vintage cabinet that we use as media storage and it’s in desperate need of a makeover. And if I could paint like Meredith Pardue, I’d definitely try my hand at some DIY art.

images: Ace Hardware

So…we had a blizzard yesterday. And thunder. And lightning. Weird winter storm. Anyhow, I promised some updates. Here they are.

Current pics of the painted french doors in the kitchen…

We love the drama of the high gloss finish.

Do you see the snow covering the skylights? It’s much darker in the great room without all that natural light. I can’t imagine not having those skylights. So happy we decided to go for them.

The gloss finish still looks wet to me. It should be easy to wipe down. I wanted to show you a close-up so you can see how the gel paint’s claim of ‘no brush strokes’ held up. The finish is smooth enough but not totally perfect.

Onto the mudroom…

The tulip chairs are here. They are a nice modern contrast to the traditional pedestal table that was a family hand-me-down. They are super comfy too. I’m thinking of recovering the seat cushions with something textural {faux fur?} but HH suggested dying the removable covers to have a second set on hand. What a great idea! I’ve never dyed fabric before. Any suggestions or tips?

We added woven blinds and curtains to the window. The curtains were a great price – $20! – but the tabs at the top looked cheap to me. I cut them off and sewed a rod pocket instead. That did shorten the length of the panels a bit but they fall behind the sofa so it doesn’t matter.

You may have noticed that I changed my mind and slipcovered the small sofa in white cotton instead of navy linen like I had originally planned. I actually got halfway through the navy linen slipcover when I realized it wasn’t going to jive. It’s not a total loss though. I’ll be using the navy linen for pillow covers throughout the house. I DIY’d the slipcover. It’s not perfect but it’s done. And it cost me less than $50. I have pics and details for a how-I-did-it post. I wouldn’t call it a tutorial because, like I said, it’s not without flaws.

The mirror and pillow covers on the table are accessories in waiting. As far as the dining part of the mudroom goes, we have a surprise planned for the wall opposite the french doors. We’re really excited about it especially because we didn’t think we’d have time to tackle it before the photo shoot in January but we have been working our tails off to stay on schedule. Hint: The mudroom might be one of the rooms featured in the photo shoot.

The laundry nook in the mudroom is taking shape.

I painted over the stencil. Womp-womp. Sorry stencil lovers. I loved the stencil but it didn’t feel right. I guess the lesson here is to not try incorporating something just because it’s given to you. The good news is it was an easy fix. I used paint leftover from Mabrey’s room. It’s Benjamin Moore’s dark pewter. HH saw my repainting as a home improvement mistake. I saw it as a learning experience. We see things differently sometimes. If I end up with a result I love and learn something along the way {i.e., stenciled walls aren’t my thing in this house} then I see it as a success – even if it involves extra work. I’m one step closer to the look I’m going for.

During renovation, HH found some old boards in the attic. He salvaged them and used them to construct a reclaimed wood countertop above the washer and dryer. He used wood biscuits to connect the boards to each other for a seamless look then sanded, conditioned, stained them with Minwax’s special walnut and finished them in a semi-gloss poly. Because our dryer controls are at the back of the unit, HH designed a tiered countertop. That way we still have access to the water shut-off and dryer knobs. I have plans for hiding the shut-off and knobs. To be continued…

I sewed curtains from the same type of panels used on the mudroom window to disguise the washer and dryer. We hung them from curtain wire and clips. There is an eyelet ceiling hook underneath the center of the countertop to support the wire. The curtain isn’t as full as I’d like so I’ll probably add more panels. We still need to paint the cleats and vertical support white to blend in better.

Wondering how I access the washer control panel?

Ta-dah! HH cut an access door and added hinges and latching hardware to give me full access to the washer controls and soap dispenser.

The dryer. Not much else to say about that. The laundry nook isn’t quite done but we’re close.

We moved the location of our bathroom hand towel and switched out the towel ring for this one. Confession: I’ve been removing HH’s electric razor from the sink every time I take pictures of the bathroom. We tweaked the bathroom a little to get HH’s razor off the sink once and for all.

We added a shallow cabinet to the wall left of the vanity. We bought it in a birch finish and primed and painted it white.

It’s deep enough to house HH’s razor and toothbrush {What can I say? The man likes his electric toiletries.} but shallow enough not to crowd the sink and vanity.

HH cut a hole in the side of the cabinet to run cords to a nearby outlet. You don’t notice it unless you’re looking at the cabinet from the shower or toilet. I’m just happy not to have HH’s razor staring at me from the sink all. the. time.

And in the midst of preparing for a photo shoot, this is happening…

…undertaking the boys’ shared bedroom? Why not.

As if the holidays aren’t busy enough. Ha! Oh well. HH and I were talking last night and we agree that it feels great to see our house looking and feeling more and more like home with each project we tackle. You have to start somewhere.

Hope you are enjoying time with friends and family this week!

images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking