Wednesday, September 30, 2009

In the beginning there was...

Since many of you have never been to my house, few of you really know what projects need to be done. To remedy that, I have taken some nice "before" shots of my living room with the changes that I would like to do in order to update the space.

To start, we will take a look my living room. This is a shot looking straight in from my front door. Most of these pieces I inherited from my mother. The couch, wing back chairs, and the lamps were from her. All of these pieces are really high in quality, but the fabric/style just doesn't match up with what I am looking for. The coffee table was given to me by my wonderful friend Michelle (aka Shelleepants). If I remember correctly, this table was her brother's that he was getting rid of. Lastly, the two end tables were given to me by Jake's cousin, Christie. The end tables (which sadly can't be seen in this picture) are what inspired/motivated me to change the rest of the room.


This next picture shows the entertainment center that I have on the opposite wall of the couch. Another quality piece that I inherited from my mother that is solid wood. The last photo is of a picture that my mother had hanging over the couch. I received a veto on hanging the picture up as it would make the room feel like a "grandma's parlor".




























Never fear! I have a plan for all the pieces in this room and subsequent blogs to follow the transformation of each piece. Pictures of the overall room will be posted to gauge the overall impact each item has on the room. So here is the recipe of the redecoration:
(starting simplest to most complex)
  • Replace lamps
  • Purchase modern rug
  • Repaint coffee table black to match the end tables
  • Turn floral picture into a classy mirror
  • Repaint entertainment center black to match the coffee/end tables
  • Reupholster wing back chairs
  • Reupholster couch
I actually already have 1.5 projects completed, so another post should be expected shortly to show the progress there.

Well there you have it! That is my living room that I will be changing up with some DIY projects. Let me know if you have any ideas for me to throw in or to make the process any easier!

To beginnings that we often take for granted,

Boomba

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Here we go....

For the most part, I have been against starting my own blog. Blogspot seemed to be something that you started when you got married or started having children... like a perpetual newsletter. I found this wonderful to keep tabs on married friends and family, but didn't think I had enough going on in my life to constitute my own space on the intraweb.

At the constant prodding of a dear friend of mine, I began to consider starting a blog. She had one and she wasn't married. The biggest factor in my decision to start this blog was deciding to redecorate my townhouse. Over the years I have inherited a vast amount of free furniture. I have greatly appreciated all of these pieces during my college years, but now that I have a grown up job I decided to start living in a more personalized space. So I want to start changing things around my house to be more of a reflection on me as opposed to the people who originally bought the furniture.

Some of the projects will be as simple as painting and replacing some small decorative items. Other attempts will be much more difficult like reupholstering and reupholstering... and sewing (Yeah that's hard for me, I don't know how to do that shenanegins). Did I mention reupholstering? I'm slightly terrified of this project and will need all the advice and help this internet world can give me.

I'm on a budget for all this redecorating. So most my purchases are going to be made through the wonderful world of KSL classifieds. I'll note my efforts and expenses, so that if anyone else is considering some DIY attempts, they can glean some bravery and knowledge from my many attempts. The focus will be two rooms: family room and the office/guest bedroom.

To many adventures ahead,

Boomba

PS: For most that know me, boomba is going to be a new term. This is a nickname I have, but only from one person. Zookie is one of my closest friends and has recently left the state of Utah to serve our country in Korea for the next year or so. I won't get to talk to him much, so this blog is also to keep him informed of the latest and greatest in the life of McKell. :)