Room Makeovers Archives | Page 19 of 24

Room Makeovers

All Things Home

making way for hardwoods | ripping up carpet

I’m sharing everything in reverse when it comes to the office makeover, but that’s just how it goes sometimes! I usually write about what is most “at my fingertips” and sharing progress on the room was a lot more fun than talking about ripping out carpet. But, it’s an important bit that some of you might want to know more about, so I’m circling back to share the details on removing carpet. Here is a before picture of the room, so you can appreciate how far it’s come… …and how it’s looking today… (Yes, I’ll work on the cord situation, but curtains will help a lot with hiding those!) Obviously, the first step is to take out the carpet and padding, which is surprisingly easy, although it does take some muscle! Just pull up a corner and, in most cases, it comes right up. Jeff did this before I even

February 22, 2018 27 Comments

All Things Home

home office progress

I’m so excited to share the progress we’ve made in the home office! Initially, this room wasn’t going to get attention for a while. but when we talked about putting hardwoods in the dining room, we decided to have them done in the office at the same time. Both rooms are right off the foyer (one to the right and one to the left), so it’s nice to have the consistency in the flooring and both carpets were tired-looking from being off the foyer. I suppose people walked in there with boots/shoes still on? As an aside, we’ve always been a come-as-you-are home. No reason to leave your shoes at the door. In Minnesota, though, everyone takes their shoes off and we’ve learned that’s for good reason. Your shoes get so dirty from the slush, salt, sand, ice-melt, etc. and it really will destroy your carpeting. So, we’re getting used

February 19, 2018 46 Comments

All Things Home

dining room wood floors

Before we even moved into this house, before we even saw the house in person, I let Jeff know I had my eye on the carpeting in the dining room. For a room that is the “most formal” in the house, carpeting just didn’t work for me. I also do a lot of photo shoots in my dining room for this blog as well as freelance articles, so it was important to me to have the larger surfaces of the room (floor, walls, etc.) looking just how I wanted. There was also the practical side of things. The carpet is 13 years old and, although you can’t see it in the picture, it was looking a little tired. Wood floors would be easier to keep clean, especially since the dining room is right off of the foyer. The dining room flows into the kitchen/eating area, so we wanted the floors

February 14, 2018 29 Comments

All Things Home

master bedroom curtains

I had lots of projects lined up for my mom’s visit. We are both doers and thrive on productivity, so it suits us to have an ambitious to-do list. As her 10 day visit was winding down, we had checked almost everything off my list. My mom looked at the sad curtains in my master bedroom, a hold-over from the previous owners. “Let’s just take care of these curtains.” She knows that sewing is something I do, because I like the end result. But, I don’t really like sewing. I could completely do without it in my life. I do, however, like expanding my options beyond curtains and pillows that are ready-made. I believe that sewing is one of the best DIY skills you can have in your arsenal. For that reason, I just suck it up, put on some good music, do it, and enjoy it when the project

February 6, 2018 88 Comments

All Things Home

customizing a house | painting interior doors

I’ve been contemplating a way to describe my current house and the changes I’m making. It’s not outdated, it’s not ugly, it’s not run-down, it’s not in poor taste… In fact, it’s a beautiful home. So, how do I explain why I view this perfectly nice suburban home as one that is ripe for a makeover? Then, it hit me. It’s not customized. That’s one of the reasons why it appealed to me, but it’s also why I view it as a home that’s perfect for a makeover. It’s a great foundation that could use some color, texture, and choices that reflect some personality! One simple way to customize a blank-slate home is to paint the interior doors. I didn’t think this was that crazy of an idea, but my mom made me think it’s a bit more unusual than I thought. She was opening the (painted) door to my

January 25, 2018 61 Comments

All Things Home

the basement playroom

In my post reviewing our progress on the new home in 2017, I shared that there are rooms I haven’t showed here, yet. In fact, I haven’t showed the entire basement! In addition to the utility room and some storage, there is a family room, a playroom, bathroom, and a guest room down there. It’s a walk-out basement, so even though it’s subterranean, it has pretty nice light and high ceilings. We initially planned on setting up my business down there. The main room is wide open and would give me plenty of space for art, office work, painting, sewing, and upholstery. Before we moved in, we began to really examine how we could best use our spaces for our family and my business. We came to the conclusion that the basement was just too perfect for a family space to use for my business. So, my business is spread

January 11, 2018 39 Comments

All Things Home

home progress in 2017

We’ve been in this house for just over five months and, with the turn of the year on the calendar, it seemed like a good time to share a recap of what we’ve accomplished. This house has been an interesting project for me, because it is beautiful as is. It doesn’t need a major makeover. Nothing is hideous or dated. Even the plum-colored wall in the basement hasn’t bothered me enough to paint over it. The nice thing is that there doesn’t need to be a sense of urgency to work on projects. We can move at a comfortable pace as time and budget allow. These makeovers are about customization and making this house feel like ours. And that has meant buckets and buckets of paint! Paint is always my go-to and it, once again, has proved its worth. In the living room we… Painted the walls in Whickham Gray

January 5, 2018 48 Comments

All Things Home

antique pine chest

With the new bed and the new wall color, things in the master bedroom were falling into place nicely. I’ve been looking for a small dresser/chest of drawers to use as a night stand for Jeff’s side of the bed for a few months, though, and have come up empty. The ones we used in our last house looked dinky and out of proportion in this new room. For my side, I used this marble-topped chest, which used to be next to our front door in PA. The size, scale, and color are perfect, so I was looking for something similar to complete the pair. Well, when I was out shopping before Christmas, I found a lovely antique pine chest at a local antique store. I had seen it on their Facebook page, but it was from a picture taken in the spring, so I doubted it would still be

January 3, 2018 58 Comments

I’m Marian, a painter, writer, and lover of all things creative. From art and antiques to home projects and everyday life, I share my journey in hopes of inspiring you to embrace your own creativity and make beauty in the spaces you live.

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Room Makeovers

making way for hardwoods | ripping up carpet

home office progress

dining room wood floors

master bedroom curtains

customizing a house | painting interior doors

the basement playroom

home progress in 2017

antique pine chest

next art sale

May 20th, 2026 at 1pm EST

Now Available for Preorder

Move Slow & Make Things

From the Studio

Artful pieces for your home and everyday life.

From the Studio and Home

Shop the Feed

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