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All Things Home
1970 home renovation

1970 home renovation | painting the exterior

I’ve had the exterior paint sitting in the garage since the beginning of the summer, but I just didn’t want to paint in the heat.  I imagined I would spend a day painting and then jump into the pool as a treat, but waiting to paint on cooler early fall days sounded more appealing to me.  I think there was a bit of procrastination happening as well, but I know myself and I will wilt in the heat and won’t be as productive.  This week, the weather report was perfect for painting.  Not too hot, not too cold, and no rain in the forecast.  So, I purposed to do it.  I put it on the mental calendar and let everyone know that is what I’d be working on for a few days this week. Yesterday, I got started. First of all, no, I’m not painting the brick.  I’m usually on

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September 20, 2023 15 Comments
All Things Home

green velvet seat covers

While I had the sewing machines out and my mom’s help, I decided to make seat covers for the barrel-back French chairs I’ve had for years.  I have wanted to cover the vintage cushions on these chairs since I first bought them.  They were cream, but the leather was dingy and there was no amount of cleaning that would make them look nice.  Since they are cream, though, they weren’t too offensive if you didn’t pay close attention to them, so they were easy to ignore.  And that’s what I decided to stop procrastinating on them. I covered them in a yummy green velvet fabric that I traded for some furniture before our move.  It was such a great fabric that I knew I would find a use for it down the road.  I have earmarked it for the dining room curtains, but I had enough to use some for

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September 19, 2023 16 Comments
1970 home renovation

custom-built shelf by the side door

One of the downsides to taking down the walls in the kitchen is that we lost the “mud room” area.  It was small, but it at least provided a landing area for shoes and such that was hidden from view.  But, I felt like the light and space we would gain was a good trade, so the walls came down. I thought initially I would add a piece of furniture along the wall by the side door as a place to tuck shoes, drop keys, and hang bags, but it would block the traffic path much more than I thought.  So, I decided to shift gears and build a shelf to define a bit of a “landing area.”  Of course, it’s still in the kitchen and in full view, so it’s not a place to hang everything people bring in the door.  The boys will still keep their backpacks in

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September 18, 2023 39 Comments
All Things Home

the kent house

The house in Kent, a neighborhood of Washington DC hit the market last week and I wanted to share pictures of how this gorgeous house turned out!  I’m going to share a few photos, but you can see the listing HERE if you want to see to full house tour. Here is how the house looks from the exterior.  I love the copper accents added to the overhangs and gutters as well as how they made a real feature of the windows and doors. The largest painting of mine is Verschoor Barn, whish is hanging over the fireplace in the living room… We didn’t have a frame for this one (bummer), so I painted the edges black to frame it out.  I would’ve preferred a frame, but I think it works nicely with the fireplace and modern furnishings. As I’ve shared before, the styling was done by Caroline of Ekster

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September 12, 2023 19 Comments
1970 home renovation

doors to the dining room & dining room updates

One of the details I loved about this 1970s house when we first looked at it was the doors leading to the dining room.  It’s one of those architectural details you don’t usually find in newer homes.  But. a house built in 1970 is bridging the formality of homes in the first half of the 20th century (with front and back entrances, rooms for guests and entertaining, and ones strictly for practicality, etc.) and the modern, open floorplans that became popular through the 1970s and 80s.  I love that this home leaned a bit more into old-fashioned choices along with upgrades that were modern for the time. The doors are just slab doors, but I painted them Card Room Green and added (instead of cabinet knobs) and they look so sweet. I still need to paint the dining room walls (they are just primed at this point) and give the

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September 11, 2023 33 Comments
All Things Home

slipcovered living room ottoman

As I’ve been sharing about the soft furnishings in our living/family room this week, several people have asked about the coexistence of our cats with upholstered and slip-covered pieces.  Having lived with cats most of my life, I know they can be destructive and it was one of my primary reservations when we considered bringing some kittens into our home almost four years ago.  But, my lap was aching for some cats and I enjoyed their company, antics, and humor so much that I was willing to put concerns about our furniture aside. We gave our cats cardboard scratchers and plenty of toys and engagement early on, so neither one of them are big furniture scratchers.  They even leave our jute rugs alone as well as other textures that cats might naturally be drawn to.  There is a piece that they have favored, specifically Violet.  They like the ottoman in

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September 7, 2023 17 Comments
All Things Home

new sixpenny living room sofa

When I shared the slipcovered recliner yesterday, several of you noted the preview of the new Sixpenny sofa.  Today, I’m going to share the entire sofa as well as a review of the style and fabric I selected.  (For the sake of full disclosure, this sofa was gifted to me as a part of a partnership with Sixpenny.) If you remember, I shared the Sixpenny sofa styles and fabric samples I was considering in THIS POST.  I ended up choosing the Elias 84″ sofa in Warm Oatmeal, which is a medium-weight linen fabric, for the slipcover.  One thing I loved about shopping for a Sixpenny sofa online is their website is so thorough.  Each piece of furniture has every measurement you could want as well as details about how the piece is made, materials used, care, and more.  I felt like I was able to make a very informed decision

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September 6, 2023 21 Comments
All Things Home

making a slipcover for a recliner

Shortly after we moved in, I bought a manual wingchair recliner off of Facebook Marketplace for $40.  I had a feeling it would be a “placeholder” for a nicer recliner in the future, but it seemed like a good tester piece.  We could see how much we used it, see how it fit in the room (while fully open), and help us make a more informed decision in the future.  I intended to make a slipcover for this recliner, but after using it for a few weeks, it became clear that it wasn’t worth the effort or the cost.  The chair wasn’t comfortable and piece by piece, the mechanism was falling apart and got to the point where it would just randomly pop open. So, for almost a year, I looked around at recliners.  I looked at new and used and was very wishy-washy and undecided.  I didn’t mind saving

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September 5, 2023 29 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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