2009 update #1

so, we were making so much progress over the summer... & then we just kind of puttered out. we lost the enthusiasm & motivation of the early renovation days - oh, & we spent all of our $ too. but we've been saving our cash, recently found our mojo & are now working on our biggest house project to date! but before we share anything new... i need to post a few new (er... much belated) progress updates on the projects we completed in 2009. so here's the 1st!

update #1: wood floors + new wall colors = still makes me swoon...even after 6 months

i think our wood floors turned out fantastic - & look especially lovely with the new wall colors. once we put the floors in we realized the chocolate walls in the living room had to go - the color just didn't look right. good choice too, because the pale grey really brightens things up & makes the room look twice as big. the lavender in the dining room is also pretty subdued. i don't usually gravitate towards light wall colors, but now, well.. i think i'm in love :D

oh.... also new in the living room:

• rug (anthropologie) - so colorful, pretty & a great deal @ 50% off online. i wish our anthropology carried rugs & curtains in the store.
• petrie sofa (crate & barrel) - the most beautiful blue grey color, durable fabric & such a gorgeous shape... but a word of warning: it took 4 months to make & we now know to never buy a sofa with buttons on the seat cushions - umm... because they pop off. ugh
• stow leather ottomans (also crate & barrel) - awesome bc they're movable & the lids flip over & become trays. super handy when you don't have a dining room table.

as you can see, we're still working on accessorizing, so please ignore the towels nailed above the windows. if you're wondering why we need towels & blinds, it's because our blinds don't provide adequate shade for playing video games

note: both room colors are martha stewart: rock oyster & party dress. i'll let you figure out which one is which ;) i had the paper swatches matched at sherwin williams (bc i really like the duration paint & they do a fantastic job matching colors).

1 room down...

wow.... check out the progress on our new living room floor below :D

floors prepped & ready to go...

my job was to stack all the wood slats...

starting to get an idea of what it will look like...

dj hard at work...

& taking a much deserved rest ;)

hello new living room floor... only 3 more rooms to go!

oh - & our make-shift couch - haha

the start of our hardwood floors!

can you believe dj did this in 1 afternoon!  i think it looks freakin' fantastic.  it gives us a good idea of what the rest of the rooms will look like.  of course... this means i'll have to hustle on my part -  which is painting walls/trim & figuring out how to decorate the living & dining rooms  :D

reprioritizing

click on image to view larger

i know i said we were going to have hardwood floors down by now... but we decided - after careful contemplation - if we wanted to do it the "right" way, we'd need to do one more thing on our list first... tear down & rebuild the wall in the entryway. 

a little history on our house... back in the day it was a smaller house with a little general store attached (which i think is kind of cool).  one of the previous owners turned the side that was once the general store into an efficiency apartment to rent out.  when we bought the house it was separated into 2 living spaces.  So when you opened the front door, you were immediately greeted by a wall (right in your face) - with a door to your left & a door to your right.  it was horrible & awkward & really difficult to maneuver if we were carrying bags into the house (or even if more than 1 person wanted to come into the house at a time). *sighs with frustration*  

but we have vision :D  all along we've been planning to push the wall back a few feet to open up our layout & create more space... & we're finally to the point where we get to do that!  i'm super excited.  you can check out the changes in the picture above.  

ps. yes we realize this also means we'll be renovating the bathroom behind the wall (eventually).  it's a good thing we have this really nice other one to use in the meantime ;D

what happens when dj gets bored...

so i came home from my pilates class on monday to this (see below).  the good news is that the prep work for the dining room floors is complete.  the not so good news… it will be about 2 weeks before we can lay the new floors - oh, & we have family staying with us this weekend.  we’ll have to be careful to keep our shoes on.  sweet.