Master Makeover: New Curtains & DIY $12 rod

Happy Thursday! Before showing you this week's progress, I have some exciting news...

Our sunroom was voted as the winner of Readers.com's DIY Book Nook Contest! Thank you all SO much for your support, I'm shocked at the number of votes that came in! You guys are the best. And more good news goes out to voter #342, Carol Thibodeaux, who wins $150 in Amazon and home improvement gift cards and a kindle paperwhite! Thanks again to everyone who participated, I can't wait to put my Lowe's gift card to good use in our next project.

Now, let's get back to the master makeover.

There's just a few more things to do after tackling one of my favorite parts last night—window treatments.

Here's the space a few days ago:

It was feeling a little cold and empty. I needed to bring some softness to the space, and flowy curtain panels are always great for that. Not only that, but this room has zero pattern (aside from subtle striped sheets). Everything is a solid color. Boring!

I knew from the very beginning that I wanted navy toile. I considered using it in the bedding but decided that it would be more commanding on curtains. Remember my mood board?

Yep, they were in there.

After scouring the internet for the best deals and coming up short (literally) when trying to find curtains long enough in the right fabric, I commissioned a seller on Etsy to sew some custom panels for me. I went with two 50x94" panels and it came to $96 shipped (which is actually not bad compared to other places online). It was worth it.

Then I had to figure out how to mount these. I couldn't use a traditional curtain rod because there was a wardrobe in the way, and the top of the door is 2" from the ceiling. That meant I had to come up with a ceiling mounted solution. I found tons of tutorials on Pinterest using galvanized metal pipes and fittings, but even those methods would make the curtain rod stick out too far.

So I went to Lowe's and found this 1/2" copper pipe (in the plumbing section) for around $10:

It came in 10' sections which was perfect, I didn't even need it trimmed down. I preferred this over the 1/2" galvanized pipe because a) it was $5 cheaper, and b) it was super light weight (the galvanized steel is so heavy!)

To hold it up to the ceiling, I grabbed a bag of these plastic U shaped brackets for a couple bucks (that makes this 10' curtain rod around $12 total... nice!) I couldn't find any metal brackets (I think those are in the electrical section) but the copper pipe is so light, and everything would be spray painted black so the material didn't matter.

After giving the pipe a good buff with steel wool, it was time to paint.

I used a satin black for both the pipe and brackets (it's shiny here but dries satin).

Once dry, it was time to hang!

Since we weren't drilling into studs (just bead board & drywall) and didn't want to deal with inserts, we used wall dog screws (best invention ever) which grip the drywall so well that you don't need inserts.

We attached the first clamp all the way up to the corner of the crown...

Then a clamp in the middle to keep it from bowing...

Then a third a the end. The first end was in a corner and would be completely hidden by the bracket/curtains, and I used a small glass cabinet knob to plug the visible end.

When I was at Ikea earlier in the year, I picked up a couple packs of these curtain rings. I thought I might need them for the living room but that didn't happen—luckily they were perfect for this occasion:

After trying out a few possible ways to hang them, I decided to clip them in the back so you wouldn't see the clips.

It makes for a nice, clean look when hung. And I'm happy to report that the paint doesn't chip off when the rings slide across (I think buffing with steel wool helped).

And here they are!

I snapped a couple shots after we finished up as the sun was setting...

And then a few more this morning at sunrise...

There's just something about navy and toile...

It adds the perfect touch of french farmhouse.



And also a bit of romance next to the chandelier.

Here's a shot looking into the mirror...

Sigh. I'm just in love. Curtains make such a difference. Every week this room takes on a slightly different feeling with every change we make. It's so fun watching it evolve. In less than two weeks it will be complete!

And on that note... I'm planning ahead for our next remodel: the living room. And I need your help.

The layout has been a challenge for me to solve because it's not a very big space, and there's a lot to design around (a wall of windows/walkway on one side, a fireplace and sliding door on another, stair railing/walkway on a third, and a really short wall on the fourth).

When we moved in, we just threw our furniture down and it has been this way ever since (excuse the really old photo):

Well, we decided to relocate the TV to above the fireplace, and after much consideration, I've finally settled upon our new layout...

Here's where you come in. The couches are all getting re-slipcovered. I think I've decided on white linen for the chaise lounge and chair, and a gray linen for the loveseat.

I'm trying to decide if I should keep the chair & ottoman or replace it with a matching chaise. I would prefer them to match, but it's an extra $250 or so (taking into account the cost of the slipcovers) and I'd have to make a 4 hour round trip drive to Ikea to pick it up (not a huge deal, but still...). Also, I can't think of any other place to use the chair/ottoman (though it was a $30 craigslist find so not a big loss).

It's a really comfy chair but then again so is the chaise. I mean, I don't think they look bad together, and they'll certainly look more like a set once they are slipcovered in the same fabric, but ideally they'd be the same.

Do you agree? Is it worth the extra $250 and trip to Ikea? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments. I'm anxious to order my slipcovers within the next few days and get this living room remodel underway!

Master Makeover: DIY Plain to Paneled Door

Update: See the full room reveal here!

Checking another project off the to-do list today...

So, I've spent a lot of time trying to figure out what to do about our doors.

Here's an old shot from the hallway:

After I painted the walls an almost white/super light gray shade, it just turned into the hallway of no color. I knew I needed to do something with the cheap hollow core doors but didn't want to break the bank. In a perfect world, they would all be beautifully constructed and detailed solid wood, but there's no way I'm spending that much on all of the doors in the house.

Then I gave our foyer closet door a makeover...

And I loved the results. It was simple enough to do to the rest of the doors in the house.

I briefly considered making them all stained wood, but that requires veneer (which is quite costly), so I decided to go with paint instead. I ran through a few gray options but decided they would compete with the gray in the floors, and then I saw this from Dear Lillie and was absolutely sold on black:

Source

There's just something about black doors that brings character, richness and sophistication to a space. It's the perfect way to break up all the white and gray in our home. Plus, our kitchen and front doors were already painted black so it was an easy answer for me.


Fortunately, our bedroom door was completely smooth so I didn't need to apply veneer over it (our foyer door had that faux wood grain texture which I covered with veneer). That meant that all I'd need for this project is a $12 piece of 1/4" (actual thickness = 0.2") plywood from Lowe's. For the foyer I used the $30 cabinet-grade 1/4" plywood because I wanted to stain it. The $12 plywood is in the molding/paneling section (next to the beadboard) and it is pink toned on one side, which is perfect for painting.

I've already covered the basic method for installing the strips which you can read about in my foyer door post.

It's so easy though... just measure and cut, spacing your horizontal pieces out evenly, and secure with a nail gun.

Flip it over and repeat for the other side. You'll need an arbor to drill out a hole for the door handle.

Once all my pieces were attached, I sanded down the rough edges with my Mouse.

Then I spackled the nail holes and caulked where the boards met the door for a seamless look.

After drying overnight, I gave everything a nice thorough sanding with finer grit sandpaper (including the actual door panel).

Since I added almost 1/2" of depth onto the door, I had to remove the door stop casing or else it wouldn't close properly.

To do that, you must first cut a line with a sharp edge on all sides...

Then pry the pieces off. Luckily these ones came off really easily (you can see the three pieces in the hallway).

Some of the nails will stay in the door casing which you can just hammer back in, and break off the ones stuck in the molding.

Then clear the built up caulk from the door casing and the trim pieces so it's nice and clean for reinstallation:

I decided to hang the door back up first before painting it because 1) it was 100° in the garage, and 2) I could turn on the TV in our room to make it more enjoyable. It really doesn't matter either way, you just have to be slightly more careful to not paint the casing.

I used the same black that's on the kitchen and front doors, except in a satin finish—Valspar's Dark Kettle Black.

I haven't tried their new Reserve line yet, but I can't imagine needing anything better than their Signature. The coverage is amazing... here's after just one coat:

Of course the plywood took to it better than the painted white door—it almost covered in just one coat!

All it needed was two coats and a few touchups. Easy, fast paint job (excuse the poor lighting).

Black kitty approved.

Once the handle was back on, I shut the door and nailed the casing pieces back in place so the new door would shut properly.

Then I filled the nail holes and caulked it back in. (I still have to sand and touch up paint... that will be done tonight).


Ahhh... so rich.

It's a little difficult to see the detail through photos (I have to bump up the exposure a bit, hence the grainy-ish pics) but it's really lovely in person. Black doors are my new most favorite thing ever.

I love the way it ties into the wall paneling.

I'll be converting all of the doors eventually. This hallway needs some loving, I know. One step at a time.

Alright folks.... 3 more master bedroom posts until the big reveal! I'm trying to decided which task to tackle next. Either way, it's pretty much smooth sailing from here on out so I can relax for a couple weeks before moving onto the next big project.

Check back in a few days to see what happens!

Out of Office Reply

It seems like the world is on vacation.  Over the past three weeks

as I e-mail things to clients (this is in my real life, not the blog life).

I get the same thing:  Out of Office Reply.   While things have slowed

down a bit, I find myself unable to get any time off.  A website to build,

an office blog to launch, a new office space to find and an employee

to hire. It could be much worse, I could be one of the hundreds of

overqualified people out of work and looking for an entry-level position.

Yes, it's a blessing to be busy even in the summer.

In my little but of free time, I've been chipping away at the

outdoor painting...lots to do on the back porches.

While the front porch ceiling is sky blue, I've taken

a different approach to the back porch.

I've used semi-gloss Decorator's White (Ben Moore) so it's

an extension of the kitchen ceiling.  I love it.

I'm also trying to figure out what to do with the dining room.

Now that the table is in the kitchen--and it's working wonderfully--I

don't really have a use for this room.  For now, I centered a gate-leg

table I recently picked up...

..and I've set out a few things that I enjoy looking at.

This changes almost daily.

I've also moved a large painting from the front hallway to

the dining room.  It was almost impossible to see in hallway

and at least I get to enjoy it in here while I contemplate what

this room will become.  I'm strongly considering a keeping room...

a nice home office...or museum room.  

So my apologies for not being around much. 

I hope you've all got your out-of-office reply turned on

and are out enjoying summer!