HGTV Wannabes

It's been awhile since I've done some updates on our house.  A lot of our projects are still in the "Phase 1" mode so they aren't finished. Normally I would wait until they are done to share. But as is the case with many house projects, I'm not sure they are ever really done.  So let's add some pictures to keep documenting the progress.  (Maybe that will light our motivation fires.  We are starting to feel a little burnt out over here.)

One of the big time consumers lately is our new baseboards.  Michael and his dad knocked out most of the main floor over a weekend.  Thicker baseboards were something that Michael really wanted. I was kind of meh about them.  Then Michael put a piece against the wall and I stood corrected.  The change was drastic and I was officially on the thicker-baseboard-bandwagon!
(The new baseboard and paint are on the left.  Old paint and old baseboards are on the right.)

Crazy right?! ^

While they were working on the baseboards, they also painted our living room shutters.  They were more of a tan, so we painted them white to match the baseboards and the door frames.

Michael took the door way to the kitchen and framed it in.  It turned out way better than anticipated because it really made such a small space feel finished instead of just an afterthought.

This was the best before and after I could find of the change.

One day, we are wanting to turn the bottom of the bay window into a built in bench and tuck a bigger table into it to maximize the seating in that small area. So stay tuned...

Another part of the bay window that was changed was the light fixture.  It was a bit too linear and heavy for the space so we took the idea from my mom and spray-painted a copperish-ish light fixture a nice oil based bronze.  I love the light it adds. I love not having the brown glass anymore and the round shape just makes the small space feel softer. I know I sound silly, but that's how I roll.

(Spray painting in the backyard)

Before and After:

Next project happened on the stairs.  We have extremely steep, extremely shallow, and extremely slippery wood stairs.  So the first change to the stairs was adding a skirt to it.  (The trim on the sides)  Talk about intense.  We had the same carpenter who built our entertainment center make the skirt.  Then Michael painted it.  It's basically one piece of wood cut specifically to fit each stair. The work was definitely worth it.

Because of the said steepness, slipperiness, and shallowness, we decided to carpet the stairs.  I know many will consider that a major design crime.  But I beg to differ. Some of the wood on the stairs was creaking and breaking.  The new carpet is so soft.  It looks so smooth having the stairs, the hall and all the bedrooms have carpet.  And ultimately, the stairs are a lot safer.  As soon as the installers left, Laila was immediately climbing up and sliding down.  So I'm going to scream and shout,  I am a carpet girl. (And I think this little lady is too)

So...what do you think? Will you still be my friend even though we put carpet on hard wood?

Up next is some fun we've been having putting together our living room...