Preparing to attack
Let me take you back… the lounge was one of the first rooms I “rushed” to complete so that I could move in. You could say its decor was quite individual. The pictures speak for themselves. But just look at her now. Continue reading
It’s the small things that matter and its sometimes the small things that take the longest to finish! The last time you saw this room it was settling into it’s newly painted “Ebb” blush walls. What wasn’t going to settle into this room was most of the dining room furniture from my apartment.
I had lovely square 8 seater dinner table and chairs that worked fabulously in the open plan unit but were not going to fit into this room. Well, it would, but nothing much else would have… (Disclaimer: ignore the rug!!) Continue reading
Have cane chair, will spray paint! I came across three weathered cane chairs destined for the council tip, whilst out for a walk with Buddy. (Yes, I actually carried them home – what a sight). They were prime candidates for a make-over, upcycle or whatever you want to call it. It’s one of the quickest DIY projects of this nature you can do. And, that’s three less things destined for landfill. Here’s how: Continue reading
Whether you’ve just bought your first property, are renovating or simply feel like a room refresh, choosing a paint colour may sound simple but, if you’re like me, the sheer volume of choice can be extremely overwhelming.
So to help make that all important decision a little less stressful, here are a few things to consider before you declare a colour “the one.” Continue reading
As I bought it.
Given it’s a Federation semi, there wasn’t a whole lot I could do to improve the facade without breaking the DIY bank. The original windows had been replaced with brassy olive thin aluminium windows. Who knows why. That in itself was the major sticking point for me. I really, really dislike them. Really.
They jar with the original character of the house and are just plain ugly. They take away some of it’s identity and charm. Unfortunately, replacing them was going to be a [very] long-term project.
The old laundry door – had to go!
The vestibule area was an unusable space. I had grand plans to eventually re-work this whole space so all I could try to do was lighten and brighten and make its usability more friendly. The previous owners had built a single bi-fold door for the laundry area that, would flap around should there be a window or door open. It was bulky and well, ugly don’t you think?!
I love my deck but not in this state! I have nothing against the heritage based colours of bottled green and creamy yellow but they had to go, they weren’t me. Also destined for the tip were the rickety stairs leading down to the yard and the massive fluro light. Continue reading
Fireplace after hours of trying to strip back the stain
I wish. There was going to be no lounging about in this room. Where to start…. Well the fireplace. I’m not sure if the surround was original or not. It’s hard to tell but the woodwork is not symmetrical. Certainly I think the tiles and cast iron hearth were but the rest, I’m not too sure. Continue reading
I think the picture speaks for itself. It wasn’t pretty. The skirting boards, door jambs, picture rail and timber fret work had the same maroon treatment plus there was the added bonus of a wallpaper freeze. I left Mum to tackle the removal of the wallpaper as I just didn’t have the time (or the patience) to give to that joyful job. Continue reading
Time is a precious thing and certainly if I had more time, the second bedroom would have received much more love than it did. But with a move in date looming, I stuck to the basics and made it as habitable as possible. It is what it is and sometimes, you’ve just got to go with it. Much like the dining room, it really needed complete stripping back. But aside from re-plastering a patch of wall where the coat rail was stuck (it removed the plaster back to the bare brick) and replacing a rotten floorboard, my main tasks were stripping back the trims and painting.
The dodgy (and sticky) coat rail.
girl up a ladder 