come on in....

our home was built in the 80's

 when i purchased it in the late 90's

it looked like it was still the 80's in here!

chintz & florals

wallpaper

loads of wallpaper

in navy, hunter green and burgundy

draperies, heavy drapery

i was a single mom

who took complete advantage of nap time

& during those precious hours

i proceeded to room by room

rip down wallpaper

& paint

well

that was years ago

& my decor and color preferences have changed

i'll never forget the day i walked into my home

looked around at each room

each in its individual color

& little things everywhere

clutter

it was cute

but there was clutter

&  it had to go

all the clutter

and all the color

just made me nervous

it was not a calm environment

my eye nor my soul had no place to rest

so

i began all over again

with zero budget

by the way

i took things off the wall

put away much of the clutter

painted the entire downstairs floor

creamy white

symmetry

much better

a few months ago i finally finished

this long process

& i really love the final outcome

with our 80's home

we have the typical smaller rooms

vs the current desired open floor plan look

you know...the dining room that is seldom used

etc

i felt that if all the rooms had balance with color

they would flow much nicer

(ok...all you decorators out there, please forgive my lack of current decor lingo)

i didn't save many digi before images

but here's a quick downstairs peek anyway

even a couple of the dining room chairs

got a fresh coat of paint

the slipcovers were from pottery barn several years ago

i  painted over the brass light fixtures

ditched the little shades

& added some crystals

i think i've shared about my primitive dough bowl

given to me by my relatives

its huge

takes up most of the seldom used dining table

shells remain most of the year

but they'll soon trade out with white pumpkins

then silvered pine cones in the winter

as mentioned

our 80's home has a family room and a living room

when i first moved in i had visions of slip covering what was then

blue & white striped sofas

did you have some of those circa 93?

anyway my girlfriend talked me out of the 'messy look ' of the slips

reupholster was the way to go

big mistake

i am a slip cover lover

darn peer pressure

i wouldn't go with these colors again

but for now i have chosen to drown them in neutral pillows

the pillow situation changes frequently

&

i'm currently conflicted

should i add two ginormous ones into the mix?

we'll see...

because the rooms feel sorta small

& boxey to me

i intentionally have left my windows untreated

its probably a total decor suicide

but i love it

makes our home very open & light

 here is another little peek from the kitchen to the family room

this is the room that was so dark

when i moved in

navyarama

ugh

i've painted it twice

oil based on all the molding

or whatever that's called

major project

glad that ones done

when i purchased this home

i needed to be in a great community

between that & the fact that my parents

bought a home just down the street

with a pool

was a big sell for me and my little three

but the ah ha moment for me

was when i saw this back porch

we have loved this back porch

when its not 106 degrees

we try to eat many meals out here

thanks for dropping by!

oh & ps

the dreadful flooring shown below

the thorninmysideflooring

its hopefully

the next project on the list!