It's Been a Long Time Coming...

I don't know how things work around your house, but here, sometimes projects get started and then linger a while before they are finally finished.  Not for any other reason, than something else comes up on the priority list.

Last March, when we returned home from Florida, we took down the wall between the living room and the kitchen.  Opening up the space between the rooms was high on our wish list when we moved into this house. (At least for me, it was!) 

Here's a look back at what the living room looked like when we moved in.

 

 The walls were a dark caramel colour which actually worked quite well with our brown furniture.

But then, shortly after moving here, our daughter purchased a house and we gave her this furniture for her new home.

 

Knowing that we would be making some changes (ie/ taking the wall down between the two rooms) we waited to purchase a new sofa and made do with just the two chairs in this room.

We came back from vacation with gusto and immediately took the wall down.

And it sat like this for the better part of a year, because the weather got warm and we decided to move outside to tackle some projects.

Fall came and we decided that we would tackle the kitchen renovation first and then the posts...

That renovation took us right up until Christmas so this again had to wait.

But I am happy to report that the columns are done!  We also tackled painting the living room.

Back in August of 2015 we purchased a new sofa for the living room...a dark charcoal grey Broyhill from Costco.  It dictated the change in paint color for the room.  Gone is the dark caramel color and now there is a new light grey that really brightens up the space.

We started with Repose Grey.

But it was looking a little too beige in here.

So rather than wasting the paint we had already purchased...we added 1 1/2 cups of Dorian Grey to each gallon and shook them up well.  Dorian Grey is the colour we used in the kitchen.  We knew we loved it so we took a chance and I have to say it really paid off.  It was just what we needed to give it a little more grey.
 

Here are the columns trimmed out and painted ultra white from Sherwin Williams.  It's a stock paint from their exterior paint line at Lowes.  I prefer using exterior paint for the trim as it seems to be a bit more durable than an interior paint and holds up better to scuffing and washes beautifully.

You can even see a bit of the old caramel colour going down the hallway.  That's the next project on the list, hopefully before the weather gets warmer and McG wants to head back outside to work!

He did an amazing job on the columns! I am so pleased with them.  We have some baseboards and crown molding to add in here before we can say that it's truly "DONE", but we are loving it!  The house is truly starting to feel like our "own" now that these two rooms are opened up and re-done.

 

This long, dark hallway (with seven doors) will be what we are tackling this weekend!!  Wish us luck...that's a whole lot of trim to paint and a whole lot of cutting in to do!!

The Little Secret in My Kitchen

I've got a little secret that I've been hiding...in plain sight.  You've seen it I'm sure if you've taken a look at our kitchen lately.  Can you find it in the picture below?

...what about this one?

Do you see the tile around the backsplash of the stove and around the window?  It's not actual mosaic tile...it's plastic peel and stick tile!!

We purchased the Stick-It Tiles at our local Home Depot for a cost of $38 for 8 tiles.  Pretty pricey considering actual mosaic tile would probably cost about the same.  We were looking for the look of tile without all the work.

The only tools needed were a cutting mat, ruler and a sharp utility knife.

The whole project (both areas) took less than a couple hours.

Here it is partly finished.  It really couldn't have been any easier to use.

We also put it around the window over the sink.

The package states that it can be used around a stove and in a bathroom...anywhere that actual tile can be used, EXCEPT on a flat surface like a counter or floor.

This was a quick and easy project that gave us the look of actual tile, but for a whole lot less cost and a whole lot less work!  We will surely be using this again.

We would definitely recommend this product - and NO we were not paid to say that...there are NO sponsored posts here!

Is this something you think you would use in your home?  We'd love to hear from you!!

Cheryl

Linking up @:
Beyond The Picket Fence
A Stroll Thru Life