I just love looking at pictures of Before and After shots, mostly for home design and decor, but also weight loss, or hair styles. Why are we so drawn to seeing the Before and After or drastic changes? I believe it’s because we always hope to do better and seeing improvement means making progress. It’s an act of moving forward and now, more than ever, I long for the movement. Today we will focus on home renovation or redesign but please tell me about your favorite before and after photos.

Favorites from the Internet

Now look at the amazing curb appeal!

What a difference a little paint and landscaping will do.

I find this transformation with faux shutters and an eyebrow entry to be so elegant.

Just by adding an overhang, new paint, landscaping and window boxes this house goes from drab to fabulous.

Of course, the masters of renovation are Chip and Joanna Gaines. I know I have watched my share of Fixer Upper. This particular project resonates with me as I love rescuing old homes.

Here is another charmer. The trees along the front plane of the house really help reduce the awkward spacing of the windows.

Our Home~Exterior

Which leads us to our rescue projects, the great transformations of our home, a 1912 Mission Revival house. We bought it in 1999 and it was uninhabitable. No central air conditioning, the old Frankenstein switch to turn off the electricity, cloth wire and knob and tube connections with an old coal chute to the basement.

Even with all the dated infrastructure, historic homes are typically built with consideration of the sun patterns, the best placement on the lot with smaller rooms to heat and cool. Large overhangs and a bumpy exterior are all designed to keep the home cool during our hot summers.

The restoration/renovation took 3 full years vs. the 1 year our contractor promised (long story here), as everything needed to be replaced and updated. We are officially listed as the Olney/Ellingwood House by the United States Department of the Interior’s National Register of Historical Places.

To see more before and after photos and a detailed post on the front of the house restoration, click here.

The Guest Cottage

The year we purchased our home, in 1999, we had an open house for friends and neighbors. As part of the fun we asked our guests’ thoughts about our purchase, and one clever person wrote that our guest cottage looked like a sharecropper’s cottage. The bathroom ceiling had collapsed due to a leak and it was clearly uninhabitable.

We renovated this structure first so we could have a place to gather with the architect and contractor.

It is time to paint this cute little house again and wondering if I should keep the green or consider something else. Surrounded by so much foliage, I like that it blends in with the environment.

The Well Tower

One of the original structures on the property is a well or water tower. Dilapidated and non-functioning the scary looking condition existed years before we bought it. With a collapsed roof, the well tower became a big pigeon sanctuary and was ankle deep in pigeon poop. So gross.

Here is the well tower today. The first level is my potting area and you can reach the upper two levels by 2 circular staircases. For fun and in case of fire, the fireman’s pole is added to the rear.

To read the full post on the well tower restoration project, click here.

My Last Restoration Project

I have renovated many homes for resale. The restoration of a 1922 Jeffersonian home is really a highlight and accomplishment for me. This home stood empty for 20 years and the backyard was a rabbit warren of small, creepy apartments. Certainly a passion project for me and now it is owned by a young family who call it their forever home.

Though it is hard to see the neglect and decay of this home on the photo below, here is the front before ~aluminum siding, rotted columns, porch roof collapsing and security bars on the doors.

Here is the after with a new roof, original siding restored, shutters repaired or replaced, new landscaping and a beautiful front entrance.

The back of the house had a horrible addition (one large room, no windows). That was removed and a new 2 story addition with a family room and an upstairs master suite are added. Stone patio and landscaping make a big difference.

After demolishing one of the creepy apartments in the back yard, we find the original garage with barn doors that are not salvageable.

What do you think? Isn’t this the sweetest guest cottage? Now the bougainvillea is growing over the arbor.

There is a much more detailed post showing this renovation of both the inside and out here. This is one of my longest posts, but I promise you will not be disappointed to see the outcome of this gorgeous old home.

In Summary

I could go on and on about restorations, renovations, before and after photos. I have done 9 homes and all were in very poor condition. There is such joy gained from rescuing these older homes that are filled with memories and history. I am longing to tackle another.

If you would like to see more about the restoration of our home, I have written 5 chapters called the Restoration Chronicles. Just use those search words on my blog page, and they will pop up.

Thanks for joining me today! Happy Wednesday, friends.

P.S. Remember Prime Day ends today so if you are looking for great bargains online, check out yesterday’s post on everything you need to know about Prime Day here.

As you recall, we recently remodeled our pool house with new flooring, paint, lights, furniture, rugs and a new kitchenette. The last two items that need attention are the wicker/wood framed chairs that sit in the front entryway. Since it has been many years since I covered these cushions, I don’t even recall the look of the original chairs. Instead of selling these two rather comfortable chairs, I decide to paint them and update the fabric on the cushions and lumbar pillows.

The Before

These chairs are rather old. In the above picture they are sitting outside of a home I staged and remodeled (and sold) back in 2009. I don’t recall where I bought them and I’ve never seen this particular style of a chair since.

I did use spray paint to change the brown wicker to black, as a way to show some continuity with the black buffalo check fabric. These chairs have been sitting in the pool house for many years, though the colors haven’t really meshed with anything else.

Choosing fabric and paint

The inspiration for this chair re-do comes from a favorite fabric leftover from another project. Blue Radish Belgian linen is just a favorite of mine from Radish Moon in NYC. Typically, I am a rather conservation spender when it comes to fabric, but I instantly fell in love with Blue Radish when I saw it. Since this is an expensive linen, I naturally want to use up all the scraps and fortunately, there is enough for two lumbar pillows.

If you would like to see where else I used this fabric, see this post.

A quick trip to Boca Bargoons fabric store in Scottsdale produces another pretty Glenn plaid (thank you Tanya for the name!) fabric that was on sale.

I want the paint to be close to a navy blue so it will contrast from the kitchenette cabinets yet compliment the new rug from Ruggable. So I decide on Dunn Edwards Nightfall DE5804 in a low sheen interior paint (as the chairs will not be outside).

Removing the Cushions

The back cushion is not secured so it is easy to remove. However, the seat cushion is affixed to the frame by 4 large screws. Once these are removed, the bottom cushion lifts out.

Cleaning the Frame

Since these chairs sat outside on the patio for a few months during the pool house re-do, it is no surprise that the underside has its share of spiders and cobwebs. With a brush, I remove the webs while on the lookout for any nasty spiders, like black widows.

Also it is pretty gross to find an old piece of Halloween candy stuck between the seat cushion and the frame. Geez.

Getting ready for paint

Since I am a sloppy painter, a drop cloth is a must to protect the area around me. I am leaving the wooden part of the chair unpainted, so I use blue painters tape to prevent splashes. Tape the arms, back and legs~any place where the wicker meets the wood.

Painting the Chair

The minute I open the can, the paint does not look like navy blue. So I paint the arm, hoping it will darken as it dries. Should I continue or stop and go back to the paint store? I pull out the paint fan and check again. It’s not even close. The paint color I want is the darkest on this strip. I check the can and the label states Nightfall and the correct #. Sigh. I proceed forward just hoping this color will work.

Painting the wicker proves challenging because you need to move the brush in all directions to cover all the nooks and crannies.

Finally both chairs are painted and drying outside….it took me a good 2 hours.

Reupholstering

The seat cushion is easy to recover. First I remove all the old staples. I strip the buffalo plaid fabric off and use it as a pattern. Remember to cut the new fabric slightly larger just in case your fabric drapes differently. The new fabric is stapled to the wood cushion frame, taking some care on centering the pattern and keeping the lines straight.

If you don’t have a heavy duty stapler, please make sure you get a good one. I couldn’t find where my husband stores them in the garage (and he was out of town), so I found one that was woefully inadequate. At the end of stapling the first seat cushion, which took far too long, my hands were significantly hurting from squeezing the handle.

The next day, after he returned home, he did find an electric heavy duty stapler which made doing the second cushion a breeze. Trust me, use an electric staple gun that only requires you to pull the trigger. Here is a good one.

The buffalo plaid fabric removed from the back cushions is again used as a template. Leaving at least 1/2″ for a seam on all sides, stitching is done on my sewing machine.

After stuffing in the pillow insert, you can add additional fiber fill or fabric scraps to plump up the corners.

At the bottom of the pillow you have the option to add a zipper or just sew it closed. Since these chairs are not frequently used, the chances of me having to remove the cover to launder it are nil. I elect to just sew the bottom closed.

Recovering the lumbar pillow is very similar. Since I do not have enough of the expensive Blue Radish fabric to do both sides, I add the Glenn plaid to the back.

The After

After debating whether the color of the paint is correct, I ask my friend, Christine for her opinion. She loves the color (yay!) so I don’t feel a need to repaint the chairs a darker shade.

There are so many shades of blue in this pool house but for some reason it all works!

To see the complete pool house renovation and all of my resources, click here. Other than adding a few more things to the shelves, I think this project is F.I.N.I.S.H.E.D! Yippee!

Thank you for joining me today to see the Before and After of the two pool house chairs! Have a fabulous Tuesday.

If you enjoy this post, please feel free to share on Pinterest.

The post shared with Fabulous Friday Link party 5.27.22; Between Naps on the Porch Metamorphosis Monday #703

Thanks for joining me today to see the pool house renovation! If you missed yesterday’s post with Before and During photos, you can see it here. We are so fortunate that this re-do went rather smoothly, in light of today’s supply chain issues and exorbitant costs. Having a reliable contractor/handyman is a rare gift and one we so appreciate.

The Kitchenette

This is perhaps the greatest change in the pool house. Instead of three pine pieces filling in the entry/kitchen space, we decide to have custom cabinets made with a big farmhouse sink. I did debate whether to add a small dishwasher or cooktop, but we didn’t want the worry of floods or burned food.

Along the 16 foot west wall, is an expansive quartz countertop, serving both the kitchen area and a desk space. The cabinets are blue (Behr Premium Cabinet and Trim Enamel in satin, color is Shipwreck #0402) and look sharp against the white, veined countertop.

All the electrical plugs/outlets were ecru and changed to a bright white. A small but impactful adjustment.

I still need to add a few shelves and did hope to do so with the leftover quartz. However, there isn’t enough to do two long shelves so I’m keeping my options open.

The farmhouse sink from Sinkology is wonderful. It’s a bit nerve-wracking to buy something like this online, but it did not disappoint. A bargain at $419.00 from Home Depot, you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between this and a very pricey one. You can see it here.

Since this isn’t a typical kitchen and this space is the first impression of the pool house, I did want a faucet that has pretty lines and is a bit dressy. This polished chrome one from Kohler fits the bill. The sprayer is tucked into the spout and has an easy one hand handle.

A desk/knee-hole is an important attribute in this day and age where everyone is working on their computers or remotely. The countertop height desk chair with a broad seat is from World Market and can be found here.

Perhaps the most time consuming project is finding the right size under the counter refrigerator for this space. This one is from Amazon.

Some tips on searching for an under the counter refrigerator. 1)Know the size of your space. It’s truly amazing that small refrigerators come in numerous sizes; 2) Determine where you want your handle. I order this Cusimax glass front refrigerator because it states the handle is interchangeable. Once the product arrives, we discover this is not the case. I would have preferred a handle on the right.

3)What type of products will you store inside? Even though I love the look of this refrigerator, it does not easily hold a carton of milk because the shelves are for bottle and can storage only. 4) Do you need an ice maker? This one doesn’t have a freezer section so no ice. In spite of all that, the refrigerator does look nice and functions just fine in this space. Also, know your budget. The price of appliances has skyrocketed. You can find it here.

One of my favorite resources for knobs and pulls is House of Antique Hardware. They have such a beautiful selection of “jewelry” for your cabinets. Again, wanting a slightly elegant look for the kitchenette, I find these 4″ hexagon cut glass pulls and knobs with polished nickel bases. Aren’t they a bit glamorous and unexpected here against the blue cabinets? You can find them here and they come in different color bases.

For guests, there is a small microwave and a coffee maker. Of course, I love Nespresso machines and this sleek, narrow CitiZ with a milk frother is perfect for the space.

I cannot tell you how happy I am with this beautiful Delphina Delft Blue 6′ x 9′ rug and pad system from Ruggable! The pad is almost like Velcro in which the soft washable rug attaches. You can then pull off the rug and wash it~just ingenious! And the color and style is perfect in the front entrance of the pool house!

My friend, Joanne bought the same rug in a smaller size for her front entry and is thrilled with hers as well. Unfortunately, I don’t get any credit for sharing this product, but I know you will love it as much as I do!

Also, the vinyl plank flooring is Lifeproof Sundance Canyon Hickory 7.13 in W x 48.03 in. long from Home Depot. Such an easy installation and it looks fabulous!

The Living Room

Keeping the same microfiber sofa from Pottery Barn, is a big break for the budget. Surprisingly this sofa is a bit old but still looks great and provides a nice sit.

Since many objects in the room are angular, I find these sweet round nesting coffee tables. The smaller round can be pulled away and used separately. I like adding some curves to this room! From Wayfair, the Emmitt Nesting coffee table comes in gold and silver and only costs $177.99!! You can find it here.

Another great purchase from Wayfair is this rug. I truly love everything about it~soft beneath your feet, looks luxurious and is an 8′ x 10′ Alanis Oriental tufted Blue area rug by Dakota Fields. It may be out of stock because when I click on it, it takes me to a smaller version of this rug. But you can see it here.

Lately, I am a big fan of Target and found this Vivian Glam X-Leg side table from Saracina Home. It is the perfect size next to the overstuffed blue club chair. It comes in different finishes and is easy to assemble. In stock and easy to order. You can find it here.

Of course I am still loving my bar cart! If you missed that post, you can find all the details about the source, size, and stocking it with both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages here.

We are now down to one newer, smarter television that any of our guests can operate from their phone. This room still needs a bit of artwork, but that will happen over time.

One of the pine pieces is a large armoire relocated to the living room. This is perfect for storing linens, dishes, glasses and anything else our guests will need. It brings a bit of warmth to the room. Also note the new woven wood cordless blinds are from Factory Direct Blinds. I must say I am very impressed with the quality, quick turnaround and customer service.

The Bedroom

Only a few changes to this room’s decor. The 30th Anniversary Hunter Star Quilts with lovely stitching are a colorful addition to the two twin beds. From Land’s End, they are on sale with a promo code. Find them here.

And if you saw my post on recovering the chair and the lampshades near the vintage make up table, you know these pieces need a bit of updating. The DIY to recover the chair seat is here.

And adding a bit of fabric to lampshades can be found here.

In the corner of the bedroom, is a wing chair and most importantly, a theorem still life painting on velvet done by my mother, many years ago.

If you are interested in any of the renovation items, please click on the image below.

Well I believe that wraps up the pool renovation project! I hope you enjoy the transformation and we are delighted with the results. Now, what could be my next project?!?

Thanks for joining me today and I will see you on Saturday for Saturday Meanderings!

In early February, I got a bee in my bonnet to refresh and update our pool house. With lots of company coming in the next two months, this accessory building needed some love. With a limited budget, it is time to put in new flooring, a better working kitchenette, new lighting, fresh paint and new decor.

Fortunately, my guy John is available and miraculously the materials I select are in stock.

Before Pictures

As you can see from the photo above, there are two television screens from the days when the children would hang out and play their video games or watch movies. The large speakers in the walls are dated; the large speakers from my husband’s youth overwhelm the room. Even though the flooring was pricey back in early 2000, it it past its prime with some water damage by the doors.

Personally I love sisal rugs but over time the rubber backing breaks down and makes a mess. The yellow faux painted walls are 20 years old (and look it). Inexpensive woven shades don’t really keep the light out and are faded.

When you first walk into the pool house, you are faced with 3 large pine pieces. I love them individually but together, they feel heavy and bulky. The 3 drawer dresser has a sink and this is a storage/kitchen area….sort of.

The pool house bedroom has two lovely vintage beds that are often pushed together to make a king size. But again, the faux yellow walls just make the place look tired.

And the work begins

Just removing the pine pieces made me feel like I could breathe~the space feels so much better without all the bulk. See how reddish the flooring is?Also, I am selling the pine cabinet sink if anyone is interested. If so, email me at [email protected].

Speakers are removed, and any and all cracks are repaired. With everything being wireless now, look at all the wires behind the existing tv console.

All the can lights from 20 years ago are yellowing and again, add to a dated look. LED can lights are put in place. What’s nice about LED lights is that they have an brightness adjustment so you can make them brighter or warmer as needed. Baseboards and trim are painted first.

Having all the furniture out of the pool house, makes it easier to envision what I want it to look like. I am not encumbered by those distractions and can look at the space in a different way.

Flooring

Twenty years ago, flooring selections were a bit limited and cherry was all the rage. Now with so many other affordable options, I choose a luxury vinyl floor that I can put right on top of the existing cherry engineered planks. And I truly love it! Everyone believes it is real wood with the texture, color and detail. And it seems much quieter to me too. Tomorrow I will share all the resources for materials.

New Kitchenette

In lieu of the pine pieces, custom cabinets are put in place. The thought is to use this space for entertaining, where you can spread out food and beverages for easy access. This step took the longest. Initially the cabinet maker gave a two week time frame, but after much hounding, cabinets arrive in 3 1/2 weeks. So this did delay the project by 2 weeks.

A farm sink is selected as the perfect vessel for large parties.

The Details

So much of a beautiful space is choosing the right details and finishes. Inspired by the bathroom floor I painted a few years ago (see post here), the color scheme is mostly blue and white, with touches of yellow. White crisply painted walls and trim is the perfect backdrop for bright blues.

Since getting lacquer paint is such a challenge, we elect to use regular paint as this is not a high traffic area.

A crisp white quartz countertop is the perfect compliment to the blue kitchen cabinets. Quartz is a bit more pricey than I expect, but it is the look I want so not a place to cut corners. I find this pretty piece of Tuscany 2 cm quartz (55 square feet with dimensions of 126″ x 63″) at The Yard in Phoenix.

I cannot wait to show you how it all came together! Tomorrow I will reveal the finished pool house. There are a few things left to do, but we’ve had two groups of houseguests and everyone loves the updated look. See you tomorrow!

Every time I write a Saturday Meanderings I cannot believe another week has flown by! As I am composing this I am sitting in the waiting room at Superior Court of Arizona, recently summoned for Grand Jury duty. I have never done this before and it will be interesting to see if I am part of the selection process. Have you ever served on a jury or grand jury? I am afraid this will be a painfully long day so what better way to pass the time than to talk about all the good things that happened this past week.

Cleaning an Upholstery Stain

In remodeling the pool house, I discover this horrible stain on one of the upholstered chairs. It’s hard to tell if it is wine, tomato sauce or worse, but it is all over the arm, back, seat and cushion of the chair. I poll the family to see if anyone knows the source of the stain. Accidents happen and I wasn’t assigning blame, just trying to get information.

However, no one knows what it is so I use our trusty Bissell Little Green Multi-purpose portable carpet and upholstery cleaner (see here) and start the cleaning process. As a side note, if you are looking for an affordable carpet and upholstery cleaner, I cannot recommend this Bissell Little Green enough. We use it frequently and it doesn’t disappoint.

This particular stain is a stubborn one. Since the seat material is different, the stain comes out easily. However, I don’t seem to have much luck with the stains on the upholstered fabric. After a few attempts, the stain doesn’t appear to lift. As a last resort, I sprinkle some Oxi-Clean powder, rub it in and let it sit for a few hours and then remove it.

Surprisingly when the fabric dries the stains are nearly gone! A few more passes with the Bissell and the chair looks significantly better.

Rug from Wayfair

Since I am a visual and tactic person, I prefer to purchase something after I have had the ability to see it, touch it and inspect its quality. However, since so many items are purchased online, I took the leap and bought this 8′ x 10′ rug from Wayfair. With so many positive comments from thousands of people, how bad could it be?

In stock with quick delivery made the decision rather easy. This rug will replace the woven seagrass one in the pool house. Though I love the look of a natural fiber woven rug, the rubber backing tends to break down quickly, creating a horrible dusty mess.

Priced at $245.99, I am so impressed with the quality and ease of acquisition. Here’s the link but it is Alanis Oriental Tufted Area Rug and it comes in different colors and sizes.

Habit of Re-Use

We actively try to keep our waste to a minimum. I get such pleasure in knowing that there’s a circular pattern to life and living. Right now, I am preparing the garden for Spring planting. With the hen house adjacent to the garden, many of the plants that are past their prime are pulled and fed to the chickens. For example, I grow cauliflower over the winter months and harvest it for our consumption.

Now I am pulling the plants and feeding them to the chickens. Once the foliage is pecked clean, then the stems will be thrown in the composter. Only to make more soil for another garden bed. And the cycle continues. If you missed my post on Composting 101, you can see it here.

Countertop Choices

It has been a long time since I picked out a countertop surface. There are so many choices now~granite, quartz, marble, quartzite, butcher block and gauged porcelain slabs. Porcelain slab is a high fired ceramic surface much like porcelain tile. Using ink jet technology they are capable of mimicking natural stone, wood, and virtually any look you can dream up. The benefit of Porcelain is that it has a scratch resistant surface and is impervious to chemicals.

Unfortunately, my contractor does not know how to install porcelain slabs (or have the right tools) so I fell back on selecting quartz. And won’t this look sharp with blue cabinets?

Need a Vacation?

Check out this gorgeous the stone cottages at Blackberry Farm in Walland, Tennessee. Set on a 4,200-acre farm, this high-end resort in the Great Smoky Mountains is 10 miles from Tuckaleechee Caverns and 15 miles from Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

A Relais & Chateaux property, this tranquil property is the perfect escape for you and your family. It was on my bucket list and my sweet husband planned one of my big birthdays there. Truly memorable and if you like to see this gorgeous location and my surprise birthday there, click here. I do have a birthday coming up, maybe it is time to return?

Poignant Words

Isn’t it interesting that certain things cross your path when you need them most? Saw this on Instagram this week and wish we could all live by it.

Great Photo

Here is a picture worth a thousand words. My daughter, Juliannna and her handsome German Shepherd, Hemingway. The relationship they have is one of pure devotion and love. Every time I look at this, it warms my heart. I hope you enjoy it too.

With that, I bid you adieu. Have a truly wonderful weekend. I hope mine is filled with a bit more rest and relaxation, which I desperately need.