Friday, January 20, 2012

When one wall comes down, another one better come right back up!

Happy Friday everyone! How was your week? Well, I've been keeping myself pretty occupied as of late, frantically trying to work on different projects at once here in the fixer upper home front! So I do apologize if I haven't been able to respond or comment back on all of your blogs just yet {I've had issues with commenting on certain sites lately, have you?}. With that being said, you are all probably wondering the status of my kitchen cabinets, right? Well, as of last weekend I'm officially done with painting them all white!!! Woohoo! :)


BUT...there are still some major tweaking to do in the kitchen. Namely, repainting the entire kitchen a new color, and I'm pretty sure I've found the perfect color that works for the open living space, so stay tuned! In addition to that, I'm going to be installing some beadboard & trim around the sides of the breakfast bar countertops, as well as installing a backsplash {still flip-flopping between white subway tiles or beadboard}.


I've been researching on how to do all of this because as some of you already know, this is our first house {and a fixer at that} - so all of the DIY stuff that I'm doing is being approached as "learn as you go!" :) Then of course, there's the accessories, pendant lighting & window treatment issues, so needless to say, this kitchen redo is going to be a continued work progress that I'm giving myself until sometime next month to complete!


Now you're probably also wondering why I'm showing you pretty little images of closet spaces with lovely hanging chandeliers? Well, that leads me to another project that I've been tirelessly trying to work on, for what seems like ages now! Remember a few months back when I told you about that flimsy wall that had to come down between the two bedrooms/closets because it was literally made out of plywood and falling apart? Well, that wall went down...and THANKFULLY another one FINALLY came right back up! Here's a recap in case some of you are joining me here for the first time {"hello" to my new readers!}:

Closet wall between the two bedrooms went down.

NOTE: Sorry for the blurriness of some of these pics, but this room doesn't have the best lighting with that tiny window, coupled with my cheap point & shoot cam, and also the fact that I'm posting all of my "before pics" in black in white.

Pulled up the flooring down to the concrete slab & framed out the wall.


The frame went up, and due to the imperfections on the crooked wall {older home with plaster walls}, we had to fill any gaps with foam insulation and removed the excess once it dried.


Added sheetrock on one side of the wall & bought some insulation off of craig's list for a fraction of the price, since someone was selling their leftovers for only $15.00!


And then started "insulating away!"


Then put the sheetrock on this side of the wall, then used paper tape and joint compound to cover up the seams on both sides...


And voila! We finally have an INSULATED & sturdy wall up between the two bedrooms, ready to be painted!

So what's next, you wonder? Well, I have to figure out how to get this mess that's in our master bedroom....into some kind of organization because our home is in dire need of some efficient storage space!


So for the past week or so I've been sorting, selling, donating, & throwing out some of the stuff that's in the crazy pile you see above! I'm now pared down to our most needed essentials, and I realize that I'm in desperate need of some storage organization!


We don't have a walk-in closet, it's more of a reach-in closet. And realistically, it's something like the size above. Except that the "closet" is basically a "carved out" section in the bedroom {on the bedrooms on either side of the wall}. A custom closet from one of those large companies would probably be ideal...but of course I don't have 3-5K to drop per closet...


But no worries, I do have some plans on creative ways to maximize the entire space without spending much. But it's going to take tons of patience and a little work... So that's where I'm at with that project {so once again, stay tuned}. But I unfortunately still have tons of books, pictures, scrapbooking stuff, and important documents that still need to be kept somewhere.


And considering the small closet spaces throughout our home, I've come to the conclusion that some things may "leak" into the living and dining rooms... But I'll have to figure out a "tasteful" and neat way to display/cover up all of our stuff, like in the images below.

Disclaimer: By the way, all of these images are from my inspirational files that were compiled when we first closed escrow months ago, and downloaded from sources on the internet, including by not limited to: Google, Country Living & BHG.com. Since I didn't keep track of each source at the time, I'm not able to properly credit these images to the right source. So if these photos belong to you or someone you know, please let me know and I will properly credit the source or remove the images off this site.

In our townhome, we had open shelving similar to above. But I was hoping not to have to go this route in this home.


But I do like the idea of putting items in enclosed cabinets to hide the "neat" clutter. :)


Even linen and pantry closets / cabinets could use some efficient storage organization!


So what say you? How do you go about keeping your own home clutter free and organized? Especially in a modest, 1600 square ft home like mine with very little storage space {and with the garage out of the question, as it is still in it's unfinished state}? I'd like to know what you do in your own home?


Well my friends, that is all for now. I'll be busy multi-tasking for the rest of the month or so! I'll try to keep you all posted. Incidentally, I suffered a little relapse on my illness, and now I'm sick...YET AGAIN! :( Hopefully I'll recuperate soon because I just have way too much stuff to do! Oh and just a quick little message to let you know that I truly appreciate your comments and thoughts - it really means a lot! :) And although at times it may take some time to respond, I always do! :) So I thank you all for your continued support and inspiration!!!

Until next time, enjoy your weekend!!!


XOXO's,
Jessie







Sharing with: Remodelaholic, Funky Junk Interiors, Show & Tell Saturdays

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh that first picture! It's like a dream :)

It's me said...

A walking closet is like a dream come true !!..hahahhhas!!......nice !! post...thanks for visiting me today......lovely weekend...xxx...much love from me...xxx..

awal.ny said...

That is a lot of work, great job doing it yourself. Not only do you save money but you have the satisfaction that you did it. I hope you are feeling better.

jessica said...

I can't wait to see what your closet space looks like!!! The possibilities are endless...right? :) Have a wonderful weekend!

Tricia said...

Oh my, it looks like you have so much going on. Think how wonderful it's going to be when it all comes together though. I designed closet systems for our house and then had our cabinetmaker build them all. It is seriously, the thing I love most about my house...money well spent, in my book. Hope you feel better soon :)

Samantha Nagtegaal said...

I'm really enjoying your lovely blog :-) I'm glad you clarified about all the closet images, as I was pretty impressed by your boot collection and the amount of closets in your house! Lots of our storage is built in; we have built in wardrobes in the bedrooms, which were here when we moved in but which we refurbished. We have a cupboard under the stairs, which needs shelving adding to make it more functional, and a loft which we are always dumping stuff in. We find the hard things to hide are cables for laptops and usb cables, though i recently bought a gorgeous chest to keep stuff like that in which we are constantly using.

Fresh Vanilla For C said...

HI Jessie~~ I can't believe your sick...again:( Feel better soon. I am so impressed with all your DIY projects and your patience. I am not so good at that:))
~Cheryl

Donna Reyne' said...

Hi Jessie!
I love the home reno follow-ups!
I am right there with you! I totally love your inspiration pictures too!
We built our closet last winter and wow! What a difference it has been! A place for everything and everything it it's place!
Take care of yourself and feel better soon!
Hugs from here
Donna

Anonymous said...

Oh, how I can't wait to see your reveals. Just think of this as the storm before the calm! One day, it will all be a fuzzy nightmare! Been there - done that! Much love and have yourself an awesome weekend! Lisa

A Cozy Cottage in the City said...

Thank you everyone for your kind comments, I truly appreciate it!!! Hugs & Happy Weekend to all! :)

XOXO's,
Jessie

Kellie Collis said...

Fabulous inspirations! I cannot wait to see how the rooms will look like. Enjoy the beautiful weekend, Kellie xx

Cheryl at The Cottage Times said...

I love the pics and your post. My family of 4 lives in a tiny 985 sq. ft. cottage with 3 br and 1 bath. Luckily we have a large 1/4 acre lot for gardening.

About organizing?
If we haven't worn it, used it or played with it in 6 months it's sold or donated.
You did an awesome job on framing and dry walling! You're on your way. I look forward to seeing your future projects.

Katherines Corner said...

We have a nice walk in closet in our master. But I would love a chandelier in my art room ( it's shabby chic)!!! Smooches and hugs and wishes for a beautiful weekend xo

Iaia said...

Hi Jessie, you don't even imagine how much I understand you!
I am going to have my first home and have to find wall colours, best storage solutions, decorating ideas...I did a post too at the beginning of january on closets I don't like the idea to put an armoire...
Ciao Alessandra

Old Paper Roses said...

Dear Jessie,
wow you have a lot of projects to keep you buisy!
And I know what you mean, in my house there's never enough closet space, because I have really hard times throwing things away.
And my craftroom...such a mess at this time, also because I do not have enough storage space.
And may I say... a walk in closet sounds like music to my ears!

Hope you feel better soon, take care ♥
Hugs Michelle

Unknown said...

You're a busy girl over there. What I thought was a quick kitchen makeover is taking far longer on my end too. That's DIY though! Love the closet inspiration. You and I are working with the same square footage. I'm still working on getting more organized but I will tell you that I seek storage in so many things beside my {tiny} closets...two storage ottomans, a trunk, built-ins, armoires, baskets, etc. I can't just bring something in that looks pretty...it needs to be pretty and stash some things! I also maximize the use of the insides of closet doors with hooks and pockets, etc., storage under beds. It's still a challenge and I'm working toward the day when EVERYTHING has a place to go. Can't wait to see what you come up with for your fancy new closet. :)

Lori Anderson said...

Oh gosh, this was just perfect eye candy! And I feel your pain about storage space. Where we live, the water table is such that few houses have basements. We pay for a storage unit but I hate that because we forget what's in it, or desperately need something out of it and the worst possible time.

Oh, that and the spiders.

Susan EvelynAndRose said...

Wow, you have been busy there in that cute cottage of yours Jessie! I'm impressed how you got that wall up.
I can totally relate with you about the lack of storage in a small home. Our stuff 'spills' out into all our rooms, so I'm looking for clever storage ideas, too. I end up using a lot of baskets...
I look forward to seeing your kitchen re-do!
- Susan

Anonymous said...

Hello sweet friend Jessie. You do have your work cut out for you! I hope it all goes smoothly for you and that you will find some elegant and stylish solutions. We use 'hidden' storage like benches and ottomans that open at the top, big stylish baskets, beds that you can store things under, shelves in closets, furniture with drawer space etc. I love the inspiration pics though. It's fun to dream:)God bless and get well soon x

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