The Great Redecorate
Slowly, slowly, slowly, we're taking control of our homestead. A few projects get completed each year (usually in the spring, before we lose all interest and energy), so hopefully by the time we pay off our mortgage we'll have the place the way we want it. Hope that you're not too frightened by our decorating tastes....
2006
The Bathroom
Such an amazing undertaking that it requires its own page,
so go see the Bathroom Pics page for the befores, durings, and afters.
2005
The Kitchen
Such an amazing undertaking that it requires its own page,
so go see the Kitchen Pics page for the befores, durings, and afters.
2002
At Last, A Backyard
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Beautiful, huh? For six years, this is what our backyard looked like. Utilitarian fence (with the neighbors' termite-ridden different fence falling in on our right side), and leaves, leaves, leaves. A plain deck (basically a platform) ran across the width of the house.
After: (below)
Just a little different. New flagstone patio, raised flower beds with stone walls, shed, fence, furniture, and, at the back right, Bill's pride and joy, the "water feature."
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Before: The backyard was pretty much a dumping ground for anything that could be "stored" outside.
After: Peaceful and clean, with an ancient sycamore providing a complete canopy (what's known in the gardening biz as "deep shade"). The adirondack chair is perfect for post-work outdoor relaxation.
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The new northwest corner (upper left), planted with astilbe in the plot and hostas and liriope on the ground; another small plot, close to the deck (upper middle); an artsy view along the east fence (upper right); and the fountain, which looks beautiful and helps to drown out the sounds of urban life all around us. (For more closeups of all the new stuff, go to Bill's Out Back photo album.)
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2001
Master Bedroom - Built-Ins, Furniture, and Walls
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Um, okay, so the bedroom had gotten a little out of hand. We'd only been wanting to replace the bookcases with a built-in shelf/cabinet area since about five minutes after we moved in, but we were finally moved to action after our good experience with the Closet Factory people who re-did our closets (see below). We hired them again to do the bedroom shelves, and I think you'll agree that it was a pretty successful project. At the same time, we decided to again paint the bedroom. As much as we liked the idea of the faux finish of the original paint job, it was just too dang much. So, out with the Distressed School Bus Yellow, and in with Lemon Sherbet Yellow. And darn it all, SlamMan is gone now, too.
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We have this wonderful bay window, but up until now it's really been almost wasted space, as we had put some small dressers there that were mainly used by the cats to sit on and look out the window. The dressers have now been replaced with a wonderful oversized chair, which doesn't look quite so wonderful here because, of course, we've had to "slipcover" it to prevent it from immediately being destroyed by certain feline members of the household (don't believe the innocent look!). But JD has very much taken to this spot....
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2000
A Few Finishing Touches to the Kitchen
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Above: We replaced the small white IKEA table and chairs with a stainless steel kitchen work table and two barstoools. The Man painted the walls celedon (the "it" color of 2000!), and added brushed aluminum pulls to the cabinets. A new stainless steel sink and silver miniblinds added to the shiny palette!
Below: Before, the "nook" area had a little pantry, a shelf, and was pretty much a mess. We added in cabinets and a countertop that match the rest of the kitchen. (Needed that extra storage space for all those wedding presents!)
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A Built-in Bookshelf in JD's Office
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There's a nook in my office that has always screamed "BUILD ME IN!" from the moment we moved in--a mere five years later, here's the result. A nice enclosed cabinet on the bottom, topped with seven shelves. All fitting just perfectly next to the window.
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Stretched Closets
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It's perhaps a good thing that there are no "before" pictures of my closet--instead you just get to marvel at my amazing organization. Loads of shelves and five separate hanging racks have made my life so much easier (and when on earth did I of all people get so dang many clothes?). The Man also had his closet done, but I haven't documented the evidence.
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1999
Painting the Living Room - New CD/Video Shelves
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Walls painted "butter brickle", backs of
shelves painted purple. Shelves floor to ceiling. New gold and purple pillows.
New TV stand.
(Coming soon--window treatments)
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Finishing Touches on Master Bedroom
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Matisses, photo ledges, area rug, bed linens (same old cat on bed)
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Finishing Touches on Guest Bedroom
End of stage 1 (1998)
A tourist theme--lots of pictures of DC landmarks (maps and guidebooks, too!)
1998
Painting the Master Bedroom
Painting the Guest Room
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