Our mudroom makeover -- from dark to bright and light!

Hey there! So you know how I recently finished up a huge renovation in the loft upstairs? Yeah, well I added another room redo in the midst of finishing that up. 

Let me back up and mention right here that I am a little crazy. When the folks at HGTV HOME by Sherwin-Williams™ asked me if I'd like to paint a room and share their new INFINITY paint line (now available exclusively at Lowe's, yay!), I was super excited to share it with you, so of course I said yes! 

It started out that I was just going to paint some walls, and then it snowballed from there. BIG time. I ended up painting all of the trim and beadboard in our mud room and then the walls as well. I am so excited to show you this transformation! The difference is SO big. 

When we moved our laundry to the basement years ago to free up this room I was so excited to work on it. I had already started the beadboard so that was finished off throughout the space. I went a different direction than usual with a flip flopped look -- dark on bottom and light on top: 

I quite liked it for some time. It was different for me and I loved the peacock blue. (It's called Reflecting Pool.) It's a beautiful color! 

But I am a classic lover at heart and I was craving a more traditional look in here. Soooo. I decided to paint the entire room, nearly top to bottom. Good idea at the time! :) I'm so thrilled with the result that all the work was worth it. 

I started on the trim. So. much. trim. Goodness people. Purdy provided me with some supplies and I was thrilled because these are some of my favorites: 

The Purdy XL Elite Glide was so helpful as I worked on the room. An angled brush is a must when painting trim and cutting in at ceilings. It makes the job so much easier!

I have always loved how much paint these brushes hold and how nicely the paint goes on: 

Then it was time to start the beadboard. I was dreading this part -- in the past I've used a roller and then had to use my brush to get in between the "beads" in the board. 

The Purdy Ultra Finish Roller I used was super thick and lush (it was a 3/8 inch nap) and I literally uttered a "hallelujah" out loud when I first rolled it on. It holds so much paint, I was able to fill in about 90 percent of the gaps with just the roller. This saved me SO much time -- I was thrilled. I only had to go back over a few spots with the brush to fill in spots that the roller didn't get. 

The white color is called Pure White (the code for this color is HGSW4006) and I use it all over our house. I use the semi-gloss sheen for our trim and wall treatments. It was coming along nicely: 

Do you see my vision coming to life? I love when it starts to come together! :) 

Next up was the wall paint -- I chose Krypton from HGTV HOME by Sherwin-Williams (the code for this color is HGSW3366 and it's the Perfectly Polished Color Collection) in satin. I chose their INFINITY one-coat paint and primer because it's so durable and easy to clean, perfect for a mudroom: 

 Krypton is a pretty blue color that leans a little bit gray. I used the angled brush again to cut in: 

It takes some practice to get the hang of cutting in but it's worth learning! It will save you a ton of time taping off trim and ceilings. An angled brush like this one is the best for cutting in because it allows you to push the brush right up against the trim -- the angle gives you nice control. 

I love the Purdy brushes and rollers but my favorite item is their brush comb -- I love it!:

I've used one for years and it saves me hundreds of dollars in new brushes. You use it to clean out the brush and it really does a great job of getting the gunk out. They will stay nicer for much longer with this tool. I clean it with the comb, squeeze out the excess water and then comb through it a few more times. The shape stays looking like new when I take this extra step. 

This room is SO pretty now and so much more "our house":

I liked trying something different and didn't mind it for years. But the classic bright white trim won out. I am a white trim kind of girl, even when I try to fight it. :) 

What I love most about both colors is that they go so well with everything. I'm finding blue really is great neutral, believe it or not. It goes with just about any accent color: 

I simplified the pillows in here -- we had a couple off to the side and we never used that side. :) This lumbar pillow offers some color and comfort but doesn't get in the way: 

Do you see the hint of fall on the wall? I shared Rachel's beautiful fall printable last year and thought it would look so lovely in here. :) When I finish the shelving above the bench I'll be adding more art in here as well. 

I shared our command station (from IKEA) last year and it's been awesome in here: 

It's a great spot for school papers or reminders. I didn't take it down to paint by the way -- I just taped off and painted around it. :) 

So I've always hated those utility doors and now I've figured out why. The dark paint made them stand out even more. Now? I don't mind them at all because they blend in: 

I'd never thought I'd say it but I kind of like them now. Who knew? 

I have a couple more updates to make to this room -- shelving above the bench will go up to the ceiling and then crown molding will go around the whole room. THEN this room will be done and I will be so very happy. Well, I'm already happy. But extra. 

I've experimented with storage over the years and have actually removed more and more over time. I only have this wire basket still hanging: 

I use it for stuff that needs to go out to the car (I emptied it out for pics). I found when I had baskets on the bench they just filled up with stuff and it annoyed me. :) The shelving above will hold baskets and those will store random items that need a spot around the house. They will be higher and won't be something we'll access every day. 

I have to mention that we were both shocked at how much brighter the room got when the beadboard went white. I know, it's not surprising that would happen, but the difference was so noticeable. I mean, the walls were white before -- it was that dark blue that was sucking all the light from the room. We love the change. 

I also changed out all of the bulbs to daylight LEDs. I told you about those in this post and I've changed out the bulbs in all rooms without natural light. They make a BIG difference in how a room feels (no yellow tint): 

I still like a warmer tone for most rooms in our house, but darker rooms look like new spaces with just the bulbs. 

Here are some of the before and after pics which really show the difference some paint makes. First up, the bench: 

You know I love contrast! I was going for that with the dark trim, but I much prefer the white trim and dark floors instead:

Our mud room is actually quite large, but most of it is this long area by the closet:

See how the old bulbs made the white walls look yellow? With no natural light that's what happens with incandescents. That blue really was lovely -- it's a beautiful color! I just didn't mesh with the rest of our house and I was ready for a change. 

The after is so much brighter and welcoming!: 

Full disclosure -- I opened the door to our garage and climbed on to the hood of my car to take this photo. Ha! 

Let's go way back to the yellow and black laundry room. This is a real life look back:

This is how it looked most days. It drove crazy to have the laundry right by the door. 

The new colors are like taking a deep breath. They feel so right in our house: 

Big change right? Have you tried dark trim in your home? I've seen it done beautifully but all one color was too much for me after time. This still gives me a bit of contrast but with lighter colors. 

Have you used the new HGTV HOME by Sherwin-Williams paint from Lowe's? I think it's awesome that Sherwin-Williams paints are available there. This is the first time in 40 years they've sold outside of their paint stores! If you've tried it out for yourself you can add your own review here. 

This post was sponsored by Purdy and HGTV HOME by Sherwin-Williams but all thoughts and experiences are my own. I only work with brands I use and love!

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My favorite fall finds so far this year

So...I've been shopping a little bit lately. ;) I was so good this summer but all the sudden I want all the things. The new fall clothes, shoes and decor aren't helping. I wanted to share some of my favorites with you today because they are great deals and I've been impressed with the quality of everything so far.  

First up, you know those velvet pumpkins that are everywhere? Well I love them. I started collecting a few last year (found at HomeGoods) but hadn't found any this year…until I walked into Joann's a couple weeks ago: 

They have the prettiest colors -- white, gray and orange. Perfect for this time of year! Oh, and black! They are really lovely and the price was awesome. They were all half off when I got them so they ranged from about $3 to $5 each. I should have grabbed more (and may still.) They are pretty just about anywhere, go grab some before they're gone! 

When I was there I found all kinds of cute stuff, but another one I wanted to show you was the pretty plaid blankets they had in stock: 

They were $40 (I thought that was a lot) but on sale 60 percent off. That sounds better. :) They had a few different colorways and I loved this gray and orange version. 

I also grabbed a couple blanket scarfs from Jane.com a month or so ago, and when it gets colder they will be so comfy. But for now I'm using them as actual blankets: 

They are really lightweight so if you don't get a really cold fall/winter, these would be a good option for a sofa or chair. They're just a few inches shy of a regular throw blanket (hence the name) so they work great! I wish I had seen them here first though -- they are only $13 each. 

This next item isn't necessarily just for fall, but it screams cozy to me so I'm including it. :) I found some LED "fairy" lights in the Target dollar section weeks ago and grabbed them. I loved the look but wanted them on a timer, so I found these instead: 

You get three in an order and they are $6 each -- that's a great deal for a timer and the 10 foot length. 

The version from Target was much shorter but were a pretty copper color. These are labeled as copper but are not -- it's a minor thing because you don't really notice it too much. I put them in some lanterns and they are so pretty, day or night: 

You could put these anywhere! Aren't they so dainty and beautiful? I just love them and I'm searching around the house for other places to put them. 

Now to the clothes I've found lately. You know I rarely share beauty/fashion stuff, so when I do you know it's good. :) 

I took a chance on this military vest (I rarely order clothing online) and I was SO pleasantly surprised with it: 

It's a really flattering fit and I love the details on it. This color is hot this year. I can't wait to wear it with jeans and cute boots! (They have a few versions available -- mine was the one without the hood.)

I found this next one through a friend -- I loved her purse and was a little surprised she found it on Amazon: 

It is a gorgeous bag and really roomy. There's plenty of room to use it as a laptop bag -- two big compartments and a zippered on in the middle. I LOVE that the straps are long enough to throw it over my shoulder easily. My girlfriend's is older and has worn beautifully. 

And finally, my most recent find -- some cute booties from Rack Room Shoes: 

I tried on a ton and these were by far the most comfortable. They have a little open detail at the front that allows your ankle some room to move. I've noticed others can be a little constrictive when you walk. They were noticeably more comfortable than any of the others I tried (or that I own already). Love them! 

There you go -- a mix of my fall favorites so far. This is the best time of the year, right? I just adore it, especially now that we are out of the 90's and 85 percent humidity and into 60's and 70's. Bliss. Have you found any fall items you are loving so far this year? 

Some affiliate links included for your convenience!

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Master bathroom reno plans!

Hello there! I hope you had a lovely weekend! We spent the day yesterday at IKEA and Kings Island -- a little something for me, a little for our son, a fun day for all. :) I've been eyeing an item at IKEA for about a year now and I went head and purchased a couple for a future renovation. I don't usually buy that far out but I'm getting excited about some changes I want to make next year. 

I've mentioned that we don't plan on tackling our master bathroom for another couple of years. I know it will be a costly project (even with DIY projects, bathrooms add up) and I want to focus on finishing up another bathroom and other rooms next year. 

But for the first time ever, I'm actually inspired to do at least a little something in this space! I don't start a room makeover until I see the vision of what I want it to be in my head. It's a weird thing for me -- I just can't go into it unless I know exactly how I want the end result to look. Just recently I've been finalizing ideas in my head and decided I will most likely go ahead and tackle some of this room next year. 

It will be in phases -- the vanity area, toilet room and paint will be first. Those alone will be a huge undertaking. The tile and tub area, ceiling treatment and more lighting, and then shower makeover will happen later on. So it will take a couple of years to finish up the whole room but I'm fine with that. This way we can still use the bathroom during the makeover as well. 

My big project will be our vanity area. I picked out all of the finishes in this room years ago but of course my style has changed since. I've never been in a hurry to do this room because it's certainly nice enough and it's really roomy. It functions well so it's just not been high on the list: 

(By the way, the walls aren't THAT green -- the lighting was not great in this pic. The true color is in the photo below.) The only thing that drives me crazy about our bathroom is the height of our vanity. I mean, did we get taller as a population over the past 12 years or what? It's SO very low. I want to raise it up at least five inches, maybe more. I dream of the day I can lean over to brush my teeth and not feel like I'm touching my toes. 

As I said before, the finishes are just not me anymore -- I was really into the dark bronze for so long so every light switch, outlet and all of the hardware is my old beloved…oil rubbed bronze. :) Remember when I sprayed everything that color? I was obsessed! I still love some ORB but in smaller doses:

We have tons of storage under the sinks but rarely use it because they are so low and awkward to get to. I may add a skinny storage tower in between the sinks for our everyday items. (I want to get rid of the shelving up there.) My hope is that having the vanity up a little higher will make it easier to access underneath so we won't need any other storage on top. 

So this beauty is what I picked up yesterday for this area:

It's the Stockholm mirror from IKEA and I ogle it every time I go in. I love the wood trim and the size is quite large -- it may be too large. I got two, one to go over each sink. I have to decide if I want to add sconces by the mirrors or just do smaller lights above -- we only have one light there right now and I'm looking forward to more light for sure.

I do plan on replacing our inexpensive countertops and sinks with something else but not sure what yet. To use these mirrors in our bath we may have to move the plumbing over because the sinks are just a tad too close to the wall for these to work as they are now. Not sure I want to spend the money to do that so these may go in the Bub's bathroom instead -- I told you about my plans for that room here. (I do plan on getting that room done next year.)

I should have taken a photo of the walls in our bathroom so you can get an idea of why I've only painted this room one time. Yikes, they are tall. I honestly can't believe I did it last time since I'm not a big fan of heights. They go up to roof height and we LOVE how open it makes the whole room feel.

I'm planning something lighter for the walls, and I may go with this Sea Salt color:

Credit: Studio McGee

I see it a lot and it's a lovely blue green, but it may go too green for me. I've had our gray green walls in there for too long now and don't think I want any green tones at all.

The vanity will most likely go black. I have yet to paint our interior doors upstairs but they will all go black like the rest of the house. I'm considering a sliding barn door but I think it may be too bulky.

Looky what I found -- a dark vanity with a similar mirror to what I picked!:

Credit: Style Me Pretty

I love when I get validation about the ideas in my head. ;) 

Here's a look at a similar wall color (this one goes more blue than Sea Salt) with the black vanity: 

Credit: BHG

I think that is such a soothing, pretty combo with the light blue and black!

Earlier this year I made some simple updates to the tub area (during another no-spend month!) and this area will stay the same for now, other than perhaps a new tub faucet and of course the new paint color: 

I'm getting really excited about finally updating this space! So much so I'm forcing myself not to pick up a paint brush and get started immediately. Other projects are calling my name first. :) 

I hope to share a room update with you later this week -- I'm so thrilled with this little makeover and can't wait to show you! 

Have any of you tried Sea Salt? Is it green in person or more blue? 

You can see our smaller bathroom makeovers in the basement, powder room and small changes in the Bub's bath that made a big difference here: 

Boy bathroom updates

Powder room transformation

Basement bathroom

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Let's walk through some gorgeous houses!

Last weekend my boy and I attended one of my FAVORITE events here locally, our Indy Home-A-Rama. This is something I look forward to every year, and believe it or not, our son loves it too. That is, until we get to about the fourth house…then he's done. ;)

He was a trooper this year because there were 11 houses! I think that's the largest we've had by far. I can't remember more than maybe six or seven in the past. If you are near Indianapolis this one is so worth checking out! (This time it's located in Westfield.)

I always love to share the highlights of each home with you here and because there were so many I'm going to break this up into a few posts. All of the homes were beautiful, but some I loved more than others, of course. 

I did my best to keep each house straight -- I took a ton of pictures! I will share these in order of the tour, and the first house had windows I was drooling over: 

Builder: Wedgewood Building Company

Designer: Thomas and Jayne Interior Design

They were absolutely STUNNING. I'm obsessed with black mullions and if we ever build again someday, I. want. These were floor to ceiling and really amazing: 

Of course you'd live in a fish bowl and they'd be crazy expensive to cover, but if you live in this house you have the money. ;)

I loved the main living space -- those windows make the whole room, right?: 

The ceiling was angled up with wood beams: 

The stone wall was awesome -- not something I would pick but it was really cool:

Here's a look at my beloved windows from outside: 

The kitchen was beautiful, of course, but a little smaller than I expected: 

This room was right next to the kitchen and I would have used some of that space for the kitchen: 

I LOVED it though -- what a fun hang out space. The doors to the patio open up completely so it's really a great indoor/outdoor space. I love the wood wall and shelves and that awesome built in for glasses (I see a tap in there too!). 

The pantry was a good size and the finishes crazy good. Wood shelves, granite, glass cabinet doors and shiplap walls, in a pantry? Dreamy: 

I liked that there was a little butler's pantry-type area around the corner from the kitchen. It wrapped around over by the pantry and would be a great spot for a coffee or animal food station: 

The windows sold me on that house -- I just loved them. I must have forgotten to take a photo of the outside of that one but it was beautiful exterior.

The second house had a "Fixer Upper" feel on the exterior:

Builder: Old Town Design Group

Designer: Everything Home

I loved the modern farmhouse feel! Those window boxes were huge and beautiful: 

I was surprised by the fireplace in the living area -- it was more modern than I was expecting: 

Most of the house had an elegant rustic vibe, but the skinny fireplace felt more modern to me. 

The eat in kitchen area was beautiful: 

There were definite trends I noticed throughout all of the homes -- I think I only saw one dedicated dining room. They may be a thing of the past! And there were no separate living and family rooms -- only one large gathering room off the kitchen (and additional space in the basements). These are both trends I would incorporate into a home if I ever did it again! 

This house also had a room off of the kitchen that opened to a patio:

I really like those slatted walls for privacy. 

This is the hearth room that opened to the patio -- so cozy!: 

Another trend I loved -- interior windows. I've actually considered adding a couple in our house over the years so I was happy to see that I'm not crazy thinking that. ;) They really did allow for natural light to spread throughout the house. 

The kitchen had a darker island and light cabinets: 

I liked this separate built in area for coffee or whatever: 

That dark shiplap with the dark shelving is so striking. 

The master had gorgeous wood beams and high ceilings:

Did I say it was four houses in that the Bub was done? I meant the second house in: 

Ha! Luckily there were some fun kid's spaces coming up. (I'll show you that house next week!)

This little office space on the way to the garage was a cool spot: 

You can see those interior windows again -- I just love that. 

The third house had a full brick front: 

Gradison Design Build

Gadison Interiors/Kittle's Design Studio

I was surprised at the inside -- this one was more modern:

The basement continued the sleek design: 

The TV side was more cozy and I thought the stone wall behind the TV was really cool: 

The basements all killed me -- they all felt like the entire size of our whole house! And the finishes were so high end -- look at that waterfall counter!:

I thought the bedroom in this house was beautiful -- look at that detailed ceiling!:

And I LOVED the bathroom!: 

I loved the vanity design, the hexagon tile that tied into the bathroom ceiling and that beautiful sparkly tile in the shower! (Those were small hexagons as well.)

The stairway was just lovely -- I thought this was such a beautiful idea for those big staircase walls so many of houses have now: 

It looked like it was painted on but it could be wallpaper. Love!

My favorite room in this house was the kitchen. Oh my, it was gorgeous and unique!:

Isn't that hood and stove area amazing? I just thought it was awesome. It was more modern than my style but man, I can so appreciate it. The backsplash was a mirror with an antiqued/smoked look and it worked so well in here: 

I wished that the island was the same beautiful wood tone as that cooktop surround: 

But, WOW. Stunning, right? I loved it! 

Finally, this house had an awesome mud room on the way out with tons of storage: 

Whew! That's enough for today! Like I said -- if you are near Indy this one really is a must-see. Of course I am barely scratching the surface of these spaces. ALL of the designs were stunning. I'll be back to share some more favorites next week! 

Where there any rooms you really loved? Any trends you've noticed in newer homes as well? Have a great weekend my friends!

P.S. You can see my round ups of the beautiful 2014 tours here and here!

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