Now and Then

The title of today's post is "Now and Then"...and no, I'm not talking about the movie from 1994 (although that was a pretty good movie!) Today's post is just a quick look-back at some of the before photos of our home and the after photos of what our home looks like today.
It is not uncommon for decorating blogs to share before and after photos of different rooms in a home. But what I have noticed, and sometimes it bugs me a little, is the before photo is taken from a completely different angle than the after photo...so it can be hard to tell what the overall transformation of a room was. I did my best to take pictures of the same angle in the "after" so you can get a better sense of the changes some of these rooms went through over time.

So here we go!!
In my last post, which you can read about here, I started with a photo of the family room. Here is that photo:


Here is the family room today:

What we did:
*Replaced the old green carpet for a new neutral one
*Painted trim and walls (upper is BM Gray Owl and lower is SW Alabaster
*Recovered and added a valance over the double doors
*Painted ceiling fan white to give it a classic look
*Arranged furniture in a way to maximize seating and create better flow

Then I showed an older photo of the kitchen next:

Lots of orange wood tone, green counters, and yellow appliances

And here is that space today:

What we did:
*Painted cabinets BM Sea Haze
*Painted walls BM Gray Owl and trim SW Alabaster
*Painted counter tops and kitchen island 
*Painted fridge with chalkboard paint (hey, it's better than the yellow!)
*Added a thrift store round table and chairs
*Replaced ceiling fan over island with a brushed nickel light fixture
*Added a thrift store light over kitchen eating area


Off of the kitchen is the dining room and here is what it use to look like:
 

Here is that space now:

What we did:
*Painted trim in SW Alabaster
*Painted upper walls SW Intellectual Gray
*Added beadboard wallpaper (from Lowe's) to lower half of walls
*Changed out the curtains and blinds and added simple drapes (from IKEA)
*Decorated with our buffet table and thrifted chairs
*Painted and glazed the original chandelier

Next, I shared this photo:
 

Here is how this area looks today:

 What we did:
*Painted the oak rails 
*Painted the trim and walls
*Added beadboard wallpaper to lower half of walls
*Did some updates to the living room

 The nursery is next on the list:
 

And here is what it looks like now:

What we did:
*Rearranged furniture
*Changed out the valance and blinds
*Added a large oriental style rug
*Decorated

And the reading room:
 

 Here is what we did:
*Added rain gutter bookshelves (something we did in our last home)
*Made a bench and seat cover for extra storage and books

And now for the stairs:

 What we did:
*Painted walls (that was a fun task!) Credit to my man for getting those tall walls!
*Painted door with BM Ashwood Moss
*Added canvas photos and mirror
*Replaced light fixture by door with an updated lamp shade
*Added a gray and white trellis rug

Looking back at all of this and seeing the progress really does feel great! We worked on everything little by little and took it one day at a time, and it paid off in the long run! Of course, there is always more to do and some rooms that have barely been touched...but hopefully that will happen all in the good span of time. Hope you will stick around to see more changes along the way!