I hope everyone had a chance to check out the featured designers and guest participants on the One Room Challenge!
Last week, I showed you my plan for our Master Bedroom. Here is what it looked like:
We spent some time removing all of the furniture, tearing out the carpet and pad, pulling out 1000 staples out of the floor, removing the baseboard trim, and painting the ceiling and walls. I was thinking I didn’t get much accomplished, but that list is longer than I thought.
Here is what the room looks like today:
Empty room with new paint
We painted the room Sherwin Williams Repose Gray. It is absolutely one of my favorite greige colors. Not too gray…not too brown. It looks good with whites, woods, and other colors.
I would have loved to go a little bolder in the room, but we are putting our house up for sale, so we want to make the room appeal to the masses.
Fresh White CeilingsNewly painted trim and walls
The trim in the room had been painted with leftover flat ceiling paint that wasn’t scrubbable or durable. Now was the perfect time to fix the problem so future owners don’t have to.
Repose Gray Walls
This week’s progress was well needed but definitely not exciting.
So here is a sneak peek of the new nightstands that I will be finishing.
New nightstands that need finishing
Next week’s focus will be putting in the new floors and hanging the new light fixture that just arrived.
Thanks for following along on this journey with me and the ORC!
Today is the kickoff to the Spring 2020 One Room Challenge and I am pumped and nervous! If you’re wondering why, it is because I am stepping way out of my comfort zone to be a guest participant. The ORC happens twice a year and is a design challenge with 20 featured designers and multiple guest participants like myself. We have 8 weeks from today to renovate our designated room. I decided that this was the perfect opportunity to need to makeover our Master Bedroom to get our house ready to sell.\
Our current Master Bedroom
While there is nothing wrong with our bedroom, it is donning my Broyhill Attic Heirlooms bedroom set that I bought when I was 24…don’t get me wrong, I still love it, but I’m ready for a new look. Plus, we are getting our house ready to sell, so I want buyers to walk in and want to move into the space. The current room doesn’t have that vibe.
When we bought our house 8 years ago, the walls were purple, the carpet needed to be replaced, and there were cherry kitchen cabinets attached to the walls. We were on a budget, so we slapped up a brushed nickel “boob” light, painted the walls a yellow-undertone greige, and put in cheap in stock carpet.
Cheap carpet that has been restretched and is bubbled up
The plan for the room is simple…make the room more inviting without breaking the bank.
The plan
Our Master Bedroom is only about 15′ x 14.5′ so we will keep the bed where it is, but we are upgrading to a King size and I will be making a DIY headboard. We will be adding a white faux brick accent wall behind the bed along with pretty DIY Floating shelves.
New accent wall and king bed will be the new focal point
The walls will be painted a new greige color and the floors will be updated to a beautiful herringbone pattern. We will add an area rug for warmth, hang a new light fixture, and add a small reading nook.
The final room will be a mix of whites, grays, woods, and texture. I hope you will follow along on this journey with me! Also, if you want to see the other ORC rooms, you can check it out here.
Have you ever looked at the exterior of your home or business and just felt it was missing something? You don’t have a lot of money to spend, but you know you need some curb appeal? This was me last week.
Storefront lacking curb appeal
Recently, we had installed new windows at our store to help with the efficiency, however, they couldn’t be as big or centered as I would have liked. My symmetry issues were killing me! I needed to do something about it.
So, I started searching online, but hadn’t been able to find what I wanted or couldn’t afford what I liked. I knew I needed to DIY some easy Board and Batten Shutters!
I decided to use 1″x 4″ cedar planks from the Home Depot. My store only had the cedar boards in 4ft lengths which was perfect for my 41″ tall windows.
4ft long Cedar Boards from Home Depot
I spent a few minutes dry fitting the boards together to get the best fit since they weren’t all perfectly straight.
I measured and cut the boards down to 41″ long to accommodate my 41″ tall windows. The boards then were sanded smooth with 220 sandpaper.
Pretty sanded cedar boards
I used scrap wood/paint sticks to evenly space the boards. Then I measured and cut the cross pieces to length (in my case 14.5″) and attached them using glue and 1 1/4″ brad nails. Two 6″ pieces of scrap wood were used as a guide to make sure the cross pieces were evenly spaced from the top and bottom.
Paint sticks as spacers and scrap wood as a guide while gluing and nailing the cross pieces on
I also flipped the boards over and screwed the cross pieces in from the back for durability using 1 1/4″ screws and my drill.
Now, they were ready for stain.
Ready to stain shutters
My goal was to have a nice medium brown color with a hint of gray. Briarsmoke was the perfect choice! I always recommend testing colors out on scrap pieces first…it will save you a ton of hassle and heartache if you don’t love the color.
I stained the shutters and let them dry for 24 hours before sealing them with two coats of spar urethane. Per the instructions, I waited 48 hours to make sure they were dry before handling them.
Briarsmoke stain and spar urethane sealer in satin drying
They shutters looked great, but I still wanted to add some oil rubbed bronze to them. I used a rubber mallet to hammer some clavos on.
Clavos attached to the shutters
I used my nail gun to tack the shutters in place and then used 2.5″ construction screws to hold the corners in place.
Shutters being hung with screws
The final look is even better than I imagined! The shutters were super simple and cost effective, but they definitely are high impact!
Here’s what the building looked like when we bought it and now:
Thank you for following my journey! Stay tuned for more DIY projects!
When it came time to redo our kitchen, I knew there were some things that I definitely wanted to change. One was our kitchen island.
While I loved all the storage and counter space, our island didn’t leave much room for a dining room table…especially with barstools.
When we redid the floors, I talked my hubby into straightening the island and moving it 18 inches closer to the kitchen cabinets. We were able to reuse the existing cabinets, but the backs couldn’t be saved.
Unfortunately, we were left with edges that stuck out past the backs of the cabinets and the drawer glides also poked through. My initial thought was to do real shiplap, but I quickly realized it was too thick to go on the sides of the island. I then thought about doing 1/4 inch plywood cut into strips as faux shiplap. We then realized that we would have to reinforce the plywood so it wouldn’t bow in the center.
That was when I realized that I really just wanted subtle texture and that faux brick could work.
We attached some scrap strips to the backs of the cabinets using liquid nails and a few brads…we were ready for the faux brick.
We purchased a 4’x8′ brick wallboard from Menards that we cut to fit the back of the island.
It was simple to attach using liquid nails and brad nails. We then caulked the seams and added corner trim.
To achieve the sublet texture we were after, we whitewashed the faux brick panels.
The texture was perfect! Best of all, we had more room for our dining room table and still can comfortably work in the kitchen.
When it comes to fall decorating, I’m not going to lie…I have been slacking the last few years. Fall is the busiest time of year on our farm and with school and other activities, decorating has taken a backseat.
Since the kids are getting older, I really want them to have happy memories and cozy feels for fall and not just remembering how busy it was.
So I’ve put together 5 easy tips for creating a Cozy Fall Vibe and they won’t break the bank either.
If you don’t want to store additional pillows, look for pillow covers (I get mine at Hobby Lobby for about $6/ea when they go on sale).
2) Change out your florals/greenery
We kept the same tray, but switched out the white tulips and vase for burlap sunflowers from the Dollar Tree and a metal vase on clearance from Target. We also added a few other fall pieces.
3) Mix in Pumpkins and other Fall themed items
To make this corner of our house a little cozier, I added these Simply Autumn Sweater Pumpkins from Joann’s (they are already 50% off and there was a coupon off your total order depending on what you spent).
I love incorporating real pumpkins and mums in my fall decor, but they aren’t ready yet. Buying items directly from a farmer or greenhouse can also save you money.
4) You don’t have to go “All or Nothing” with holiday decorating
I love our candlesticks and tray on our table
So, I traded the greens for pumpkins
Years ago, I thought to achieve a holiday look that I had to pack up all of my regular decor and replace it with holiday items. It has taken me a while to realize that you can trade out just a few pieces and mix in holiday stuff. Not only is it a time saver, but I love that some of my favorite pieces are displayed year round.
The silver vase has been a part of our living room since we moved in 7 years ago. I love the versatility of it. To add a little more of a fall vibe, I added this cute Better Homes and Gardens Wire Tray, a fall candle, and a simple pumpkin.
5) There is no right or wrong way to make your home feel cozy…do what makes you smile!
Don’t be afraid to try new things! Mix in fresh flowers and pumpkins with favorite blankets and candles.
Make your home a place that you want to spend time in!
Side Note: If you noticed, I decorate with a lot of trays. It makes it easy to move things out of the way if my kids won’t leave something alone.
When you walk into our home, one of the first rooms you see is the main bathroom that guests and future kids would use. This is what it looked like the day we got the keys.
The bathroom the day we moved in
The bathroom was nothing spectacular. It was natural maple cabinets, a yellowed stone countertop, linoleum flooring that also was discolored and white primer walls.
It didn’t take long after we moved in for me to paint the walls a soft greige color. I also was able to find a stone colored countertop with built in sink on clearance @Menards for $196 and installed it with a new $29 Moen faucet. We also installed a new light from @homedepot, but that was as far as the bathroom update went.
This week, I finally had enough of looking at the yellowed floor. While shopping for flooring for a different project, I came across Stainmaster Chateau Vinyl Flooring @Lowes and loved it! It was the best $62 investment. It was a quick easy project to install and grout the new floor.
The new floor is peel and stick so I was able to use a straight edge and a utility knife to cut the pieces to the proper lengths. I used 3/8″ spacers to make sure that I had the same size gap for grout.
Easy to install Peel and Stick Stainmaster Chateau Flooring with Saddle Gray Grout
Of course that meant painting the orange pine trim white and updating the vanity color to white with some left over paint. For added storage for cleaners and misc items that is out of the reach of small children, I found a clearance storage cabinet (the handles were crooked and were easy to fix) at Home Depot for above the toilet.
One of my favorite things about helping homeowners design their spaces is helping them to solve a challenging space.
The Brow Family contacted me regarding the wall in their living room. The wall was brown paneling and featured an off center section of brick that only went part way up the wall.
The wall before
They were at a loss with what to do with the wall and the brick. My first thought was to make it a focal point. We talked about painting the paneling to match the rest of the room and then building a faux fireplace around the brick. It would allow them to put candles or decor inside the faux fireplace.
I sent them a few options for faux fireplace design. They liked the thought of shiplap, but weren’t sure that it would look good with the paneling. They chose to do shiplap on each side of the fireplace and completely hiding the paneling. This also allowed us to use stone for the bottom portion of the fireplace.
I used 2×6 boards to create a frame for the fireplace.
To get started, I attached a 2×6 board to the ceiling with 4″ construction screws making sure it was centered on the wall and screwed into the rafters above. I then added a 2×6 on each side making sure that they were level. I then added a cross piece above the brick, and then 2 supports in the middle.
We used 4 colors of shiplap in varying lengths.
To make sure the shiplap fit behind the stone, we shifted gears and started to install prefinished shiplap to the walls using liquid nails and a nail gun. We opted for a staggered design that incorporated full width planks and then 1/3 and 2/3 length planks.
Framing of the base of the fireplace.
After the shiplap was up, I continued to frame the fireplace with 2x6s (we wanted to make sure we left enough depth for an electric fireplace insert to be added eventually if they wanted to). I attached another 2×6 (cut to the height of the cross piece on top of the brick) to each of the existing sides and then added a 2×6 on top attached to the existing cross piece on top of the brick. I then framed inside it to add support for the barn beam mantle.
2×4 boards were added to easily mount a television to the fireplace.
The homeowners originally weren’t going to put their television to above the fireplace, but eventually came around to the idea. So we added 2x4s to the inside uprights to create an area to easily attach the tv mount to. We made sure to leave a space to reach the plug.
I also added extra framing to where the barn beam would attach.
We framed the hearth out of 2×12 boards
We were finally at the point where we could build a hearth. We built a box out of 2x12s and attached them to the frame. We finally could attach plywood to the framing and then start adding Airstone to the bottom of the fireplace.
Airstone was so easy to add to the fireplace.
We stained oak plywood in the color Briarsmoke and attached it to the top of the fireplace. The homeowners added their television and we were finally ready to attach the Airstone.
The beautiful barn beam from the homeowners brothers. Just a little trim and a few stones to finish.
We finished off the fireplace with a 2×12 boards as the top of the hearth and we added simple 1×4 trim to the top of the fireplace. We were finally able to bring in the 7×7 barn beam as the mantel.
The last step was adding 2 shelves on each side of the fireplace.
I love how this feature wall turned out! Not only is it a great focal point, but it also created a better layout in the room for their furniture.
Another view of their new focal point with a faux fireplace.
This is what Brittany, the homeowner, had to say about their new faux fireplace:
“Becky is so talented and worked wonders with our wall! We love everything about it! It has come such a long way and we owe it all to her! She is great to work with, easy to work with, and can do anything!!! She is awesome! She even tied in some modern touches without me knowing, along with getting me a wooden beam from a family farm barn! ..and to think there was never a fireplace there.. Thank you Becky, and Boxwood Design, for making this such a wonderful view to make our home come together! We love it! Lets just say…I wonder what we want her to do next! “
Thanks for following along on this journey with me!
Our twin boys turned two a few weeks ago and were avidly climbing in and out of their cribs. The realization that we needed to move them into big boy beds had hit.
Since I had built our daughter a bed (you can see that here), I wanted to build the boys beds as well.
In my head, I envisioned using some pallet wood from the farm since it was free and would help keep the cost down. Unfortunately, after tearing several pallets apart, I worried about what the wood could have been treated with. Heat treated wood generally has a HT stamp on it, but none of our pallets were labeled. I decided it wasn’t worth the risk and decided to buy some lumber. Because I wanted a rustic, reclaimed look, I opted to use furring strips as part of the headboard.
Products needed to build the Platform Bed:
(3) 2x6x8 boards (two cut to 76″ and one cut to 43″)
(4) 2x4x8 boards (two 40″ and three 73″)
3/4″ plywood (40″ x 76″)
Platform Bed Directions:
Our twin mattresses measured 75″L x 39″W. Since I wanted to have a little room to tuck comforters and sheets into, I opted to add an inch. So I cut two 2x6s to 76″L and another 2×6 down to 43″W (39″W mattress + 1″ for bedding + 3″ for the two 2×6 sides to attach to). After my boards were cut to length, painted black, and had two coats of polyurethane, I assembled them in a U shape.
The three 2x6s were painted black and formed into a U shape to form the sides and foot of the bed.
For the mattress to sit on, I created a platform. I achieved this by attaching 2x4s on the inside of the 2x6s and one support down the middle. At this point, you could use slats or plywood for the mattress to lay on.
Because the twins’ mattresses are just foam, I opted to use 3/4″ plywood for the mattress to rest on (with our daughter’s bed, we used 1×4 furring strips instead of plywood).
Once the platform was built, I could start on the headboard.
Products need to build the Headboard:
(1) 2x4x10 (cut to 36″ and two 42″ boards)
1/2″ plywood (41″W x 36″ T)
(5) 1×4″ Furring Strips
Directions for building the Headboard:
Using my Kreg jig, I attached 2x4s in a U shape with the 36″W in the center and two 42″T boards on each side creating a 43″ wide frame.
I laid 1/2″ plywood over the U to form the back of my headboard. It is important to make sure that your U is square before attaching the plywood with wood glue and screws. I cut my plywood slightly narrower than the frame, so the plywood wouldn’t show from the side.
If you don’t have a Kreg jig, you can still build the headboard. Just lay your your 2x4s on top of the plywood and attach with glue and nails (making sure they are square), then you could flip it over and screw the plywood to the 2x4s for stability.
After the headboard frame was built, I gave it a few coats of black paint followed by a few coats of polyurethane. I did opt to lightly spray the plywood back black as well so that any gaps would be dark instead of seeing the color of the plywood.
While that was drying, I stained and applied polyurethane to the furring strips in 3 colors (dark walnut, briarsmoke, and a mix of weathered gray and briarsmoke).
Once all of the pieces were dry, I cut the pieces to fit and attached them with wood glue and my nail gun.
I attached the headboard to the frame with a few screws.
I couldn’t be happier with how the beds turned out! The whole room came together better than I had hoped!
It’s such a great feeling to take something that is beat up and give it new life. One of my clients was looking for new furniture for a guest bedroom, but they didn’t want to break the bank. I happened to find these nightstands on a Facebook Buy-Sell-Trade page and thought they were perfect.
The nightstands had quite a bit of wear and tear, but the size and shape of them were perfect for the room.
The nightstands had several deep scratches that it looked like someone tried to fix unsuccessfully with a furniture stain marker. A little wood filler and some light sanding and the scratches disappeared.
Even though, you aren’t required to prime before using chalk paint, I still prime. I’m a huge fan of Stix from Benjamin Moore. Even with just primer, the nightstand was looking better.
The top of the nightstand was painted with Rustoleum Chalked brand paint in a light gray color. The rest of the nightstand was painted using the white Chalked paint. Two coats and the nightstand was done.
I love that the Chalked brand has a matte clear coat that comes in a spray can or a paint can instead of waxing and buffing.
As a final touch, the handles were sprayed with a charcoal gray spray paint before being put back on.
I love how these nightstands turned out! They have a classic look to them and will look great in our room renovation.
Update: Our daughter’s dream room with new bedding accented with her favorite color…pink
Recently, we noticed that the windows in the two kids’ bedrooms were leaking. The rooms were noticeably cooler than other rooms in our home and you could feel drafts coming in. We decided it was time to put in new windows. Of course, in true Becky style, I couldn’t just replace the windows. I decided that if we were going to spend the money to replace the windows that there were a few other things that could make the room work better for us.
Here’s what the room looked like when we moved in the summer of 2012:
The previous owner had two little boys. Their bedroom had been painted red and blue to match their race car beds. The carpet was in poor shape so we tore it out.
If you’ve ever seen the movie Scream, there’s a scene where Neve Campbell’s character was able to keep the bad guy out of her room by opening her closet door and it prevented the door to her room from opening all the way. We had the same issue in this bedroom. If the bedroom door was closed and then the bi-fold closet door was opened, you couldn’t get into the room because the closet door prevented the bedroom door from opening more than a few inches. All I could think was how dangerous that could be with small children. What if I couldn’t get to them if I needed to? Plus I hated that the bedroom door swung into the middle of the room instead of against the wall.
Thankfully my husband is a good sport and we started renovating the rooms. It was amazing to see the difference with the framing for the new window compared to the old window. We couldn’t wait to see how much natural light would shine in.
We also flipped her closet to the other side of her bedroom and created a walk in closet for her and the twins’ bedroom on the other side of the wall. I was nervous that all of this work wouldn’t be worth it, but it turned out better than I had hoped for!
This is what it looked like with the wall removed between the two rooms and the framing of the new walk in closets in place. I was so worried we wouldn’t have enough closet space but they ended up each being 5.5′ x 5′ walk in closets.
Since it was going to be our daughter’s dream room, we asked her what she wanted in her dream room. Her response was a room that she could enjoy reading, drawing, coloring and playing without her two little brothers bothering her.
Here’s what we came up with:
This was the wall where her closet once was. Now it houses her bed that I made from a $5.99 Goodwill headboard and $18 in lumber. The teal nightstand is an old step stool from a flea market for $10. It’s the perfect place for her to enjoy reading her books.
We were able to find a really cute old school desk for her drawing and coloring for $20 on a Facebook Swap Site. It was in great shape and just needed a good cleaning. The bookcase was $69.00 from Walmart as well as the bins for $6/each. The floating shelf was $24.99 from Menards. The artwork on the shelf was a DIY Project.
The dresser is an Ikea Hemnes dresser that retails for $179.00 with new knobs from Amazon for $12.99 and the mirror was $19.99 at Walmart. The curtains were also $19.99 at Target and the lamp was $14.99 at Meijer.
I love that she can see her playhouse and sandbox right from her bed!
She loves her new room…and so do we! It’s pretty and functional!
