I hEaRt My HoUsE: More Renovation Photos {The laundry, mud room, & library}

On Monday Annie took a 4 hour nap and I used the time to sit and stare at my house. I'm in love, and still shocked & awed that I get to live in a house I am in love with. As I reveled in the aftermath of 6 months of dust and drained bank accounts, I got to thinking that I never posted the pics of my 3 favorite rooms! I wouldn't have thought it possible, but once again Spring is right around the corner and I am in a major mood for renovation and design! You'd think after two years of renovations, I would be satisfied. I don't even have HGTV anymore since we don't have cable. There's always the basement, which will now be the only place you haven't seen. 1700 sq/ft of blank canvas down there. Brown & Graham do I have plans for you! My basement fund jar is already started and I'm dreaming up schemes and plans. In the meantime, it's a good thing we have people living down there or else I might be tempted to use my basement money jar for an indoor playhouse instead of the huge leak we have going in the roof over our back door. Rain rain rain. So for now, I will sit by the fire Q started, recover from a 12 hour work day after Annie kept us awake ALL night, and forget about the leak. Perhaps a bowl of ice cream?

BEFORE

Q & I have been marveling over these before pics! It's easy to forget how much work it was when we are basking in the arms of luxury (aka, no more dust). We still have some projects but nothing like this...at least not inside.
AFTER

In a few weeks we will have owned our home 1 complete year! It took 6 full months to renovate it though so we've only been living here for half that time. I told Q, I'm never leaving.

The Laundry Room

BEFORE

We had to add plumbing for sink and it took me forever to convince Q to build me some temporary shelving. With help from my favorite store on the planet (IKEA), I now have an awesome gift wrapping station and craft area. .
AFTER

BEFORE

The sink took forever to work into the right spot before could give me some good storage shelves. In the end, we had to craigslist in for a washer and dryer but they will be perfect for the basement some day and we'll get some shiny new ones. I love the IKEA racks because they fit hangers perfectly for drying close and worked for my wrapping paper and storage.
AFTER

The Mud Room

BEFORE

I'm lucky to have a hubby who can work a power tool or tool. All through the house I would draw lines on the walls and Q would make them into shelves. The lockers in the mud room are a perfect example. All our junk gets stored here and I finally get to use my vintage hooks I've been saving for 5 years!
AFTER

BEFORE

Ydnic helped me with some upholstery and I made my own chalkboard paint for the wall in the mud room. This is the only area that didn't get new flooring and we've made a few changes since by adding a hutch and such. The laundry used to be here but it works so much better to have this space for a drop off area with doors coming from the back porch and garage.
AFTER




Downstairs

BEFORE

This is all you get to see of the basement until our tenants move out so for now, here's the stairs. My favorite part is that at the bottom, I had Q hang a magnetic chalkboard from my school a few inches off the ground so the kids could play with it no matter how small they are. It's a fun use of the space and Annie loves hanging out down there and playing with the word magnets we have up now.
AFTER

The Entry Way

BEFORE

The entryway did not exist until, last minute, we decided to add a few walls. Thank heavens we did. It created a good buffer zone and helped define some bar space in the kitchen and give us a place to store toys. The paint color took a few tries. Q didn't want the blue but after some big mistakes, I went with my original choice and LOVE it!
AFTER

The Library

BEFORE

And this, the grand finale, is my very favorite room ever. I have been fantasizing about having a library my entire life and now it is too good to be true. Q hung another magnetic chalkboard for seasonal cards, photos, and messages. We love it! It took a few tries to figure a perfect layout. Having the love seat face the window and computer is perfect. Q can show me YouTube videos while I comfortably lay on the couch enjoying the view.
AFTER

BEFORE

The library used to be a carpeted dining room but works so much better now. Having the office just off the kitchen is so convenient. Annie will read books off her shelf while I fix dinner. Leave it to overstock for the perfect rug and some new light fixtures at Home Depot and even the once-awkward built-in nook looks like it belongs.
AFTER

BEFORE


Q was talked into my inherited mariachi band joining our family and let us build a permanent home for them.
AFTER

BEFORE

We measured the chelving to fit our files on the bottom. It is the perfect solution for storing documents and papers without having an ugly bulky filing cabinet. I also love the sofa I found a totally splurged on when I should have been using the money for insulation. I couldn't help it, the fabric is hand written words and sentences and paragraphs. What could be more perfect for a library/office?
AFTER



...And that my friends, is the last of the renovation. At least for now. If you want to see the rest of the house and our Annex renovation, go HERE.

P.S. Don't miss Q's big adventure in the next post!