let's do this!

In November of 2008, my husband, 2 sons and I moved from a big! Brand new! FINISHED! house, to a house with amazing potential in a great neighborhood.  That's putting it nicely. 

Our other house lacked character and warmth, and I never had a desire to make it "home."  And seriously, it was just paint, and wallpaper, and floors, and the kitchen, and...every room in the house...we could knock this baby out in a few months.  Ummmmmmmmmm nooooooooooo.  This project has been hell, although maybe it's like childbirth where you forget about it once you have the result?  

See below for some of the work we had cut out for us, and the "After" shots as they are completed...

This is our family room with the previous owner's stuff in it.  They bought the house new in 1982, and painted all the doors, windows, and frames either navy blue or dark red.  Those are fake wood floors and the ceiling is covered in dark wood planks. 

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This is the kitchen before, which adjoins the family room.  The cabinets were the originals, but they had been refaced in a distressed cream.  White appliances, navy laminate counters, and red trim were consistent with the home's patriotic color scheme. Below are some pictures of the kitchen after:

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This is the powder room...not the best picture, but it gives you an idea of the dark wood and wallpaper.  Removing this wallpaper was the bane of my existence, seriously.  

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This is the office, which is the first room you see as you enter the house.  It had grasscloth wallpaper, white wall-to-wall carpeting, and the omnipresent blue window trim.  Below is just a shot of the bookshelves...I'll take a picture of the whole room one of these days!

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