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March 11, 2014

Our 1970's House Makeover Part Two: Knocking Down Walls


Hey ya'll! I'm back! I've kinda been a hot mess lately, crammed in a bedroom with two cats who think they're mini-buffaloes, living off Papa John's, and struggling to form a coherent thought amidst the dust and noise. So, thank you for bearing with me during this weird-house-limbo-time. Despite the dust, I'm so excited, and we're finally making progress. So, I've got some fun things to share with you today.
Cats + pepperoni pizza + dust = life.





If you watched last week's video of Jesse smashing his way through the wall, you probably knew what was coming.
We started by knocking down the wall between the kitchen and dining room, and then somehow ended up knocking down another wall, too. 

So, let's start with the dining room wall first. You may remember that this wall has had several different looks. 
It started out with ugly orange trim all over it when we first moved in.


 I painted that trim as fast as I could. This little dining room was the first room I ever painted in this house, and it was so exciting to see the orange trim disappear under white paint.
This room marks the beginning of my descent into paint-everything-white-madness.

On the opposite side of that wall, in the kitchen, I painted a chalkboard surround and some thrift store stools. I also painted the outdated tile on the countertop, which was a huge improvement from the 1970's colors of yesteryear it previously sported.


Later on (seen here), I painted the trim around the look-through white and spray painted those same stools silver.
It looked much so better, but if I'm being totally honest,
 I still didn't love it.


It was a cute little area, but totally not functional for our life.
Whenever we have people over, I usually end up sitting on my kitchen countertops with 10 people crammed into this little kitchen space, all probably annoyed with me that there's nowhere to sit.
Hostess with the mostest. Crowned five years and running.
That's a lie.

Awhile back, a good friend was over and we were sitting at this uncomfortable little bar area and she looked at me and said, 
'You know...you should knock down this wall.'

I looked at her like she had absolutely lost her mind. 
I mean, who do you think I am? A Fraggle Rock Doozer?

But, Margaret totally planted a seed in my head that never went away, and for nearly a year now I've wanted to karate chop this wall straight to the ground. When it came time to rip up the floors, I knew that if I was going to remove the wall, now was the time. Especially since we were putting the hardwood floor through the kitchen. 

So, late one night, Jesse and I began to take down the wall. We started by removing the trim off of the door and the look-through.


The trim was pretty easy to remove, but the countertop removal basically turned into an archaeological dig, and Jesse had to smash a bunch of tile to get to the 800 screws someone fastened this thing with.
The #1 question I got after painting that tile countertop was about whether or not it was durable. Well, since the paint is still intact after getting sledgehammered, yes, it has proven to be very durable indeed. If you have some old 1970's tile stinking up the aesthetics of your house somewhere, I still highly recommend that epoxy paint. 
Totally works.


So, Jesse removed the countertop with some manly force. I mostly stood there with a camera, entertaining Jesse with song, dance, and moral support.


Once the trim and countertop were gone, we left the rest of the wall for our contractor to finish. 


By the next day, the wall was mostly gone. There was a big beam (not structural) and some wiring to be dealt with, so the wall stayed partially cut out like this for a little while.


Take a quick moment to notice the 1970's linoleum we found underneath the tile. 
Not that I want that on my kitchen floor, but it kinda reminded me of backsplash tile. 
You've come full circle, little linoleum.


So, in the below picture, I drew some arrows to show you how much farther we took the wall out. In a perfect world, I would gut the ceiling in the kitchen and vault it like the rest of the house, but that's a project for someone who isn't me. So, my next best option was to remove the electrical stuff and the beams and make the wall flush with the ceiling and side of the house.


So, eventually last week, that finally happened.
And I've basically spent my week running back and forth, leaping and celebrating.


It completely changed the way this space feels, and I will finally be able to comfortably fit a table in the dining room. 
I've not had a dining room table for over 2 years, so the day that finally happens, we're going to celebrate. You and me...so get ready.


We still have to trim it out, and paint it, and all sorts of other stuff, but you get the idea.
The stair rail has also been partially removed, leaving a nice hole in the middle of my house. The new one should be getting started soon, but no updates on that just yet.

Just for perspective, here's that same area when we first moved in.


And here's the current condition, with a bit of flooring finally installed.


 Sidenote: I'm pretty sure I'm going to whitewash the stone fireplace. I'm going to wait until after the floors are done, so that I can see how everything looks together, but my gut tells me that that 1970's rock has GOT to go. 
I know half of you are going to freak, and half of you are going to celebrate, but I'm pushing forward. I also have no idea if it will even work, but let's gamble, shall we?

 I also want to replace the last of the outdated forrest green light fixtures in the living room. 
They each hold approximately 400 dead bugs at all times. You can climb a ladder, clean them out, and there will be 400 new bug corpses by Friday. Sometimes I'm pretty sure someone is putting them in there just to mess with me. 

Here are a few more pics for perspective.
Here's a view from the opposite way, from when we first moved in.


And then sometime last year.


And now today, with a hint of new flooring. This is actual hardwood, rather than engineered flooring, so it's just raw wood right now and doesn't have any stain on it yet. 


I am having quite the situation over picking out a stain color. It's a big commitment, and frankly, I just want to run away and never return.
I'm staining some samples this week and will share my thoughts in my next post. I've decided I don't want to go super dark anymore (thanks to all of your wise suggestions and stories of lint and dust), and part of me kinda likes the natural wood. 
Totally didn't see that coming. 
So, obviously, I'm kinda all over the place with my decision. 
To be continued on that one.



Jesse totally doesn't understand my mania over choosing a stain color, and his usual input involves something like 
'Yeah, sounds good to me. I like all of the colors.' 
The below picture, taken at Señor Taco (home of the best burritos ever), probably does an accurate job of depicting how I look at him every time he tells me he likes ALL the colors. 



Anyways, we'll cross that stain bridge when we get there.
For now, let's move on to the next wall that got knocked down.
See that little doorway? There used to be a very old, very dysfunctional pocket door there, and it leads into the hallway. It's insanely narrow and drives us both crazy.


Here's another view of it after we took the carpet up. 
Still narrow and still annoying.


Once we took the dining room wall down, the tiny hallway door seemed even more awkward.


So, we decided to remove a big chunk of wall there, too, and open up that little doorway.


And it's awesome.
It makes the whole space feel different.


It also completely opens up the hallway and will make my laundry situation a little less cramped. 
This hallway leads to the guest bedroom (at the end of the hall), the office (to the left of the guest bedroom), the laundry space, the striped guest bathroom (to my immediate left), and then behind me, the master bedroom.


Just to give you some perspective, here is a crazy picture of what this hallway looked like when we first moved in. This below picture is taken from the same angle as the picture above.
I apologize if you have nightmares about this hallway of horrors.
I know I did.



So, as you can tell, it's really come a long way since we moved in. Thank goodness.
Here are a couple more views of this area today.
Again, we still have to trim everything out, and paint everything, so squint your eyes.


There's still so much to be done, but I'm so excited now that I can kind of tell what it will all look like when it's all done.


It truly feels like a different house.
And my brain is going crazy with ideas.
I'm basically starting over with most of the rooms because my taste has totally changed since I decorated our rooms the first time around. A few good things will remain, but tons will change. So it's going to be really fun, and there's going to be so much to blog about. 
We'll all look back fondly upon this time as 'The Great Blogging Drought of 2014'. 

Before I go, since my last post, many of you have sent Tootie your love, wishing her a quick recovery from her cat depression. She thanks you, and wishes to tell you that she is kinda enjoying living in the master bedroom, napping next to me on the human bed while I blog.


She occasionally still gets depressed over her inability to freely roam the house, but she's doing her best to keep a positive attitude. 
I'll be holding her tiny paw until it's all over, don't you worry.
Cheese has no comment.


That's all for today, ya'll.
 I've still got another week or two of chaos ahead of me, so thank you for being patient with me. I love ya for it.
'Til next time.
P.S. The other posts in the House Makeover series can be found here:








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96 comments:

  1. As if I didn't already adore you, you mentioned the Fraggles and I giggled with pure joy!!! :0)

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    1. Nothing makes me happier than knowing someone understands my Fraggle love. :)

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  2. Looking amazing! Even in its shambles, you can definitely picture how it'll look (plus you have mad decorating skills).

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    1. Thanks, Kalen! I'm hoping it all eventually comes together! :)

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  3. Looks fabulous! We have a similar rock fireplace. I often contemplate whether to paint it or embrace it. I think you should consider a mantle, that you could add some art and color coordinated pieces to help it blend into the room a little more. I can't believe how much tearing out those walls helped open things up. I might get my sledge hammer out!!!

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    1. Thanks Christy! We actually did build a mantel for the opposite side of the rock wall, and it really helped to freshen it up.....but I'm just still not happy with it. I think if I paint it, it will really help everything flow better. I could totally be wrong though, and there might end up being a post like 'OH NO WHAT DID I DO?!' Ha! I'm going to just jump and see what happens though! :)

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    2. They now have a stain available for the stone that looks more natural. Personally I love it...and once you 'embellish' it..lol, you can't go back. You have a great opportunity for gentle contrasts. Your space is amazing and you have built a beautiful space and have great style! Kudos. (p.s. before you jump in...do a test by painting/staining some paper or cardboard and taping to stone and living with it a few days. Then you'll know if you love it or not before you make such a huge commitment.)

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    3. We have the same rock fireplace in the basement/mancave (although much smaller), and I'm going to start out by experimenting there. Oh, and great tip about the cardboard! I'll definitely do that! :)

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  4. Wow, what a project! I just came across your blog for the first time today and really enjoyed looking through some of your previous posts. Your home is looking so lovely with all the changes you've made! It's very inspiring!

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    1. Thanks so much, Cheryl! So glad you found your way here! :)

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  5. Looooove the progress pics!! Can't wait to see the finished project! :) :)

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  6. LOVE the work. It really makes the house look larger. It'll be gorgeous.

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  7. Oh my goodness, I love all that you are doing. Opening up that wall totally changed the entire floorplan. It is going to be gorgeous. I would love for you to link up to my ongoing Inspire Me Tuesday party - -http://www.astrollthrulife.net/2014/03/207th-inspire-me-tuesday-grain-sack.html Hope to see you there. Hugs, Marty

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  8. As always, I chuckle when reading your post. Thank you.

    Lady, it is all looking really good! Amazing how much widening an entry way or removing a wall can significantly change the dynamics and flow of a room.

    I am in a blogging drought cause I am still cleaning up after our mini overhaul. Funny how one task, leads to another, leads to new paint colors, leads to a new table, and so on. I really wish I snap my fingers and be done. ;)

    Anyway, I am rooting for you! I know everything will look stunning when you are done. :D

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    1. Thanks soooo much, Julie! Welcome to the land of blogging droughts! I totally know what you mean....I saw your kitchen and can totally relate to what you are going through! It's looking beautiful though and you are going to have an amazing space when you're all done! Thanks so much for your encouragement! xo

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  9. Awesome. I'm so excited to see the outcome and the new decor when it's done. Your blog has given me tons of ideas for my home.

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  10. Omg it's going to look so good!! Can't wait to see it all trimmed and pretty.
    Brittney @ bachelorpadtolovenest.weebly.com

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    1. Thanks Brittney! I'm so excited for that part! Ya know...the pretty part. More pretty, less pepperonis and dust. :)

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  11. The concept of knocking down walls on your own (without spending a fortune to have a handyman or company do it for you) is so inspiring and empowering! How did you know which walls were ok to take out? How did you know they weren't load-bearing, laced with electrical wires, etc.? My husband and I own a 110 year old house that is quite closed off, and we've been talking about opening it up for a few years now, but haven't had the courage to call anyone. Did you or your husband go to school to learn about home renovation, or is this all self-taught? Sorry for so many questions, but you've definitely opened my eyes to this concept! :)

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    1. Hi there! We have a contractor who is doing all of our floors, and he has helped us with the wall removal. We did a lot of the demo ourselves, but he's helped us handle all of the issues + questions we weren't sure about. Basically, he lets us know what walls can be knocked down, and gives up tips so that we can do some of the work ourselves. And then deals with the stuff we don't know how to do. As far as knowing who to hire or call for help, we asked around for recommendations from friends and family before hiring someone. It helped us find someone we knew would be trustworthy and do a good job. :)

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  12. The light-colored raw wood looks so nice and light and airy that I honestly might consider a really light stain to keep it close to what it is naturally. I'm loving the transformation altogether!

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    1. Hi Kim! You kinda hit the nail on the head....as far as my struggle with choosing a stain. Once some of the wood was installed, I really kinda started to love the grayish natural color of the raw wood. And I totally never saw that coming. So, I'm totally torn. I'll keep you posted! :)

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    2. The absolutely prettiest wood floor I ever saw was light maple. All they did was put poly on it..no stain. It was beeeeooooteeeeful :-)

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  13. You make it all look so easy! :) I'm so excited to see the end results, that's if there ever is an end, right? I love the way you write and your sense of humor. Great job!

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    1. Thank you, thank you!!! Sometimes it definitely feels like there is no end in sight, but I'm holding onto hope. :)

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  14. You are me, a month and a half ago. Seriously, this is the point when at the end of the day the contractors are leaving and you're thinking, "So, tomorrow what's getting done?" You just keep pushing forward and watching the clouds of drywall dust settle on EVERYTHING. But it's amazing what a wall removal can do to a space. If you need a little light-at-the-end-of-your-tunnel inspiration, you should check out my latest post :) good luck! You're almost there!

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    1. Hi Christine!! Yessss! Your comment totally cracked me up, as that's pretty much exactly how I feel every day! I had no idea what I was getting myself into!!! Ha! But it will all be worth it! Eventually! :)

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  15. wow, your house is turning so gorgeous. I love all the white!

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  16. It's looking really good, I can really see the vision you have for the space with the pictures now. What a difference from when you first bought the place too. I have the same hideous dooebell in my hallway too, so whenever you figure out something for that, please share, lol!! :)

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    1. HA! Oh, the doorbell!! Not sure what I will do with that thing. It doesn't have a cover, and there are literally wires hanging from it....so....there might not be any hope for it ever returning to its former glory. I might just have to start over with a doorknob that was born after 1972. :)

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  17. It looks so good! & you seem to be holding it together through all of the dysfunction so cheers to you!!

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    1. Thanks Alex! I'm giving it my best attempt! And occasionally crying into my pillow with a face covered in dust. :)

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  18. Can't wait to see what you do with your kitchen. You could totally add more cabinets in there now, or just more storage space in general.

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    1. I have no idea what I'm doing in there. Probably not much for the time being, but I'd like to reface the cabinets eventually. I'm totally lost on the layout though. It's not ideal, but my brain struggles to come up with anything better. Jesse and I have talked about different ideas a lot, mostly involving how to move the fridge somewhere less obnoxious! I'll keep you posted!! :)

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  19. Your house looks fabulous! Can't wait to see what you do with it. Now it's like a blank canvas. I love reading your blog - you always make me smile :)

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    1. Thanks Suzy! You are so sweet. And yes, it totally feels like a blank canvas, which is why I've pretty much decided to just start over. It should be fun! Can't wait to get to that part! :)

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  20. It will look amazing. Love seeing floors go in and walls getting taken down ;)

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    1. Thanks Julia!! It's totally hectic and totally fun! xo

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  21. Loving the new look! What are your plans for the stairs? I really want to take the carpet off of our stairs also but I am scared I won't be able to finish them correctly. Hee hee!

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    1. Hi Leela! Oh my gosh, I've been wanting to rip the carpet off our stairs for nearly 4 years...so I totally know how you feel. We are putting hardwood on them and rebuilding a new stair rail. I'm not 100% sure about what all that entails, but I promise to blog about it once it starts happening!

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  22. Love seeing the progress, it's so exciting!

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  23. I am so excited to see whats in store for your home! It looks fantastic!

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  24. Wow it looks amazing...

    Cheryl @ The Creative Me and My McG

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  25. I'm so excited for you! Everything looks great already and can't wait to see the finished look. Your comment had me laughing and singing "down in Fraggle Rock..."

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  26. so so exciting- I love me a good open concept floor plan :) good luck in your staining decisions!

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  27. It looks amazing so far! Is the floor a light color or are you going to stain it? I agree with whitewashing the stone, haha. I don't *hate* the natural stone look but with how light and airy the rest of your house is I just feel like it's too heavy and clunky.

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    1. I so agree! The floor is currently just raw oak, unfinished. I had planned to stain it dark, but now that it's getting installed, I'm thinking of leaving it natural. Or gray. Or a medium stain. Clearly, I haven't decided yet, but am leaning towards natural right now. :)

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  28. Knocking down the walls makes such a big difference. I'm sure it will be great having a functional dining room for entertaining.
    You totally cracked me up saying someone is putting bugs in your fixtures..lol

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  29. Have you considered greywashing the stone instead of whitewashing it? And while we are talking about greywashing....grey stained floors would be very, very cool.
    I am a lover of white myself...and am lately finding that the grey I am adding updates my spaces and pops just enough...without me losing any of the serenity my white fixation gives me. ;)

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    1. Yes, gray is one of my stain choices. It has been from the start, but I didn't start seriously considering it until I saw how much I loved the light wood. As for the stone, yes, totally. I have another stone fireplace in the basement, so I'm going to play around with a few options down there...before I start on the BIG one upstairs! :)

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  30. Virginia....Inspired opening to the hallway. So much better. I'll be very interested to see what you do to the fireplace wall (either side). Stucco, wrap in tile, wash in color... I hope you do end up with a mantel of some sort...something not too traditional cause your home has a glam, deco vib. What a fun house to reno. Cheers,
    Monique

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    1. Thanks Monique! We actually already built a mantel on the other side of the rock wall. It will probably stay, and I'll just paint or white wash the stone. And if that looks awful, I might contemplate redoing it completely. But, that's a scary thought, so for now, it's paint. :)

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  31. Oh my word Virginia - what a difference already. I totally understand your comment that it is a "different house altogether" as a result of a walls coming out. Well done! Great decision and ones you will never regret...
    And because I am from the far away upside down part of the world in New Zealand - I don't really get the Fraggle connection - but believe me I am doing a little Kiwi flightless bird dance of joy for you as we speak! :-)

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  32. Hi...love your blog. What you've had done so far is amazing. I can see what you mean about your refrigerator. A friend switched her fridge and stove...the stove still stuck out like the fridge, but because there was space between it and the hood range, it didn't seem so ....heavy. It seemed to open it up a bit. Would that help?

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    1. Thanks Linda! That's a great suggestion! I've thought of that before, too. We also thought about making the (giant) closet in the guest bedroom behind the refrigerator smaller, and moving that entire side of the kitchen back about 3-4 feet. That would totally solve the problem, but then we would definitely have to do some work on the countertops and cabinetry. I'm not opposed though. Next project, maybe! :)

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  33. WOW! I can't wait to see what you do next. I'm jumping up and down too! It'll be fun to see how you redecorate after the walls, trim, everything is done :-) I like the floors light too. We have dark laminate (previous owner's choice) in our dining/kitchen area. Nice, easy to clean but it shows e.v.e.r.y little speck of dust and paw prints from the dogs. Give me lighter colors anytime :-)

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    1. Thanks Connie! I'm leaning towards the natural wood, as I had no idea how great it would look in this house. We'll see!! :)

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  34. This is exciting! The possibilities are ENDLESS! Your blog will live forever, with all the projects you get to do now!

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  35. Forget about staining the floors! If you are liking the natural wood color, Just have them varnished, skip the staining step and save some money. The varnish will darken and enrich the natural wood color a bit anyway. That's how we handled our hardwoods (some refinished and some installed), and we love the result.

    Are you planning to keep the wainscoting? In the pictures it looks pretty nice.

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    1. Hi Nan! Yes, I'm leaning in the direction of keeping them natural. I've just been totally thrown by it, because I totally didn't expect to do that! I've been thinking dark floors since day 1. But, now that the natural wood is installed, I see how great they would look in this house.
      Oh, and yes, the wainscoting will stay. We're just replacing the trim to match the style of it, as I actually love the wainscoting. :)

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  36. What amazing changes! You're doing it right, following your heart. It is looking great!

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  37. Love it! Looks great and I'm looking forward to seeing what you decide to do. As far as staining the floors - I want to discourage dark floors. We went to look at a house back in May before we bought the house we have now and they had very dark wood floors. They showed every single bit of dirt, food, cat/dog hair, etc. that you could possibly imagine. Our floors now are a cherry laminate on the lighter side and while they do pick up dirt, they don't show it very much. We have 2 cats, a dog and 2 kids and between all of that and my husband and I - I can usually get away with sweeping about twice a week and washing my floors every other week. I also had lighter wood floors in my previous home and they also were great at hiding dirt and such even after a lot of wear. Just wanted to let you know if you were having issues deciding :) Good luck!

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    1. Don't worry, Stacy! I'm definitely not going dark. That much has been decided. I really love dark floors, and thought I wanted them for a really long time, but the light floors just look so much better in our house. I'll be going into detail about all of this in my next post...stay tuned! xo

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  38. AHHH, I love your blog so much. This was such a fun post to read, thanks for the update and good luck :)

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  39. Thank you! We actually have a smaller fireplace in the basement level with the same exact stone. I'm going to paint that one first and experiment and see how it turns out. Because if that one turns out bad, it's going to be the mancave anyways, and Jesse could care less. :) And then we'll go from there!

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  40. You should definitely white wash your fireplace! My girlfriend had the exact same type of fireplace and on a whim she painted it white! It made a huge difference and looks 10x better! Her color scheme is grey, white, and navy with medium dark floors, and her new white fireplace looks crisp and clean in her house! Definitely do it!!

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    1. I'm definitely doing it!! :) It's just a matter of whether I whitewash it or paint it solid white. I'm going to start with the whitewash and if I don't like it, I'll paint it solid. But, that's SO awesome to know! I like that color scheme, too! Thanks so much for letting me know! xo

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  41. Can't remember how I found your blog, but I spent almost an hour reading some of your posts and I will be a new follower via Bloglovin. I am big DIY'er myself and look forward to your re-dos.

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  42. I had a 70's fireplace once that had various colors of bricks, many with an orange tone. I poured some tan paint into a bucket of water and washed it down. My husband almost had a heart attack when he called home and asked what I was doing. But when he got home he loved it so much he wanted me to go outside and paint the whole chimney. If you wash the chimney you will keep the various shades and it will be warm looking. You will love it.

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  43. Honestly, you totally inspired me to redecorate my room. It has been looking like a grannys place for the longest time. I have wood furniture similar to your white dressing table in your master bedroom, so me and my sister are going to paint it a light blue and give our room a more beachy vibe. We are also going to paint our walls white and get better storage solutions. Thanks so much for your blog! I come back to it all the time for inspiration!

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  44. EEEEeeeee!!! I'm so excited for you! Knocking down those walls was such a great decision -- the whole place is opened up and feels like a whole new house. I can't WAIT to see more!

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  45. Just found your site through Pinterest! Love your sense of humor and what you are doing to your house! I am wishing you good renovation vibes!

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  46. Virginia! I'm a follower, you are in my bookmarks. From the UK, I am fascinated by US homes, which are sort of different to ours! You took the right decision, taking the kitchen wall down, it's going to be just fabby!!! Good luck with it all - I follow all your decisions with interest. By the way, I like the idea of pale flooring - we have an assortment in this house of original floorboards (200 years +), tiles in kitchen and diner, and cheap pine planks in our living room which we intend to change out for decent wood flooring at some point soonish. Can't wait for your next post!

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  47. Virginia, I saw this white-washed brick using chalk paint on pitnerest and it made me think of you:

    http://www.pinterest.com/pin/172684966936147148/

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    1. Thanks so much, Kara!! You are awesome! I'm kinda thinking I just want to paint it now, but I'm going to start with a whitewash and see how that looks. Since I can always add more paint. :)

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  48. you are an inspiration...thank you:-)

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  49. I love your blog...give me hope for my 70s home. BTW, Sherwin Williams won't call the cops. I'm one sample away from working there, lol.

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  50. Your blog makes me want a house to knock down walls and paint everything white (I am obsessed with white painted furniture too) it looks amazing so far, keep up the good work!

    Shaina
    www.dearmarleigh.blogspot.com

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  51. I have an identical living room in Sydney Australia. Love your blog, it's so inspiring. Just wondering about the high three-panel triangular windows in the living room. We need to instal some kind of shutters/blinds/curtains on ours to create privacy while letting in some light. Due to the weird shape, anything custom made will be horrendously expensive, so any suggestions are welcome. Also, will you be re-installing your white timber banister - I love it. And I love your fireplace.

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  52. Very beautiful transformation! I can already imagine the final look. You're doing a great job! -Patrick Tan

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  53. You have such a beautiful home! I love seeing the transformations. It's definitely inspiring. :)

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  54. I've been poking around your blog quite a bit the past week or so, trolling for inspiration for my home. I love your place so much! I was totally thinking that white washing your fireplace would be a great idea, and then I read this post and saw you were considering it. I hope you go for it! I'd love to see the finished product!

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Thanks so much for leaving a comment!! I do the hammer dance every time I read one.

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