My Bungalow Days

I know I said I would post next about the Dining and Living Rooms but it really made more sense to start here.  Where we started.

Not long after we were moved in, we had accomplished removing wallpaper, tearing up carpeting, taking down window coverings and painting everything white, in other words our little Bungalow was getting a fresh start.  A re-birth if you will.

We figured we’d take our time making our way from room to room making the necessary repairs and improvement to turn this old house into our home.  However just a few months after we moved in I found out I was pregnant, so our priority became getting the nursery ready.  At 11 weeks gestation we learned we were expecting twins and neither of us wanted to know the gender(s) so we searched to find the perfect neutral color for their room and bathroom.

Here’s what their room looked like during the walk-through…

And this is what it looked like when we began working on it.

There was a lot to do in a short amount of time.  The ceilings throughout the house were covered in acoustic coating and it would be the first change to be made to ready the room for our new babies.  My husband tackled the job all by himself which was neither fun nor easy.  It’s a messy job that requires a mask and goggles at all times.  Reaching above your head scraping little by little is not only exhausting, it’s a very slow process.

Once the ceiling was done, we could focus on the walls and floor.  I did what I could to help out, but as my pregnancy progressed there was only so much I could do.  I could no longer help with little things like stripping paint off the door and window hardware.  Previous homeowners had painted over the delicate brass hardware time and time again.  I wasn’t interested in exposing myself to the harsh cleaning chemicals, so mostly I did what I could to make the jobs easier for my husband.  I fetched tools, cleaned paint brushes, etc.  Painting was fine too, since we have so many windows and the nursery has 6, it was easy to open them up, let in a breeze and paint away.  The house never had the strong odor of paint.  We chose a pale mint green for the room and decided all the trim and mouldings throughout the house would remain white.

Since my daughters are not babies anymore, their bedroom has seen many changes over the years.  When they were about 14, we re-painted and changed the furniture configuration, added a few style details here and there and this is what it looked like

Now that my daughters are college graduates, they’ve made even more changes, like bedding, lighting, etc.  It’s their room and their personal space so I’ll respect their privacy and not post photos of what it looks like today, but it’s a better representation of their grown up style.

Needless to say, the bathroom needed quite a bit of work as well.  The sink and cabinet were old and outdated.  The wallpaper was faded and the floor was a dark vinyl tile but we kept it for the time being.  The star of the room was the claw foot tub, which we refinished and still use today.

When it came time to tackle the bathroom, we found a cute little striped wallpaper in the same green as the nursery.  Though not a big fan of wallpaper, the lower wall we were papering had been covered in vinyl tile at one time so it had some surface scars we did our best to camouflage.  I couldn’t find any good pictures of their bathroom from those days, but here’s what it looks like now.

Yes, this hydrangea came from my garden…it’s one of my all-time favorite flowers.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this latest tour, stay tuned for the Dining and Living Rooms… I mean it this time.

Have a great today and an even better tomorrow.

Tags: bathroom, Bungalow, claw foot tub, decorate, hydrangea, nursery, pedestal sink