New Art: Irvington Edition

The home tour is inching closer and in preparation for the tour I got news and a gift. The new is that, despite all the information to the contrary, my house wasn't actually built in 1925... it was built in 1922! How did I come by this info? An Irvington historian told me. Every home on the tour was researched by a historian who gathered as much information about the house as possible. All the information was interesting but the most surprising thing was that my house is three years older than I though. Crazy, huh?

I also got an awesome gift. Every year before the home tour there is a poster contest. As a one of the homeowners on the tour I got a signed copy of the winning print (done by Paula Nicewanger)!

via Facebook

Isn't it lovely? Even better, when I got home I found that the 10"x15" print fit perfectly in a frame I bought for $2 at a yard sale last summer. The frame was a dull wood color so I did a quite spray paint job to make it look a little more modern. If you are wondering how I spray painted something while wearing a cast on my dominate hand, the answer is, my cast now has spray paint on it.

I hung it in the dinning room corner that I updated a few months ago (here). I think it looks great!

Again, apologies for the blurry pictures, but dude, I'm doing the best I can with this cast. 

The State of the House: One Year Edition

Well, it has been one year (and five weeks) since I moved in to my little house and I have to say, best mistake ever! Why mistake? Honestly, I was not financially prepared to buy a house, but I really wanted one so I did it anyway. There is a saying that goes something like, "Bad decisions make for good stories" and that is literally the story of this blog. I wrote more about my decision to buy over continuing to rent for twentysomethingindy.com. You should check out my article and the rest of the site because it's awesome.

The point is I wasn't completely ready to become a homeowner, but I love this house and in my mind that equals so far so good! I simultaneously feel like I've been here forever and for a month, but it's actually been 13 months. Let's take a look back on all the progress I've made (with the help of friends, family, and hired hands), shall we? Also, bad before pictures because I wasn't a blogger then and for some reason didn't think to take any 'before' pictures, ah well, live and learn.

What I accomplished this year on the outside:

- I had the exterior painted

- While it isn't seen and nobody would notice, the biggest, most expensive thing I had done to this house was a major electrical repair before I moved in. I hate spending money on stuff that isn't seen and appreciated but I guess not dying in a house fire is good too. 

- The backyard fence was repaired (not pictured) 

- I added patio chairs to the front porch (a minor improvement over just plain empty)

- While not a large accomplishment I managed to mow the grass several times... go me!

On the agenda for the coming year and beyond:

- Screen in the front porch (it is already framed and ready)

- Add a daybed or some other type of furniture to make the porch more welcoming

- Dig out and replace those large ugly bushes in front (forsythia is the dream)

- Potentially replace the sidewalk up to my porch

What I accomplished in the living room this year:

- Painted it 'Suede Gray' by Behr

- Added a gallery wall, furniture, art, etc. 

- One thing I managed to 'un-accomplish' was that I broke two of the blinds. Lame. They are those $4 ones from Walmart but I refuse to buy them because they are ugly.

- Added a faux sofa table (here)

On the agenda for this year:

- Buy new blinds! Seriously, it is about time. Those blinds are hideous, but I can't seem to jump on a blind style (more about my indecision here). 

- Get a second couch. I want to get the same couch I already have and put it where the red chair is now. 

- Mount the TV. I got a mount and haven't taken the time to hang it yet. 

- Add art around the TV? 

- I'd like a bigger rug, different coffee table and side tables, a real sofa table instead of a faux one, etc. but I'll just have to see how much my budget can handle this year.

- Rearrange gallery wall, change out pictures, etc. 

What I accomplished this year in the bathroom:

- New tile!

- Installed new medicine cabinet. 

- Painted the room three times (ugh) and it ended up 'Ballet White' by Behr (more on that here). 

- Hung art, towel rack and hook, crates, and a second shower curtain (more on that here). 

- Installed new faucet.

On the agenda this year:

- I'm thinking about painting again, I know, I know, but seriously wouldn't it look beautiful navy blue? I asked my friend that and she said, "isn't every room in your house dark blue?" Touche´. 

- Re-grout the tub and shower. It's gross and a good re-grouting is loooong overdue.

- Change the light fixture. I am really good at cropping out things I don't like so it isn't pictured here but the current one looks something like this and it's fine, but I really want to get something else so hopefully this will be the year. 

What I accomplished this year:

- Painted it twice and it ended up 'Canon' by Ace Hardware (side note: I love the black walls, way more than even I though I would).

- Added art and open shelving.

- Added a chalkboard wall.

- Installed cork floors! (toe kick is not present in these pictures, but it is in now- I need to take pictures again).

- Installed new faux wood white blinds to the windows and the door.

- Installed new light fixture.

On the agenda for this year and beyond:

- New countertops and backsplash (so excited for this!)

- Possibly replace the light? It hangs at about 6'1" and whenever my 6'2" brother comes over he complains about it so maybe I'll lift it up or just change it completely.

- I'd love to add a ceiling light by the chalkboard wall. It is super dark back there at night (and not just because of the black paint, it has always been dark back there). Not sure how much that would cost but it's on my brain.

- I've been thinking about added roman shades or something else to the windows. 

What I accomplished this year:

- Painted it 'Underwater' by Behr.

- Added curtain rod and curtains (here)

- Installed new light fixture

- Added gallery wall

- Added postcard wall art (here)

- Recovered dining room chairs (here)

What I hope to do this year:

- First and foremost I want to get my dream bookcase (here). The wall to the right is blank and sad and I want to change that as soon as possible. 

- I've been thinking about repainting, ugh I know, what is wrong with me? I'm obsessed with painting! But no seriously, I like this color, it's just... I can't put my finger on why I'm tired of it. 

- Re-do or do something completely different with the corner gallery wall, it looks messy and it's a little too much with the postcard wall art (and I really like the postcard wall art).

- Touch up the paint around the light fixture's canopy. I've been meaning to do this for a year, maybe writing it down will make me do it.

- Replace the buffet. It is an IKEA clearance piece that I got for like $40 and I want to replace it with something more solid. 

What I did this year:

- After living with an off-white paint color for six months, I decided I am not a white room kind of person so I went bold and blue by color matching Sherman Williams' 'Loyal Blue' (more on that decision here). 

- Furnished it mostly via craigslist (campaign dresser, jenny lind bed) and IKEA (Rast dresser, Billy bookcase, Knappa light fixture). 

- Hung a light fixture on my own! (here)

What I should accomplish this year:

- I'm really dreading it but the floors seriously need refinished. When I first moved in the bedrooms were carpeted (see the before picture) but since I really hate carpet I ripped it up. The hardwood floors are original to the house and actually look pretty good but in this room they sprayed the trim and since they were planning on putting carpet down they didn't worry about getting white paint on the floors. See the right of the picture above? How the paint comes out about 2-3 inches from the trim? Not cool people who painted the trim, not cool. I may actually tackle this project on my own but we'll see how brave I get.

- I'd love to add curtains or roman shades to this room. The white vinyl blinds in there are fine, but I think an upgrade would be nice.

- If I get my dream bookcase this year I will be moving all the books from this bookcase into that one (plus my books from storage) and then selling this one. I really like this bookcase, but if I have my dream bookcase I really won't need this one. If all that happens I'd like to get a parson's desk for that spot to create a sort of in-room office space. 

What I did this year:

- After being used as a storage unit for 12 months I finally cleared this room out which was a big weekend project.

- I left my daybed, rug, and old dresser in there.

- I craigslisted a desk and bought a chair and lamp set at a used furniture store. (here)

- I painted this room with the left over paint from the kitchen's first paint job, 'Suede Gray' by Behr. (here)

- I DIYed fabric lampshades. (here)

- Added a little bit of art that I already had. (here)

- Cleaning should definitely get it's own bullet point because I did a lot of that in this room.

What should get done this year*:

*My student has only been here two weeks so I haven't decided if I'll keep hosting someone but for now she's there and I won't be doing any projects in this room, but if I don't keep hosting... 

- The hardwood floors in this room also need refinished, although they aren't as bad as my room since the trim in here didn't get painted. 

- Change out the basic light fixture for something a little more fun. 

- Add curtains or different blinds.

- Repaint it a more exciting color. 

Not too bad for 13 months! I'm happy with the progress I'm making. Most of the projects I did this year were lower cost things like painting, getting used furniture from craigslist, and making my own art. I tried to space out the expensive projects (Jan '12- electrical repair, June '2 - bathroom tile, July '12- exterior paint, Feb '13- kitchen floor) and since I did four major projects in 13 months that averages out to about one project every three months. If I continue on that path this year, I hope to do the kitchen countertops, screen in the front porch, refinish the bedroom floors, and upgrade the landscaping in the front - but we'll see what actually gets done!  

My house has a secret.

It all started with this picture:

In this post I talked about my new awesome cutting board and as I was uploading the pictures I had a fleeting thought "what is that under the cabinet?" But I promptly forgot and moved on with my day. Then yesterday I was doing the dishes and somehow I knocked my hand under the counter and there was a clatter. Wha wha what?

Then this happened:

O.M.G. This blew my mind. I like to think I am an observant person so how have I lived here for almost 10 months and not noticed that?! Seriously.

As you can see from this old picture I have a red paper towel holder that was on the kitchen cart.

Here is the paper towel holder I already had (I got at Target about four years ago).

I'm happy to clear up some counter space since I have none to speak of. Plus there are plenty of other cool uses for paper towel holders I've seen on Pinterest:

Bracelet holder

Painter's tape, twine, and other home improvement items

Ribbon holder

Pretty creative, huh? I'll keep you updated if I decide to do something cool with it. I just had to share my house's secret though, it definitely made my day!

A 1925 Bungalow

Since this blog is about my little house I thought it would be appropriate to give more information about it. The home was built in 1925 and is a classic bungalow style... at least I think it is. The home didn't come with a diary of it's history (although that would have been awesome!) or any information really. I basically only know what the last home owner did to it, but the rest is a mystery. So I did a little googling and I think my home does fit into the 'bungalow' category. According to About.com* bungalows' living space is mainly on the first floor, have a peaked roof, have rooms that connect without hallways, and were first built between 1905-1930. These facts seem to fit my home, but who can know really? I guess if you're an architect or a historian you can let me know your opinion in the comments.

Most homes built in that time period had wood siding and I'm assuming mine did too, but at some point the wood siding was replaced with metal siding. I don't know what kind of metal it is (are you sensing a theme here? I don't know much at all haha). When I first bought the home it looked like this:

This is a very "pretty" picture of it but in reality it was gross. The front of the house was shades of blue/grey and the back was blue/grey and hunter green... yeah, it was weird. Plus it was very dirty. So as you can see in this post I had it painted. I am SO happy with the result. I chose the darkest grey in the pallet and straight-up white for the trim (wouldn't that be a great paint color, 'Straight-Up White'?). I love the contrast of the two colors. Grey and white is really on trend now but I also think it is a timeless combination.

One of the odd things about this house is the porch. It appears as though it is framed in for screens or even glass, but it's just an empty frame. I'm assuming that it was at one time closed in. I've decided to screen it in but I'll have to wait until I have more money saved up. For now it is just an nicely painted empty frame. I had the floor of the porch painted two shades lighter than the siding for contrast. And I kept the ceiling wood. I love the stain on it... I'm not sure if it is original to the home but I sure do love it.

This home has a few architectural features that I really love. The first is the porch ceiling above and the next is the front door.

I'm amazed that in the this home's 87 year history no one has painted the front door. I know I'm tempted. Wouldn't it look awesome in deep red or bright yellow? But I know the benefit of historical preservation so I'll never paint it. The hinges on the door are also amazing.

Hardwood floors are my favorite type of flooring. I've lived with many types of flooring (including a whole basement apartment with cement floors) and hardwood has always been my top pick. Thankfully, this house has great floors. The entry, living, and dining floors have all been refinished within the last 10 years.

If I had refinished the floors myself I would have chosen a darker stain, maybe something like this: (Source: http://www.ifloor.com/1-2-engineered-natural-walnut-4-3-4-wide)

But I really don't mind the color they are now. When I bought the house there was carpet in the mini hallway between the two bedrooms and in the bedrooms themselves. The carpet wasn't that bad but I really hate carpet so before I moved in I ripped it all up. It was hard work but it was worth it to expose the beautiful hardwood floors underneath.

They need to be refinished as you can see. There is paint on the floors but not anything that can't be fixed with wood putty, a big sander, and a couple of coats of stain. This is another project on my long list of 'To-Do's. Another feature of this house that I really love are the original window frames and baseboards. Three rooms in the house have painted trim: the kitchen, master bedroom, and bathroom. The rest of the house has a darker stain. In this picture you can see the difference in the floor stain and the trim stain. I love the height of the baseboards, they are nearly six inches! Love.

Do you like older homes or new ones? I grew up in homes built in the 1980s or 1990s. I've always been attracted to older homes so it is a dream come true for me to own my own piece of history. *http://architecture.about.com/od/periodsstyles/ig/House-Styles/Bungalow-Styles.htm