Hallway Before and After

Last time I left off I hadn’t shown any progress on my hallway.

Well I’ve painted it ‘Chocolate Froth’ with a steel blue stripe at head height. I didn’t like that blue at first, but with the art hanging I like it a bit more.

I moved my art around, finally hung up my Wilco concert poster, and framed my Standing at the Edge of the Water print from 20×200. That was an ordeal. I went to Michael’s to get a custom mat and never heard back from them to come pick it up when it was ready. I finally went to the store yesterday and it was sitting in the back with a mat that was cut incorrectly and a note saying that the frame I picked out would not work with the mat. Thanks for notifying me. Luckily, I talked to the manager and she was very friendly and gave me a discount on the new frame I picked out. That’s good customer service.

So, it’s not an amazing transformation, but it does brighten everything up, and I love looking at my happy little art gallery. I’m still thinking about getting a mirror custom made for the door at the end of the hallway. That will brighten it up even more.

-Liz

Bedroom Decorating: The White Box Challenge

In honor of HGTV’s premier of Design Star tonight, I have a special new project of my own: the Guest Bedroom White Box Challenge.

White Box Challenge

I started yesterday by emptying out the guest room of everything except the white bed (yep, even that mirror left after I took the photo), so I could paint and redecorate. It may take me more than 2 days, and I will shop at stores other than the dollar store, but it’s my house and I set the challenge rules! My budget: $200.

It took 3 trips to Home Depot to get the right color and painting into the night, but I’m keeping it a secret so you can see a dramatic reveal when I’m done. It may be months, so I’ll try to give you a few sneak peeks as I go along.

But what do you think I’m going for? The original idea from last year of a modern, urban oasis:

A feminine vibe with florals and antiques, like the mood board here:

Or something else entirely?

Wait and see!

-Liz