DIY Our novel hardwood flooring in addition to a living room reveal!

Hey y'all! Thank you hence much for all of your thoughtful, wonderful comments on the in conclusion post nearly the kitchen makeover. I can't adequately limited how much it way that you accept the fourth dimension to read my blog. I was hence nervous to percentage the kitchen, because I had pose hence much unloosen energy into it, together with I tend to endure from lack-of-confidence syndrome. So, give thank you you for such sugariness feedback. If you missed the kitchen reveal, you tin become here. 

Also, I know that inwards that in conclusion post service I made it audio similar I would last sharing the flooring unwrap soon, together with and hence it took me 3 weeks to eek out some other post. You guys, this is my life now. I brand grand plans to exercise things, together with and hence I am slapped dorsum to downwards to public amongst the reality that I receive got nearly an hr of productive fourth dimension each day. And it's ordinarily later 8pm, when I don't experience similar beingness productive. The expert intelligence is that you guys seem to totally acquire it. I mightiness non last lonely inwards this struggle. Plus, for those of you next me on Instagram, you've been watching me pass nearly all of my complimentary fourth dimension making art, together with it's actually becoming a novel matter I am loving to do, together with I'm non actually certain what I am doing or where it is going, but I recall I volition weblog nearly it inwards my adjacent post. Just wanted to apace update you on that. 

Anyway, today is the day: flooring, living room, together with dining room reveal....let's exercise it!

Here are a few earlier pics from when nosotros bought the house. It wasn't awful, it only felt hence dated. 
So Tuscan-inspired. So soul crushing. 

I kid. It's non that bad. But it is. You understand.

The flooring was a mixture of skinny brilliant orangish hardwood together with some awful chocolate-brown tile inwards the kitchen together with bathrooms.

I sentiment nearly keeping the existing hardwoods together with only running them through the residual of the house. Everyone told me to continue them together with only refinish them. Everyone.

Jesse was expert nearly reminding me to hear to myself. I am actually expert at letting others drown me out sometimes.





For nearly a calendar month (while nosotros were waiting on our contractor), I got a gamble to alive inwards the house, amongst some of our stuff, together with only come across how I felt. I went ahead together with painted all of the walls white, together with painted some of the woodwork, together with the to a greater extent than I worked on stuff, the to a greater extent than my vision came together inwards my head.

I started bringing inwards flooring samples. And that ultimately helped me brand a decision.
I recall it could receive got been beautiful either way, but I'm glad I went amongst what I actually wanted, which was broad plank flooring.





Here are a few to a greater extent than earlier pics. These are from earlier I painted the walls.





Remember that annoying coat cupboard correct past times the front end door?





It variety of cutting the dining room off from the residual of the room, together with although it provided storage, it only felt off to me.





See how much it only eats into the room?





I made the determination to take away the closet, together with I am hence glad nosotros did. It resulted inwards some additional drywall together with trim down work, but it was worth it. 

The master copy hardwoods weren't run nether the closet, hence that would receive got been an number that nosotros would receive got had to patch if nosotros had chosen to continue them, hence pocket-size headache avoided. 
Right to a greater extent than or less this time, I also painted the front end door dark (Sherwin Williams Urbane Bronze) together with updated the chandelier inwards the dining room. It was from Lowe's. I used them inwards my in conclusion house, too. Nothing fancy, non expensive, only a overnice create clean update.

The previous wainscotting was only painted on for the most part, hence that got removed. I recall I mentioned this before, but I didn't recall to tear it downwards only yet. I was going to only alive amongst it until Jesse had fourth dimension to rebuild it, together with and hence Jesse told the contractor to only become ahead together with tear it off, together with I came abode 1 solar daytime together with was like, crap. Time to drib everything you're doing together with create some wainscotting, Jesse! 

Of course, the actual timeline was something like: Move inwards amongst my mom for half dozen weeks spell entire solid gets torn apart. Pop inwards together with out of solid biweekly to accept photographs together with brand certain things are going equally planned. Move dorsum into solid when flooring together with kitchen is done. Nag Jesse to start edifice wainscotting 48 hours later moving dorsum in. 

So, dorsum to the flooring. Before the contractors starting demo-ing everything together with nosotros had to movement out for half dozen weeks, Ava together with I would become to flooring stores during the solar daytime together with haul a bunch of giant samples home. Not an slowly feat to exercise amongst a toddler. Luckily, people are overnice together with volition ordinarily assist you elevator materials into your auto when they come across you trying to also wrangle a tiny toddler beast.

I brought abode all sorts of unlike samples, in all likelihood 20+, together with at that spot were all sorts of widths together with colors together with finishes. Ultimately, nosotros narrowed it downwards to 3 choices that nosotros loved the most, all of which were a real lite wash, broad plank hardwood.

Ava was a real expert assistant during this time.

For weeks, I only lugged the samples to a greater extent than or less the house, squinting at them. And of course, the 1 I ultimately chose was the 1 I picked out together with brought abode first. I never trust my gut correct off the bat. It's annoying.

The ultimate winner was Provence Manor European White Oak inwards River Rock inwards the 7.5 inch plank. We got them from Heartland Flooring inwards Knoxville. I've gotten flooring from them twice now, together with I highly recommend them. And no, that is non an ad. 

They receive got no sentiment I fifty-fifty exist.

Once the quondam flooring was gutted, nosotros discovered that all of the subfloors needed to last replaced. The quondam ones were inwards actually piteous shape together with at that spot was fifty-fifty some rot (likely from H2O impairment inwards the past). It was 1 of those annoying things you don't know is incorrect until you start ripping materials out. So, that bought us an extra calendar week at my mom's solid together with toll us to a greater extent than money. That's how it goes amongst renovations, I receive got discovered.

All of the trim down was off everywhere together with everything was a bit of a disaster, but I was hence excited past times the progress. The lighting is terrible inwards all of these photos, but only gyre amongst it.

I've loved these floors from the infinitesimal they went in. The principal marker of the solid is kinda small, together with I only wanted everything to last lite together with airy hence that it would experience to a greater extent than open. I dearest dark, warm floors, too, but I know myself, together with I knew that these floors were the way to go.

It's fun to await dorsum through all of these photos, because fifty-fifty though it seems similar yesterday to me, it was actually almost one-half a yr agone now, which is a lot of fourth dimension when you receive got a toddler. She already seems hence lilliputian inwards that photo.

So, 1 time the flooring was done, nosotros moved dorsum inwards together with Jesse began working on the wainscotting. We didn't create the wainscotting inwards the quondam solid (I only painted it), but I wanted a similar look, together with Jesse assured me he could create it. He's handy together with never afraid to tackle a project, fifty-fifty if he's never done anything similar it before. It's a approbation together with a curse. 

Mostly a blessing.

I recall he regretted his determination nearly vii hours into this project. Also, nosotros were using this inexpensive forest to create the wainscotting hence it looked awful going up. I knew nosotros were going to pigment it, hence it actually only made me laugh. Like, are nosotros edifice a trailer? Jesse, I experience similar it's trailer paneling. 

And of course, nosotros had to exercise it during the solar daytime hence that nosotros had daylight, together with Ava was the MOST helpful.

Nope.

Jesse ultimately ended upward modifying my pattern for simplicity's sake, which I was inwards total back upward of at this point. 

And fifty-fifty though it wasn't painted yet, I was proud of his handiwork. Not besides shabby for mortal who was only like, sure, I'll figure it out. 

Once Jesse was done amongst his part, I agreed to caulk together with pigment it, together with hence it sat similar this, driving me nuts for a few days. Because mama tired.

We learned a lot nearly how to exercise this together with nosotros could sure exercise it improve together with easier if nosotros did it again, but this volition alive hither on this wall until halt times.

Eventually, I primed together with painted it, together with it took hence many coats of paint. It is what it is.

But at that spot are few things to a greater extent than fulfilling that when you acquire to that indicate inwards a projection where you tin finally come across your vision come upward to life together with you desire to outcry together with express joy together with never exercise whatever of the things always again.

It happens amongst every projection I do. The exhaustion, the joy.

And, that's the wainscotting segment of this post.

We eventually moved our tabular array dorsum inwards to a greater extent than or less Christmas, only inwards fourth dimension for Ava to assist me decorate.

My brother, Mathias, came abode from the Navy to a greater extent than or less New Year's together with helped me hang curtains. He's quite handy together with also restless, together with every fourth dimension he comes home, he's similar 'What tin I build?.'

Curtains, son. Build me curtains.

I hung them all the way upward to the ceiling together with I swear it makes the biggest divergence of anything I did. Isn't that annoying.

I painted that quondam thrift shop TV stand amongst some chalk pigment (I used Rustoleum chalk pigment  in Country Gray, together with I dearest the color. That's an affiliate link). 

I similar the novel color hence much improve than the white. Looks to a greater extent than adult-ey.

Here are a few to a greater extent than photos of the room.

Real talk, I moved Ava's rocker inwards hither because, comfort. And at that spot are toddler toys everywhere. And I wouldn't receive got it whatever other way. If you await closely, you tin come across Ava sitting inwards the window, reading a book, behind the curtains. My living room has never been a happier identify inwards all my life.

I bought this lilliputian wooden toddler table (affiliate link) together with painted it to gibe our actual dining room set, together with she literally spends one-half of her solar daytime at that table. I painted the top of the tabular array amongst dark chalkboard paint, together with it's been a existent hit.

I also made some to a greater extent than gilt leafage fine art for the living room. 

I shared a lot nearly it on Instagram, together with a lot of you guys were bespeak for a tutorial.

I don't recall I'm going to exercise some other tutorial correct now, but I did a pretty thorough gilt leafage fine art tutorial inwards this post from in conclusion yr if you are curious. I shared a lilliputian fighting nearly how nosotros brand the frame, too.

Anyway, kinda loving how that 1 turned out. I eventually desire to exercise a large gallery wall correct there, but for now, I demand something uncomplicated that I tin only pose at that spot together with non fuss with. 

Here's the dining room. I'm hence happy that nosotros took out that cupboard together with went amongst the broad plank floors. I however receive got some piece of job to exercise on this space, but I experience actually expert nearly it hence far.

That's an quondam thrift shop mirror I painted. I eventually innovation to hang some fine art inwards here, but infant steps.

So far my color palette is pretty neutral, per usual. I acquire the occasional comment from people telling me to piece of job color. I acquire it. I actually do. 

But, I alive here, together with I receive got to exercise what makes me happy, which is neutral. I receive got plenty hot pinkish together with primary colors floating to a greater extent than or less my solid correct instantly inwards the shape of toddler toys, hence an otherwise neutral infinite feels hence calming to me correct instantly inwards this stage of life.

And the honest truth is that my passion for decorating only isn't what it used to be. Lately, I am actually into this whole mom matter together with also making art. And also however renovating together with DIY-ing, but like, that's a lot unlike from decorating. Decorating has never been my specialty, together with these days I uncovering myself devoting way less unloosen energy to it. I attempt non to resist these changes, together with only follow my interests, because I believe that equally long equally I'm doing that, life volition Pb me inwards the correct direction.

So, earlier nosotros go, let's compare a few earlier together with later angles of this infinite hence far.

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

And that's where nosotros are today. It really feels similar a breath of fresh air. And sometimes smells similar toddler sweat.

You exercise what you can.

Thanks for beingness here, ya'll.