When Your Favorite Colors Are Yellow and Rainbows, You Will Never Wake Up Sad

 Hello again my lovelies! 

Well, we did it. We blinked and another Summer break has come and gone. Although the weather hasn't quite gotten the memo yet, pretty soon the air will become crisp and the leaves will turn those gorgeous shades of red and yellow that absolutely light my soul each season. 

Another person who is looking forward to the leaves turning yellow is the smaller man of the house; Mr. Harrison. Since the day he could declare it, yellow has been his favorite color. Literally, any time something yellow passes his gaze, he immediately lights up and shouts "Hey! Yellow! That's my favorite color!" 

So when "finishing Harrison's room" made it to the top of our Summer to-do list, you can guess what was on the tip of his tongue when we began discussing paint colors. Not only was yellow his main request, but he also wanted rainbows. 

Yellow and rainbows. 

Rainbows and yellow.  

Now. I'd like to say I'm one of those moms who put their child's happiness first and foremost, but a direction of "Yellow and Rainbows" was going to test me. Even though I had my doubts about how reasonable an artistic collaboration with a four-year-old would be, I was determined to find a design solution we were both happy with.

And while we did weather the storm on a few occasions (see the disappointing "dot wall") as they say, without rain, there would be no rainbows. 🌈

Harrison's room makeover was way overdue. It's been almost three years that we've lived in this house, and besides some basic decorating and upgrading his crib to a twin bed, no major progress has been made. 

So we started from scratch. 

He knew he wanted yellow, and while my gut wasn't completely on board with an entire yellow room, something I could see working (and truthfully got me SUPER excited) was a yellow ceiling.  

We landed on Honey Locust by Behr, which gave the sense of a true yellow, but not SO yellow that screamed creepy smiley faces or fast food restaurants. The rest of the walls were given a fresh coat of white, which really let the ceiling be the shining star. 

Like the rest of the rooms in our house, as we painted we also replaced all of the thin wooden trim with something taller, white, and more colonial. Replacing trim is something Eric has become kind of a pro at, so while we were going to be doing the work for Harrison's room, he figured it just made sense to stay in the world of trim and knock out the entire upstairs hallway at the same time. 

Of course, this meant I had to VERY quickly choose a wall color. Lucky for me, there were a few shades I was still in love with from when we decided to paint our dining room. Diverse Beige by Sherwin Williams jumped to the front of my mind as the perfect in-between/pull-all-the-colors-together hallway choice. I also knew I'd like it because it was what we painted the bench and cubbies in our mudroom. 

I don't think I ever shared photos from when we initially painted all of the upstairs doors white, so please enjoy this epic before and after featuring some thick and glorious trim transformation!

While Eric conquered the hallway, it was up to the kids and me to take on the accents. First up, giving Harrison a yellow bed. 

Was it the most straightforward process handing my two small children a brush and a roller, hoping for the best? No. Did they actually get the job done? Also no. But they did do about 80% of it and Harrison was totally up for the task. I'd call it a win. 

The second accent I wanted to focus on was a "fun wall". Something to satisfy the desire for rainbows while maybe not actually having a million small arches all over his room. I scoured the web for inspiration and landed on a terrazzo pattern in a muted pallette that was close to a rainbow while also not being too feminine. The process was simple enough and I completed the whole thing in a matter of hours. 

The end result was adorable on so many levels, but when I revealed to Harrison his new wall, he was...unenthused to say the least.👎 

They say the client is always right, and my client wanted rainbows. But my client is also four, and I'm his mom, and I did not want an entire room filled with rainbows like overdone boho wallpaper. 

So we came to an agreement; one big rainbow. 

To achieve this I simply chose my location and marked the widest points on the left and right as well as the tallest point. Then using chalk I freehanded my first arch, taking a step back to check my work every once in a while to confirm I liked the shape I was creating. Once satisfied, I measured 8 inches below, and using my first arch as a guide made a bunch of dashes on the wall to tell me where to draw my second arch. After repeating that process six more times I had my rainbow.

Taping everything off seemed insanely tedious, so I just went nice and slow while using an angled brush. 

I wish I had a video of Harrison's reaction after seeing just the chalk outline, he was STOKED. The kid knew what he wanted, and he wanted a legit rainbow. 

It took us a bit longer than expected, but we finally hung up his art, signs, and shelves which brought this update to an official close. I'd love to bring in more of the rainbow colors as well as additional pops of yellow here and there. Just like Harrison, this room will continue to grow as time passes. 

Anyone who's followed this blog through the years knows I have strong opinions about how I want my space to look. Design matters to me. It brings me joy, and I want it to touch all areas of our home including the rooms of our kids. Finding that balance of applying what they're currently obsessed with but in a beautiful way, is a challenge I'm more than happy to take on. 

As for my yellow and rainbow-obsessed child, I'm aware it's unrealistic to think Harrison's tastes are going to stay the same for a long period of time. Tomorrow he could declare that he doesn't like yellow or rainbows and he wants a new room with robots and superheroes. 

And if that happens, I'll look into that adorable little boy's bright blue eyes, give him a big hug and say; "Well, that's too damn darn bad. Now go play in your yellow room." 

Check out all of our home improvements, by visiting the OUR NEST page.

Why Paint Neutral Walls? Because the Rug Will Be Everything!

Hello hello hello my friends!!!! 

So it's been a hot minute since we've shared anything substantial in the home decor department. After finishing our kitchen redesign earlier in the year, we took a beat, which was nice. But now the weather is getting warmer, school has officially ended, and we're looking at everything we could squeeze into the extra free time that comes with Summer vacation. 

One thing that's been on our mind (ok, mostly my mind) is our living room. Since the beginning, I've had this vision of a black fireplace surrounded by white built-ins. With the bolder look of our kitchen, and how it's one open room in combination with the living room I thought lighter might be better on the walls, and color would be amazing everywhere else. 

To confirm this thought, we of course created a MOOD BOARD! 

After feeling very confident that this was the direction to go, I began implementing pieces of the design bit by bit. I first painted the fireplace black, which immediately made it feel SUPER chic and was a massive improvement. 

The power of paint is real honey! 

What cracked me up the most about painting our fireplace was the number of comments I received on the blue wall. That wasn't even the thing that changed and everyone was "ooohing" and "aaahing" over it. 😑 It's a nice shade of blue, don't get me wrong, but every time I looked at it the only thing I could think about was what color to change it to. Eric couldn't understand this unrelenting urge to paint. Why do the work to paint something we're just going to repaint and build cabinets over??? 

Because I wanted it to be MINE! Gah! 

That's why at 3:00pm on a random Sunday, I got on my tiptoes, looked Eric in the eye, and said "I'm going to paint this wall black and white. We already have everything here, Harrison said he'd help, so stand back!" 

Once my little assistant and I got started it went pretty fast. The pace really picked up though when said helper got distracted by watching "Sing 2". Kids are the most okay-ist helpers ever. 😂

By the time we went to bed the whole project was complete, and this is what greeted me in the morning! 

With everything back in place, immediately I was blown away by how much LARGER the room looked by switching the blue for white! The perspective totally changed once that singular wall wasn't being pulled by the dark shade. Adding black behind the fireplace created a fabulous bold moment while also serving as a simple trick to camouflage the TV. 

The sunshine just bounces around, filling the whole room with light airy goodness. And don't get me started on those gold velvet macrame curtains. Obsessed. 

With the paint done, the next item I wanted to tackle was the rug. I had been on the hunt for the perfect rug for MOOOOONTHS. Months and months of scrolling, thinking, checking sizes, and swapping this for that in my mood board to see what would look the best. 

But by having the new color on the wall (or lack thereof), I was able to zone in for one more deep dive into the world of rugs. A few clicks later and this beauty stopped me in my tracks. 

She's big, she's bold, she's FUCHSIA, and I fell so hard. 💜 Because if I'm going to have white on my walls, you better believe the floors will be popping. 

So here we are gang! The end of our little living room journey and where she stands today! 

A semi-traditional but slightly bohemian purple rug may seem like an odd choice, but I've been gushing over the play of color and pattern since the moment we laid her down. Plus the 10'x14' size adds another layer to make the room appear larger compared to our old 8'x10'. Choosing the proper size rug for a space can make all the difference.

Thank you for coming with me on this journey. 😄Here is a fun little throwback to when we first moved in. 

My heart flutters a little every time we pull a room together. Eric and I have talked about taking on the built-ins over the summer, and I'd like to freshly paint the rest of the space while also replacing the trim...but we'll see. So even though it's not "complete", our living room now feels cozy, colorful, a little cooky, and well...us. 

Check out all of our home improvements, by visiting the OUR NEST page.

Turning our Builder-Grade Kitchen into a Beautiful Blue Dream

Good day everyone! 

If you've been following along on Instagram, you couldn't help but notice that we officially wrapped up our kitchen update last week. From the teal backsplash to the sunburst brackets I am OBSESSED with every nook and cranny. I actually find myself sitting on the couch, glancing over at our completed space, just smiling because I am so proud of what we accomplished. Like a crazy kitchen goof...I know.

A few of the to-do's we crossed off the list to achieve our dream kitchen included:

• raising the upper cabinets
• removing a cabinet
• painting cabinets 
• adding a backsplash 
• hanging shelves
• adding hardware
• trimming out the window 

Everything on the list was pretty straightforward...except for the backsplash. We had never tiled anything before yet alone almost an entire wall. But more on that later. 

For reference, here is a shot of when we first moved in. It was a pretty standard builder-grade kitchen, with ample room above the cabinets and not much underneath. I have never been one to decorate on top of cabinets especially when the ceilings aren't particularly high. Adding stuff up there just makes the whole room look even smaller and everything gets covered in dust and grime. So to create the elusion of height, my plan included creating a modified "to the ceiling" look. 

First up, raise the upper cabinets. To determine how high to raise them, we thought about what would still be functional for me (short-er person) as well as what would look natural to the space. We landed on 4 inches. Enough to give us more room underneath and make a difference while working on the countertops, but not too high so it would be difficult for me to use. 

This is where our kitchen progress halted for a few months. It wasn't until we took time off for the holidays that Eric and his dad spent a day "bridging the gap". By that, I mean adding plywood and crown molding to the top of the cabinets to create that to-the-ceiling look. 

Eric first installed 2x4s to the ceiling joists to create anchors, then attached the plywood and crown molding. Lots and LOTS of wood filler was used to hide the seams, as well as quite a bit of sanding. But this prep work was key to achieving a smooth look after painting. 

And speaking of paint, we had the best helpers. They don't particularly have an eye for detail, but they make up for it with enthusiasm. 💜

The color we chose was white, but not just any white, the perfect white paint I have been using ever since reading about it on VintageRevival.com. The people behind the paint counter may give you an odd look when you ask to add "more white" to your already white base, but trust me. It's beautiful. 

After a day of prep, painting, and removing the loner cabinet to the right of our window, we ended the day kind of in a mess. But as chaotic as our kitchen looked, that was how pumped we were about the next day. Because that, my friends, was the first day of our adventure into the world of BACKSPLASH TILING! 

From the moment I began dreaming about reworking our kitchen, I knew I wanted a bold backsplash. My first vision included a black and white pattern with teal lower cabinets and white uppers. But after Eric made the request, "pleeeeeeease don't make me paint all of those cabinets." I pivoted and came up with a design that incorporated our current wood tones by bringing in a teal backsplash. After mocking it up, I was in love. 

To find the perfect tile I ordered approximately 10 samples from various sources, but in the end, decided on Moze 3" x 12" Ceramic Brick Look Subway Tile in blue. I liked the irregularity of the coloring, price, and size, plus the high-gloss made for a great "easy to clean" kitchen choice. 

After measuring the amount of space we wanted to cover, 8 boxes was what the site recommended we buy which included extra for waste and reserve. We decided on a classic 1/2 offset pattern (hoping that wouldn't be too difficult), consulted a few friends, and watched a handful of tutorial videos before getting to work. 

Once we got started, the process really wasn't too intense. Slather on your adhesive, use the trowel to scrape away excess so there's even coverage, place your tile, add spacers, and repeat. Set your bottom rows first, measure twice and cut once, and don't get too far ahead with the adhesive because you only have about 15 minutes to work before it begins to set. Since our tiles were kind of long, we also used these wedges in combination with the spacers to keep tiles from shifting. 

When it came to cutting tiles to size, we borrowed a friend's tile cutter (example here) which worked great for straight lines and was extremely satisfying to use. It was like my scrapbook paper trimmer on steroids. For any cut more elaborate (window corners, outlets) Eric used a special blade he purchased for his circular saw. 

Even with the right tools, we definitely still broke our fair share of tiles. Broken tiles though are all just part of the process, that and making a huge mess. Thank goodness we planned on sending the kids to daycare a few days that week so we actually had time to work uninterrupted. No offense to our children, but their "helping" is kind of anything but. 

After those two full days of childless labor, plus a few extra nights post-bedtime, we officially completed the "put up the tile" part of our project. 

Next came the grout. 

With our backsplash, I wanted the minimal amount of grout showing as possible. The size of our spacers helped with this, but when it came to choosing a grout color, I knew it couldn't be anything bright. It had to blend in with the tile. That is why I decided to go with dark charcoal. Was it messy and ruined more than one of my dishrags? 100%. Am I confident it was the right choice? 10000000000000000%. 

Like installing the tile, once we got into a groove of slathering on the grout, working it into the cracks, and wiping away the excess, we were able to move pretty quickly. The more time-consuming part came after, which included cleaning away the "haze" of grout dirt so those beautiful tiles could really shine and applying an extra coat of sealant. 

But with those final steps came the VERY satisfying moment of crossing "install tile backsplash" off of our to-do list and adding another skill to our ever-growing resume. 

And what do you do with a brand-spanking new tiled wall? Drill into it to hang shelves of course!  

And can we talk about those brackets??? 😍 I can't take full credit though, I first saw Liz Morrow use them in her own kitchen renovation but immediately knew they were what I had been searching for. 

OK, logistics on the shelves. Three brackets per shelf may seem a little overkill to some, but hear me out. In that area of our kitchen, the studs were in odd places. We needed at least ONE of the brackets to be on a stud, and in this situation, it was the center one. The left and right have additional anchors to make them strong enough while only being drilled into the drywall. Using a bracket at the very end of each shelf also gave the edges a clean finish. Plus when I planned on using them for glasses, dishes, and books...the extra support was a bonus. 

With the shelves hung, final touches were all that remained. Hang the cabinet doors, reinstall hardware, touch up paint, install new outlet covers, clean, and STYLE! 

So what do you think!? I think I'm in love. 

I also think that having crisp white cabinets has convinced me that white could be the winning color for the remaining kitchen walls as well as for our living room. I never thought I'd see the day when I became a "white wall" girl, but guess that'll make hanging bold colorful art all the easier. 

There are still a few details left to tackle; like the black accent details behind the large counter and the entire area around and above our fridge. For now, I'm dubbing it complete. Seeing this vision come to life from concept to creation has been a lovely start to 2023. 

I wonder what the rest of the year will hold? 😊

Check out all of our home improvements, by visiting the OUR NEST page.