Traditional Meets Tropical Dining Room Reveal!

Hello hello hello!

It's me. AGAIN! Can you believe it!? 😄

Who remembers the last time there's been multiple blog posts within a two-week period? Anyone? Because this girl can barely remember herself. My guess is it would've been somewhere between 2013-2015. Simpler times, when spray painting a lamp or writing about some random thing I found on Craigslist was enough content for a sufficient post. (I would STILL buy those pink chairs btw). Nowadays unless you're completely overhauling an entire room, it barely seems worth the time when you could watch about the same thing in a 60 second Instagram Reel.

Well, lucky for you dear reader, this post IS about an entire room overhaul. May I present to you our traditional meets tropical dining room! 

This room was CRANKED OUT. I don't think we've ever completed anything from start to finish so fast. We cleared the decor on a Friday evening, went full speed ahead with the help of our in-laws over the weekend, then that following Saturday I wrapped up putting everything back again. 

For a little perspective, below is what the room looked like when the house was listed. 

Here it is after we were living in it for a year. 

And here we are a few moments before putting up the first strip of wallpaper. 

That's right, wallpaper. But not just any kind of wallpaper, REMOVABLE wallpaper. Which I am convinced is proof that there is a higher power because for the amount of traditional wallpaper I've stripped, ripped, and cursed at over the years I honestly NEVER thought I would be one to put it ON my walls. But you guys, this stuff is amazing. Removable, non-damaging, forgiving, peel-and-stick wallpaper is SUCH an easy way to bring pattern and texture into your home it's going to become your new best friend.

For this project I found the perfect pattern at Tempaper.com. They have tons of beautiful designs to choose from but this one caught my eye immediately. The tropical vibe was exactly what I was looking for and the color palette not too crazy to turn Eric off. Plus the toucans were just "tou" cute (see what I did there?). 

Pure joy. 

But if you notice, we didn't wallpaper all the way to the floor. That's because the bottom third of the wall we decided to install board and batten. Board and batten describes a type of interior paneling that has alternating wide boards and narrow wooden strips, called "battens."

For both the vertical and horizontal boards we used 1''x4'' pine ripped down so each piece was only 3'' wide. The baseboard was a 1''x6'' trimmed down to 5.5'' to match the height of the new baseboards we've installed throughout the rest of the house. We went through a few different options while determining the distance there would be in between each vertical board, but in the end decided it would be easiest if we kept to where the studs were in the wall. That spaced each board approximately 16'' apart, give or take a few inches in the gaps around the corners and flanking the doorways. 

And that was where we ended after a very busy weekend. 

The next few days were focused around priming, caulking the seams, covering nail holes, and ordering more wallpaper because apparently my math was wrong... go figure. 🤷

While we waited for those last few rolls to arrive (and shout out to Tempaper because it only took maybe four days even without expedited shipping) we picked up our brushes once more and continued painting the board and batten. Compared to the bright Alexandrite green of the mudroom, here we went with a deep moody grey with purple undertones; Stunning Shade by Sherwin Williams. 

I LOVE how the color drastically changed the whole mood of the space. It's dark, but dark in a way that is calming. Plus pairing it with a lighter wallpaper really balanced everything out. After a second coat and any final touch-ups, the only thing left to do was install the top most piece of trim. 

That, and break the room in with an impromptu art project. 😉

Ok, I'll stop talking, now pull up a seat at the table and enjoy these DELICOUS "after" photos! 

How a room evolves over the years is one of my favorite part of interior design. Great homes take two things; time and love. Dont rush the process, use those cherished items you hunted down and scored (like our dining room table), DIY'd yourself (like our chairs), or were so excited to purchase because it was the first "new" thing in your home (like our chandelier).

Don't fret over how long (or short in this case) a room comes together. Do what brings you joy, and remember to TAKE PICTURES. Nothing makes the journey more worth while than seeing just how far you've come. 

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

The Last Five Years - HOUSE TOUR!

Last week marked the first day of yet another school year of teaching for Eric, it also marked the anniversary of when we moved into our house...FIVE YEARS AGO! Seems like yesterday though. Packing, hauling boxes, cleaning everything, countless trips back and forth from our tiny two-bedroom apartment to this "new"100-year-old house. Our Incredible family and friends helped the entire day, and I'll never forget the overwhelming sensation of looking around and seeing all of our possessions, and...well...crap, just thrown everywhere. For someone who thrives on organization, it still gives me a twinge of anxiety just thinking about it. 

But that crap was thrown everywhere in OUR house! WE bought a house! WE were homeowners and so beyond excited to start that next adventure. 

Five years later and I am still filled with absolute joy by simply walking from room to room. There has been so much love brought into this space, and it truly has transformed from just a house to our home. Click the links to check out how the house looked when we first moved in, as well as our one-year house tour. 

But today we're talking FIVE YEARS. So let's take a little trip down memory lane, shall we? I've gathered up pictures from when we first moved in and set up a little before-and-after with pics from this morning. 

Cue "Let's See How Far We've Come" by Matchbox Twenty! 

The biggest updates we made to the general exterior of the house are painting the front door, upgrading the address numbers, painting the light black, and getting a new roof. Filling the porch with potted flowers is one of my favorite things to do in the Summer. I can't get enough of how their color just spills down the steps. Unfortunately this year one of our big terracotta pots took a tumble, oh well, it's almost time for mums anyway.

Once you enter through the threshold, you'll find yourself in our charming little foyer. 

What was once dark and muddy is now bursting with color and personality! We painted the walls, trim, added a landing spot for keys and such, and even installed a funky yellow light. 

Moving through to the kitchen, we painted over yet another shade of brown and breathed fresh new life into the cabinets. 

The order of transformation for the kitchen went as follows; painting the cabinets, painting the walls, hanging some DIY curtains, and giving the fan a mini upgrade. We also swapped the microwave stand for some metal Ikea shelves, and glammed up the mini awkward bathroom. Future plans still include new appliances, cabinet hardware, and replacing the floors. 

Off of the kitchen is our dining room. 

This was one of the first rooms that really felt "complete". Of course, nothing is truly finished, and although we hardly ever actually dine in here it's still one of my favorite spaces. Because it gets the most sunlight, a majority of the plant babies live in here. Painting the ceiling had a major impact on how this room felt, and I love the addition of Eric's guitar and ukulele on the wall. We still want to paint the chairs white (you can see one in the background of the first pic) and reupholster the cushions. I've also been keeping my eye out for a sweet lighting option...but we'll see. 

The only room left on the first floor is the living room! 

I could NOT paint over that olive green fast enough. And painting all the trim white was one of the best decisions we ever made. Notable things I adore include the big-kid furniture we gifted ourselves one Christmas, Eric's old nesting tables I gave a facelift, that colorful shag rug, and thrifted sconces I scored for practically nothing. That coffee table also wins best purchase for under $90. 

Our floor plan is basically a circle, so once you've mozied through the living room you'll find yourself back in the foyer face to face with our gallery wall. 

Walking into your home should fill you with all of the feels, and that is how I react every time I come home from work and look at all of our pictures, knickknacks, and random elephants. That gallery wall is a reflection of our life, and watching it grow through these years has been way too much fun. 

So let's head upstairs! 

Right from day one, I knew I wanted a black and white banister. If you looked closely at the spindles, there was so much brown paint on them you could barely make out the curvature details and the handrail was anything but sexy. They needed some serious love, and we were ready for the job. And OMG what a job it was. The whole project took a lot of time, repetition, and yet again Eric showing off how incredible he is. He also tore off the brown carpet (are we sensing a color theme??) and replaced it with a beautiful geometric grey runner.

One of the reasons we bought this house is because it actually had a full second story. We were shown a lot of "cape cod" style homes where the second floor is one big room with slanted ceilings on both sides. Not so great when your husband is 6'8''. 

More brown walls, more brown trim, more brown doors. UUUGGG! PAINT PAINT PAINT! 

Oh, and replace the light with a lil something super cute. 

To the left, you'll find the master bedroom. 

We chose to paint the walls the same grey as the living room, and once the doors and trim were painted white everything really brightened up. The ceiling fan and headboard were recent additions, and our bed frame was build custom by Eric's grandpa. I also created a jewelry organizing out of an old mattress spring frame from a baby crib. Someday I'd like to get a rug, or at least two smaller rugs for each side of the bed, and hang a few more things on the walls. For now, I'm very pleased with the cozy state of our bedroom. 

At the end of the hall is our bathroom, or mermaid room as I've dubbed it. 

This room was pretty boring (tan, brown, darker brown) but I think the end result is just lovely. I actually did this makeover 98% by myself, so go me! 

Turning back down the hallway you'll find our two spare bedrooms. One of which we knew would need to be made for overnight guests. 

When deciding how to design this room, I knew I wanted to hide the sloping ceiling. That is why the color only goes halfway up the wall, not only is it bold (which I love) but it serves a legit purpose. Next steps for the guest room include an updated ceiling fan, more storage for guests to put their things, and more art on the walls. 

Last but not least we have our office space. 

Our office has been the most recent room we've worked on. Again, to hide the sloped ceiling we painted everything white except the one full wall. And I tell you what. That beautiful emerald GIVES ME LIFE! It's almost comparable to the high I get while styling those shelves. Having space to actually work and be productive at home has absolutely been a game changer. Plus sometimes I'm doing freelance, and Eric's working on school stuff, and we're like on a little computer date and IT'S SO CUTE! 

Ok, enough pictures from the inside, let's go out back! 

If you've read my blog for a while, you'll remember our GIANT backyard makeover we completed last summer. It literally was a couple years worth of work, but DANG was it worth it. The whole thing started with Eric and his dad building the pergola. Then the project took a little bit of a stand-still for a while, before really taking off when we got the concrete poured and the flower beds built. My favorite thing out here though is hands down the custom table Eric built and I painted.

Writing this post was an absolute blast. I had forgotten what each space looked like when we first moved in, and the change is incredible! I do find it funny how some areas have been completely revamped, and other little decorations and things haven't moved since I placed them down five years ago. 

I feel the winds of change a blowing though. Maybe it's about time we consider crafting up another crazy DIY in the near future. Hmmmm...



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