There was no way I could live with the bathroom the way it was, but didn’t have the funds to remodel at the time. This would have been a major remodel that would also include the kitchen. We are still struggling with whether it is worth it to do a major kitchen and bath remodel in this house. Not to mention the fact that we love our small mortgage! So, what did I do? You guessed it…paint.

There was so much funkiness to this bathroom that solid painted surfaces just would not do. I needed to play up the exposed pipe, use the floor detail to my best advantage and cover up the plastic tile treatment in the shower area. Back then I was all about blue, green and red. Still love red and green, but there is only a speck of  blue in the house now. I had a great time painting every surface. The walls got striped, the floors checked with a painted carpet, the plastic walls and counter got a diamond pattern. I did purchase a new sink and faucet. Balloon shades on the windows and a floral shower curtain finished off the 1st go around. 

After a few years and becoming tired of all the floral and country look, it was apparent that it was time to paint again. I loved the red ceiling that was there already, but wanted to make the rest of the bathroom a neutral with black. The stripes, diamonds and rug all stayed the same, I just switched up the colors. I think this new color scheme is a keeper!

The cabinets all got a fresh coat of black. The stripes in the main part of the bathroom became creme and latte, while the shower area stripes got a black and creme makeover.The floor, countertop and wall diamonds are all latte and black. Notice though that the wall diamonds have a silver upholstery tack in each corner. Gives it a little whimsy and texture. The floor and ceiling trim in the bathroom is minimal so I decided to have some fun with it and painted it metalic silver. All the old trays have been moved to various other places in the house and replaced with silver framed mirrors. Last but not least…actually this is what started the new painting process…I needed new towels, so in keeping with the “Jennifer” theme, animal print towels in two different brown tones. This is a nice compliment to the black, latte and creme.

The house started it’s journey in 1903. Built by the Brakey family of Bellingham WA. Over the years the house held the Brakeys and their offspring for as long as they could live there. Making it into a duplex so the owners could stay in the house and live on the bottom floor (after the house became too big), and rent out the 2nd and 3rd floors. After the Brakey’s finally sold the house, it became a home for boys, and then, as so many houses of this era became, a rental.

In 1992, I found what I thought was a gem of a house. Painted stark white, with no gardens, and no fence. It was still a duplex and was very “rental friendly” when it came to color and the yard. Everyone thought I was crazy wanting this house, and in the lettered streets to boot!

But if you looked carefully past the awful shag carpet, the linoleum glued to the wood floors, the wallpaper, the wall in the entry…you could see the beautiful unpainted woodwork, great entryway, the 2 sets of pocket doors, beautiful windows…and sooo much room, about 3600 square feet!

I think I painted and pulled up carpet for a solid month (just on the inside) until it was in my mind livable. There was no way I was moving furniture into it without doing this. But there was still an upstairs kitchen to demolish, the wall in the entry, not to mention the linoleum issue (which I found nailed to the fir floors under the carpet) had to be addressed. As all owners of old houses know…the work never ends!

As you can see from the photo, the house is no longer white. There are fences, trees and gardens now. The kitchen came out of the upstairs, and the linoleum was pulled up. Some of the old leaking windows have been replaced with new (wood of course) ones. It boasts a new black roof, skylights, and a new chimney. On the inside, most everything has been painted at least twice. Being in the industry, I am constantly changing rooms around. And my motto is often, “I would rather paint than clean, because if you paint, it usually gets cleaned anyway!” I am probably on the third color in most of the rooms.

I have a photo album of before and some of the 1st go around of afters. These pictures were taken of course before the digital era. It make take some time to scan them all, so be patient…

Funny that word should come up. I remember when I was asked, “can you draw on a computer?” “Well of course I can” I said. Immediately purchasing one of those tiny 7” screened Apples posing as a computer, and then calling someone to teach me how to draw on it…all for the very low price of $2000. Can you believe it? I think the computer is one of the only things that has actually gone down in price!

Things certainly are changing. Not much time passed and I was told by another company I was freelancing for that they were going to stop using hand drawn art, and could I set up a photo shoot? I.e. hire models, a photographer, find a location, a make-up artist, fit the clothes to everyone, and make it all happen in a timely fashion, and under budget. What did I say? “sure I can.” Yikes, I’m thinking to myself, how am I going to pull this one off??? But I did. All the while also trying to learn how to use a graphics program on my new very box like (still an Apple) computer.

I smile when I think back to those days. The days when you called someone older than you to teach you something progressive. Now…I call someone younger than me when I am stuck. And in reality, I am supposed to be texting my questions, because heaven forbid we should have a ‘live’ conversation!

Stay tuned for the continuation of the saga…the life and times of Jennifer and Friends, now Jennifer Ryan Design.

Needing some inspiration, my husband and I took a walk to out local salvage store, The Re-Store. The first thing we see when we walk in the door is this table! It is solid and can be expanded to seat eight or possibly more. The style is a little dated, but when I’m done with it will be perfect. All it needed was a hole cut in the top for the market umbrella and a good coat of paint to make it weather worthy. Plus, it was only $100 and I had a credit there for some other stuff I brought in. A simple weekend project…

An adhesion primer was a must because the table had some of the glossy finish on it. And not just the top and legs, the whole underside needed to be coated to keep the weather out. I like Sherwin Williams Adhesion Primer, it sticks to anything. Next two coats of paint. For jobs like this a always use Parker Paint’s Marine enamel. Again, painted the underside. It is oil based, stinky and takes a good 12 hours to dry in between coats, but because it is used in the marine industry, my table is like a boat! We get a lot of rain around here so the table needs to last…at least a couple of years…

You might notice that the grass is looking a little brown and the table is up on bricks. The table is elevated off the wet grass to preserve it until the next part of the fun is revealed! Stay tuned…

The challenges with this kitchen were many, but most importantly the fact that the refrigerator was in the laundry room needed to be addressed. After that, there was the issue of the counters under the window not being able to run the length of the wall because there was a door opening in the way, the counter space was at a minimum, and there was no pantry. Actually storage in general was non existant! 

You can see in the first photo that the counter just stops. If it continues down the length of the wall, it would be in the doorway into the mud room. Also, the sink is not centered in between the windows; this just looks off! Microwave taking up counter space? Yes, no where else for it to go. You can see in the 2nd and 3rd photo that there is a butler’s pantry, pretty much the only storage there was, again not in the room and there was a lot of waisted space behind the wall. The last photo shows that there are absolutely no counters next to the range so it was a pieced together “get by” solution.

And…do you see a fridge anywhere? No you do not, it’s around the corner in the mud/laundry room! 

Here is how we solved all these issues. The wall between the butler’s pantry was taken out which extended the kitchen about 4 feet, thus making room for the refrigerator and floor to ceiling storage and pantry cupbords. The range was moved to the new island which will also seat 3-4 folks who want to chat with the chef…The door to the laundry room was moved over to allow for the new extended counter and the sink is now centered under the double windows. The microwave is now housed within the island and out of sight.

Wainscotting was added to the walls, the cabinets have a vintage look keeping with the age of the house (although the drawers and doors open beautifully unlike the 100 year old version). Subway tile was used as for the backsplash and a skirt sink also adds to the overall look. All the appliances are stainless and new. Adding in a metal element makes the “almost” all white room not look so stark.

You can see that there is also now a window seat under the right window (used to be in the butler’s pantry), so the next project is a cushion and some roman shades for the windows…

I have a couple of thoughts on this matter: 1. Is the brick something special? Period details? Tiles within the bricks? 2. What is the color scheme you are going for in the room? After answering these questions it is a much simpler decision!

For these homeowners, I suggested a clean gray color theme. This would offset the new dark chocolate stained wood floors, match their personalities, and future furniture purchases. Leaving the brick it’s natural color wasn’t going to be the best contrast with the walls plus there was terra cotta tiles on the hearth which were not very attractive. So, paint it was! But, when I say “paint the brick” , that doen’t mean that you have the rainbow of colors to choose from…Brick should be kept a neutral color tone. We chose a really deep gray that matched the wall palet.

The photo below is where we started. What would you have done? I hope you agree with my choice to paint!

When my husband and I moved in together, we had basically two households worth of furnishings. Two of the  things the husband had, were a couple of not very attractive recliners. Let me add…I have an aversion to recliners…so of course the chairs were not let into the shared house. Luckily one of our college aged children needed furniture, so voila, problem solved.

For a while…There still seemed to be a need on one of our parts for a recliner (not mine of course). I tried pushing a nice leather club style recliner that was in keeping with the decor of our house, but that didn’t seem to be the answer.

I came across a photo in a magazine for a nautical themed chair a couple of years ago. Because my husband is a Ship Captain I thought I would love to buy this for him. I looked at the price and thought immediately, no way! The chair was made out of vintage nautical flags and the price of this chair was upwards of $3000, and still not a recliner…

This is where the free chair comes in. One of my clients/friends was getting rid of a chair that had an ottoman and I thought to myself, “this is almost a recliner, right?” “Recovered it wil look great!” Then…”I’ll take it.” When I started researching nautical flags, I realized why the chair was so pricy. These vintage flags are very expensive. So on to plan B: Linen. I found all the right colors (you can see I changed the blue to navy), I just had to sew them together in the right order/shapes. Needless to say, this project became a labor of love as it took twice as long to put this together with all the seaming and topstitching. 

Deciding this would be a good birthday present for the husbands office, I also had to do it on the sly while he was away at work. As you can see, it’s done, installed in his office, and it looks great! Another chair saved from the dump…

The house is of the 20′s era with hardwood floors and beautiful woodwork throughout, although this room which was added on at some point had only subfloor with carpet. It is also a step down from the dining room with a large opening into the room. I.e. very visible from most of the house…Needless to say, it needed some TLC, homeowners sweat equity, and me!

The first step was to decide what my clients wanted to do with the space. The consensus was that it would become the “lounge” area. A cosy place to house bar items and sit and have a glass of wine with friends.

The biggest challenge was the white and oak shelving area. Very 80′s with melamine shelves. To keep costs down, I advised my clients to order new updated shaker doors (as you can see in the photos that the top ones we added have translucent glass). I didn’t want the cabinets to look top heavy, and there was a need for some storage that the homeowners wanted behind doors. You know the stuff that doesn’t look that great on an open shelf…We ordered the doors with no finish on them so that we could stain the old wood trim and the new doors a similar dark color. It was a bit of a shot in the dark making 2 different woods the same color, but they turned out great!  

We also had to do something about the floors. The homeowners pulled up the carpet and repaired the subfloor. It was going to be too hard to match the 80+ year old wood floors in the rest of the house and stained concrete was going to be too expensive and the subfloor would have to be totally redone, so we opted for large 24″ tiles that looked like brown concrete. My job. The nice thing about using these tiles was we could add some interest to the floor by putting the tiles at an angle with a border around the outside. Using large tiles also cuts down on the amount of grout. We used a dark grout so dirt wouldn’t show as much. There is a slider at the end of the room where the dog comes in and out!

Again, more sweat equity; the homeowner pulled the wallpaper off the bottom half of the room and then we decided to add wainscotting to the lower walls to add some texture there and get some trim up since this room was lacking in that department. Brown was the color theme, using  the darkest on the floors and cabinets, and a nice semi-sweet chocolate on the wainscotting with a latte above. You will find adding color to walls will then make your trim pop.

Back to the shelving area…What to do with the melamine? My favorite Sherwin Williams item is their Adhesion Primer. It sticks to anything! So it was decided  we would prime and paint the white. We used the adhesion primer first followed by 3 coats of Sherwin Williams bronze metallic paint. Everything that was white became bronze. Again, the client painted the shelves (which were removable) while I did the vertical areas.

New black knobs and hinges we added to the cabinet doors and the glass has a reeded look to them (again more texture). The finished product was almost unbelievable!

Last but not least. What do we do with all this oversized furniture? It is good leather but the cushions have an aztec pattern on the fronts. Hmmm…I wonder what would happen if we turned them all over? Voila! Looks like new plain brown leather couches, perfect. And being one that doesn’t like furniture lined up against the walls, suggested that we try to make two spaces in the long skinny room by putting the 2 couches on a diagonal, with an old square coffee table they had as an anchor. To add a little color and interest to the overly brown room, we purchased pillows and throws in oranges and reds. At the back of the room there is a tall bistro table and chairs to fill out that space and give some height to the room.

A catch all no longer. The lounge has never looked better. It get’s used now all the time. It’s so pretty, the no one even dares dropping their stuff in there!

Think about attacking this project in one room first. Don’t try to do your whole house on the first go around! Keep in mind that you are doing this for the first time, and everything will be by trial and error. Don’t be discouraged if it isn’t absolutely perfect. Each time you attempt refinishing you will become more proficient. Check the first photo for the “before” floor.

Armed with all the right equipment and step by step directions, a free weekend, plus a couple of unsuspecting friendly volunteers, they were off…This is a living room / dining room about 12′ x 24′. The other bonus is they had not moved in yet, so there was no furniture to move and they could stay out until the floor was cured.

Here is a list of supplies you will need:

-Plastic sheeting and painters tape

-Drum sander (available at your local tool rental)

-Edge sander (available at your local tool rental)

-Shop vac with floor attachment (available at your local tool rental)

-Polishing sander with 130 mesh screen (available at your local tool rental)

-Hand held palm electric sander (available at your local tool rental)

-30, 60 and 80 grit sandpaper to fit all machines (available at your local tool rental). Sandpaper grits are variable. As long as you are close the these numbers you are good to go.

-Tac cloths (sticky cloths in a plastic bag kinda like a lint roller…Throw away after using)

-Rags (old t-shirts work best because they don’t shred). Only needed If staining

-Stain (optional)

-Clear coat (a must)

Ready, set, go!  

Step one: Be informed. There are plenty of videos and blogs on the internet. Talk to your local rental equipment store. Make sure you have all the supplies before you start.

Step two: Mask everything off, really important step, so take the time. Dust will be everywhere during your finishing process if you don’t!

Step three: Using the drum sander, sand the main part of the floor using 30 grit sandpaper following the grain of the wood. You can get about 100 sq. ft out of one piece of sandpaper. Change them out often. The floors shown here are fir and  80+ years old. Then follow with the edge sander with the same grit sandpaper being careful not to be too heavy handed with this machine. It will cut into the floor easily. Also, do not come out too far past where the drum sander stops. Only about 6″ out from the wall. The goal is to blend the two sanding processes. Use the  palm sander in the corners, also with 30 grit.

Step four: Vacuum thoroughly!

Step five: Repeat step three but with 60 grit sandpaper.

Step six: Vacuum again. You don’t want to grind any dust into the floor.

Step seven: Repeat step three again, but this time with 80 grit sandpaper.

Step eight: You guessed it, vacuum!

Step nine: Using the polishing sander, cover the whole floor area with the 130 mesh screen. This process sands down any imperfections that you won’t be able to see before finishing with your clear coat.

Step ten: Using tac cloths, wipe down the WHOLE floor. You DO NOT want to leave any particles on the floor to be picked up in the clear coating process. The 2nd photo is sanded and ready for stain.

Step eleven: This is where I stepped in. My clients wanted a dark chocolate floor. A little nervous about the staining process, they hired me for the job. Staining is actually the most tedious part. Sanding imperfections show up and it is easy to make the stain look blotchy. You can see in the 3rd photo how dark the stain goes on. It needs to rest 5-15 minutes after brushing it on and before wiping it off depending on how porous you wood is. I brushed on an even layer of stain (I like Sherwin Williams Wood Classics oil stains. Color: New ebony) over 5 floor boards the width of the room. Again following the grain of the wood. By the time I got to the end of the length, it was time to go back and wipe off the excess stain. One rag to wipe of, and a cleaner rag to make sure it is even and rubbed in. This process SMELLS being an oil based stain, so don’t forget to have ventilation and even a mask! The staining process for this 12′ x 24′ room took 6 hours. I only needed one coat of stain, but it is possible you might need two depending on the color and wood. The finished stain will have a mat finish and look a little lighter than you think it needs to be, (fourth photo) but don’t worry the clear coat will add depth to the color.

Step twelve: Clear coating. I am a big advocate of 3 coats. You want your floors tough! This process is rolled on and then back brushed. If you do not back brush you take the chance of bubbles which will ruin the look of your floors and all the hard work you have put into them. Again, this is where the homeowner hired me again. I rolled on 6 or 7 floor boards by about 2′. And then brushed it out right away. You need to be quick about this process as you will find the clear coat dries pretty quick. Don’t panic when you first put it on, clear coat goes on milky but dries clear. The clear coat I used (Sherwin Williams Waterborne Polyurethane Varnish) can be 2nd coated after a couple of hours, but not more than eight. So all three coats were done in one day.

Step thirteen: Enjoy your new and beautiful floors!

Spruce up what you have. Maybe all you need is a new look for something you already have. Possible take one item you are bored with (I have a dresser in my entry) and refinish it or give it a bright new coat of paint (I think I am going to paint big stripes), and change the knobs. Voila! You have a “new” dresser for the fraction of the cost of a new one. Or how about painting a room or accent wall? All you have spent is a couple gallons of paint. You get to be creative, use a little of your sweat equity, and the changes you make create your own personal style. If you can’t come up with ideas of your own, you can find many, many ideas on the internet and in decorating magazines.

Keep it personal. Rather than buying wall art from a store, consider making your own. It is not only money saving, but adds a personal touch to your home. I have one client that took scrapbook pages to the local printer, had them blown up to 30″ x 30″ squares and framed them in a set of three. They are themed in seasonal colors, so she changes them out every few months. A great thing way to keep your walls fresh! And of course, as always, black and white photographs of family look great when grouped in same color frames (they don’t have to be the same style, just the same color), and black is always a safe and good bet.

Rearrange. Rearranging furniture is a must if you have lived in the same house/apartment or condo for a few years. Sometimes it’s good to think outside the box. I always tell my clients that furniture need not be lined up against the walls or at 90 degree angles. Mix it up…put things on a diagonal, you might be surprised. Remember that old dresser, maybe it needs to move to another room and have a new “function”. Dressers aren’t only for putting clothing in, you could house your silverware and linnens as it becomes a sideboard in your dining room!

Keep it simple. Contemporary decor is trending toward simplicity. So it’s easy to update a room by taking things out of it. Does the room seem too busy? Are you holding on to things for reasons you are not sure of anymore? Have a garage sale, purge some of the clutter out of your life. You will feel better for it!

Re-decorating your home does not have to be costly or out of reach. By using a little thrift and creativity, you can transform your home into an interesting and tasteful expression of yourself.