I’m typically not one for new year resolutions, but outlining a few goals for the house seems like a good idea. When we first moved in we were a buzz of activity, but then we ran out of cash and motivation. I’d hate for us to become complacent so — with tightly clasped purse strings in hand — here are a few things I’d like to get crossed off our list in 2014:
Get rid of the last of the wall paper. It’s 90% gone, but there are still two closet doors coated in that fuzzy beige backing. It would really only take about 30 minutes to get the job done, but we need to remove the doors to do so (and thus why they have sat as-is for months). The wall below is now stripped, but I just had to show you that awful paper one more time.
Paint the kitchen/laundry/half bath. I would LOOOOVE to paint the whole house, but I’m trying to be realistic here. My life would be infinitely better if the dark paneling and pink-edged walls were gone!
Address the kitchen and the yellow bathroom floors. I’ve been toying with the idea of just painting the vinyl tile floors in the kitchen but I can’t imagine not being able to walk through this room for however long it would take to apply 2-3 coats and let it sufficiently dry. We haven’t even looked into the cost of legit flooring options because even basic flooring is not in the budget right now — this flooring continues through the kitchen, to the dine-in area, down the hallway, and into the laundry room and half bath on the other side of the wall shown above. That’s a lot of new flooring for something we would just want to upgrade again in a few years.
The bathroom shouldn’t be that bad. It’s only about 14 SF and I’m thinking some dark gray carpet tiles ought to do the trick. I know, carpet in the bathroom? Yes, carpet in the bathroom. Because I can’t think of a budget-friendly flooring option that would look better in this small area between the tile and the slate, and if we go dark with the carpet (to match the slate) it I think it will help things look a little more seamless. I not a fan of looking down and seeing three different types of flooring going on, but it really can’t be helped so I’m just planning to work with what I’ve got. We originally thought of trying to match the yellow tile since we thought that was once carried through, but color matching that vintage tile proved near impossible (and we later realized the carpet was original — a tile expert pointed out that the bullnose on the threshold gave it away). Also, isn’t our owl rug cute?!
Address the fireplace situation. The brass insert has to go, as does the beige paint and those ugly brass fireplace tools mounted to the wall. It’s a mess. Look at how the previous owner painted around their TV cabinet! I haven’t the slightest clue what we’re going to do with this feature wall yet, but trust me, it’s near the top of my list. The best picture I have is from moving day (I generally avoid pointing the camera in that direction), but it’s safe to say it hasn’t changed much. The sculptura wall hanging is still up there, too. I’m tempted to paint it some striking color, but I need to do my research first. It might be worth something! At least the carpet and those ancient stereo wires are long gone. *happy dance*
Get the guest room in order. Given that we have free babysitting in the form of my mother, our guest room is actually getting a fair amount of use. Unfortunately the bedding is comprised of mix-matched and sub-par hand-me-downs (twice over), the blinds are a deep mauve, and the furnishings are things that just didn’t fit anywhere else. It doesn’t exactly scream, “Welcome! Won’t you stay a while?” I just ordered this bedding set though, so that’s progress!
Finish pruning the shrubs. Enough said.
It should be interested to check back next year and see how much we get accomplished! Hopefully all of this and more!
Mid-Century Modern(ization) 
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