Adding Architectural Features to Your Home

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Unless you are fortunate to live in a historical home, anything built after the 1960s and 70s sorely lacks any quality architectural features. When we moved into our home ten years ago, it was very disheartening to go from a glorious historical home with amazing woodwork to a 1970s feature-less dwelling.



Beadboard and chair rail added to the master bath.
Read about more about our Beadboard project.



Beadboard added to the back of the kitchen island.



Beadboard wallpaper added to 1/2 bath in Pretty in Purple




Trim moulding to top of cabinets gives them a polished finish.






Ceiling medallions are inexpensive and a great way to add interest.

 

Don't get me wrong, I love my house but really miss all that beautiful detail and what's with the textured walls anyway? Seriously every room in our house has textured walls and ceilings. Not the popcorn cheesy kind mind you, it is 'quality' textured walls and I thought I would love it. Not so much. So in my effort to get rid of all the texture and add some architectural interest, I have gradually added details (both big and little) to give our home character.





This ceiling medallion was an old picture frame. Read about that project here.



 




Addung interest to a bland pantry door for pennies in Ye Olde Ugly doors






Spruced up pony wall with moulding adds architectural interest in The Impossible becomes Possible!

Board and Batten is relatively easy and adds great interest to any room. Read more in Bored and Batty!

 

It's easy to add interest and doesn't have to be expensive!
Disclaimer: please excuse the lack of photographic quality. Many of these photos are older and my skills have defintely gotten better with age! 

 

Linking up to:

Wake Up Wednesday Linky Party

Handmade Projects at TIp Junkie

What's It Wednesdays at Ivy and Elephant

What We Accomplished Wednesday

 

 

 



 



Bored and Batty

Well, you've seen one post about Board and Batten wainscoating, you've seen them all, huh? It's enough to make you bored and batty I tell ya! Okay, so I am no different but I have to share our finished Board and Batten dining room. Why, you might ask? I'll tell ya why. It might be 'easy' but it is H.A.R.D. I mean, yeah. When every. single. wall. in the room is not level. Just sayin'...

Looks pretty easy peasy, huh?

But my husband and I. We did it. Yup. We're done. And, we're still married!

A quick little before. And yes, the pictures are crooked!

To read more about our dining room makeover, click here.

Linking up this week to:

 Every day is Party Day!

The Room that never quits

My dining room is like a cat...it has 9 lives. Well, who knows, maybe even more? Currently on it's 4th life, but who's counting the first life, which was really no life at all (a.k.a. the lackluster way I found it when we moved into the house). Wish I could show you all but trust me when I say that A.N.Y.T.H.I.N.G. would have been an improvement.


However those were the days pre-blog and I'm pretty sure I have pictures somewhere but if I took the time to find them, I might not come out alive! So, with a desire to rip out cover the textured walls that were previously coated with a smooth skimcoat border right smack in the middle of the wall, going around the whole stinkin' dining room...whoops, I'm digressing. Anyway, you get the picture but if you really want to see pictures, you can check out a few of the transformation process right here. Now, for the reveal!

Trying to get a good shot of the whole room is tough. The room is
small and locked in.

Rug from Lowe's at a GREAT price!

Ceiling was painted a light grey, including the
ceiling medallion. Then a coat of silver metallic
was added.

Mirror was on the clearance rack at HomeGoods.

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Thanks for visiting!

The Decorating Chica.
Linking up this week to:


Show and Tell Wednesday at Blue Cricket Design
Nifty Thrifty Thursday at Tales from Bloggaritaville
116th Power of Paint Party at Domestically Speaking
Treasure Hunt Thursday at From My Front Porch to Yours

Keeping It Fresh a.k.a. A Dining Room Renewal, Pt. 1

I don't know about you but I usually process changes over in my head LONG before they ever come to fruition. This project roamed around in my head for a year or so before actually starting it but..It was time. Yup, long overdue in fact. Many would not agree but really to keep your rooms fresh, they need to undergo a facelift from time to time. My dining room was calling out to me. Oh, but really I was just intending to add a Board and Batten treatment to the walls to cover the unsightly texture and the smooth skimcoat the some idiot thoughtful person added to house a wallpaper border. (Oh, I soo wish I had pictures from the beginning. Well I do somewhere but not sure where.)

Here is a snapshot of what it looked like. Check behind the stencilled
border, you'll see the smooth skimcoat. Didn't leave me much options
but to put up a border, stencil, etc. Yes, my pictures are crooked!

Well, we did it! We took the plunge and dove into another home improvement project. While all home improvement projects have their stress, this has been awesome. Haha, that might have something to do with the fact that my husband did the board and batten. Yup, the measuring, sizing, fitting, cutting, and installing. All of that. My 'job' was to countersink the nails, patch, sand, and paint. Really not too hard all in all. 

Here is the first board up and the top part painted.

I know the trend is neutral, light walls but that is just not my style. However, I actually contemplated going a light neutral but couldn't do it. I like my color people!

Adding board and painting.

Trim going up.

Vertical boards being installed, caulked
and ready for priming and painting.

Linking up today with: NOBODY!!

Show Me Your Bathroom

A look at the original, to read more 1970s bathroom.

One of our biggest and most time consuming remodels was our upstairs bathroom. But if you could have seen it before! Okay, you asked so I'll show you.


See? Not pretty for sure. Oh yeah, I did a few temporary updates like painting the turquoise wall tiles and painting the cabinets. Only good this did was to eliminate some of the turquoise that was originally in this room. Can we say obsessive? I was never happier than to start ripping that old tile out!

New bathroom vanity, quartz countertops and sinks installed.

Wainscoatting, new paint color and toilet of course!

Mirrors were hung to cover old recessed medicine cabinets
that left a big, square, hold in the wall after removal!

What can you say about a new toilet other than it is
not turquoise!

Huge transformation that was finished almost three years ago. Time for a little refresh in the near future! Soon as it gets cool enough to even think about painting on the second floor!