I Swear I Have an Excuse... and the Built-Ins are almost done!

 

Oh hi there! It's been a while,  but I swear I have a good excuse. So, one of my biggest pet peeves in the 'blog world' is when a blogger just randomly stops posting out of nowhere- especially when people are at least used to a consistent schedule. You mean to tell me that these blogging people actually have a life outside of their computer that would constitute them associating with the real world? While I doubt any of my 2 blog followers went through withdrawal (Nathan and Mom, you can be honest), it's still way annoying and I hate that I took two months off….  IT IS BLOG BLASPHEMY!

 

Anyway- when I started this thing I swore I would never be one to drop off the face of the earth, but then I was introduced to the "First Trimester" and became good friends with my couch. Not to be dramatic- well maybe a little- but I literally didn't do any productive project from the end of October to about a few weeks ago. I even had so many plans for Christmas posts, but eventually the thought of putting up decorations made me want to vom. Thankfully, my mom and dad came down and helped get my house into the holiday spirit, but no blog posts were produced. Maybe I'll do a Christmas in July special since I did manage to get a few pictures of some décor.  Scratch that- I'll have a newborn baby in July. Sooooo Side Note:  Looks like I will also be taking a blog hiatus this summer too.  I hope you survive it.  

 

Back to blog stuff and an end to my rambling…. One thing that we were productive on was the built-ins. (And by we, I mean Nathan and Josh). I know it's not the most exciting project in the world and has taken a while- but we are almost complete! You can see the previous posts here, here, and here.

 

 

 

 

The only thing left to do is install new doors on the existing cabinets, add some hardware, and finish off the legs of the NEW cabinet!

 

 

 

Yes- the new cabinet has arrived in all of its glory. It was constructed in Josh's workshop and those handy guys measured it to fit perfectly up against the existing bookshelves. They're so smart. We did have to mount it to the wall to leave some clearance above the floor vent, but I think it works pretty well. I don’t really like the "floating" look of it, so we're investigating some leg options which shouldn't be too difficult to produce. I'm glad we also go rid of the old, dark, existing cabinet- The new white cabinet just pulls it all together and actually gives us more storage than before… and it's white- so yeah. 

 

Below is the a picture mid-progress and you can see the old TV cabinet. Not working.

 

 

 

I wanted everything to be closed off and finished, so we added this 'flip down' detail when we want to use the Blue Ray player. I did not want the equipment to be showing if it didn’t' have to be, so when it's not in use, it's closed back up just the way I like it.

 

 Open...  ( and yes this is all of our equipment)

 

Closed.

 

Below you can see the difference in the doors. Sooner rather than later, we'll be replacing the old cabinet doors so they match... and get rid of those exposed and painted hinges.  

 

 

 

Looking at the Before picture, it's crazy how much of a differencce this little makeover has made- and the TV is still "eye level" so all are happy in the Weldy home.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I wouldn't allow myself to put anything on the bookshelves until the cabinet was installed. (It was intended to give us motivation, but ended up really just driving me mad)- so as my first "Second Trimester" project, I dusted everything off and filled up those shelves. Now that this whole conglomeration is more to my liking, I'm going to pay a lot more attention to what I'm actually putting on my shelves. A TON of it is just what I have had lying around the house, but I'm definitely wanting to do some editing and maybe invest in some nicer pieces.

 

I will say that it definitely makes a difference by putting up stuff that you really like- and using meaningful pieces. I try to stay away from random objects just to fill up space, but sometimes its unavoidable. Hopefully soon I'll do a more 'in depth' post about some of the meaningful pieces we've put up on our shelves.

 

 

In the meantime, I have a plan to make a pretty cool mirror to hang above the mantel… I stole the current one from the guest room just to get an idea of size... but I'm liking it's temporary home for now.

 

And FINALLY- if you haven't seen this on facebook- here is our New Years Baby Announcement! Nathan LOVES photo shoots... and we also really need a tan!

 

Due June 2014! 

 

 

-Tricia 

 

The Mantel is (Finally) Up!

I can tell you (in my mere 2 month experience) that the one bad good thing about having a blog is that you're accountable for what you post (it's part of the reason that I started this thing). Last week, I mentioned here that I would be giving you all an update this week on the Built-in/Mantel situation that we have going on. Well, I like to stay true to my word so we FINALLY got the mantel up earlier this week. I'll admit- sometimes projects lose steam. We come home from work and the last thing we feel like doing is nailing/painting/sanding. However, we're always glad when we pick ourselves up off the couch and git-er-done. Productivity always feels good.

 

We're one step closer to completing this project and I'm liking the results so far!

 

Here's the mantel I've been blabbing about....



 

 I'm dreaming of a Christmas mantel....

 

Here is where we started:

Drilled some holes to find the studs... apparently the studs were not spaced evenly AT ALL... hence the amount of puncture wounds. Oops! (Whoever eventually buys this house from us is going to be very confused!)

One thing I didn't think about (but Nathan did of course) was that the wall was inset so we needed to install a board for the mantel to attach to in order for it to overlap the bookcase trim. Duh! (Did that make sense?). We could have custom cut the moulding in order for it to butt against the existing trim, but this was a simple solution. It wasn't a part of my original plan, but it works. I'm not complaining.

Once the board was set, we added the cantilevers and the mantel top.

 The moulding was then added.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Spackle, caulk, and paint finished off the look.

 

 

Having a blog also makes you stare at every detail...

Looks like we need to touch up on that corner. 

 



 

My handy husband pulled electric up to the mantel so I can have power access. (He HATES exposed cords so that pet peeve really worked in my favor). Can't wait to plug in some garland!

 

 

There ya have it! One step closer to completion. I refuse to style any of my bookcases until it's complete.... so I literally have piles of books, frames, and vases just sitting on my floor collecting dust- It's killing me! I do it to myself though.... it's all about motivation!

 

Can't wait to get a start on the lower cabinets!  

 

-Tricia

 

 

Progress on the Built Ins... Phase One!

Well- we have made some progress on the built in/mantel/entertainment center conglomeration (that is what I am calling it now). If you're just catching up on this, you can reference back to this post which will give you a little background and inspiration behind this project.

 

Just a reminder, this is where we started:

 

 

This project definitely wasn't even on my radar until a few weeks ago, but it quickly jumped to the top of the "To Do" list... maybe because the holidays are coming and I'm dying to do some mantel decorating... or maybe because I knew it would be such a big (and much needed) change to the living room. Like I said before, I've been kind of stuck in that room so I'm hoping once this is done, it will help me get excited about the room (for once). We shall see.....

 

Clear it out!

 

The first phase of the project was pretty easy. Before we cleared off the shelves and unmounted the TV, we headed to Lowes to pick up some boards and crown molding. From there we cut the lumber per our measurements.

 

  

Too much trim to choose from..... Simple cuts made for the wall.

 


Two pieces would need to fit vertically from the top of the bookcase trim to the ceiling. The other piece would need to fit the width horizontally in between (If that makes sense). We then cut the crown moulding to span the entire width and overlap the vertical boards. We don't have much experience cutting crown, so it may have taken a bit longer than normal, but we eventually got the right angles.

Before we installed any of the boards, we broke out the paint and applied it all the way up to the ceiling- Nathan cut in and I rolled... aka: Nathan has patience for the small important details... and I like to see results quickly ;) Instead of applying primer, we just did two coats of white paint. It ended up being plenty and covered well. Painting the center wall already made a huge difference in the look of everything. It was easy to see the vision once that paint was on the wall.

 

 

Yep.... We just painted around the TV mount. Don't judge :)

 

I wanted to make sure the center wall looked like it was a part of the bookshelves and fit right in, so with our boards we continued the line from the bookshelf edge trim to the ceiling. This way, the top crown of the bookshelves looks like it was built over the center boards, making it appear like it was built in. I think continuing the existing lines, but making it look layered is key in trying to give it the feel of "Oh this has always being here" look.... if that makes sense.

 

We then nailed up the rest of the boards....

 

 

 



Once the boards were up, we applied the crown moulding with a nail gun where the wall met the ceiling and made sure the edges wrapped around the boards we just applied.

 

I swear the boards were not this dirty...

Something is wrong with the contrast in a LOT of these pictures. 

 

From there we spackled any nail holes that existed. Then Nathan took some caulk and applied it to the edges and any extra spaces where boards met.

 

 

 

Once dry, we gave the boards and edges a new coat of paint.

 

Nice and Fresh! Maybe the boards were that dirty! haha

 



So with that, 'Phase 1' is complete. This is where we are as of now:

 

We hung the TV back up and placed the stand where it previously was so we could watch some TV.... And that weird wire thing is our new antenna. Very high tech- I know.

 

Here is a side by side. Even this small improvement makes a HUGE difference in the room! I feel like the room is already taller and the wall is much more balanced. I'm excited for 'Phase 2'!

 

Such a huge difference!

 



The next step will be installing the mantel. We may or may not have messed up on the first piece of crown at the ceiling so we have an extra piece. To save money, we'll just be using that piece for the mantel since it's still plenty long for what we need.

 

Once the mantel is done, we'll start working on the lower center cabinet, doors, and detailing. It's not an overnight project (which I definitely prefer), but by taking our time and focusing on budget, I think it will be worth the wait.
 

What do you think? Like the progress so far? 

 

-Tricia

Our Plan for the Living Room Built Ins

One of the things that I wish our house had (other than a larger backyard) is a fireplace and mantel. I guess when they built it in the 20s, budget was also at the forefront of their mind and they opted out of one. I wish I could go back in time and explain to them how they should really just go for it, because in the year 2013 this girl would really like to get her hands on a mantel to decorate for the holidays.... If only.

 

For a while I just accepted it and just put it on the "Want List" for our next home... but then one day a few weeks ago as I was sitting in our living room, it dawned on me that I don't technically have to have a fireplace to achieve the look that I'm wanting. (Although I will admit that a fireplace would be nice and cozy). I honestly can't believe it took me this long to have that 'aha' moment. (Shout out to Oprah)

 

So with that... this is what we're working with...

 

Have I mentioned how nerve-wracking it is to upload pictures of your home?

Ok- just thought I'd share....

 

We currently have 2 small built in bookshelves that flank each side of the main wall in the living room (PS- the living room is a whole other story... Working with mismatched furniture and giant sectional has made that room the most difficult to work with so far. Hoping to make some strides soon in that department, but right now I kind of feel stuck). The bookshelves were originally a dark wood tone which we painted white soon after Nathan bought the house. (I WISH I had a before picture of those... I feel like they have to be out there somewhere, so if any of my friends have any please pass them along). Painting those bookshelves white made a HUGE improvement and I didn't think about them too much more after that. However, once we got married, moved in, and started using the living room on a nightly basis, they didn't seem right to me anymore. It could have been when we hung the large flat screen in between which made things feel really heavy and unbalanced.. or when we added the dark (and cheap) TV stand in front of the wall (already moved out of the way in the picture above). I always thought the wall just looked off, and felt like there had to be another solution....

 

So.... I started searching for some inspiration and quickly came up with a plan that I feel will make the room feel taller, more balanced, and less heavy. Here are some of the inspiration pictures:

 

Found this picture here. Love the detail above the mantel.

 

 

Another one with great detail.

The side bookcases remind me of what we're working with.

 

I really just like the look of this room. Looks so peaceful.

 

I like that the back of the bookshelves are vertically wood planked.

Couldn't find the main source for this one.

 

Pulled this one because it gives me a good idea of what we can do above the 'mantel'.

 Clean and simple lines. Very doable. Plus- that is some great V-day decorating.

I could see my friend Jayme going all out like this.

 

 

Last but not least, this is from one of my favorite blogs, Honey We're Home.

I thought this was a great media center that gave me a good idea of how our wall

with a TV can look. I really like the detail of the storage on the bottom

(and the painted back panels)

 

Our plan is to make the wall a hybrid of a large built in/mantel/entertainment center. We both like the TV to be at eye level (Nathan's reasoning- because that's where a TV should be placed. My reasoning- If we're putting in a mantel there's no way I'm placing a TV on top and wasting prime real estate... Mantels are clearly for decorating purposes only). It won't be your normal look since the TV will be under the mantel, but I think it will end up working for what we have going on. We (as in Nathan) also plan to build center lower storage under the TV to balance off the existing lower storage under the book shelves. The final task will be replacing the existing cabinet doors with some more substantial wood and detail.

 

Here are a few plans I made up in Power Point (I'm a power point addict. I seriously use it all the time for the weirdest things... and it's never for a 'slide show'). I'm still not sure of how we are going to detail the mantel (if at all), but I played around with some ideas. Good thing is- we can get started on this and deal with the detail later once it's decided.

 

 

 

 What do you think? Any suggestions? I think I've been staring at this wall for too long!

 -Tricia