Home Interior Before and After - Woo, Finally!

We Have Our Winner! 

Our contest winner was chosen by Random.org! 

CONGRATULATIONS to Camie!

You've won a $500 Giftcard Courtesy of Home Depot!

Camie Wrote:

 

Congratulations Camie!  I hope you find all the wonderful plants you want to prepare for your Spring gardening!  Be sure to send us a picture of your garden in the Spring.  We'd love to see it!

Thanks goes to Home Depot for this wonderful sponsored contest. 

Thank you to all my readers who participated.  I try to pull out all the stops to get some great sponsored contests for all of you.  It sure is fun knowing that I made someone's day a little brighter.

Contact me at [email protected] to claim your great prize!

It's about dang time I posted these before and after photos of the interior of our home.  It is amazing how something as simple as changing the color of your walls can make a huge difference in the feeling within the room and your home.  Even an artist can struggle with choosing colors, though.  I couldn't decide.  I was a mess.  So, when we went to Sherwin Williams, they had an interior designer who could help us choose the colors that would bring warmth and color to our home.  Her selections were wonderful, and they made a huge difference in our home. 

Let's start with the Family Room:

Before - I hated this green.  I was ready for a change.  Also, we needed wood blinds on the windows for privacy.  Maybe one of these days I'll pull out my Pfaff and make the drapes that I've been putting off making for 4 years.

After - I LOVE this red.  It is rich, warm, and vibrant.  Also, we got the wood blinds from Home Depot - cheap!  Love 'em. 

Before - Looking into the kitchen.  Again the green - yuk.  Matthew sure looks comfortable in the recliner. 

After - This was taken in the evening, but you get the picture, right?  Bob had installed track lighting to shine onto my oil paintings.  Unfortunately, I've sold a few that were in the family room, so now the lights are shining on a blank wall.  I suppose I should get crackin' in my studio!

Now for the Music room: (aka the non-existent dining room)

Before - The house, as old as it was, had never had a coat of paint other than the builder's grade beige which is typical when a home is newly built.  Our home is about 20 years old now.  So, when we moved in, I painted the dining room this pumpkin color based on a picture that I saw of a beautiful dining room in an Ethan Allen catalog.  It was beautiful.  Unfortunately, it didn't do that much for our dining room, especially since it was a Music Room instead of a dining room.  Time to change.

After - This is the same green that is in George Washington Mount Vernon's dining room.  And we painted the inside of the wainscoting to match the foyer.  Below are some more pictures of the Music room.

Before - I know, I'll get around to making those drapes eventually.  In the meantime, we've got a regular band room goin' on in here.  The kids love playing the piano, guitar, and drums.  And yes, our house is noisy.

After - I love this green.  It is such a great colonial color.  And, it really sets off Alison's Peacock painting.

Here is another view of the Music Room leading into the kitchen on the left.  By the way, that painting of Hope Road is for sale if you would like it for your home. 

Hope Road 14x18 Oil on Canvas. A delightful American sidewalk scene. Taking a stroll through a collage of flags and town shops. Available: 1000.00.(Framed)

Now for the Kitchen:

Before - This wallpaper was enough to make anyone dizzy, especially in the morning.  We couldn't rip it off the walls fast enough.  Unfortunately, ...

Before - This is what happened when I attempted to rip off my wallpaper before I knew what I was doing.  To avoid this problem of tearing up your drywall along with your wallpaper, click HERE, and learn how to take off your wallpaper the right way - without losing your mind.

After - The kitchen is a comfortable place in the morning especially.  I love the creamy yellow walls.  I moved the Sunroom sofa into the kitchen, and we've grown to like it there.  I'm still working on my kitchen cabinets.  They were those ugly white-washed oak with brass knobs when we moved here, and the stain was wearing off. I am refinishing them myself and will show you the result just as soon as I finish - if I finish. Now that's a laugh.

Now for the Master Bedroom:

Before - More wallpaper.  Now there are many lovely Waverly patterns, but this house was filled with it.  I still haven't got it all off the walls.  

Before - See that back wall?  I single-handedly ripped that crap off the wall and then sanded and primed the wall.  More than just the border, the back wall was covered with the matching wallpaper and the border.  I had wallpaper paste from the steamer (which I will never use again) all over the furniture and the carpet.  What a mess.

After - We painted the walls a rich, bright yellow.  I love it.  I love yellow.  It's a happy color and looks great in our Master Bedroom.  I even made the bed for you. 

The Foyer:

Before - Bob had cut some holes in the foyer to make our home wireless.  That way we can sit in the family room and comfortably work on our laptops without a hundred wires.  Unfortunately, he didn't fix the holes for over a year.  But, finally ...

After - Well, we no longer have the hole to the right of the stairway, but we do have the hole in the ceiling where I fell through right before Christmas.  I wonder how long it will be until we fix that?  Probably another year.  The good news is that the creamy sand color of the walls together with the black lacquer on the railing looks wonderful.  I love it.

Before - Here's another view of the foyer looking into the music room / dining room (whatever you want to call it).

After - Isn't it amazing what a bit of color will do to the feeling you get in a room or a space? 

And lastly, my mother's room:

Before - My mother's room had this seascape theme goin' on.  And more wallpaper to rip off the walls.

Before - Her room not only had the wallpaper border, it had a thick chair rail going around the entire room.  In this picture, we've already ripped it off the wall.  And below the chair rail was this dark blue color.  The problem with this is that the room is small and the wall decor made it look smaller.  

After - Mom's room is now a calming light blue/gray.  We also got her new wood blinds for privacy.

After - Mom's room looks larger too without that ugly chair rail, 2-toned paint, and wallpaper border.

So there you go.  Writing this post was almost as much work as repainting the house.  Just kidding.  Well, almost!  And that wasn't everything!  But I figured if I added anymore pictures you'd be pissed.  So, to reward the reader who got to the end of this post without a headache.  Or, maybe you do have a headache, but you made it to the end of this post - I am offering a reader a $500.00 gift card to Home Depot if you will answer this question in the comments:

What home improvements would you make to your home if you had $500 from Home Depot?

Contest will end at 8:00pm EST on Thursday evening.  Winner will be chosen around 12noon on Friday!

Love,