That is an interesting question. How do you decided which room to make over first?
Here’s a few questions to ask yourself that will help you decided.
Where do you spend most of your time? If that is the family room and you want to create a comfortable space to gather that is a good starting place.
Do you love a relaxing welcoming bedroom then I would begin there.
If organization in your kitchen is key then begin in the kitchen. A kitchen renovation is usually a lot more expensive then other rooms so you may have to fix things as best you can before you have the funds to tackle such a big project.
One of our first updates
When we first moved into our current home I had an enormous overwhelming list of things I wanted to do. There wasn’t a single thing on the list that had to be done. We had a roof over our head and everything was working in the house.
Except I had spent 7 months dreaming about this home and watching it being built so I had a lot of time to think about changes I wanted to make and create.
I don’t know why my brain works this way but I always come up with projects that I want to do to make a space more unique and personal.
The overwhelm came because I was thinking I needed to get it all done right now. I knew we didn’t want to spend that much at once and we didn’t have the time or energy to do it all. Also living in a space for awhile is a good idea so you uncover some hidden desires or things that need adjusting.
I decided the guest room was one of the first updates we were going to make and create in our home.
Why the guest room?
The guest room? That is a weird place to start right. There were a couple reasons we started with the guest room. Number one I knew what I wanted to do in there and number two it wasn’t a huge or time consuming project. Since we live a thousand miles away from a lot of family we do have guests that stay for an extended time and I want it to be comfortable for them. One of the reasons for purchasing this home was the perfect for guests room and bathroom.
There is one additional reason. I hadn’t set the room up so all the furniture was piled up in the middle of the floor. I wanted to paint and do the accent wall before I set everything up. No sense moving furniture twice. The guest room is also at the front of the house. I didn’t have shutters on the windows at first so it was a little embarrassing to have people walking by and seeing a pile of furniture in the middle of the room.
The joys of moving
There are so many layers to a move. Especially if you are a DIYer and you don’t pay to have it all done before you move in. I respect those that do have it all done before they move in. But that’s not us. It must be something in our wiring. I’m glad I am this way. When we’re in the building process I love the smells that come with each stage. The raw wood, then drywall. The new paint and flooring. Walking into a home that smells new is so exciting for me. I get just as much excitement out of a renovation as I do a new build. In fact I might get more excitement out of a renovation. The challenges are fun but frustrating.
Before we moved in I knew what color I was going to paint the guest bedroom. It is a color we’ve used a few times and I love it. You can find it in the Benjamin Moore Historical Collection Color Bennington Grey HC 82.
It looks amazing with the bedding. I am not afraid of color in fact my preference is dark colors. But I wanted something more subtle in the main living areas of this home. This is a perfect dark but not too dark color.
As a side note I have had this bedding for years. If I was guessing I’d say I’ve had if for 15+ years. It has been in the guest room for a large portion of those years so it’s like new because it’s not used often. It can also be washed so it’s easy to keep clean.
Accent Wall
This was one of the simplest and most inexpensive accent walls I’ve done. Even though it was simple and inexpensive it packs a punch in the space.
I usually shop at Home Depot for lumber. The main reason is location. It is closer to us then Lowe’s. We do venture over to Lowe’s often but for the quick product pick ups we shop at Home Depot.
We purchased 3 1/2″ primed flat trim and used that to create the accents. Since the baseboards in our home matched with what we were using we left it in place.
Because I was wanting even sized squares the hight and length of the wall dictated the ending size.
Installation
This was such a simple installation cut and nail. I didn’t paint the boards before we installed. I figured I’d get it all painted after it was up and caulked.
We were able to leave the baseboard because the profile matched what we were installing. I did paint the baseboard the same color as the wall. Leaving it white looked really funny.
This was such a fun and beautiful accent wall that really packed a punch. It didn’t really cost much but is a beautiful finish. I decided to paint all the walls the same color. Maybe later I may change up the color of the accent wall.
So nice to have a room done
This was an interesting place to start but it is so nice to have a room done and ready for guests. We made these adorable signs to serve as a welcome for anyone who comes to stay.
I found this cute printable off etsy. A great place to find something unique and fun. After I got them printed at Office Max my husband made these perfect frames.
A Final Look
This room is so welcoming and warm. The accent wall is the perfect addition to the space. It is a fun and quick project that makes such an incredible addition to any room. It’s a great accent wall.
There is no right or wrong place to start if you are doing a lot of DIY projects? For us getting this room set up and comfortable was more important to me then having my own room finished. Sometimes I need additional time in a space before I figure out what I want to do.
Do you love DIY Projects as much as I do? It’s so fun and makes your house into your home.
Just a reminder to hop over to our shop Decor to the Door. There are several seasonal collections of beautiful decor ready to ship to your door. You can find the link here or in the tool bar.
