So, since we’re all home (and my daughter is very much like me), she asked if she could take down the wallpaper in her bathroom, as we’ve been talking about giving her bathroom a mini makeover.  You might remember her bedroom makeover as part of the One Room Challenge here.  Let me qualify the word “bathroom” by saying that I’m referring to her sink area that’s part of the Jack and Jill bathroom.  I have eradicated almost all of the dated wallpaper from my home, with the exception of this little nook and some grasscloth in the basement (that I actually like).  So, she and I are brainstorming ideas on how to give her sink area a mini makeover.  I already gave the other side of the Jack and Jill bathroom a facelift here, as part of the One Room Challenge Makeover, so fair is fair, right?   Her bathroom is similar in looks to its Jack and Jill counterpart, although there is a little less wiggle room to move around in her area. The tapestry is her doing – she is 14 after all. It’s been fun talking through our ideas together, and figuring out the direction that we […]

The post Mini Bathroom Makeovers appeared first on Evolution of Style.

I will fully admit that I am a total voyeur when it comes to watching “Hoarders”.  While I know that these people are seriously mentally ill, I’m still flabbergasted by the state of their homes, and I just can’t. look. away.  Awhile back, I watched the Mother of All Hoarder episodes, featuring Sandra, a once successful interior designer, lived in the 9,000 square foot historical tudor-style home – the Julian Price Hillside Mansion, built in 1922 – that had fallen into complete disrepair and contained a hoard like none I have ever seen.  If you haven’t seen it, you can watch the two part episode here – (affiliate link) – it’s episode nine.  She had lost her home in foreclosure, and the new homeowners, Michael and Erik Fuko-Rizzo were planning on restoring it to its former glory.  They were kind enough to give Sandra the opportunity to go through the home and salvage some of her stuff, as opposed to calling in 1800-GOT-JUNK.  After watching this episode, I admire them for their kindness, empathy and patience of a mountain of saints.  I don’t know if I could have survived the ordeal.  If you saw this episode, I’m certain that you still remember […]

The post The Julian Price Mansion: A Hoarder House Restored appeared first on Evolution of Style.

I really love scoring a solid piece of furniture that just needs a little bit of love and attention.  The bones and details are gorgeous, but it’s just suffered from a bit of wear and tear (and perhaps some spilled nail polish on the the top).  These diamonds in the rough are my favorite.  I’m always drawn towards dressers, because these vintage ones can be multi-purpose.  This could be used for its original purpose, but I could see it in an entryway, a dining room, or even an office.  There is no telling where a thrifty dresser makeover will end up, but there are lots of possibilities. I find a lot of great pieces at my local Salvation Army (remember this beauty?) – I love that they price their furniture reasonably, and don’t try to pretend that they’re some sort of antique store.  But this piece was actually purchased via Craigslist.  I saw it and had to have it, and made a special trip to pick it up, so no one could snatch it out from under me.  Let’s take a look at where this beauty began.  This post contains some affiliate links. See what I mean by good bones?  And that hardware? […]

The post Thrifty Dresser Makeover appeared first on Evolution of Style.

While I love the look of board and batten, I must say, of all rooms in the house, I think I loathe painting the laundry room the most.  I become “Crouching Mother, Hidden Painter” working behind the washer and dryer, but there is just no easy way around it. (Especially since I didn’t think to do it before we moved in.  When the room was empty.)  You may remember, we started with the hallway, since it was a good place for us to get our feet wet.  Again, like the hallway, the laundry room had flat paint, and the board and batten treatment was a good way to not only make the walls bright and cheery, but also much easier to clean and maintain!  While I still plan on some more repainting in this new house of ours, for the moment, I like the laundry room color, since it looks so cute with the window treatment.  Ok enough chit chat – on to the eye candy.  Here is the true “Before” of this room – we had not yet moved in and it looks nice and spacious with no washer and dryer.  See, cute window treatment, right?   Here is the laundry room with […]

The post Laundry Room Love appeared first on Evolution of Style.

Board and batten is a great way to add character to your home, and it also has the added benefit of easy fingerprint clean-up if you have kids.  I love it to this day, and I think it just makes everything look crisp and custom.   I gave you a preview to the late night insanity in starting our board and batten project just two days before Christmas.  Well, we have one project that is done.  The hallway as you enter our house from the garage was every mother’s nightmare.  It was painted in flat paint.  Flat paint.  Who paints walls in flat paint?!?  Perhaps someone with no children…   So, since this hallway is a magnet for fingerprints and scuff marks, I figured it would be a good place to start our board and batten journey.  Mind you, we decided to take the red-eye on this trip and started working on it at about 11:30 PM on December 23rd.  Yes, insanity rules.   Here is the photo montage – sorry for the before pictures – I was in a hurry to capture a few since I don’t typically take pictures of hallways just for kicks.   Kind of a before […]

The post Board and Batten Reveal appeared first on Evolution of Style.

I am reposting this since it was originally posted when I was pretty much “talking to myself”, learning the blogland ropes.  Still learning, but I hope you all enjoy this 70’s bathroom redo as much as I did (when it was completed!). I’m a sucker for a great Before and After room remodel, which is probably why I’m addicted to so many HGTV shows that give me my Before/After fix in a mere 30 minutes.  I can enjoy the whole process from the comfort of my own home, without any of the stress.  But, the ultimate reward that we reap from this time and effort, is what keeps us coming back, begging for more. It’s kind of like childbirth. After the project is over, the memories of the blood, sweat and tears fade, and you’re left with this beautiful baby that YOU created. Bliss. The project I’m featuring here was actually a “surprise bathroom makeover” for one of my best friends.  I managed to conspire with her husband to get access to their house while they were away on vacation. I must say up front, that this transformation effort began with a modest plan – finish the wallpaper stripping that my friend […]

The post D-I-Why? 70’s Mini to Major Bathroom Makeover appeared first on Evolution of Style.