DIY renovation project in Caledon
Before & After, Colour, Do It Yourself ~ DYI, Interior Decorating, Renovations, Success Stories
December 27, 2013At Hope Designs we like to think of our clients as friends. Meet our recent design client Christine. She has spent the last several months documenting the stages of her renovation project. This is Christine’s story in her own words….
Christine’s story:
I thought it would be an interesting process to document the unfolding of doing some home decor, a little DIY, a little help from a decorator, a painter, a contractor and of course the felines of my life. I’ve called this album “The Anatomy of a Redecoration Project” because I think it is a befitting title. I will continue to post pics as move along towards the finish line.
Badly in need of some TLC, I decided it was time to give our home a wee do-over. That can only be summed up in one word…BRAVE. I am however armed with the help of a really great decorator, Lori Howard of Hope Designs, who didn’t flinch when I mentioned my penchant for bright colours. So it begins…
BRAVE = embarking on a DIY renovation and design project
We start by reclaiming our daughter’s old bedroom. It is inspired by my love for the colour orange. This was the pinkish primer…at which I was a little nervous. It kinda look like a room full of Pepto Bismal. #Pink #HelloKitty
colour consultation Hope Designs
here is the next stage of the updated look for the guest bedroom, bold colour, new bed, new mattress
New light, refinished hardwood floors, molding, baseboard, quarter round. #LookingGood
Add one bed some small side tables for lamps thank you Lori Howard and Hope Designs for helping us out with the furniture selection. #GreatlyAppreciated
Finishing touches… Still to be added, window coverings, some small area carpets. The walls look like velvet. Am so pleased I was BRAVE enough to roll with this colour. We just happened to have this beautiful original oil painting which as it turns out is absolutely perfect for this room.
Hope Designs interior decorating project second bedroom
This is a re-purposed Billy bookcase from Ikea. We needed storage and we didn’t want to buy all new white bookcases. Lori Howard encouraged me to re-purpose and make the most of what we had on hand. She encouraged me to put the money into other areas, such as lighting. It was good advice. #SmartMove
Moving away from the jaw dropping orange of the Persimmon Room….towards classic blues. We want to create ambience and elegance in the dining area. #Classics Then we move outside of the bedroom and begin to work our way down the hall, refinishing all the original hardwood, replacing the doors, re-framing all the doors, adding molding, replacing quarter round. I had a standing rule with the tradesman…if you make a hole somewhere, you fill the hole.
– Fresh and clean. Walls look taller, white lighting highlights the ceiling and trim.
– Brushed nickel accents. Lights on. All LED lights. #PayNowSaveLater
– Thank goodness we installed that air purification system. #HEPAFilter
The hardwood floors on this level are now complete. As much as we can cover them to continue the renovations they will take a beating throughout the rest of the renovations. Note the current lighting fixture, new fixture to follow. Let the painting in this area begin…
The ceiling has been stripped of the stippled plaster. Talk about a mess. Priming and painting begin. This is where we will begin to use the heritage classic colours, in particular the blues. Against the white they pop. Again, more good colour advice from Lori Howard & Hope Designs. Just have to say, an investment with a decorator is a smart investment.
There was a bulk head over the window. That has been removed. What a difference to the room, making it look larger and more modern. #MovingOutOfTheSixties
This is our painter, thanks again to Lori & Hope Designs for helping me source this great painter and all around nice guy. Taking this picture in the evening does not really do this colour justice. It is called Normandy.
Shopping for area carpets. Love the frond pattern on this hooked rug and think it will look stunning in the dining room. Who knew that Home Depot had such a decent selection of area carpets? #Reasonable #SmartBuy #IntroducingThePattern
Hearing Lori Howard’s voice in my head…”make sure the colour palette is working”. I ordered an area carpet for the dining room which is still rolled up and sealed in plastic. Have also ordered the matching hall runner so we can protect those newly finished original hardwood floors. #50ShadesOfHeritageColours #ShoppingGuide
In the meantime I continue shopping for the trimmings and the decor items affectionately referred to as the “Chachkies”. I have discovered the best lighting store in the GTA, Union Lighting. Found this absolutely gorgeous, very glam-o-rama drum shade for the dining room. They gave us a discount because we provided them with Hope Designs name. Lori told me to tell them we were directed there by her. Another reason to work with a decorator. #LexiconOfDecorating #GreatSalesHelp
Acquisition’d these elegant Buffet Lamps. #FinishingTouches #UnionLighting #OnSale
Hope Designs table lights recommends Union Lighting for your lighting needs
With holidays on the doorstep Dennis steps up and says “There will be a dining room table to eat off of this holiday season! I promise you this much.” The holiday season decorations are inspired by a Dexter motif. #PlasticSheetsEverywhere #SplatterSplatter #DexterWouldBeImpressed
Up goes the light, the day before Christmas. Thanks to a hand from our neighbour, Colin Davies. No one got zapped in the process for which I was grateful. #GreatNeighbours #HelpingHands #LetThereBeLight
Ceiling has been scraped. (hack hack cough cough) LED lights installed. (more hacking) Cannot even begin to explain the levels of dust. Lawrence of Arabia couldn’t get across this dust desert. #CrazyThickDust
By removing the bulk head that was across the top of this beautiful window we have created a focal point. #RoomWithAView #DustBowl
The paint for the living room and front hall has arrived. #TheFinishLine
Our living room has been stuffed in to our dining room. I have just washed, mopped, wiped and steamed out about three pounds of plaster dust in preparation for the painter.
living room moved into dinning room for renovation project by Hope Designs
A front hall starts to shape up.
Getting there….
Looking so lovely and fresh. #AnatomyOfARedecoration
And a wall whispers….paint me….paint me… #TheEndIsNear
Oh Joy! The living room is underway. #FinishingLine
Hope Designs services also include professional painting
Pllleeeeeeeeeeeease paint me. #EndInSight
Meet the Project Supervisor, Schmooey Kat. Nothing gets by her.
No art hung, no window treatments either. A rug has landed! #AnatomyOfARenovation
I was wondering when this would happen. Chubba Lubba LuLu thinks this room was re-decorated just for her. #ACatsLife #AnatomyOfARenovation
cute cat love the interior decorating by Hope Designs
Shuffling wall art to figure out what works best.
Continuing with the re-purposing of things we already had. These floating plate shelves were Espresso in colour. Slowly getting there. These are going to absolutely fabulous on the walls in the dining room.
Now begins the part where I try and think about what art goes where. #WallSpace
Testimonial:
“Dear Hope Designs, thank you! Thank you for hedging at me to take a chance. As the design finally begins to come together I’m in awe of the beauty, the reflection of who we are as a family and how we want our home to work, to finally be realized. Thank you for putting us on this path. – Christine Cooper & Dennis Mucignat …. stay tuned for some pics.”
We would like to thank Christine for her anatomy of a renovation blog.
Thank you for following our blog, for more information on interior decorating visit Home Staging Toronto< Lori Howard is a Certified Canadian Staging Professional serving Toronto and the GTA since 2007. Book a consultation< or give us a call at 416-557-7903 we would love to hear from you! We look forward to working with you! The Hope Designs Team