DECOR

A COLLECTION OF OUR HOME BEFORE & AFTER PHOTOS

Things have been so hectic lately, I just now had a chance to stop and catch my breath and update the blog.  Our house looks so different right now, very little furniture and a lot of boxes.  It’s a little bit fun, like camping… but the novelty is starting to wear off.

I’m sad to be leaving our home, but at the same time we’re getting excited to start a new life.  It’s time to make memories at our new home!  Because we’ve done so many home improvement projects and I’ve redecorated so many times I thought it would be fun to put together a before and after of our Texas home.

home decor ideas

We put so much love into this home, painting our tall walls and ceiling was a crazy challenge.  That was my paint brush invention… I used UK flag duct tape to attach it to the end of a long pole… we called it the Royal Brush.

Then we had our funny moments, ya know where we added beadboard and a new granite top and then I painted the kitchen island 2 separate times… only to tell Brian to rip it out weeks later.  Oopsie…

kitchen remodeling ideas

I know I say this a lot, I forgot how bad our photography was.  I mean dude it was bad!  A lot of these before photos I took with my caveman iPhone 3 before I even knew I would start a blog.  Then once I started the blog we started the long journey of learning photography.  It’s not as easy as it looks!  Wow, some of these blog images I thought looked really good at the time, and they don’t now.   They’re dark and grainy!!  We shoot in RAW now and have learned so much not just about photography but the photo editing process as well.  Our photos aren’t perfect but they’re much better now… blah blah… ready to see some ugly before photos??

HOUSE BEFORE

how to make your house look prettier

The front of the house needed some major curb appeal and the landscaping was boxy and dated.

ugly front door makeover

ways to add curb appeal

HOUSE AFTER

ways to add curb appeal

I was sad to cut down the tree in the front yard but it was blocking the house and cracking up the driveway.  I had always wanted a larger front porch so we ripped out the overgrown shrubs and added stone and decomposed granite for more porch space.  We painted the garage doors Texas Leather by Benjamin Moore to add some contrast.

ways to add curb appeal

ways to add curb appeal

THE ENTRY WAY BEFORE

ugly home makeovers

THE ENTRYWAY AFTER

For as long as I could remember I wanted a wood-stained front door, and it’s been one of our favorite home upgrades.  It really added curb appeal and also enhanced the entry way.

home decor makeovers

THE “FORMAL LIVING ROOM TURNED DINING ROOM” BEFORE

the wrong way to hang curtains

Years ago I switched our formal living and dining to better suit out lifestyle- sorry ancient iPhone pics!

THE NEW DINING ROOM AFTER

farmhouse dining room table with slipcovers

Christmas chandelier ideas

THE “DINING ROOM TURNED FORMAL LIVING ROOM” BEFORE

ugly home makeovers

ugly home makeovers

THE NEW LIVING ROOM AFTER

decorating with black and white photography

small space decor ideas

small space decor

This simple room swap made so much more sense for our lifestyle.  You can read more at the the formal living and dining room switch as well as a fresh new look for the dining room.

MY OFFICE DOORS BEFORE

home decor makeovers

FRENCH DOORS AFTER

THE KITCHEN BEFORE

paint your own kitchen cabinets

THE KITCHEN AFTER

white kitchen cabinets and subway tile

I was craving a light and bright kitchen, the subway tile backsplash is so clean and crisp.  Not to mention durable… I’m a messy cook.   You can read more about our Kitchen remodel.

THE BREAKFAST NOOK BEFORE

ugly home makeovers

THE BREAKFAST NOOK AFTER

small dining spaces

THE HALF BATH BEFORE

ugly bathroom makeover

THE HALF BATH AFTER

Can you ever have enough white subway tile?  I think not, you can read more about Half Bath remodel,  this is a tricky little spot to photograph but it’s a favorite.

half bathroom remodel

subway tile floor to ceiling bathroom

THE FAMILY ROOM BEFORE

ugly living room makeover

I still cringe at this before photo.  I knew the room wasn’t working and needed more visual interest… adding a bunch of red pillows and candles really didn’t help though.  The furniture from our previous house just didn’t work size wise either.

ugly living room makeover

THE FAMILY ROOM AFTER

stone fire place home decor ideas

fireplace mantel decor gel stain

You can read more in my post on the family room.

corner fireplace living room design

THE STAIRS BEFORE

budget stair makeover

I took the gel stain plunge, I mixed two different colors.  It an easy project, just a little time consuming, but oh so worth it.  I knew the floors would be replaced so I had a great time dripping paint all over.  I also did the fireplace mantel.

General finished antique walnut and java gel stain

Patterned carpet on stairs with gel stain

DOWNSTAIRS HALLWAY BEFORE

ugly hallway makeover

eliminate hallway clutter

NEW FAUX MUDROOM AFTER

I was envious of my friend’s large mudroom so I decided to fake one in our hallway.  You can read more about this blog post in faking a mudroom.

mudroom hallway

how to build a mudroom

hallway decor

MASTER BEDROOM BEFORE

ugly bedroom makeover

I am laughing so hard at how bad this photo is, it’s the only one I can find that shows the window.  I remember this was days after we moved in and I texted Brian this photo.  I hated the window over the bed with a passion.

ugly master bedroom makeover

I spent years in denial and placed a piece of painted wood over it, but soon I realized I’d never get over it so we installed sheet rock and texture.

MASTER BEDROOM AFTER

LOVE!  In this blog post I show you how easy it is to make this Pottery Barn inspired wall art on a budget.

master bedroom decor

Aw, much better!  I’m not anti window or anything but we have 3 other large ones in the room.   You can read more about our master bedroom decor here.

master bedroom decor

THE GIRLS’ BATHROOM BEFORE

kids bathroom makeover

THE GIRLS BATHROOM AFTER

Teen girl bathroom makeover

One day while browsing the Tile Shop I saw this mosaic tile and I knew it needed to be in the girls’ bathroom.  I go a bit crazy in that store, there is just so much gorgeous stuff.   You can read more in my Jack and Jill bathroom post.

Teen girl bathroom makeover

THE LOFT BOOKSHELVES BEFORE

how to upgrade an ugly bookcase

THE LOFT BOOKSHELVES AFTER

I love how painting stripes added a nice pop to the area.  You can read more about redecorating more in my decorating the loft post.

striped painted bookshelves

THE GUEST BATH BEFORE

affordable bathroom remodels

THE GUEST BATH AFTER

You can read more about our guest bath remodel here.

vintage bathroom design

THE GUEST ROOM BEFORE

ugly bedroom makeover

This is the only before photo of the guest room I can find.  Once my son moved out it became my kitchen cabinet painting room.

THE GUEST ROOM AFTER

Christmas bedroom decor

You can read about the fun updates to our guest room here.

THE BACK YARD BEFORE

ugly backyard makeover

Funny I only have this gross cell phone photo because I was taking photos of the hail.  Hey, you guys I snapped the pic with our friendly neighbor Jimmy out.  The Jimmy’s always out back, funny I got his head in the photo.  Don’t even get me started on that palm tree.

ugly backyard makeover

The back yard was a long process, we started by pouring extra concrete and put up a temporary metal pergola while focusing on indoor projects.  We also changed our mind on the pathway and went to just stones.

THE PATIO BEFORE 

backyard budget decor

THE PATIO AFTER

backyard patio decor

The covered patio was a terrific addition to our backyard, I love to curl up on our sectional during a rain storm.

THE FIRE PIT BEFORE

budget backyard design

Jimmy put up lattice on the fence and then one sudden day the nightmare ended and he took it down… I must have spent 100 hours praying to the baby Jesus.. and it worked.

THE FIRE PIT AFTER

If you’re curious about details be sure to read how we designed our fire pit.

build your own fire pit

budget decor projects

THE PERGOLA BEFORE

budget backyard projects

THE PERGOLA AFTER

backyard makeover

We’ve had so many amazing family dinners under our pergola, it’s like an outdoor dining room.  Finally the vine is really taking off… now that we’re moving.  That’s life for ya.

build your own pergola

backyard makeover

Well, that about wraps it up!  I did do an early blog post on Ashley’s room once, but I decided to leave the girls’ rooms and Brian’s office out.  Haley’s never wanted her room on the blog and Brian’s office has always been his messy man space that was better left alone.

As soon as we get settled in next week I’ll be showing you lots of UGLY before photos of our new place.  I’m actually a little nervous to share photos because I think it’s horrifically ugly… it has a TON of potential though.  Enjoy the rest of the week, I’ll be back soon!

Laura

Join the Conversation

Leave a Comment

2 thoughts on “A COLLECTION OF OUR HOME BEFORE & AFTER PHOTOS