Jennifer Mullin

March 21, 2013

We Bought a Fixer - Matt Made Built-Ins

Jennifer Mullin

March 21, 2013

Hi there. How are you today?

I'm happy to have another finished space (well, almost finished) to show you!

If you recall, our living room is just one long, open space.

With the picture window on one wall.....

......and the fireplace on the other, we were having a hard time figuring out where to set up the TV.

Matt decided to make a built in.

Here it is in its very early stages.

Here it is now!

It's amazing what a little paint does to MDF.

Matt designed the shelves on the right side of the unit specifically for typewriters.

This is Matt's favorite.

This is mine.

The back of the unit is sheathed in pallet wood that we salvaged from the perpetual construction site we once called home. (The condo we spent the last year in was one of the first on the street. They are still building there, and probably will be for another year. So glad to be out of there!) I love the industrial look of the wood and the texture it adds.

Along the back wall of the room, Matt constructed a wall of bookshelves to house his massive collection of books.

Ta-Da!

It was really tough to get a good shot of the whole thing, with the light coming in from the window.

I spent a few evenings styling the whole thing.

I arranged the books in rainbow order on the bottom shelves.

Matt thinks I'm crazy for taking the time to do this...

I really like the way it turned out!

Matt also designed a space to house his speakers and records.

Matt's most favorite part of this whole built-in is actually outside.....

He's following in his mother's footsteps and has developed an affinity for birdwatching.

We found this planter in our back yard when we moved in. Matt recently moved it and filled it up so he could watch out his bookcase window. He loves to see that the seed is getting eaten and is frustrated that the cardinals that hang out in the bush right behind it won't touch the feeder.

I really do like how the built-ins have given purpose and division of the space.
I have to give Matt so much credit on this project.
He made a great use of every inch of space on that back wall.
I love that I have a crafty husband!

Until next time. Ta-Ta.

To read our entire "Fixer Upper" saga, make your way here.

Jennifer Mullin

January 9, 2013

We Bought a Fixer - Making Progress

Jennifer Mullin

January 9, 2013

Hi there. How are you?

Though we still have soooooo much to do at the house prior to move in, we are starting to rebuild from the ashes. We now have 2 bedrooms that are all finished and ready for furniture!

The first room we tackled was our master bedroom. Other than getting rid of the carpet and and painting, there was not much to do here. Luckily, this room did not have wallpaper! Are you ready for the reveal??

Ta-da! Isn't it amazing what a little paint can do?

We gave the whole room several coats of bright white paint. We're actually painting the whole house white. White gives it that contemporary Scandanavian look that we love and will make a great backdrop for our massive art collection. And how about that cork flooring? Love it!

We're installing this lock and click cork flooring in all of the bedrooms, hallway and the living room. Isn't it pretty?

It comes in long planks (about 12" wide x 35" long) that float over the subfloor. No glue, no nails. You just lock the panels together. Though it takes a little elbow grease, it really is quite easy. A lot easier than refinishing hardwoods! The cork feels really nice under foot (much more give than hardwoods) and is supposed to be good at retaining heat. This was especially important in the master, as it sits right over the garage. Brr.

The last thing we did in the master was change out the granny light fixure and replace it with this. This puppy came from Lowes and cost less than $90.