Progress De-Oakifying My House

Good Morning Peeps! I am so happy that I have knocked out another room on my loooonnnnnggggg list of rooms that need trim paint. It started with the entryway and cloffice area and then the powder room. Now I’ve worked my way into the family room and kitchen.
After looking through my photos trying to find pictures of the ugly oakness, I have realized a few things.
1.  I need to organize my photos and delete the ones I don’t need.
2.  I need to take more before pictures.
3.  I need to take better pictures in general and edit them.  I am signing up for a class through the community and hope to improve in this area because I have some really bad pictures on here!
4.  Some of these photos are “real life” happenings around here with dogs in pictures, toys and miscellaneous junk laying around.  I also need to remind myself that some of these were taken the day after we moved in or a few days after moving, my house is not perfect, I am not perfect.  We LIVE here, my house is not going to look like it’s from the cover of a magazine and I don’t want it to look that way.
I did try and use my manual focus settings for the after picture, what do you think, better?
Ok, I’m done talking to myself, moving on to the pictures. 

There are wooden blinds for the windows on either side of the patio  door and also for our family room window.  We did not put them back up because the paint needs to dry more but also, I am not sure how they would look now that the window is white.  The blinds are a reddish honey oak color made to match the trim.  Yuck.  I’m thinking of making some Roman Shades for the windows on either side of the patio door and I don’t know what I’ll do with the family room window.  Perhaps nothing, maybe white wood blinds, bamboo roll up shades or something else.  I also can’t wait to get rid of the patio door blinds and replace them with curtains.  The white trim looks so wonderful I am hoping to finish up the main floor next week.  So that would mean the dining room, formal living room and mudroom/laundry room area.  Then we are going to go buy our six panel hollow core doors in white from Home Depot along with a router and some template thing to make the hinge inset on the door panels.  Stay tuned for more updates as we get the first floor done.  My friend Jenny at just started her kitchen cabinet makeover with Cabinet Transformations in black and I can’t wait to see the end result.   As soon as she’s done, I think I’ll be starting mine!  I’m letting her  experiment use it first and then she can show me how to do it because she’ll be a pro.  My mom arrives later today and I see a trip to IKEA in my future.  Anyone doing any painting this week? 

Comments

  1. Anonymous says

    Okay, if I wasn't 9 months pregnant and as big as a house – this probably would have inspired me to start on our trim right now! Love it. One question – did you remove the trim on the carpeted areas to paint it, or how did you not get paint all over the carpet? (PS – Miss seeing you guys outside now that it's chillier!)-Elizabeth Rice

  2. Mikalah says

    WOW! What a transformation. =) We have been slowly painting the trim in our house too. It's time-consuming, but SO worth it in the end! I also really love that blue console/cabinet you have behind your couch. It is so beautiful!

  3. Judy says

    My brother just closed on his new home yesterday and this weekend we are going and I am painting both kids rooms (he has 2 1/2 year old twins) and my housewarming gift it that I am decorating both rooms completely. There is a ton of painting planned for this weekend. I'm trying to get psyched up for it.

  4. Lisa @ Before Meets After says

    oh my Ange! That is beautiful! What a transformation :) I'm sure it was worth all those late nights!

  5. At The Picket Fence says

    Wow! Ange it all looks fantastic. Your fireplace is gorgeous and you can see the details in it so much better now! The only thing I'm painting this weekend are some lamps but I do have some things on my "to do" list in the next month or so. Hope you have a great time with your mom! :-)
    Vanessa

  6. Harps and Ollie's Mom says

    I feel your pain. My house has 60s maple colored paneling and wallpaper in almost every room. I just started painting myself and it is A LOT of work! I don't know about you, but every time I finish a room/area, it motivates me to keep going… I keep thinking one day I'll be done. Good job and good luck! Your house looks amazing!

    Katherine

    Come visit to see my progress, harpsandollie.blogspot.com

  7. Andrea@ourbluefrontdoor says

    Oh it looks wonderful Ange!! It still amazes me how a little white makes all the difference in the paint color too. Now I want to work on mine. What kind of paint did you use and what color, and what kind of primer/poly? Brand?
    Enjoy your time with family ;)

  8. Mandy says

    Oh it looks wonderful! That's a lot of work but well worth it. I literally have things lined up ready to be painted the rest of this week! Thank you for sharing.

  9. Dusty Coyote says

    Oh c#ap, that is a lot of tedious work. It looks super nice. The new doors are going to really finish it off. I love the family room window the way it is now. It looked like one big window with the blinds (not that that's a bad thing), and I like how the three separate windows look with your curtains. It was like an oak festival in your house before. No disrespect to all the oak lovers out there, of course.

  10. Alicia@ eco friendly homemaking says

    Wow what a beautiful transformation!! The paint color really did make such a big difference. So glad to have discovered your blog!!

  11. Katie says

    What a difference white paint makes on all things oak! I love it!!! Can't wait to see the 6 panel doors installed too…

    And we're considering that Rustoleum Transformations kit for our new home's kitchen too. I'm thinking of painting the cabinets white (they're two tone oak and white now) and making the countertops pewter (the darkest gray option) for a temporary kitchen remodel till we decide what to do long term.

  12. A Delightful Design says

    Love the buffet behind the sofa! Looks beautiful. If I didn't already have tons of colored/painted furniture i'd be copying that color!
    Abby

  13. Theresa says

    I just came across your site while searching for ways to upgrade oak. You did a beautiful job. What color is the beige on your wall and what brand? I love that too!

    Very nice job.

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