Master bedroom plans are coming together nicely! Check this out (the floor, not my brother):
If you’re new here, let me explain. For Christmas, my sisters and brother and I decided to gift my parents a master bedroom reno. We began by tearing down the hideous wallpaper, painting the ceiling a moody gray-brown, installing board and batten and craftsman-style wood-stained trim, and removing the ancient carpet.
Next up was flooring–and we didn’t have a clue what to do. Ideally we would have uncovered gorgeous hardwood floor under the carpet, but this bedroom is part of an addition to our 1940’s-era house. My guess is that the addition was added in the 70’s, at which time people did not believe in hardwood flooring.
We discussed options like painting the subfloor (and stenciling it?) and putting carpet back in, but then a nice deal came up on some engineered hardwood and my parents pounced (not literally, though that would have been great).
Lowe’s was clearancing out a ton of “open box” flooring at a pretty steep discount–I think it was around 70% off. The only problem was that there were tons of options, but only a few boxes in each type–and the boxes were all open, so there was no guarantee that all the pieces were there.
There was one pallet, though, that had flooring that looked like it was all the same brand and all the same type…it was just a variety of colors, from natural to redwood to walnut. Mom and Dad crunched the numbers and it looked like if they bought all of the colors on that pallet, they would have just over one box to spare…so they went for it. Mom and Dad like to live life on the edge.
I totally wish I could have been there and aquired some sweet floor-installation skills, but alas, I cannot take any credit for this.
This was all the work of my brother John and Dad. And it turned out great!
The funny thing about this mismatched floor is that it’s not the first time my parents have done it–their kitchen is hardwood flooring that was salvaged from an old house being torn down with all different colors of wood. They’ve since sanded and stained it to look more uniform, but we liked the varied look while it lasted. And now they can embrace it in their room!
Mom also decided to splurge on this nice antique brass register cover and she definitely made the right choice. How cute is that? (Hmmm. Never thought I’d say that about a something so utilitarian…)
Up next is something that wasn’t on the original list: electrical work. When switching out all of the almond-colored outlets and switches for crisp white ones, Dad ran into some trouble with the wiring, so they’re debating if we should just replace it all to be on the safe side. Electricity is not really something you want to have issues with!
Also on the agenda:
- Curtain rods (we’re going to try a cheap DIY idea that may have interesting results)
- Curtains (dropcloths, of course. What kind of blogger would I be if I didn’t try this at some point?)
- MOVE IN and furniture-arranging fun
- Artwork and decorating (Mom will probably want this to be minimal, but it’s still happening)
Keep checking back for updates!
Planting Sequoias 