When Janet Lee first moved into her tiny studio apartment, it was a blank box of white walls and neutral parquet floors. As a renter, she wasn't able to add any actual architectural details for visual interest, so she faked the look by bringing plenty of depth to her bland folding closet doors, creating an inexpensive and removable solution that anyone can do at home.
Valentine's Day is right around the corner, which means we have another great excuse to decorate our mantels (as if we even need an excuse!). Today I'm sharing an easy mantel setup using x's and o's... and lots of 'em. Click through to find out how to make the different elements of this fun display.
Bjork and Lindsay are famous for their gorgeously-photographed recipes (their chocolate-chip-cookies are the best), and for helping hundreds of new bloggers get their start through their FoodBloggerPro program (seriously: it basically teaches you to be a blogger).
Today, we're excited to share a tour of Bjork and Lindsay's bedroom, which they recently finished remodeling. When we met up with these two to talk about their space, they were well on their way to designing it. They'd chosen paint colors, laid flooring, and picked out the major pieces, so styling was the main thing they were looking for help with, and we were more than happy to oblige.
Here's a look at how we styled the space, along with some of Lindsay's take-aways from the whole remodeling process:
We're back to share the tiny makeover we did in the tiny bathroom at the 2017 Curbly House. But the scope and the room are the only small things about the project - because we used a bold color that made a big difference. Read on to see our new, blue 'loo.
Hey everyone! If you were following along closely with the Curbly House makeover, you might have noticed a room missing from last week's full reveal: the basement! This room was pretty grody (is that a word?) when we bought the house, so when The Home Depot asked us to do a room makeover using their shiplap appearance board product, we knew it would have a big impact in the space. But even we weren't prepared for how much better the room turned out. Click over to Home Depot to read the full tutorial on creating your own shiplap accent wall, and scroll down to see more photos of the finished room ...
The 2017 Curbly House is done! It went on the market last weekend, and (to my surprise and delight), we've already had several showings. After two-and-a-half months of intense renovation work, it feels a little weird this week, knowing there's nothing left to do except blog about it. I keep checking my 'To-Do' list, and it's all crossed off, which is my JAM!
Scroll down for the full, room-by-room reveal of the 2017 Curbly House, along with complete product lists (from our featured vendor partner, Hayneedle) and details about how we transformed each space.
We've been painting rooms at Curbly for over a decade. And, we've gotten pretty good at it. We've done straight-forward walls and we've done full-scale murals - and almost everything in between. Through it all, we've learned that good prep, good paint, and quality tools are the magic trifecta. 
We're partnering with Purdy Paint Tools and sharing our favorite tips all through the reveal of the 2017 Curbly House's sweet child's bedroom. This is...
We recently celebrated our 5th anniversary in the Curbly House, and along with the pomp and circumstance (I'm kidding; as much as we love our house, we don't celebrate home anniversaries ... but maybe that's my new million dollar idea!), we've been busy doing a series of updates indoors and out. We've refreshed the paint, swapped out artwork, done some light landscaping, and made the house work better for our...
It's been twenty days since my last progress update, and although that might seem like a long time to you, for me it has absolutely flown by with non-stop action at the house. We're really hitting the home stretch (is that pun? a bad joke? just bad writing?) now, and the whole team has gone into overdrive trying to get everything done. We're hoping to list the house for sale within the next two weeks, and I'm pretty confident we can do it ... if everything goes right. Here's what we've been up to:
While it doesn't quite feel like fall yet here in Boston, it is surely right around the corner... which means that it's time to swap out some of our summer decor with new cozy fall accents. Today we're sharing ten sophisticated picks that will give your outdoor space a warm, inviting vibe. Click through to check them out.
1. Landen Black Metal Lanterns - Add some dramatic mood lighting to your patio with a set of these lanterns from Pier 1. $9.95 - $69.95
2. Coleus Plant - Add some warmth to your space in the form of brightly colored potted plants. Coleus is a good choice if you like reds and oranges. Buy this one at Burpee. $19.95 for 3
3. Preston Throw - Keep a couple of cozy blankets on hand for those chilly nights. Pick this one up at Wayfair. $38.99
4. Avondale Steel Wood Burning Fire Pit - A fire pit will keep you warm, add light and provide endless amounts of marshmallow-roasting fun. Get this one here. $84.99
5. LED String Lights - Bistro lights are a stylish way to provide plenty of lighting once the sun goes down. Buy these at Home Depot. $39.97
6. Deconovo Decorative Throw Pillow Covers - Red buffalo check plaid is a nostalgic choice that will add warmth and comfort to your patio chairs or sofas. Get these pillow covers at Amazon. $14.99
7. Studio Nova Luminaries - These mesh luminaries will cast an inviting glow over your patio or porch. Pick up a set at Overstock. $29.99
8. Kaleen Outdoor Rug - Keep your toes warm by putting a rug underfoot. Get this one from Rugs USA. $29-$79
9. Faux Pumpkins - Add some traditional fall accents in the form of faux (or real) pumpkins and gourds. Get these at Pottery Barn. $24.50 - $44.50
10. Lifeflor Outdoor Pillow - If plaid isn't your thing, try this alternative from Overstock. $34
And be sure to check out Sonoma Magazine's tips for updating your outdoor space for fall!
We're making headway on the Curbly House and the next two weeks will bring about a big leap in the transformation we've been dreaming about. We spent much of the last week trying to finalize our choices for kitchen cabinetry, countertops, appliances, and fixtures. While the room reveal won't be ready until later, I wanted to share a peek at what inspired the design.
Our guest bathroom needed help the day we moved into our home. But, as things go, it got ignored. There were so many more important things to do in the home, and the bathroom wasn't actually in truly awful condition. I know the picture above looks horrible, but one we got the estate sale leftovers cleaned up, the only real problem was the floor.
Eventually,tThis little bathroom will be gutted and we'll start over from scratch. So, we didn't want to spend a ton of money to in getting it usable. But seriously - let's get this thing functional!
So, last week, we gave this little bathroom a little refresh and turned it into a space we'd be proud to invite our house guests into. Check it out!
Here is the bathroom cleaned up a little. We removed all the rusted radiators and installed an HVAC system so there were holes in the floor. We also had the entire house rewired so the electricians had to punch holes in the ceiling and beautiful wall paper! Boo!!! (Yeah for rewiring though)
Except for a good cleaning and removing the butterflies and nasty curtain, this tub was actually in great condition!
This bathroom was renovated in 1970. It was the original bathroom of my 1917 home, so I suspect they must have gutted it. Nothing is characteristic of the early 1900s.
I plan to bring it back to an updated version of the early 1900s vibe, but for now, it needed a good cleaning, a new floor and a new toilet seat and cover. The budget, if possible, needed to be less than $150.
We had to scrape the floor a little bit to get whatever was left of the old mortar remnant. And yes, that is a nasty Bandaid I found under the tile! #shudders
So..the floor. I love a good pattern on pattern look so I wanted something to compliment the floral paper yet not look busy. When I was at my local Home Improvement store, I found black and white peel-n-stick tile for 53¢. Even better, the entire store was having an 11% off sale. Yes!...Tile for 47¢ per sq. ft! The flooring itself was less than $50 but we had to get the supplies to prep the floor which was a little but of self leveler in a few small places and the primer that needs to go down on the floor. The primer helps the stick on the "peel-n-stick" tile stick. My favorite pattern is a stripe so I decided to stripe the floor. For less than $100....
The only tool I needed to install this tile was a pair of scissors.
Easy, Easy, Easy... When it was time to tile, I tiled about 2.5 hours. I used a straight edge to cut the tiles around the edges and voila... temporary floor that has lasted three years.
I actually love the floor with the wall paper. We kept the old light fixtures. There is no need to buy anything until its time to remodel! We are actually going to keep the same layout when we renovate with one switcheroo...
This little nook will become a double sink area. We will remove the pedestal sink (not pictured because its around the corner) for more built in storage. Or, maybe leave it open for a cool piece of furniture for storage. Toilet and tub shower will get gutted and rebuilt in the same way. We will reuse the original tub that is in excellent condition!
I am not sure what this little nook was but it had two of the coolest sconces (that were original to the house). Except the sconces were placed in the middle of the wall. When this is a double sink I am not sure where they will go above the mirrors or between the mirrors like this bathroom. I knew keeping them in the middle would be a problem for any storage or way we would use this space in transition. My electrician gave me great advice. He told me to wire them and place them were they would go above the mirrors and then close them off (or place a fixture there). His reasoning was genius. It allows me to place storage on the wall for now (which I didn't do but didn't know that then) and it allows me the maximum length of wire so I could move it if I wanted to when we renovated. We were we wiring the entire house so they had to do something to the lights because they were rewiring them. It cost nothing more to move it up while they were there. If I chose not to do this but decided later that I wanted them higher, I would have to call them back and have them run a longer wire which would cost me more. Now that I have the length of wire I can keep it there or move it down when the walls are open.
The problem was they had to patch the old holes in my pretty wall paper!!!!
I decided to cover them up with a gallery wall. I also decided to cover the light boxes up instead of installing a temporary fixture. The original sconces are "up light" sconces so they don't fit! If I chose to put them lower I might use them.
I thought about using this space for storage but we just don't need it. We have the built in cabinets and that is enough. The basket is great for towels and the chair is perfect for throwing clothes. I have a little boy so there is not much storage required here. He just needs a place for his toothbrush, comb, and soap. The chair is nice because my guests use it for their things too.
We also dropped all the light switches to standard height when we re wired the house. I guess standard 100 years ago was much higher. You can see we haven't covered this patch aesthetically. We had to cover it with a drywall patch to pass our home inspection. Kids being able to stick their finger in a hole where there is wiring...that wasn't going to pass!
I do love gallery walls in bathroom and it has served the purpose of covering up things here well.
Have you seen these adorable faux hooks from Ikea? I love them and my son wanted blue so I went with it and actually think it would look better than the black option. My sweet boy has a floral bathroom so I decided to let him have a say!
On another note, I love wall paper in here so much that it will get new wall paper when we renovate.
I used the same Ikea discontinued shelving unit for over the toilet. I used a thrift store planter basket with a clear trash can for trash.
This little target stand is a game changer for my little boy who cannot reach the medicine cabinet. He is starting to now, but when he was smaller it was much easier for him to get his things in the tray.
I love how the striped floor looks three years later. It has held up so well!
I have been telling myself to paint the trim of the medicine cabinet, door and window for the last three years. it is off white and the tile and fixtures are white. There are just too many pressing things to do and its going away so its hard to be motivated.
I do love my Ikea dishtowel hand towels. So cheap and I have so many ready to replace them!
This shelf is the same one I used to style this rental bathroom. This is where it has been used and how its been used for some time. My guests can hang their bag on the side or place it right on the top shelf.
I love this mountain print. It really has all the colors of the bathroom in it!
I love this indoor/outdoor rug runner but my son has to use an Turkish towel because he still will not get out of the shower without remaining soaking wet... we are working on it!
This little snake plant has moved around in all my Curbly posts but this is its actual home. Snake plants don't need much sun or water at all and the humidity of the bathroom is great for it!
Just for fun... Here is the bathroom when we moved into the house and started renovating (We used the other bathroom while we updated this one).
And here is the refresh for a little over $100!
This bathroom has held up for almost three years but it is time and by this time next year will be renovated. I am thankful for cheap flooring that helped this bathroom hold on for a few more years. I actually will be sad to renovate it but its needed. The old plumbing is still here and it needs to be updated.
On another note... we also passed our home inspection and our son has been using it since he moved in!
This post is sponsored by Minted.
We've been rocking the same gallery wall in the Curbly House dining room for nearly four years. It was full of treasured family photos, and although we loved it, we were ready to change things up a bit. To give the room a fresh feel, we got some help from Minted, using their personalized art styling service to find new images that we loved.
Having a cushy rug under your feet is the coziest thing I can imagine, and it's nice to be greeted with a fluffy bathroom rug as soon as you get out of the shower or as you stand at the sink to brush your teeth. It just adds to the relaxing feeling of a well-designed bathroom! In order to bring that coziness into your home, you can make your own bathroom rug in just one hour or less using a simple technique for weaving yarn through netting.
This is one of those projects that's easy to work on in front of the TV because after a few pieces it begins to feel like a mindless activity. Just let your hands do the work and before you know it, you'll have a new bathroom rug!
Cut the latch hook rug base to your desired size. In this case, I made a 16x24 inch rug.
Wrap the end of a piece of yarn in tape. This will make it easy to thread through each opening in the rug base.
It's easiest when the yarn is cut into 24-inch-long pieces. Starting in one corner of the rug base, push the tape wrapped yarn up through one square of the rug base. Weave over 1-2 squares and continue an under-over weave pattern all the way across the base, pulling the yarn up between stitches to create this plush look.
Continue this weaving step until the entire base is woven, continuing with multiple pieces of yarn as needed.
On the bottom of the rug, tape down the loose yarn so prevent it from fraying or coming undone.
Homemade rugs don't have to be incredibly difficult! Although this rug may not be as long-lasting as one you purchase from a store, it's nice to have a homemade touch in every room of the house, and this plush yarn will feel so comfortable under your bare feet!
Well, folks, it's official! Jon* and I signed the closing papers last week, and we are now the proud owners of the new Curbly House! Now all we have to do is put in a new kitchen, renovate the bathrooms, add a new back door, replace the HVAC, finish the basement, improve the landscaping, and figure out how to get a parking space into the back yard! No biggie.