Our Old Nest

This is the House I moved into when my Hubby & I married on June 25, 2005. It was his house - where he and his wife had lived for over 20 years (she passed away from cancer) - and raised 7 children.  During the 6 months we lived in this house, I sorted, gave away and tossed tons of stuff...making a place for things that we really wanted to keep. We removed teal carpeting, rust shag carpeting and carpeting that looked like the carpeting from the back... of a van. I restored all of the hardwood flooring...in the Living Room, Dining Room and Bedroom hallway. I took down layers and layers of wallpaper. Painted the Bedroom, bathroom, dining room, living room and the fairy dusted ceiling in the Family room (that even glowed in the dark!) Then...hubby announced to me...we're going to sell the house and buy something for US! WHAT? After I'd almost finished DECORATING THIS HOUSE? Well, we did...We couldn't believe how quickly that house sold.
Being the Interior Designer that I am...it sounded intriguing.
(We) I decided to have a MOVING SALE - and since it was January/February, that meant INSIDE. OK, we began setting up. Moved the bedroom set into the Living room...pulled all the stuff out of closets, cabinets, set everything up. We had a large area of the house to do just that. Living room, dining room, kitchen and family room, all connected. We ended up selling just about everything. We slept on an air mattress til we moved...almost 2 months. Luckily, the people we sold the washer and dryer to, allowed us to keep it til we moved. I wouldn't have wanted to have to lug laundry around.
(We've since moved from here...but nonetheless, it's a GREAT story!)

Now, mind you...Tom's first wife died of cancer and had been ill for quite a while before I moved into the house, after we married. So...that was part of the reason of all the clutter and disarray.

First thing I did was CLEAN the Kitchen, so that I could cook and bake and feel at home. I cleared out all of the cabinets, drawers and cupboards. I got rid of everything I knew I wouldn't use. I either pitched it, gave it to Tom's grown kids or it went to Goodwill. I eliminated all of the things attached to the front of the refrigerator - notes, calender, pictures, business cards - almost every inch of the front of the side by side refrigerator/freezer was covered!! Then, every kitchen appliance that was on the countertop was cleaned and the free-standing microwave cart was given away. Tom actually was much happier once I cleaned up and gave it and the cooktop, microwave and countertops a good scrubbing with SoftScrub with Bleach. Wow, that certainly whitened everything up. Then, with some Homer Formby's Cabinet Refinishing Liquid, I went over every inch of wood in the kitchen!! Then I scrubbed the floor with Pine-Sol "Baby"!!! I cleaned the Kitchen window and hung a new valance - put down a new rug and hung some new kitchen towels. 

Then...I was open for cooking and baking!!!

Here is an AFTER photo collage of the Kitchen. You can get a glimpse of the kitchen in the background of the photo top right of the collage below. Clutter everywhere.

These are the BEFORE shots of our LIVING ROOM.  Notice all the little "notes" in the collage photo.  We had Teal Carpeting...there were 2 Layers of Wallpaper (as I found out when I began to remove it)...a large sectional, 3 bookcases filled to the brim with books and photos.

To the left of the sectional...on the wall adjacent to the closet door you see, is the front door.  With the sectional where it was...it was very difficult to open the front door - because it didn't "clear" the side of the sectional.  The room was unbalanced and "cold".

This room had wonderful southern exposure...a huge window area and had LOTS of potential - so I was anxious to get at it!!!  Wondering what I did with this room?  I had to keep it more NEUTRAL...since we would soon be selling it!!

Now...for the AFTER PHOTOS!!

What a change!!  I loved the hardwood floors!!  The new furniture placement, allowed for a gorgeous view out the large window...and allowed you to see the TV.  Behind the Sectional along the wall with the closet door and front door...I now had an Entry Way and access to the Closet for coats and better yet...I was able to open the front door all the way!!!

The view out the front window photo...actually shows the old paint color, which was a green-tinted white.  The week the FOR SALE sign went out, I painted.  I loved the color - Lasso.  It looked like chocolate milk...and warmed up the entire space.  

You'll notice how uncluttered this room is, too.  I like it that way - especially when the house is for sale.

  REMINDER:  Our house sold, in just under 2 months, with the closing at Christmas time...right after the market for selling houses "tanked" in 2005!  At the time we listed our house...there were 10 others for sale in our tiny subdivision and several of them had been for sale since I  moved to Michigan in April 2005 - mind you our closing was in December...and some of the houses still weren't sold!!!

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OK...on to the Master Bedroom!  It wasn't big, it didn't have an attached Master Bathroom...no walk-in closet.  It did have almost Brand-New Carpeting (which I liked) and the Peachiest Paint on the wall (which I didn't like).  It had a Pedestal Bed, with drawers underneath...Matching Armoire Cabinet and Chest of Drawers...and the FIRMEST MATTRESS ever!!  There was an old Cedar Chest under one window and 2 Floor Lamps, which I referred to as HAIR DRYER LAMPS!  LOL!  (Take a peek and tell me if they don't look like 'em)

Here is the BEFORE of this room...

Now...here are the AFTER pictures of our Master Bedroom!

*Less clutter *More neutral *Calming *Peaceful *Serene (REMEMBER...I knew we would soon be SELLING this house, when I was doing the re-decorating of this Bedroom!)

So what do you think?  Doesn't it look different?

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As you can see, there wasn't much dining going on in this room.  The table is sitting against the wall on the right.  There is what I called "VAN" carpeting on the floor...you know the kind...little pile...dull color.  Then there was the wallpaper and painted trim.  The wallpaper was terribly bright - much different than it appears in the photo.  Imagine Williamsburg Blue painted trim...with ORANGE, YELLOW and blue on an off-white background.  Rows and Rows...floor to ceiling and back again...of ORANGE, YELLOW and blue print!!  

Believe me, when I say...It didn't grow on me.

  

One saving grace of this Dining Room...is the VIEW out the large window and that that window cranked out on both sides to let in fresh air.

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Here is the AFTER...

Originally, the plan for the Dining Room included a soft color paint on the walls...with the addition of a mid-wall placement of a Hydrangea Wallpaper Border, but because by the time I painted, we had decided we were going to SELL the house, I opted for NEUTRAL.

What do you think?

Notice the gorgeous hardwood floors that I uncovered and refreshed!!!

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All in all, it was alot of work - but if we hadn't done what we did, it never would have sold.  Over a year after we moved, 4 of the houses that were for sale in our little subdivision when we got married, were still for sale.  And we'd been through each of them.

What they say is so true...Neutralize and de-clutter and have a GREAT price and Open Houses - and your house will sell.  Ours did - and quickly.