I’m not sure if I’m more excited about spending less than $50 for our hallway redo or the fact that I’ve completed the first space in our new house, but it’s definitely a happy day here. I didn’t think I would be able to do anything until my feet were completely healed but this little hallway redo was easy and it was enough of a change that it satisfied my need to redo a room…for the moment anyway. Throw in the fact that it didn’t break the bank and you have the perfect project (and one happy hubs, because he’s always thrilled when a project doesn’t cost a lot).
Here is where we started…
This is looking toward the master bedroom, with the bathroom on the right and the living room and dining room to the left. Most of the house was painted with SW Navajo White and it looks yellow in almost every room, which isn’t bad but it’s really not my style.
Looking from the master to the guest bedroom.
There were a couple of huge holes in the walls from a smoke detector that was mounted in the middle of the wall (who does that?) and an old alarm system that didn’t work, so they were removed and the walls were patched. We, and when I say “we” I mean me, also wanted to change the vintage ceiling light for something bigger that would light up this dim space.
The ceiling and trim were painted by the previous owners right before they put the house on the market in May, so I didn’t need to touch them. Once the walls were prepped, it was time for the good stuff…paint. I stuck with a light gray for this space and chose Benjamin Moore Horizon, a beautiful gray/blue. It was my first time using this color and I love how it turned out.
Looking toward the master.
I hung family photos in the hallway in our last house in Illinois and knew that I would probably do it here as well. This is really the only space in the house where I can put all of my favorites together. It’s my happy space filled with great memories of our girls.
Looking from the master to the very messy guest bedroom.
We removed the old light and put up the brass fixture that I had in my entryway in our last house. It was a great find from ReStore and I snagged it for $20. I’m adding some brass touches to the bathroom so I thought that repeating it in the hallway would tie the two spaces together.
I was slightly nervous about hanging so much in this small space but I really love it.
I switched some of the photos and frames around but everything I used I already had. The only purchase was the paint, and I have half of it left to do another space.
Just finishing this space, and having family photos out so that we can see them every day, has really made our new house feel like home. I’m excited to start the next project.
What’s new with you? Have you finished any projects lately?
Looking for hallway decorating ideas and inspiration? Check out this post.
Small Hallway Decorating Ideas
Last week I shared the reveal of my 2nd guest bedroom makeover. I overloaded it with photos so now I thought I’d share some of the details on the decor I used and the platform bed that Mr. C² built for me. This is what the bed looked like before paint and bedding.
And this is after…
Didn’t he do a great job? I was the lucky one that got to fill holes, sand, prime and paint this baby and let me tell you…painting MDF is a huge P.A.I.N. It just soaks up the paint, which raises the grain, so I ended up doing a lot of sanding. I used the same color paint that I used on the rest of the trim and doors in this room, BM White Dove, and we ended up spending about $200, which includes the wood and wheels. It’s definitely a solid piece of furniture that can easily be taken apart, in case we move, and it allowed us to use the expensive futon mattress that we already had.
I knew I wanted to use brass accents in this room so when I saw this brass lamp in Home Goods months ago, I brought it home. I wrestled with the idea of wall sconces or a standing lamp because I knew that I wouldn’t have room for night stands (and lamps). I ended up with a standing lamp because it’s easier to move around with the bed. If I want to move the bed to the window wall, the lamp can go with it.
The *
I’ve already shown you my
I’ve also shown you my red chalk paint 
And finally my 
That’s my whole room. Seven long months of work but we are loving how it turned out. I’m still working on accessories and I would like to get a small rug, but this room is a wrap. Now it’s on to the kitchen, and the husband is not very happy to be there. He is going to have to help me out some and he’s not looking forward to it. 
We have three bedrooms in this house and this is the 2nd guest bedroom. Just like the other rooms, this room is pretty small with 3 doors and 3 windows. The door on the right, closest to the window, opens to the kitchen so we usually keep it open and use this room as a walk through to the bathroom and other bedrooms.
I think I’ve shown you every nook and cranny. I’m really happy with the way it turned out and I think the bed looks even better than I imagined.
The first thing I did was to 
The inside of the door was plain, no molding, so I decided to try to paint “faux” molding to give it a little style, I explained how I did it 
Next, Mr. C² worked on 
After we finished 
First I painted the ceiling and then it was onto the crown molding and the bookcase. Next came the good stuff…color on the walls, and I ended up choosing Martha Stewart Plumage, mixed in BM Regal. I almost chickened out going that dark and bold but I’m glad I didn’t because I love it, the room gets a lot of light and there is a large white bookcase so it doesn’t seem dark at all.
This is a small room, 13×17, and it had the same “swiney” beige walls that all the other rooms had, but it has beautiful hardwood floors and really nice paneled doors. I knew that I wanted to put up crown molding and paint the walls and ceiling, but the first job we had to tackle in this room was the closet that came empty, no shelves and no rods, which is another post for another time.
