PROJECT BOULDER BEFORE AND AFTER PART 3

As promised I have some more Boulder before and afters to share.....let's get right to it!  

When you walk in from the garage you go through that incredible laundry room and then into this den.  It's very spacious with plenty of light!

Here is the before [real estate pic]  #browncity

It received new windows and that bulkhead was removed for a cleaner look....that is the thing about Greg....he and I both share the goal to open it up!

This is the listing pic....which shows how spacious this room is....The room is painted my fav.  Benjamin Moore White Dove.

Most of this staging furniture we used on the last project....but with a little rearranging it always seems to take on a new life and look fresh again.

Before

After

This is the only dark wall....

But I felt it would ground this space and give it some warmth.

Listing picture.

This was the original mantel which was sanded down and re-stained....

I supplemented a few of the vases with a few more from West Elm.....cause a grouping of #blackandwhitevases just works right?

Custom iron brackets.  After all this IS Boulder....iron is a must:)

If you were watching my stories... I searched everywhere for a black coffee table....until we went to Ikea and snagged this one.

Trying to find stuff out there was brutal as college had just started and dorm rooms were being decorated.  I had never seen a Target SO empty!

You've seen this shelving piece in at least 3 projects :)

Before

I staged it as a game area.....

Old Pier One table with West Elm chairs.

Well that about wraps it up.....I still have upstairs to share so stay tuned my friends.

In other news.....

I'm not sure how to begin.  I am shaking as I write these words.....

I have been eluding for a few post now that things might not be so hunky dory for me.  I guess when you have a blog...the whole point is transparency....I mean if you aren't authentic people can sniff that out right?

I have always had a tendency to overshare....all my life.  Vulnerability came easy to me....tears when I'm sad....laughter when I'm happy.....this is going to be a rough one to spill on these pages.

Wednesday night [September 4th] I came home from Boulder to find out that my husband had left me.  He moved out while I was gone....no note or any communication.  To say I was/am devastated is an understatement. 

One week later I was served [at the front door] divorce papers.   Your first question might be "did you see this coming"....I did not.  We just celebrated our 26th anniversary on July 27 with dinner out.  Hand holding and "I love you" followed.  

So.... I am trying to pick up the pieces of my life right now....not exactly my plan at 67 years old.  I'm struggling.....but oh so blessed with my 2 sisters who live close by.  They have not left my side.  

And.....so many friends who have hugged..... loved on me and propped me up [including my Boulder family].  All I can think of is have I been that kind of friend?  I hope so because the kindness has been almost overwhelming...the emails and phone calls I have received... with words of support....have been humbling.  

Like I said before I am not the first person to go through this.  Having lost both my parents at 63 and 73 which was in itself very hard.... I know that this is a "one day at a time" gig.  

Because as trite as it sounds....time is the true healer.

Please hang in there with me as this blog is an important part of my life so I am making every effort to hang on to it.  

Sherika

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SELECTING THE PERFECT PAINT COLORS

Hey guys....I know I still have the Boulder Flip post to share and I am really working hard to stay connected to this little blog.....I promise I will get to it soon.

Little did I know that back in August when Annie and the group asked me to do a post about my favorite paint colors....my life would be imploding.  

Although sometimes when you are at your darkest.... a little normalcy will actually be comforting. 

I'm counting on that right now:)

So today I am linking with some of my favorite bloggers as we share the paint colors you need to be using!

  

I know how paralyzing it can when the painter shows up and you still have 8 colors slapped up on your wall.  There are plenty of examples of good colors that are "tried and true" on Pinterest and I  will definitely look up a color to see if it seems true....

Today I am sharing a few favorites....Of course most of mine are neutrals but I have thrown in a few other favs for you!

I'm starting with Benjamin Moore China White.

It's the color I painted my house after trying every white in the universe.  Unlike White Dove....it has a chalky gray undertone so in my opinion it is a softer white. The house above [Rodolfo Castro Architect] is painted China White.

Here is an example of BM Iron Mountain which is one of my "go to" darks.....I used it in this dining room on one of the Boulder flips.  It's softer than black.

Another dark with a touch of brown in it is BM Iron Mountain.  I used it in my master bedroom after much angst and after it was painted it was instant love:)

Let's go to one of the prettiest blues I know....Farrow and Ball: Oval Room Blue.  I used this one at House Beautiful Kitchen of the Year 3 years ago.  It is stunning......

SW Urbane Bronze is hands down one of my favorite black/browns.  Here you can see I used it in a den and right outside a powder room for impact.....It is always on my radar!

Sometimes you JUST need a little more than a plain white and SW Passive will fit that bill.  The bathroom above was full of white marble so we just added tiny bit of warmth with this cool tone color.  You wont be disappointed....

I used BM Coventry Gray on the shutters of one of my favorite houses....and it became an INSTANT favorite.

It wouldn't be fair if I did not include BM Palladian Blue as a fav.  It's been around for ages and you can find plenty of inspiration using it on Pinterest.  I used it on the inside of my foyer door and it still makes me happy.

Here is another one that says "if it ain't broke then don't fix it".....BM Hale Navy.  I used it in this office and it's perhaps the perfect navy.  It's the easy button!

OK....this is a new favorite BM Ashwood Moss.  I used it at the House Beautiful showhouse last fall....But....I did learn that when you use a lacquer paint it will lighten a color...as you can see....above against what it looks like on walls below in my friend Julie Holloway's bathroom.

BM Amazon Green is another newcomer to my fav list.  We used it last year at the showhouse and I was amazed at the intensity of it.  Total perfection.

SW Dovetail is a color that I like to use for doors.  It's that perfect greige that we were all searching for 5 years ago......you will not be disappointed with this one.

Now is your chance to have plenty of new color options by going to 5 other bloggers and snag their favorites:

Carla AstonCarla Aston

@carlaaston

Sheila Irwin - Maison de Cinq

@maisondecinq

Cindy Hattersley - Rough Luxe Lifestyle

@cindyhattersley

Mary Ann Pickett - Classic Casual Home

@classiccasualhome

Annie Diamond -Most Lovely Things

@most_lovely_things

Thanks for patience.....I have read every one of your comments many times and even shared with my sister how special you all made me feel....I keep saying to myself.....there are good people in the world.

The grief I am feeling is of course not new to the universe....but certainly new to me.  We will talk soon my friends and I just want you to know that this little blog is helping me push forward everyday.

Sherikafeelsloved

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PROJECT BOULDER BEFORE AND AFTER PART 2

I am beyond humbled by the support in your comments.  You can't imagine how much they all meant to me.  I will share soon but right now it is just too raw to put out there and I don't trust myself not to over share.

There is comfort knowing that people care....especially in a world where there is bullying and meanness all over the internet.

As promised here are some before and afters of the Boulder flip.  This project took 6 months to complete as some rooms were reconfigured.

Today it's all about the laundry room which is pretty epic if you have a small space like I do in my home.

As per blogger regulations....we start with  before:)

You can see it was already a nice large space!

Some of these were taken from the listing as I had to leave and I only had my iPhone with me anyway!

We decided to add the utility station where you can was a dog, or kid :).....or bike shoes.....

I think the floor tile came from Floor and Decor and the overhead lights came from Rejuvenation.  The rugs is old from Target outdoor collection and after extensive searches everywhere we found the folding table at Ikea.  It was a pub table but we cut the legs down!  A deal at 149.00 [or something like that].

When they renovate a house they always put in new W&D and appliances.  The shelving brackets are custom and the shelves are butcher block from Ikea.

Here is a close up of that folding table!!  It already had that black detail on the braces.

I believe that bench came from Overstock a few flips ago.  Of course the accessories on the shelves came from Homegoods.

Just a progress pic....

We also found that shelf unit at Homegoods....

Here is the before of the other direction.  The room on the right had been staged as a bedroom but there was no closet so we staged it as an office.

This Schumacher wallpaper added so much to the space....again we just put it on the one wall.

The Currey and Co rope sconces just looked so cute.  Giddy up.

Just for context....the whole wall opposite the W&D.

And real estate pic of the room set up as a bedroom.

These are the listing pictures as I just could not get good shots of this room!

Desk, rug, and art from Overstock.  Office chair from World Market

I covered this cheap little sofa with a skin and picked up the spice colored pillow at Target.

Got the small table at Pier One and the floor lamp at Ikea.  The 3 architectural ladders over the sofa came from At Home.

So there you have it.  Working with what we already had....adding a few new items....but trying to show people without vision.... how cute a house could look right?

There is more....but right now my brain is working at 50% power....my sister has been staying with me and I just can't imagine not having family at difficult times.  Thanks Mom for having 4 kids.....

Love you guys....

 

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