Milestones from 2014, Resolutions for 2015

Is it just me or does every year go by faster than the last? This one flew by but the ride was pretty great – thanks in large part to the resolutions I set last year to “become a morning person” and to start this blog. I mean, realistically speaking, it’s gonna take years for me to naturally jump out of bed before the sun is up, but working towards that goal has certainly had an impact. Most days in 2014 started 3 WHOLE HOURS before I had to be in the office – this from the girl who would usually sleep until the last… possible… minute... (“and there went my bus”). All that new-found time allowed me to design, write, edit, craft, and photograph for the blog – which was far more rewarding than extra ZZZs. Getting to interact with y'all has been nothing short of wonderful, so THANK YOU for reading and asking questions and sharing your opinions and experiences! You've made this year truly special.

Since last New Year's goals turned out so great, this year I’m setting bloggy goals, house goals, career goals, physical goals, emotional goals, financial goals … you name it, I’m goalin’ it. Who says we should settle for just one?! 

But before I go dreaming up my ideal 2015 I wanna take a moment to look back and appreciate what Eli & I accomplished in 2014. I'm always thinking about the next thing and what still needs to be done, and I often forget that we've come a long way already in just one year. So, without further ado, the biggest house changes in 2014:

1. We painted the kitchen cabinets

This was by far the biggest project we tackled, and Eli got it all on video to share with you guys.  

2. We refinished the floors

As suspected, our sexy dark floors totally transform the look of the house.

3. We wallpapered the powder room

The bold geometric pattern puts the “POW!” in powder room. Naw mean? And this room gets bonus points for being the first one finished!

4. We built a headboard and grown-up bedframe

We graduated from Ikea Hacks to West Elm Hacks, y'all. I upholstered a headboard to look pretty damn close to this one from WE, and Eli found a *free* WE platform bed frame on Craigslist that he converted to hold our box spring. 

5. We created a breakfast nook in the laundry room

It’s easy to forget that this time last year the laundry room was just for laundry. Now it's my go-to spot for eating breakfast, enjoying a cup of coffee, and writing my next blog post.

6. We stained and sealed the deck

Step 1 for "Pimp my Porch" completed, with a video to boot. Summer soirees here we come. 

7. We installed a medicine cabinet

And found a window inside the wall…which still has made me wondering what else is behind these walls. I mean, hellooooooo, there could be treasure!!! But for now I'm content just to have the toothbrushes hidden. 

Well that was a fun little victory lap! I usually just collapse at the finish line. Here I was feeling like we are sooo farrrr from finished, but we really are so much closer than we were! Eli is doing a celebratory dance cuz he thinks that means we're done. We're certainly not, but every project is forward progress. To steal a cliché from the blogosphere – transforming a home is a marathon not a sprint. How many more running analogies do you think I can fit in one post?

So what’s in store for next year? Hopefully a lot of really spectacular, awesome, highly superlative things. I think we can accomplish even more than last year by planning things out a little better, but my top 5 priorities are: 

1. A living room refresh: Our Ikea loveseats' days are numbered. I'm shopping for sofas and chairs as we speak and devising a plan to add closed storage to the built-ins. 

2. Light fixtures: I've got a few great ones that have been laying around for months – it's time to hang them already!

3. Natural light: Before buying a row house I didn’t fully appreciate the value of windows and sunlight – silly me. The lack of light has been my nemesis! This year I want to get new exterior doors with windows, and I want to open up the skylight that was mysteriously covered by a previous owner. 

4. Tricking out the guest room:  It's more like "the junk room" right now – it's embarrassing. We need to build a proper bed (with storage!), configure the office, and *brownie points* if I can make it work as a studio for blog photos, too.

5. Back yard reno: Last spring & summer were not so productive in the yard department. This year I want to get serious about making it more useful and beautiful. 

That should keep us busy for a little while, yeah? :) What are you guys hoping to accomplish in the 2015? Anyone else setting multiple goals? 

Choose a floor stain: Check!

The votes were still rolling in on Friday and I was having too much fun to let them stop, but I’ve kept you waiting in anticipation too long! I’m not sayin’, but I’m just sayin’ – the race is pretty much called. The people hath spoken! The results are in...

Gray won by a mile! Who here is surprised? (I am a little) I think the biggest case for grey, and what made it a popular choice, is that it offers contrast with the light walls and cabinets without being too dominant and dark. Amiright? 

So after much deliberation & poring over your feedback, I'm gonna take a middle of the road approach: Grayown (a technical term for Gray-Brown, obvi). Dark brown was the runner up in this high stakes race, and some of you who voted gray noted that the brown was "too brown." I hear you. I think Grayown will be the best of both worlds – lighter than the dark chocolate brown I showed you before PLUS grey undertones to kick it up a notch and make it cooler than your average wood stain. My hope is that it will still have that weathered beach vibe I love without being a total departure from traditional floor colors.

Usually I have no qualms with breaking from tradition & taking risks with color – I used to have fuchsia hair, for cryin' out loud – but I'm a little more hesitant with the floors. For starters, they're kinda permanent. Sure, I'm changing the color now, but hardwoods can only take so much sanding and refinishing before you hit the subfloor. It's quite possible that whatever I choose is the last color these floors will ever see, so I want them to look timeless. I love pure gray floors right now, but is it a passing trend?

E & I probably won't be in this house forever, and when we do go to sell down the line, I’d feel like a failure if someone walked in and said, "Clearly this was remodeled in 2014." Ya feel me? Someone also pointed out in the survey comments that dark brown would be best for resale value, and I tend to agree. Grayown is a happy medium to please traditional and edgy tastes alike, but most importantly mine & Eli's.

SO, with that all being said, I present you with Grayown:

That's not my finest Photoshop work, so just squint your eyes and imagine more beautiful woodgrain ; ] It's still on the darker side of the spectrum and cooler in tone than our current orange floors & the chocolate brown I presented you with before, while being It's warmer than the original gray. I think it’s really going to turn this place around. 

Now there are just a couple more decisions left before we get the metaphorical ball rolling. First is whether to go with a glossy or matte finish. I’m really digging the idea of a natural oil sealer (like Rubio Monocoat) instead of polyurethane because it doesn’t emit any dangerous/stinky fumes and only takes one coat. It's got a matte appearance, giving it a more weathered, aged look. I love the idea of that, but I still need to look at samples in person before I can say whether it's as good IRL. Poly is fumey, shiny and takes 3 coats – so we'd have to be out of the house for at least a week while it cures and airs out. The downside of natural oil is that it's more expensive. I'm not sure what the premium is yet (I forgot to ask), but the floor guys told me it costs "more." Very specific. I'll do some more research and get back to you.

The last question I'm facing is whether to DIY or hire it out. The quote I got for hiring out a Monocoat finish was $4.50/sq.ft., or about $1,800 for our space. I'm not rolling in dough so that's more than I'd ideally spend on the floors, but then again it could be worth it to ensure I don't royally screw it up. I think the decision will come down to what we feel comfortable doing and how devastated we’d be if everything that could go wrong did If I can master the sanding and staining techniques on a practice surface I’d happily invest the sweat equity to save the money for something else.

What would you guys do? And who's on the Grayown train? So many of you weighed in on the floor color, and now I want to put a survey in every post! Thanks for chiming in and lending me your perspective! You rock. 

Decisions, decisions, decisions: Choosing a floor stain

I've been jonesing to change the color of our hardwoods since I first stepped foot on them. I'm sure some think I'm crazy for wanting to redo new floors, but they're just so.....orangey yellow. And getting yellower, thanks to polyurethane. Without a lot of natural light to balance them out, it feels like we're living in an orange peel without the refreshing fragrance. The floor is such a pervasive and integral element in the house – so I'd like it to be all blessing, no curse! After a year-long tryout the orange peel has had its chance to woo me and failed. It's time to make moves.

Refinishing the floors is going to be a big project. They run from the living room to the kitchen, including the powder room, up the stairs and in the small hallway between our bedrooms. All in all it’s about 400 sq. ft. of flooring. If we decide to DIY it's going to be a lot of labor & stress, and if we hire it out it's going to be our most expensive project to-date – so I'm appropriately terrified of making the "wrong" choice of floor stain. In high-stakes scenarios like these, I turn to my friend Photoshop for a little extra help trying on different options. Let's talk colors, shall we? 

Option 1: White

If you've spent any time looking at home decor on Pinterest, in IKEA or Target you may have noticed a resurgence of Scandinavian style. It's minimalist & utilitarian in the most charming way possible, with lots and lots of white. One hallmark is a white floor – either whitewashed or painted. I'm a fan of both. White floors can play nice with just about any style, from super modern to shabby chic. They're cozy, fresh and serene.... like living in a cloud.

Source

Source

Before we go any further, let's hit pause so I can give myself a reality check. I, Chloe, recognize on this Friday the 5th of September, that these gorgeous photos are Pinterest fodder and, in the absence of perfect natural light, wide-plank floors or interesting architectural features, they should not be mistaken as actual representations of how my house could look. Ever. Sorry, sometimes I need a reminder...And now back to our regular programming. Where were we, then?  Oh right, an assy rendition of what this trend might look like in our house! Photoshop – Engage: 

Not as dreamy as the lookers before, but if you squint your eyes in the right way you can sort of envision living in a cumulonimbus cloud, right? If you’re still not seeing it, please refer to Section A of the above reality check & forgive me for my hasty photoshopping. A white floor could definitely brighten up the space & bounce light around, and it would improve the flow from the kitchen to the white-tiled floor in the laundry room. The question is – how much more time would I spend sweeping and mopping? No pets or kids 'round these parts, but we do have a set of size 12 Bean Boots slingin' mud during the wintertime... Are these floors like a sloppy 6th grader (only clean on picture day)? These are life's hard questions... ; ]

Option 2: Gray

Another less-than-conventional color I'm considering. I haven't seen many rooms rockin' the rocktones on Pinterest, but I'm taking that as the sign of a trend yet to blow up rather than one that's fallen flat. From the few gray-floored spaces I have seen, me likey. It reminds me of weathered driftwood, which reminds me of the beach, which reminds me of vacation, and I could use more vacation in my life...amiright? This palm wallpaper & driftwood floor combo is taking me there.

Source via sfgirlbybay

Mmmm...vacation.... OK, let’s see what this might look like in our house:

I like the contrast between the dark floors and light walls, and between the step treads and risers. I know I just said earlier that white floors could brighten up the space, but that's not a direct translation for dark floors == dark space. As far as I'm concerned, light walls and ceilings feel brighter and taller when emanating up from a dark floor. The contrast gives them an extra pop. Either way, floors that are much lighter or much darker would be an improvement from the mushy orange tone we've got now.

Option 3: Dark brown

Walking on rich, chocolatey brown floors makes me feel luxurious, like I should be wearing a cashmere robe and have freshly pedicured toes. I wonder if I'd return to my old ways of eating chocolate frosting by the spoonful if my floors looked this scrumptious… 

Source via Homepolish

And here's a similar tone in our house... I think you'd see more wood grain and less of a flat color in real life.

My only concern with going very dark is the same one I had with going super light: keeping them clean. We don't have any pets, but I do shed like a border collie...plus we 2 adult humans still manage to create weird things like dust and footprints. That said, spending more time cleaning the floor may not be such a bad thing. When we painted the cabinets white I noticed for the first time how dirty they get...  and thus realized how dirty they must have been during the previous year of neglect. Ick. Thinking about it makes me feel retrospectively gross and simultaneously pleased with our new, cleaner kitchen. Could be the same dealio if we switched to an extreme light or extreme dark floor. 

So there you have it. Those are the three options I'm bouncing between right now. You can see them all side-by-side below. So tell me – what would you choose? It's a big decision, and I could use some help in making a final call. You can send me your vote in the survey to the right!

After we get the color sorted, I'll get quotes from different flooring companies and take a look at rental prices for sanding equipment before I decide to DIY or hire it out. If you've refinished your floors or had someone else do it, I'd love to hear about your experience in the comments!