I started this thread because I love decorating! I think we all need a place to share our ideas for making our living spaces more livable--so please, post pics, ask questions and be creative!!!

After all--mil spouses move a lot. That's a whole lot of firsthand knowledge.

Oh dear...I need to paint one accent wall that I havent done yet. I am thinking brownish.

I dont like alot of clutter - we have no pictures on our walls, no "I love me" crap either, no knick knacks. I like simple stuff.

But I do want to paint one wall in the living room a 'brownish'(you know the color)..

Now I need to learn how to post pics on this thing even though I have done it before.

And find the pics I already took one day with my camera.. :-D.

Anybody who wants to show pics of their places, please do; I LOVE looking at other people's houses and see their ideas!

Okay.. Here's some pics of the house. Don't shoot me, I know most of the inside is horribly ugly. These people have the oddest taste. One of the smaller bedrooms is painted red with a black city scape. But we love the area, so a little paint is no big deal. I'm thinking a light brown, or Bamboo as Shannon said, for the living room; a pale VERY pale purple for Shelbye's room because that child is determined to have a purple room; & the baby's room an off white. Any ideas are welcome.



Living Room


Kitchen


Master Bedroom


Master Bath


Laundry Room


Hall


Sun Room

Um...wow. I like the overall layout of the house. Master bedroom looks a little small, but I'm liking the shelving in the laundry room! And the sun room. That would be FULL of plants! Is that all of your stuff or the previous owners? I seem to remember you just putting in an offer, so I'm betting it's not yours, haha.

I might post pictures of my house this weekend when it's clean. There's not too much to do with it because it's a seventies rental house. And when I say seventies I'm talking there is a built in vanity with a huge mirror, bulbs all around the mirror, and the shelf itself is orange! I think I have to post pictures of it now, haha. But it's cute and I like it.

First thing that jumps out at me Miranda, is those stripes in the hallway. Is that just paint? Personally, I think cutting up the wall like that makes the whole thing look/feel a lot smaller than it probably is. Plus hallways are fun places to just have one color and do something like progressive pictures or pretty artwork (or shoot, just plain).

Oh and pretty please get rid of that stark white (or pale blue, whichever it is). Nobody not in an apartment should have to deal with apartment white walls.

I actually like white walls as long as the whole house isn't full with white walls.

I tend to like the darker colors though, burgundy,brick red, plum, dark blue, with light browns. I actually like the dining room to be a brick red color. Not really sure why. Our living room now is a plum purple but the rest are white because it's housing and I don't want to paint that many walls to just have to paint them back.

I agree, those stripes make the hallway feel weird. Makes it look longer than what it probably is. but I do like the brown color of the stripe.

The sun room would def. have plants and more of a country type setting. but not too country of course if it was us because Matt would freak. lol. But wicker would be cute out there with the plants.

You may have to start watching a few discovery home shows and HGTV.

wow, Miranda, those people had a really determined style (modern 80's, ugh.)

It will be delicious to cover up!!!

I will pore over the pics tonight, I can't now cause I am at work.

I like it though!!!!

alrighty....I kinda like the sky painted on the sun room ceiling.

but all the other paint--well, just get a lot of primer.

what kind of stuff do you like, Miranda?

And Megs...post pics!! I'll see about getting some of mine in, but I can't do much with it since its an apartment.

Well, my MIL looked at the pics & immediately offered to send us a gift certificate to Lowes for paint. LOL

I know the interior isn't the prettiest, but I'm so stoked we'll finally have OUR house, it doesn't even matter. I watched my parents have to rent for years & when they finally bought a home, my dad lost it in the divorce just for my mom to turn around & sell what meant so much to him. So some ugly walls are no big deal to me, because no matter how ugly they are, my name's still on the deed! I'm so excited! I think we got a heckuva deal considering our budget was $125,000 & it's on an island a block from the water. That's unheard of even for this area.

And I digress..

To answer the questions.. Nope, sooo not my stuff. LOL Yes, I believe the stripes are just textured paint. If they aren't I'm in big trouble because I have no idea what they did. The stuff in the bathrooms is all wallpaper, so not that hard to get rid of, I hope anyway.

Before I get into the decorating stuff, here's what I already have to work with: Our couches are a medium brown microsuede. LOVE them. Our coffee table/end table are glass & black wrought iron. Our entertainment center is a medium colored wood (DH is on duty, so I can't ask exactly what kind). Our dining room table is a dark cherry wood with cream colored seats. We have black lamps. Our bedroom dresser is white, as is Shelbye's. Our headboard has medium cherry wood posts with black wrought iron
between the posts.

The kitchen is done in black & white, which I love. (Although in the pics it looks like black, yellow, & blue.) I'm thinking I might pull an Allie & start collecting red kitchen stuff to go with the black & white. I dunno though.. Haven't really put a lot of though into it since my kitchen stuff is black as it is.

I'm thinking a pale brown for the living room. The living room looks kinda small, as does the hallway. Could be the paint, or it could be the low ceilings. (I think they're only 8 foot ceilings.) So anything that would give the illusion of the room being larger that wouldn't clash with the black/white tiles of the dining area would be ideal.

Shelbye wants to paint her room a brilliant purple, almost a dark grape color. Not gonna happen. First, because the room is small enough as it is without painting it some dark color, & secondly, just because her favorite color is purple now, doesn't mean it will be in 10 years. I did say I'd entertain the thought of painting it a very pale purple or pink. Again, I think a lighter color will give the illusion of the room being bigger. I also plan to get the letters of her name & hang them on the wall to go along with her Disney Princess/Barbie/pink & purple butterflies theme she has going now.

The master bedroom.. Yeah, no clue. I agree with lots of primer though. I'd originally considered a reddish brickish color, but DH said NO WAY because red envokes angry feelings & I'm angry enough as it is. Ah, he knows me so well. So I have no clue. I'm gonna stick with something to make it look bigger, but I'm also thinking about the fact that there's only one window in the room & not a lot of natural light. DH wants the color to have a calming affect, for the room to feel really relaxed.

The nursery.. Since they said he's a boy but you never really know til it's said & done, I'm thinking an off white. His crib bedding is an off white, oatmeal color & his crip will be some type of wood. I'll probably just stick with the normal letters of his name hung on the wall & the wall hangings that go with his crib set.

The kids' bathroom has a hunter green toilet, & the NEX has some cute jungle themed bathroom stuff that I thought would go well & be suitable for a girl & a boy. Other than that, I have no clue.

Our bathroom has a black toilet, but all of my bathroom stuff is coordinated around my black shower curtain with the white orchid on it, so that works.

The sunroom.. DH has given me the go ahead to make that my Georgia room. Yeah baby. I see UGA stuff all over the place. Anyone who knows me knows what a Georgia fan I am, heck, even my ringtone is the UGA fight song. Lots of football to be watched in that sunroom. But that will take time.

Shelbye wants to do a whole flower garden thing out back too, so any ideas about that would be great too..

Thanks y'all! Sorry for the book.

ETA: I forgot. Wel, Jessie, you've been over here, so you know most of the pictures/decor in the house have something to do with the beach. The sand dollar picture & my dad's picture of a Lake Lanier sunset blown up & framed in the living room, the beach bum picture hanging in the kitchen. I also have a lot of personal pics of Dave & I, the kids, friends. Then I have the kiss me goodnight pic that Allie has too from Target in the bedroom. So I think I want to continue with the beach theme, because DH & I both are beach people. I want the living room to be very homey, lots of personal touches. I love love love candles & quilts.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: efnprincess,

I think that with teh colors you have already the beach theme is a great idea. You could probably even make some cheapo lamps look cute with some sea shells glued on. Shelby can help you with that and then she can brag about it that she did those.

I'll have more later but wanted to say that I love beach themes.

Pale brown would be great in the living room if you want to go beach-y! Brown is so easy to work with light greens and creams, which would be the more modern spin on beach type stuff (as opposed to like white and blue, which you could do, too, but it'd be more theme-y). Plus brown is a great "warm" color.

Woohoo for red - Kitchenaid all the way for me!! Calphalon has a red line, too, at Bed, Bath, & Beyond. My kitchen was originally going to be red, black, and white, but I ended up going the brown route, I think on accident! If you want to keep it the sort of Americana look in there, Miranda I have some red and white gingham curtains from our kitchen ... um 2 apartments ago haha, I can send them to you in a big padded envelope, I'm sure, for really cheap.

Landon has a jungle bathroom, so I'm a fan. EVERY store has jungle stuff, so you can even piece it together as you see stuff on sale here and there. And for your bathroom, Wal-Mart and Target both have black and/or white coordinates so that will be a piece of cake.

So, my main thing is - it looks like your laundry room is huge. Now granted I think there's no machines in there right now, but still, it looks pretty spacious. I think it would be fun to do something specific in there - who says you can't decorate a utility room! If the beach or UGA things don't end up working out elsewhere, you could do one or the other in there, or something different altogether.

For Shelbye's room, there's a company that makes letters and pictures and stuff that are like cling-ons for the wall. Let me look it up (I had wanted to anyways just to check the company out). If I find it, I'll send you the link on Myspace, maybe there's something in there she'd really like!

That's all I got right this second!

Oh, except in my opinion, in terms of financing this (as if buying a house isn't expensive enough) ... to feel an immediate change, buy the paint, and buy curtains. Those 2 things will make SUCH a huge difference in the feel and atmosphere of each room, without too much work and without an insane amount of money (just definitely do primer first like Jessie said or else you'll be blowing Shelbye's college fund on 3rd and 4th coats of paint!!)

efn- yeah, the previous owner has some interesting tastes, but the house definately has good "bones"! There is alot of potential there and you guys will have SOO much fun making it your own! I'm excited FOR you guys! I can't wait until we have a home of our own that I can personalize!

ok, here's some stuff I have done. I am always working on it because I don't have a lot of money. I don't like clutter, and I can't paint the walls.

My major theme is the beach/nautical. and calmness. lol.

bedroom--blue and white with red accents (candles, blankets).



nite table with Cost plus Placemat ($4.99!!), seashells, oil lamp & B&W pic of DF at the beach. (also a little wood plaque that says "always kiss me good night" is this a trend????)I repainted and slightly distressed the dresser my self, replaced the knobs...it was hideous, not kidding.



this is big old ugly wood dresser I covered with a linen shawl and some real fish netting from AC Moore, plus some shells/starfish, a jar candle and a fountain.



my new dresser I just got--love it!!! there's some glass votive holders filled with rocks/sand and a wood plaque that says "Beach Rules: Relax, Enjoy. Relax, Enjoy."



I love glass so I like to put little bottles around. I have a colored glass bottle collection in storage in CA.



my original photos (B&W) on living room wall (not the bridge though--thats a print)



some fabric squares I sewed and placed on the wall.



its kinda spare...the rest of the living room is browns/ neutrals with a few more sand filled votives and B&W pics--all in black frames.

bathroom: I know its really white, but thats what I wanted, with a few accents.




anyhow, just a few ideas--all of them were cheap, patched together from craft stores and my junkie-addiction store, Cost PLus World Market.

sorry the pics are blurry...camera phone.

Jessie, I love love love how simple and open and beautiful everything is! I'm a fan of wood, my momma instilled it in my at a young age. I swear, tonight when I have nothing to do (cross your fingers) I'm going to take pictures of my house. I don't know how, but I always seem to clutter things and it drives me bonkers! My house is kind of dark, but cozy. Anyway, awesome job on your house! I love that you redid the table. Personally I liked the old wood dresser, but the white one goes better.

efn,the house is nice,nothing that paint can't fix.

Once you move in you'll make the house your home.

I'm having headache just looking at the windowns...it'll take a lot of money to buy the blinds that goes with the house.

I like the paint and I don't have to do a thing inside the house.Just buy new furniture when $$ let me.lol

This message has been edited. Last edited by: glenda10,

Glenda, you really do have such a headstart! I mean, unless you really hated the colors, you could just move in and do nothing, except the windows are a problem, aren't they?

I bought a curtain panel and hung it up on a rod--it wasn't too expensive...you can get some decent panels at say...2 for 9.99 if that's your style. Blinds, though, they get a bit costly. I got some bamboo ones that aren't hung up--but are awesome--for 20 or 30 bucks I think.