As you probably know (based on my last blog post), I wasn’t super pumped about the bar area in our family room. I LOVED that it was there; I just didn’t love it as it WAS.

The bar had many fatal flaws, including the following:

• a layout that blocked off the bar area from the rest of the family room
• fugly colors
• a peninsula that was over the average bar height, making it awkward to sit at
• a big bare back wall that was hard to decorate – it was awkward no matter WHAT I did
• no room for a wine fridge

Let me repeat that last point – NO ROOM FOR A WINE FRIDGE. Epic fail.

So, when we did my office renovation, it only made sense to redo the flooring. And with re-doing the flooring, it ONLY made sense to redo the BAR.

Why?

Because that’s how I roll, and really, I can convince Tim of just about anything if I wear the right pants.

However,  seeing how this area was tagging on to the end of my office remodel, I had to be careful with the costs. And sure, I say ‘on a dime’, but it was a weeee bit more than a dime. That being said, I’ve worked on homes with bars and wine rooms that cost 10’s of thousands of dollars, so what I spent is just a drop in the bucket – or that’s what I tell Tim anyway.

This was the view when you stood near the back of the family room with the bar to the left…

After, we have a new view into the family room, along with a wicked blue hue…

I want to spray the chrome grills on the fireplace to update it further – we’ll save that for another day

This was the view from inside the bar, into the family room – dark, drab, and dated…

And this is the view now…

That’s right  – no more sneaky bar blocking any decent furniture layout, and the light now FLOODS into the rest of the family room from the bar window!

But where did the bar go? Not far…

Instead of repeating the ‘L’ shape, I wanted a simple back bar that was ‘part’ of the family room, but more of a backdrop than a visual block. And remember, I am a decorator – a photographer I am not, so I do my best!

Before, as previously mentioned, it wasn’t a super functional bar area…

And now it’s like a TOTALLY different space…

The Best Kitchen Island Paint Colors

THE WINE SHRINE / DIY WOOD & METAL WINE RACK

I’ve seen my fair share of cubbies and crosses holding dozens of wine bottles, but I wasn’t going for ‘bulk’ storage – I was going for beauty (and affordability). I wanted something unique you don’t see anywhere, but that still aligned with the rest of our home. And I found it. Well, I didn’t really ‘find’ it.  I drew up what I wanted and had a creative fellow named Christian make it for me out of 100-year-old barn boards!

This is undoubtedly my FAVE DIY type project I’ve ever done (or not done, really; Christian did it, but I cheered him on!).

I chose the same gray quartz countertop (Caesarstone Bianco Drift) that went in our main bathroom remodel as I love its versatile range of neutrals.

And of course, Tim’s contribution…it ain’t a home bar without a little Gord Downie!

Seriously, just look at this wood (if I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard that…).

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COSTS

Wine and beverage fridges: Lowes $499 each. That might look like a double unit, but it’s actually two separate pieces that we just reversed the doors on and butted together. At $499 a piece, we saved some good moula.

Countertop:  Caesarstone Bianco Drift and undermount sink $1900. We did not…save any money with this choice, but it had to be done.

Wine racks: $180

Cabinets: Mid Island Cabinets $1800.  I love the soft gray of the cabinets and how it plays with Bianco Drift—in the words of the great Goldilocks – not too dark, not too light – juuust right.

Paint :Sherwin Williams Cyberspace

Grand Total:  Under $5000

So, there you have it; the family room is complete!

READ MORE

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NEED HELP?

CHECK OUT MY ONLINE PAINT COLOR PACKAGES! 

ORIGINALLY WRITTEN IN 2017, UPDATED AND TWEAKED IN 2022

The post Our Family Room: The Home Bar (Part 2) appeared first on Kylie M Interiors.

Here it is, the FIRST blog post about our new house, and I figured there was no better place to start than the entryway!

UPDATED – THIS IS THE HOUSE THAT ALMOST BROKE ME. WE LIVED IN IT FOR 3 MONTHS AND MOVED, HENCE ONLY ONE POST ABOUT IT.

Oh, this house. I love the view; we BOUGHT it for the view, however, I don’t love the house (note that I say house not home). And while I’m having fun adding my own personal touch to it, I already know that this will be a short-term adventure (well, shorter than the usual 4-year stint anyway). We all know that Tim is really the only thing I’ve kept for a long period of time anyway – lucky bugger.

But, OOOOOH that view…

Every day is completely different from the last! We can see everything from the eastern sunrise to the western sunset, it’s pretty stunning. However, the one thing we don’t see much of is the sun, and my pasty lil’ Ginger self has a BIG problem with that.

When we viewed this house, I was worried about its northern exposure and the COOL nature of the products that were in the house – products that wouldn’t accommodate my love of warmer colours. And I had a right to worry, these cool colours go against my nature! But I like a challenge and have never bought a new home. I’m trying to embrace it for the experience and for the sake of the view (which really is TO DIE FOR) and it ALL starts with a case of wine the entryway.

Before, it had great bones with beautiful light fixtures and flooring, but the cool paint colour just wasn’t ma jam.

After, I’m loving the softness of the new paint colour, Sherwin Williams Colonnade Gray.

I would’ve naturally chosen a warmer paint colour for this north-facing home, but seeing as it’s open concept, I have other things to accommodate (TONS of gray carpet and quartz countertops). Colonnade Gray is as warm as I can go without alienating the needs of the house (because it’s not all about me ALL of the time…just joking, it is).

I wanted a dramatic front door colour, so I chose Urbane Bronze, which is a DEADLY dark greige with a green undertone. And rather than keeping the trim white, I painted the trim around the door, adding to the impact but simplifying it simultaneously.

I loved the large clock in the entryway of our last home so much that I decided to buy a new one for this house (what can I say…I like big clocks and I cannot lie).

The original colour, Sherwin Williams Crushed Ice, was throughout much of the house and was too cool for my tastes when compounded by the (ahem) extreme northern exposure in the open layout area.

Colonnade Gray offers a softer approach and takes advantage of the little southern light that we get (only the entryway and my office, the rest is north).

Functional and pretty, what else could a girl ask for? SUNSHINE, SOME FRIGGIN’ SUNSHINE PEOPLE!

Anyway, I’m sure you can feel my excitement over this house (insert sarcasm HERE).

The stairwell was a stairwell. Thrilling, I know.

Again, Colonnade Gray to save the day! However, Colonnade CAN pick up a very vague green undertone, which makes me twitch a bit with the gray carpet (which leans to the violet side of gray). HOWEVER, being an open concept, this paint colour also has to suit the kitchen countertop, fireplace tile and OTHER features – I have to make it work. By lightening Colonnade Gray by 25%, I was able to cut back almost ALL of the green for the sake of the carpet, while still having a soft, subtle, warm gray and a seamless transition from the main living area.

And the funny thing is that I used to despise feature walls. However, this is because I saw so many abused ones – wrong spot, wrong colour. I am, however, a HUGE fan of a well-placed, well-planned colour added to what would otherwise be a pretty booooring transition space. To make an impact without going TOO far, I went with Benjamin Moore Gibraltar Cliffs…MAD LOVE!

The small powder room is right off the entryway. It’s important that the flow between the staircase, hallway and powder room is BANG-on as they’re all in the same eyeball. The photo above shows how the layered colours create a GORGEOUS West Coast-inspired palette.

Before, the powder room was ‘just fine’, but you KNOW how I love my deeper colours…

Sherwin Williams Anonymous adds depth and interest to the room and goes fab with my oversize artwork, which you can JUST see in the next photo.

So, whereas I’m not TOTALLY loving the gray nature of this home, by adding cooler colours with some DEPTH, I’m able to make things feel a bit cosier.

My office is ALSO off the entryway, but we’ll save that black beauty for another blog post (or not – hopefully, we’ll just sell this bad boy and move on). That’s right, a black office, just like last time!

Looking from the front door toward the living room is a tricky shot with the light coming in. Out that window is the ocean view, but I definitely don’t have the skills to get that AND the interior at the same time! The best I have is this before shot (with my phone).

In photos like these, it’s hard to see the shift in paint colour as the first photo wasn’t the best quality. And of course, Sir Douglas has to show up to the party…

I had used this MASSIVE, seven-foot canvas piece in our last entryway and LOVED it. I’m so glad we have the perfect wall to accommodate it in this house too…

So there you have it – the beginning of our adventures with this house; stay tuned to see whether we keep it or if there’s already a for sale sign on the lawn.

READ MORE

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The 12 Best WHOLE HOME Gray & Greige Paint Colours

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NEED HELP WITH PAINT COLOURS?

Check out my affordable and FUN E-design and Online Paint Consulting packages

Chat soon,

ORIGINALLY WRITTEN IN  2018, UPDATED IN 2022 FOR GENERAL ERRORS

The post Our Entryway in Sherwin Williams Colonnade Gray appeared first on Kylie M Interiors.

I’ve ALSO found that it’s easy to forget that we’re ALL people. People with homes and feelings and whole LIVES going on around us; things that don’t come across in photos, questionnaires or quick emails. So, in an effort to bridge this gap a bit, and since I can’t have you over for a glass of wine, I thought I’d write a fun little blog post about myself.

I decided to start with Tim (I was working, he was pretending to) and I said, ‘hey, if you were to ask me questions about my life, what would they be?’ And this was his list…

• Where did our sofa go?
• Who’s chair is that?
• Did you paint that wall again?
• Did you actually say that?
• I can’t believe you said that.
• Why do we have a new table?
• Where are your keys?
• Where is your phone?
• Why are you using a hippo piggybank to hammer a nail in the wall?
• Why do you have paint in your hair?
• Why do you have so many jeans?
• Why won’t you close the door when you go to the bathroom?
• Why are you opening the paint can with a butter knife?
• What’s burning? (the answer to that would be HERE and it’s GOOD)

Oooookay, so those weren’t exactly the questions that I had in mind.

And THAT is why I created my own questions, so you can learn a little bit more about ME and what makes my twisted lil brain turn (other than wine, paint colours and Ryan Reynolds in Speedos).

GETTING TO KNOW YOU, GETTING TO KNOW ALLLLLL ABOUT YOU…

(I know you’re humming it…)

TIM: Sooooo Kylie, how many sofas have you bought in the last eight years?

KYLIE: I thought we were going to do MY questions?

TIM: Just answer the question.

KYLIE: Hmmm, let me think. Well, the greenish set, the brown sectional, the medium gray sectional, the dark gray sectional, the light gray sectional, the dark gray sectional again, the taupe sofa, the blue sofa.

Oh, you think that’s all?

The leather couch, the feather filled couch, the hard n’ stiff (now don’t get excited) couch, the slippy cushion couch, and LASTLY…wait, that’s it. 12. The answer would be 12.

TIM: How many jobs have you had in your life?

KYLIE: Okay, seriously, you know the answer to this. 22.

22 jobs of which MOST I was fired from, kindly advised to find another job, or I quit BEFORE I could get fired (awkward high five!).

When we drive around town the kids are like, ‘did you work there Mom?’ Yup. ‘How about there?‘ Yup (without even turning my head to look). I was not cut out for the traditional ‘work environment’ for a variety of reasons, mostly revolving around my anxiety disorder and need for control of my life and time because of it. I’m not really a ‘schedule’ kinda gal.

Oh, and my lack of filter probably didn’t help.

TIM: How did we meet?

KYLIE: Well, you were on a date with my friend (and we all hung out as a group) and I thought you were hubba hubba cute in a, ‘Oh my God, he doesn’t see the redheaded trainwreck that’s comin’ his way’, kind of cute. So, when my friend decided she wasn’t really into you, I thought I’d move in for the kill. So, I shook my money maker and BOOM we fell in love. 16 years later we’re still married! Lucky bastard.

See those gray hairs on his beard? Those are ALL from me.

TIM: What’s your favourite thing to do?

KYLIE: I love going to the beach. Maybe not in the wintertime, but definitely Spring, Summer and Fall. I love hunting for sea glass and heart rocks. Oh and drinking wine, I like drinking wine (makes you wonder what’s in my coffee mug, riiiight?).

I LOVE writing – it feeds my soul. I also love READING BOOKS – I have a book fetish.

I also love driving around. I’ll take a long way home just because I like to drive around, particularly when it’s dark out and people don’t close their blinds and I can see into their homes (as mentioned above).

TIM: How did you get into the E-Design business?

KYLIE: Well, I had my blog for several years and ran an almost full-time, local decorating & design business. I’d also spend hours every day answering questions on my blog and then one day, the light bulb turned on, ‘I should make this part of my business!’ It evolved over the first 2-3 years from being INCREDIBLY time-intensive to what it is today – a well-oiled machine!

I spend 6-8 hrs per day working from home, doing something I love. I’ve consulted in Nunavut, Ecuador, Russia and of course ALL over the US and Canada – whooda thunk it! For a girl who got politely asked by her local University to ‘explore other opportunities’ (for an undisclosed reason), my work life is pretty amazing. I’m MADLY in love with my work and intensely grateful every day. I’ve since shut down my local business almost entirely and focused my efforts on my Online clients.

With my ’22 jobs’ I realized that in order to take control of my life and my anxiety, I needed to do something that I could throw myself into passionately, where I could control my schedule and take time for myself when needed. I’ve experienced HUGE growth within myself as I have figured out my triggers, my needs and how to achieve some balance in my life.

TIM: Is there any part of your job you DON’T like?

KYLIE: When Doug has gas. Doug is always in the office with me and when he lets ‘er rip, I die a slow death.

TIM: What do you like BEST about your job?

KYLIE: Paint colours. Seriously, my brain is like a freakin’ Rolodex of paint colours (did I just date myself? Unlike YOU, Tim, I would never date myself, I’m WAAAY too needy). I love colours, I love looking at rooms and brainstorming and coming up with colours and ideas to change things around. I’m not into the ‘big design world’ where everything is super trendy, chic and expensive. I’m more into the ‘reality based’ world. I THRIVE in it, it feeds my soul, as does wine.

I’m more into the ‘reality-based ‘world. I thrive in it, it feeds my soul.

TIM: If you were given 100,000,000 what would you do with it?

KYLIE: A million bucks? Hmmm…

Tim:  A hundred million, Kylie, all those zeroes means a hundred million.

KYLIE: OH, in that case, I’d spend it – all of it. Just joking. Well, of course, there are a million things I would do, but philanthropically speaking, I’d set up some kind of foundation for the animal rescue groups in the States and Canada for free spay/neutering. I’d also lobby to get larger fines put onto Puppy Mills and a-holes who abuse animals. And then I’d spend the rest on sofas, Starbucks, wine and a commercial size Cornuts display, like a vending machine of sorts that doesn’t make me pay any money.

TIM: Have you had to make any sacrifices with owning your own business?

KYLIE: I wouldn’t say ‘sacrifices’, I would say it’s more like I’ve had to ‘learn as I go what does and doesn’t work‘.

WORK/MOM BALANCE: Sure, there are days when I sacrifice hanging with my kids, but then there are days where I don’t work so that we can do something fun; it’s about finding the balance. They know that when I’m in my office, I’m working and since running around dancing in the nude waving lightsabers wouldn’t be suitable for a NORMAL office (like in a building), it shouldn’t be suitable for Mom’s either (okay, I’m lying, it is suitable and in fact, encouraged – sadly my kids are past the age of doing this…thank God Tim’s not).

WORK/LIFE BALANCE: It took me a few years to realize that I was really, really lonely. Without coworkers or a traditional work environment, it’s easy to just curl up in a ball with a coffee (and Bailey’s) and work without realizing that there needs to be more. In the last few years, I’ve worked really hard at balancing my time, saying ‘yes’ more often and getting out there to connect with old and new friends. This is both a stretch for my work schedule AND my comfort zone/anxiety, but so far so good! I’m kinda cool to hang around with…or so I’ve been told (wink wink).

TIM: So, is that why you go to Starbucks EVERY…SINGLE…DAY – to mingle?

KYLIE: Well, first of all, there are worse habits (like sofas). Secondly, let’s get back to that loneliness bit. I spend 6-8 hours a day typing on my computer or talking to myself and Doug. While the conversation is quite scintillating and wonderfully one-sided, sometimes I crave a bit of human interaction, even if it is only with the old carpet cleaning guy with a fake tan and absurdly big muscles and the barista who clearly feels bad for me and spells my name wrong.

This is Doug – nuff said

TIM: If you could hang out with one person for one day, who would it be?

KYLIE: My Grandpa. Definitely my Grandpa – he’s pretty amazing. He also taught me some of my favourite sayings (which my Mom thanks me for not including in this blog post). I also would love a day with my old love, Bowser. If you haven’t met Bowser, you should (Pawprints on my Soul).

So there it is – my soul on a platter.

Chat soon…

READ MORE

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ORIGINALLY WRITTEN IN 2014, FULLY & COMPLETELY UPDATED FOR 2022

The post 11 Things You Didn’t Know About Me: A Sordid Tell-All appeared first on Kylie M Interiors.

I despise TV stands. Not only do they hold an item that RARELY adds decorative value to a space, but they’re usually pretty darn butt-ugly. So when it came time to make a TV stand for our open-concept living room space, I decided NOT to make a TV stand – but to make a piece of furniture that happens to have a TV on top of it.

THE LIVING ROOM BEFORE: A red hot mess (sounds like me)

We sure as heck didn’t buy our home for the colors. In fact, the colors likely put off a ton of buyers before I came traipsing through, with the ability to see BEYOND a bad color palette.

The red was overpowering and clashed with the beautiful stone corner fireplace. As for the brown racing stripe, don’t even get me started…

It’s not like it was bad…oh wait, it really was. Here are my main complaints…

• The couches were approx. 5′ apart – the room was jammed with heavy, dark furniture.
• The paint colors didn’t coordinate with the stone on the fireplace.
• The ceiling felt low because of the horizontal brown stripe (which was REALLY fun to sand down). Also, notice the flat area around the ceiling perimeter that was also painted brown.
• The drapery rod was hung RIGHT above the trim, making the ceiling/windows look more squat.
• The mantle was great, but the vertical supports were actually just 1×5 fir boards that were precariously toenailed in place – literally, they were so loose, it was like they used their toenail clippings to hold them in place.

THE LIVING ROOM AFTER A LITTLE KLC

I talked with Old Kranky (no, not Tim), who is a fabulous local furniture maker, and asked him to build me an eight-foot-long buffet-style cabinet. I gave him my drawings, batted my eyelashes, and six weeks later…voila!

It might not look it in this photo, but this bad boy is 8′ glorious feet long, and in the words of the great Goldilocks – it’s juuuust right.

WHAT COLOR IS THE CABINET PAINTED?

I chose Benjamin Moore Cloud White, the ever-gorgeous, soft, warm, creamy white. It also matches my maple cabinets, which I also painted this color. With an open layout, it’s important that the white is consistent from trims to cabinets, to painted furniture.

White Trims, Cabinets, & Walls: Do They Need to Match?

You might think that eight feet sounds long.  But when you have a long wall, it’s best to put something proportional on it – in fact, it’s ideal. Every other TV stand/buffet that I looked at was approximately 60-78″ long, which equals NOT LONG ENOUGH!  The height of the cabinet is 33″, which is great for TV viewing, and the 17″ depth is just enough to accommodate the cable box/cords without being TOO deep.

The interior, back, and skeleton are all solid wood and solid good. With three drawers and soft-close cupboard doors, it’s everything I wanted in a TV cabinet and more (but will it fit a wine keg?).

The fireplace insert’s silver finish should be updated with matte black (more ideas HERE).

WHAT COLOR ARE THE WALLS & TRIMS?

Before, the color palette didn’t complement the fireplace stones at ALL. However, being the focal point and BOSS of the room, the fireplace is the most important part! I chose Benjamin Moore Gentle Cream for the walls (my go-to heavy cream) as it nods at the warmth in the stones without going too yellow and provides a simpler backdrop for my furniture and decor…

The 13 Best Cream Paint Colors

As you can see in the ‘before’ photo above, the previous owner put the TV on the end wall, giving this already narrow space a bowling alley effect. By rounding the room out with furniture and placing the TV in the center, the space is more inviting and well-balanced, EVEN WITH a corner fireplace (they’re always a bugger).

And check out this bad boy hunka hunka burnin’ wood…

The post Our Living Room: Corner Fireplace, Custom TV Stand, & Colors appeared first on Kylie M Interiors.

As featured in Apartment Therapy

If someone had told me that one day I’d paint two of our rooms black and white, I’m sure I would’ve said, “Not bloody likely!”.  That is, until I painted Cassie’s room white with a black feature wall.  And I didn’t stop there…

I also painted my office black and white.

Okay, let’s back up the bus a bit here. Obviously, I work from home, and I work from home A LOT, to the tune of 8-10 hrs a day.  Since my Online Color Consulting has taken off, I’ve cut back DRASTICALLY on my local work and spend most of my time drinking wine, coffee, and Bailey’s coffee, talking to myself, and typing.

However, working from home is not always good for ye ole mental health/social life, and adding to that was the fact that I was working in a lovely lil’ bat cave – one small window and three pot lights – dats it.

It took only a few months of twitching and crying in the corner for the hubs to agree that maybe it was time for a bit of a remodel – taking my office to the next level with regard to lighting and layout!

My new office had to be majorly multi-purpose, so when planning the space, I needed to make room for the following:

• Two+ desk spaces for me n’ my homies (the kids). I like company and am happy when they come down and do their homework. Tim also helps me out A LOT with my website, so it’s nice to have him sit down for a while – nice for him that is
• Table and chairs to lay projects out on or for the kids to do crafts on
• Comfy chair to watch TV from
• Murphy bed.  OH yes, a Murphy Bed
• Closet

And I managed to fit it ALL in with room to spare!

You ready?

The Hallway Leading to the Office & Family Room

This WAS the hallway leading from our new entryway into the office/family room area.

When you stood in the entryway and looked down the hallway, you saw a lovely…red…wall (the door to the office ‘was’ on the far right).

Look down the hallway now, and you’ll see a 36″ extra-wide glass door and a 6 1/2′ window. The room used to be smaller with a weee lil window. We had to steal space from the family room (which we definitely don’t miss) so that we could fit that large window in – it was kind of a deal-breaker.

While the above photo makes it look like the wall is on an angle, it’s not – it’s now a perfect 90 degrees.

And this is just a SNIPPET of what you NOW see when looking down the hallway.  And yes, the house came with a free garden gnome.

The Lighting Situation

No matter how beautiful your paint colors are, if you don’t have enough lighting, NO paint colour will save you!  The lack of natural light and tragic interior lighting pulled the room down, giving it a dark, shadowed look.

This was my office BEFORE being remodeled (again, the red gave me conniptions).

And now, the space is light, bright, and multi-purpose!

How Light Bulbs & Kelvins Affect Paint Colors

And you’d think that black would drain a space, but think again!  In the right space, black can add just the right contrast and impact. The combo leaves me feeling inspired…I tried to come up with another gobsmackingly amazing word, but really – that’s all I’ve got.

LET THERE BE LIGHT…and there was.

Where Should You Paint an Accent Wall & What Color?

Before, we had three pot lights and a 2.5′ x 3.4′ window.

NOW we have…

• six-and-a-half-foot window
• 18″ x 42″ foundation windows (x2)
• Chandelier
• five pot lights (no, not THOSE kind of pot lights – I may be from Vancouver Island, but wine is my weakness)
• Wall/task light (which you’ll see below)

Of course, the six-foot window adds a ton of light, as well as the interior lighting, but it’s the foundation windows that REALLY jack things up to the next level.  They make a HUUUUGE (pronounced HOOOOGE) difference with regard to the flow and vibe of the room, rounding it out nicely.

Look at this corner before…

And look at it now!

AN IKEA DESK HACK THAT FITS TWO

(three people if I add another extension) – right now, it’s 10′ long and just perfect!

I couldn’t find a desk I loved, so I pieced this together using Ikea Alex drawer units and Linmon table tops. I’m SUPER happy with the function of it, and when I get bored (so like tomorrow), I can switch things around.

THE IKEA DOCKSTA PROJECT TABLE

I bought the Ikea Docksta table as it’s just the right diameter. I would love a marble top version, but money talks.

The accent chairs were on clearance at Scan Designs, so I got the pair for a great price!

This stunning shade of black on the upper part of the foundation wall is Sherwin Williams Tricorn Black – it’s pretty much the most badass colour out there. Paired with fresh white trim and Benjamin Moore Cloud White on the lower foundation walls, it’s a super dynamic combo!

THE MURPHY BED

I’d always wanted a Murphy bed, but it seemed like a luxury item. Luckily I found a local fellow (Creative Wall Beds in Victoria) who does a great job making/assembling these beasties! It’s all wood and painted in Benjamin Moore Cloud White.

Benjamin Moore Cloud White Paint Color Review

I planned it so that when the Murphy bed comes down, all I need to move is my lovely golden chair – everything else can stay where it is.

THE ORGANIZING BITS & PIECES

I bought the mother-of-all corkboards online as I couldn’t find a big enough one locally. At 3 x 5, she’s HOOOGE, and while she was ‘functional,’ she wasn’t very ‘funk-tional,’ so I grabbed my trusty staple gun and wrapped her up in fabric!

You can also see my task light from Wayfair and some smaller corkboards for the wee bits.

I also love clipboards (clearly, I throw my love around a lot). They’re a great way to tackle magazine pages, to-do lists, and more.

THE IKEA RASKOG CART

I’ve showcased the Ikea Raskog cart many times in our home – from the girls’ bedrooms to our homework closet; I can’t get enough of this handy little unit (I say the same thing to Tim on Friday nites).

THE FUN STUFF

Okay, maybe it’s all fun, but I’m particularly jacked up about my décor. And if you’ve ever tried to decorate above a foundation wall, I’m sure you feel my pain. Luckily I know what I’m doing…most of the time, anyway.

THE VIEW FROM THE FAMILY ROOM

With our remodel, we stole square footage from the large family room and reconfigured the wall to use the space better.

The photo below shows how the house was when we first viewed it. Notice that the red wall was about seven feet long and on an angle that SUPER cut into my office space (behind the red wall).

The next photo shows the in-between phase. I did have mad love for my farmhouse barn door, but knowing that trends come and go, I decided to go with something a bit more timeless with the new design.

And now, everything is light, bright, and perfectly homey!  I painted the end wall in Benjamin Moore Steel Wool so that it flows off of the entryway seamlessly, along with Sherwin Williams Creamy on the main walls.

Can I tell you how much I love this space?  Do I NEED to tell you how much I love this space??????  I’m sure my photos show how happy I am with how our home turned out!

So there you have it – this is where the magic…or at least MOST of the magic happens.

READ MORE

The Best Whole Home Gray & Greige Paint Colors

Where Should You Add an Accent Wall & What Color?

6 Budget-Friendly Home Update Ideas

The Ultimate Guide to White Paint Colors

Want some help with your home? 

Check out my E-design and Colour Consulting Packages!

Originally written in 2017, edited/updated in 2020 to make Google happy!

The post My Black & White Ikea-Inspired Home Office (Budget-Friendly) appeared first on Kylie M Interiors.

Adding Personality to a Small Bathroom (Corner Shower)

This bathroom was one tough customer. With its corner shower and pedestal sink, it was less than functional and super fugly – unless you’re a fan of fluorescent pea soup green. And while I could definitely improve on the vanity and paint colour, there wasn’t a lot I could do about the corner shower.

Holy Hannah, I kind of forgot how ugly it was…

In the ideal world (and because there was AMPLE room for it), the shower would have run across the back wall, approx 3′ deep by 6′ long. HOWEVER, because the toilet was installed too far over (1/2″ clearance with shower door), we couldn’t extend the shower without having to move the loo. And seeing how this was all installed on concrete, I wasn’t about to haul out my jackhammer and wallet.

Really, they could have chosen to not even PUT in a shower and made it into a lovely little powder room, which would have also given me more closet space in the hallway. This is one reason why I LOVE to look at clients floorplans, so I can suggest alterations before the walls go up – preventing mistakes like this from happening.

I wanted the colours in the bathroom to jibe with the family room as they were related to each other in the floorplan

Another important factor in NOT re-doing the shower was that this bathroom was built for the family room, meaning it didn’t have a bedroom that needed it. So while I HAD relegated Tim to this bathroom, MOST people wouldn’t ever even USE the shower in here.

Soooo, I decided to save $4000 and left the shower as-is and just added a little KLC to the rest of the space!

You ready Betty?

It’s hard to believe its even the same bathroom!

Let’s do a quick refresher of those green walls again…

And now…

I wanted to add some personality to the room without killing my budget, so I decided to do a marble herringbone feature wall to add some SERIOUS visual value. Now when you walk in, its the pattern that grabs you, not the day-glo paint colour.

Read more: The Best Paint Colours to Coordinate with Marble Tile

And of course, the floor tile and feature wall were installed by Brett and his team of stud muffins from BE Tile. They also had to chisel up the old tile floor – poor buggers, but better them than me!

If it were me doing it, that big orange bucket would have been full of wine.

Read more: Bathroom Update Ideas: High-End Style for Low-End Prices

Lighter, brighter and DEFINITELY more clean and fresh looking.

Now, here’s a shot of the vanity area in the ‘in-between’ phase, where I slapped some paint on the walls just for the short-term. It definitely helped, but was kind of a ‘putting lipstick on a pig’ situation, ya know?

And now…

Much better! I got the vanity from Lowe’s for $399. I fell in love with the marble top, no fuss handle-free drawers and was excited to do a wood vanity, rather than white or gray. I’m not REALLY a gray gal, but it’s good for resale and the wood brought some warmth back to the room.

The paint colour I chose was Benjamin Moore Stonington Gray, one of my fave soft stormy grays. I had it lightened by 25%, just to freshen it up a stitch.

Read more: Colour Review Comparing Stonington Gray and Gray Owl

The light fixtures were a SUPER score from Canadian Tire at $49 apiece and with their rounded shade, were JUST what I was looking for. Because this room had no windows, the lighting situation wasn’t great. The old walls sconces with their lovely mint green shades cast a weird light on the walls and didn’t do anything for ma purdy lil’ face when I looked in the mirror.

And ABOUT that mirror! I couldn’t find what I wanted and it HAD to be round, courtesy of the awkwardly placed outlet (and yes, it needs to be updated to white, not janky yellow). I found this wood mirror at Home Sense for $39 and painted/distressed it to give it up some personality.

And just ONE more shot of that glorious green…

Project Cost

• Vanity – Lowes: $399
• Faucet – American Standard: $129
• Mirror – Home Sense: $39
• Light fixtures – Canadian Tire: $49
• Feature wall – Lowes: $275 (24 sq ft)
• Floor tile – City Tile: $250
• Paint – BM Stonington Gray: $45
• Tile installation – $1300

TOTAL COST: Approx $2500

So, what do you think, $2500 well spent? I think so!

Need help with your small bathroom?

Check out my affordable and FUN E-Design and Online Paint Colour packages!

Chat soon,

Read More:

Our Greige Bathroom Remodel

Our Kitchen Remodel – No More Maple! 

Our ‘Real’ Family Room – The Final Reveal!

ORIGINALLY WRITTEN 2017, AWESOMELY UPDATED IN 2020

The post Small Bathroom – From Boring to Beautiful On a Budget! appeared first on Kylie M Interiors.

Today we’re taking a break from our weekly decorating sessions to talk about a topic close to my heart…cooking.

You would think that as a decorator, my skills would also carry forward into the kitchen (a la Martha Stewart). You thought wrong – dead wrong, which would also apply if you EAT what I cook.

In fact, I am a bit of a legend in the family when it comes to cooking and I do come by it quite honestly – in between twice-cooked pork chops and exploding casseroles I am kind of a big deal.

Let the games begin…

Twice Baked Porkchops

Oh, we all know how deliciously dry pork chops can be the first time around, just IMAGINE the glory on round TWO!

I’d decided that I could do this, I could ‘cook’ like a real Mom. So I whipped up a lovely little casserole (which means I put ground beef with mushroom soup and rice and clapped for myself). In the middle of cooking, I thought to myself, ‘Hey, I’m going to get ahead of the game and I’m going to get dinner ready for TOMORROW nite’. I brought some lovely lil pink pork chops out of the freezer, tossed them on a pan, and set them in the oven at 375. They cooked, I turned the oven off and carried on with my dinner making.

Insert whistling here…

4:30 the next day. Hmmm, what are we going to have for dinner? MMMM, PORK CHOPS! Totally oblivious to the fact that I had ALREADY COOKED said pork chops, I proceeded to turn the oven on to 375 and got a few other things ready.

1/2 an hour later, ‘Mom, what’s that weird smell?’

THE PORK CHOPS!!! Oh, the pork chops were cooked and ready to go alright! I managed to COMPLETELY forget that I’d actually COOKED them the day before AND had left them in the oven overnight, leaving them ripe n’ ready for a little ‘reheat’. I should’ve thrown some potatoes in as well, I hear they’re AWESOME when twice-baked.

Mr Noodles & Toast

Oh, and you thought Mr. Noodles were fool-proof, didn’t you!

4:33.  Soccer practice starts at 5:00 and my brain finally kicks into Mom mode and says ‘Crap Hey, what’s for dinner?’ Hmmm, what’s for dinner, what’s for dinner…MR NOODLES. So, I fill a pot, set it on the stove, and turn it to high.

Cassie: Mom, it’s making a lot of noise, like popping and there’s smoke.

Me: Oh there’s just water on the outside of the pot.

Moments later…

Cassie: Mom, it’s still doing that and now it really stinks.

Me: It’s just water sweetie.

Moments later, I start thinking, ‘Am I having a stroke? Why do I smell burnt toast, what’s going on here?’ I turn around to see smoke billowing out from underneath the pot and I’m thinking ‘What the Hell, IT’S WATER – HOW DOES THIS HAPPEN???‘ At which point I lift the pot up and see something crispified to the element as well as to the bottom of the pot.

Toast. That’s right. There is apparently more than one way to make toast, the more effective way being in a toaster, but coming in a hot second is having a piece of bread stuck to the bottom of your pot which is then flattened onto an element and torched.

How did a piece of bread come to be stuck on the bottom of my pot? Thanks for asking! Well, earlier we’d made jello (I’ve got a 50/50 chance with that stuff) and put the pot in the sink. The same sink that Maggie put her leftover sandwich into. So, knowing I’d only used that pot for boiling water, I picked it up out of the sink, filled ‘er up and set it on the stove, not knowing there was a soggy half-loaf attached to it. This is my life.

The Maxi-Pad Incident

So you know that white pad that comes under the steak? Apparently, it’s not the spice packet, nor is it a maxi pad from the 1960s…

Tim doesn’t let me use the BBQ. Now don’t go all women’s lib on me, because it’s not like that. It’s about the preservation of our house and lives as if I can’t handle an electric stove, just IMAGINE what I could do with gas!

4:30. I look in the fridge and think ‘Hmmm, what can I make for dinner…STEAK!’ There it was, a nice big slab of red meat mooing at me from its styrofoam package, just waiting to be cooked to a tender medium-rare. I pull out the frying pan (yes, I tried to cook a steak with a frying pan), slap ‘er down, and turn it on high.

Insert whistling again…

Cassie: Mom, what’s that weird smell? (story of their lives)

Me: It’s just the steak cooking.

Cassie: Well, it doesn’t smell good.

A short while later, hmmm, it does smell gross – maybe it’s rotten? While I try to decipher the offensive smell, I grab a fork, flip the steak over and… ‘WHAT THE HECK IS THAT?’ On the bottom of the steak, there’s this weird, mangled teflony pad that has melted itself in between the frying pan and the steak. Oh. You mean there was a maxi-paddish thing in between the steak and its styrofoam container? Apparently. I don’t know what this thing is made of or why it’s there, but APPARENTLY, it’s not meant to be cooked with the steak…just so you know.

The Exploding Casserole

Mmmm, I love me a good casserole. Now MY casseroles tend to scare Tim as you just never know what is going to end up in them, but lately, I’ve been doing okay – steering away from the misc. salad dressings, frozen vegetables and canned meats that usually make their way to my mixing bowl.

I actually made a really good casserole this time. Chicken, mushroom soup – you know, stuff. I brought it out of the oven just steaming, even the girls were excited about it. I set it on the stove, scooped out healthy portions for everyone and we all sat down to eat.

Maggie:  Mmmm, Mom, this is SO good.

Cassie: Ya Mom, this is REALLY REALLY good.

Me: Oh good, I’m glad you…

KABLOOOOOOOOEEEY!!!

So. ‘Apparently’ when you bring a glass casserole dish out of the oven you shouldn’t place it on a hot element. Oh, you mean that element you left on after cooking some broccoli? Ya, that element. Doing so may cause a rather large explosion as shards of glass, chicken and other good things are catapulted throughout the Kitchen.

Mr Noodles anyone?

READ MORE

A Little Bit About Me – A Sordid Tell-All

The 12 Best Whole Home Gray & Greige Paint Colours

Pawprints On My Soul

The post ‘Mom, What’s That Weird Smell?’ Cooking With Kylie M. appeared first on Kylie M Interiors.

Dining Room Update:  Farmhouse Sign and More! 

My blog post from a few days ago was a bit serious – nary a mention of wine to be found!  Oh wait, there was ONE mention – phew.

I thought I’d share something a bit more fun with you today – my revamped dining room!  Now you might be like, ‘wait a minute, didn’t you just revamp your dining room like 6 months ago?’ and I’d be like, ‘HECK YA I DID!‘  And I did it again.  The devil made me do it…

Now let’s just take a moment to reminisce on what our dining room used to look like…

When we first bought our house, I wasn’t pumped on the chocolate brown/red theme going on and knew that slowly but surely it would evolve into something we loved.  This photo shows it with the old owners furnishings…my passive-aggressive way of saying, ‘I didn’t do it‘.

And the painted flat detail around the edge of the textured ceiling?  GREAT IDEA…said nobody ever.

This next photo shows it’s LAST phase…which I DID like, but I noticed in the photo that there was a SPIDER web hanging from the top of the light.  ERMERGERD – MUST REDECORATE!

See more of this stage here

Really though, we don’t have a HUGE dining area.  What you see in that photo is 4 chairs, but what you DON’T see is that back chair was ramma-jammed in there with not much wiggle-room.  It worked great for the 4 of us, but not much more…and I was over it.

So, let’s take a look now!

And you’ll be proud of me – I didn’t paint…IT’S A FREAKIN’ CHRISTMAS MIRACLE!  That’s BM Steel Wool (which is also in our uber-fab entryway), a steely charcoal with gorgeous undertones.

I had been searching EVERYWHERE for a wooden sign that had a saying that suited me n’ the fam jam.  Some were too sappy, some were too serious, but MOST were a bit too religious for me.  I mean, if you consider praying to the porcelain God after drinking (ahem) too much wine, then I am a FANATIC!   For real though, I was just looking for something that hit home and I FOUND it by the lovely Jennie at Lavish Olive Studio on Etsy.

Check out the detail on this bad boy…clocking in at a whopping 24×48, it was THE perfect piece for this wall.

See how the hand-writing looks…handwritten?  LOVE.  See the aged creamy backdrop and rustic wood frame?  MAD LOVE!  Want one for yourself?  Check her out here at Lavish Olive Studio – she is shut down until the new year, but now you know where to find her!

And did you notice my upholstered bench from Home Sense?  It OFFICIALLY solved the seating problem.  Me n’ one of my nuggets eats at the bench with the rest of the fam around the table.  The new table also comes with an additional 20″ of wood to strap on if needed (did that sound dirty?  Oh, it did…).  Seriously though, adding a bench free’d up 18″, and when you’re tight on space, that’s a LOT.

The gorgeous bistro style chairs were a great deal at $69 a piece (local).

And this lil’ fella deserves mad props.  In the face of drought and famine, he still seems to thrive!

So there you have it.  The revolving door of furniture at our house is still spinnin’!

And did you know that this is in the same room as our kitchen with the painted maple cabinets?  Check it out here with ‘Our Kitchen Makeover – No More Maple!’

Want ideas for your OWN home?  Check out my affordable AND fun E-Design and Online Paint Colour Packages!

Chat soon,

Kylie M Interiors     E-design, Online Decorating, Design, and Paint Colour Consultant     Based in Nanaimo BC, Vancouver Island but serving the virtual world!

The post Our Updated Dining Room…Again appeared first on Kylie M Interiors.

When we bought our home, this was one of the spaces I was REALLY excited about – I knew it had the potential to be the hub and heart of our home (which can’t often be said about a dark basement family room). And it’s not like it was THAT bad to start with, HELL YES IT WAS (sorry, that was my inside voice screaming at me), but it definitely needed a little KLC.

Let’s start with a nice general shot of the main area before.

As you can see, the hubs is standing at the bar, which was awkward for a few reasons…

a) He prefers to sit when he drinks beer and this was more of a ‘stand up’ bar, rather than a ‘sit at’ bar. Let’s be honest, though, as long as he’s drinking beer, he’s pretty happy.

b) It was a terrible layout; even if he were to sit at the bar, the countertop was chest height (even with tall bar stools) and he would be staring at a blank wall (similar to when he’s talking to me about my shopping problem).

b) It blocked the flow of light from that window, which we needed in this dark space.

d) It had cherry cabinetry which WAS beautiful, but not really ma’ jam.

But I digress. You will be seeing more of the bar area in the NEXT blog post, as it really deserves a spot of its own.  For now, we’re focusing on the main area, which has come a LONG way from its somewhat goth roots…

Same stone fireplace, but that’s about the only thing that survived!

Also, notice the lack of bar to the left of that brown leather accent chair and the fact that the TV becomes a secondary part of the room, blending into the paint colour (it’s like I know what I’m doing or something).

And in the title, you’ll notice I called it a ‘real’ family room.

Why?

Well, I find that a lot of the magazine, Houzz, and Pinterest photos that you see are either:

a) cost prohibitive – meaning they are out of reach for many readers.

b) they aren’t all that ‘liveable,’ meaning you ‘could’ relax and put your feet up, but the homeowner may beat you for doing so.

c) there’s a WHOOOOLE lot of gray and white, which can be beautiful, but I wanted to show you guys something more fun and colorful!

I’m also going to share with you some of the highlights of this room and some of the costs, so you can see where I found my happy medium between quality, price, and looks, all without having to visit a marriage counselor.

The Coffee Table & Media Center

Best…coffee table…evah.

Coffee Table: $200. This coffee table is unreal. Coming in at a whopping 54″x 54″, it’s really as big as they get. I bought this piece 2nd hand and while it’s ginormous, it’s the perfect spot for games, puzzles, drinks, and feet!  And notice it’s not accessorized with trays, floral arrangements, and artful stacks of books. That’s because that is HIGH maintenance. I like to keep things low-key and simple for everyday use – the above is about as artful as it gets.

Media Stand: $30. Did you notice the white cabinet to the right of the fireplace? It’s another 2nd hand piece. It’s solid pine and with a fresh lick of white paint, it turned into the PERFECT media center. I’ve got the cable box hiding underneath it and the drawers hide all of the technical bits n’ pieces. For a while, I had removed two drawers to house the cable box and whatnot, but I got tired of seeing all that junk (even though you KNOW how I LOVE going without any drawers…). And you’d never even THINK it was only $30!

And I’m a BIG believer in a home that is full of love, not just ‘home decor.’ Therefore, many of our decorative bits have meaning – you’ll see my Big Grandpa there, safely tucked away in the yellow container (so he can hear the hockey game).

Now let’s look at another before photo (always the best part…).

The Accent Chairs & Gray Sectional

Oy vay, what a dungeon – it may invite you in, but you might not come out alive!

Accent Chairs: $485 Pier 1. I have MAD love for my two leather accent chairs (the other one is to the left of the fireplace). Tobacco brown is my fave leather colour and it’s a fab complement to the warm stones in the fireplace and the paint colors.

Sectional: $2200 (on sale) Urban Barn. I’ve learned the hard way not to buy a cheap couch. This one was not crazy expensive, but it’s certainly more than I’d USUALLY spend. It’s comfy, quality, and the dark charcoal is a great foundation for the room (and shows less wine spills than a lighter fabric).

Artwork: $119 Home Sense. I LOOVE my pussy willow canvas!

The Family Gallery Wall

Standing at the fireplace and looking BACK into the room, you’ll see my favorite part (okay, maybe my 2nd fave part) – the family photo wall.

Before, this wall was bright red and overwhelming (this is how it looked when we bought our home)…

And NOW, it pays homage to some of our favorite people in the world (and in Heaven too…)

A few things to notice…

The wall is now longer than it used to be. This was all part of my ‘Home Office Makeover – a Black and White Affair.’ So, we actually LOST 2 1/2 feet of space in the family room, but we don’t even miss it. In fact, the flow is way better as there’s less non-functioning dead space.

The sofa table behind the couch: $250 (custom). This is a custom piece that I had Drift Designs in Wood make for us (amongst other awesome pieces in our home). It has two stools, so come game time, we can accommodate that many more people (plus it saves extra messy meals from being eaten on the couch).

The stools: $80. I got them for $80 a piece – brand new (but bought 2nd hand; they just hadn’t been used).

The buffet: $499 Home Sense. This houses our games, candles, and gardening gloves as it’s close to the backyard.

NOW…we’re moving on to my REAL favorite part – my books.

My Ikea Hemnes Bookcases

For those of you who know me well, you’ll know I’m a super nerd and love to spend most nites with a good book. And I’m a total hoarder too. While I don’t have a problem parting with books I didn’t enjoy, I’m pretty hard-pressed to give up my faves (just a couple hundred or so…).

This wall used to look like this…

There’s Mr. Studmuffin again.

And now it looks like this – sans Studmuffin…

Artwork: $59 Home Sense. This is sitting where there USED to be a door – ALL part of the plan, my friend (and part of the office remodel).

Ikea Hemnes Bookcases: $950 for all three pieces. These bookcases saved me. I used to have a long low bookcase that I painted black, but I was in the mood for something fresh, bright, and SUPER functional – and these bookcases fit the bill. Not only do they hold my precious books (said in the voice of Gollum from Lord of the Rings), but the drawers have ALL of the girl’s artsy-fartsy craft supplies and some great display spots behind the glass doors.

Freakin’ Glorious Chartreuse Chair: $525 Urban Barn. I…love…this…chair. Tim does not; he says it’s a Grandma’s chair. However, he doesn’t even know what chartreuse is, so he doesn’t get an opinion.

Hexagon Accent Table: $99 Target. And don’t even ASK me how much I miss Target (sob sob…sip sip – ALL BETTER!)

See how all of the textures and colours jibe? This space is my happy place.

Pouf: $59 Home Sense. I have a mild pouf obsession – amongst other things.

Area Rug: $329 (clearance) Home Sense. This is a big boy at 8×11.

And while I’m not SUPER anal with my books (says the girl who colour coordinated them), I do get a lot of mental pleasure from seeing all of my favorites displayed JUST how I like them.

See any familiar titles?

The top of the cabinets is also a great place for my globe collection (and dust).

Here are a few more bits n’ pieces that I love…

I love how my cool little Home Sense mirror reflects the photo gallery wall.

I love the look of this fold-up table ($99 Home Sense) with my little brass aviator-style clock ($29 Home Sense).

I love these particular books SO much; I even busted out of the color coding (deep breath) to display them on their own – topped by a clay creation that Cassie made when she was younger.

Now, after ALL of that, you’re probably thinking, ‘Well, that’s fine and dandy, Kylie, but what the HECK are those amazing paint colors?’.

You’re looking at…

• ACCENT WALL & BAR AREA (which was an EPIC way to lower the impact of the TV): Sherwin Williams Cyberspace SW 7076
• MAIN WALLS (which also run throughout the stairwell and living room): Sherwin Williams Creamy SW 7012
• BACK HALLWAY ACCENT WALL (which also leads into the entryway and my home office):  Benjamin Moore Steel Wool 2121-20

Read more: Paint Colour Review: Sherwin Williams Creamy

Now HOT on the heels of this blog post will be ‘Part 2 – The Home Bar’, which I can’t WAIT to share with you, so stay tuned – and it’s done now, check it out here!

Need help creating the room of YOUR dreams? 

Check out my affordable E-Design

Chat soon,

The post Our ‘Real’ Family Room: Budget-Friendly & Bright appeared first on Kylie M Interiors.

The Great Revival of our Foyer

Sweet hallelujah!  Oh wait, it’s not THAT kind of revival, however it is kind of like God has shone a light down on our entryway and given it new life – or maybe it’s our new light fixture.  Well, either way, our entryway looks NOTHING like it did when we bought our home – which is a definitely a good thing.

When I first walked into our home (almost 3 years ago – holy moly!), I felt like I was walking into either a townhome or a home with a basement suite – NOT a 2 storey single family detached home.  The entryway was like a secret warren of walls, doors, passages and I half expected a gnome to come through one and say ‘right this way madam, to the dungeon family room’.  Okay, seriously, it wasn’t that bad – our home has always been beautiful, but it DID need a little bit of TLC (or KLC if you’re so inclined).

And while it may have taken almost 3 years it’s FINALLY done!

BTW, I want you to play the ‘Where’s Doug’ game.  See if you can find all 4 Doug’s (and one Henry).

The main entryway area

Did you notice all of the changes?

Before:  A cased doorway leading to the family room / After:  No door OR doorway

Before:  Solid drywall that hid the upstairs area from view / After:  Wood and metal curved railing

Before:  Ugly pine beam over the header underneath the curved wall / After:  No ugly beam

Before:  While you can only see it in the very FIRST photo, there used to be 12×12 tile flooring which had IMPOSSIBLE colours in it.  It also transitioned to ANOTHER ugly tile at the doorway to the familyroom /  After:  We decided to take our new flooring almost everywhere, creating much more flow

And I knew that ONE day this curved wall would be LONG gone, as would the walls going up the stairway.  It’s actually amazing that it took me 3 years to bring out the sledgehammer (who am I kidding, I hired someone to do the dirty work and sat back and drank wine by the jug…with a straw).

Before, who even KNEW what was up there???

After, the light from both the entryway AND the upstairs great room co-mingle, creating a bright, open space.  And check out what really IS up there in this post, ‘Our Living Room Update’

The paint colours are…

• Light Colour: Sherwin Williams Creamy SW 7012
• Grayish Colour: Benjamin Moore Steel Wool 2121-20

From the stair landing

From the middle stair landing, you could see that there was a LOT of air space (being a 2 storey foyer) as well as a lot of…wall.

See the changes?

Before:  Drywall on the right hand side of the stairs / After:  Wood and metal railing

Before:  Fugly pine molding capping the foundation wall on the right / After:  More traditional white molding on the foundation wall and YES I was soooo tempted to do shiplap, but I’m hesitant to commit to a trend that will require major wall-patching once I’m over it (so in like 3 months)

Before:  Top left curved wall / After:  Top left curved railing

Before:  While you can’t see it, there was a multi-armed light fixture straight outta 1996 / After: With scaffolding, a good friend and some good beer, we got a new light fixture up (and the old one is still sitting on our back deck rusting)

From the front door

Here’s the view coming in the front door…and yes, that IS a big bad ass clock.

And did you know that this armoire used to be THIS armoire below?  I painted the heckadoody out of it in about 3 hrs with Rustoleum ‘Chalked’ Ultra Matte Paint.

Now let’s take it from the top!

Before, this is really where I felt like we were in a narrow townhome, which would obviously be fine…if we lived in a narrow townhome.

If was a pretty dark, dense look – which I like in some rooms, but I wasn’t feeling it for this large, bright area.

After, you can REALLY see how things opened up and brightened up.  And you can probably see a flash of my lovely chartreuse doors in the top photo, which will soon be changed to Hale Navy (can’t wait!).

Ahhhh, there she is – my beautiful 1990’s light!  Epic photo quality, I know.  At the time I wasn’t planning on becoming world famous with these photos…

Doug alert!  And seriously, he’s such a poser.  I’m not sure if this was before or after he ate 5 granola bars from the pantry.

Before: Again, epic photo quality by yours truly…

I love this view, and while it was a close one (thanks to a messy contractor), we managed to keep the carpet on the stairs, helping to keep the budget in line!

Before:  Wall on the left side of the stairs / After:  Wood and metal railing

Before:  Disturbingly black railing on the right side (I like black railings…just not this one) / NO hand railing

Before:  No dogs / After:  The installation of a dog/pig and a Muppet at the top of the stairs.  And yes, the poor lil’ bugger has a skin condition that he takes prednisone for, hence the pinkish tone.  The other one had a golden retreiver Mom and Animal from the Muppets as a dad.

So there it is!  Want to see how it jives with the rest of our home?  Check these out!

Our Maple Bathroom Remodel

No More Maple Kitchen Update

Our Family Room

Do you want some personalized help for own home?  I have some great customizable packages for you to check out here!

The post Our Entryway Makeover – A 2 Storey Revival! appeared first on Kylie M Interiors.

Partner Post to Cassie’s Bedroom

I would like to introduce you all to Maggie, my 7 year old daughter.  You think I’M spunky?  Wait until you meet this little spark-plug!

And yes, those are 3D glasses without the lenses.  She put them on about 2 1/2 years ago and hasn’t put them down since (she can’t see a wink without them!)

So, like mother like daughter, Maggie wanted a new paint colour in her bedroom and where there’s paint…there’s bedding, drapes, accessories, wine…it never ends, and I couldn’t WAIT to get started!

Maggie’s Bedroom Before

Here’s her room when we bought the house (old owners décor). It was cute, but not really ‘Maggie’.

Maggie’s Bedroom After

Maggie really wanted a pink room (oh the horror!) so we (okay me) chose Benjamin Moore Pink Bliss for the walls, which is just a wee whisper of pink with a super subtle coral undertone to stop it from looking like Pepto Bismol.  I did this because I knew we could have some fun with pink bedding and accessories which would more than make up for the ‘not-so-pink’ walls.

We have quite a few of these Ikea Raskog Carts kickin’ around the house.  1 in each girls room, 1 in the homework closet (photos tba) and 1 in my office.  It is just the PERFECT versatile piece for any room.

I also made a fabric corkboard for her by wrapping a corkboard with fabric, stapling it to the back of the frame and using tacks to define the framed edge.  It’s a great spot for all of the artwork, photos and school papers that otherwise barf all over my kitchen countertop (so eloquent, I know).

Read more: Storage Ideas: The Best Little Storage Cart Ever…

I was DESPERATE to use these gold vinyl dots – they were super easy to apply and will be easy to take off (as you all know her room will look different in 6 months – tops).

I love how the gold added some bling to her room and coordinated with her gold heart toss cushion and ‘LOVE’ canvas.

The chandelier was a 2nd hand find which was spray painted a glossy white.

I’m pretty sure that the Ikea Kallax unit is the best thing that’s ever happened to me (except for wine…oh and Tim too).  It holds her books, toys and storage containers.

I also bought the drawer inserts for her crayons and colouring books.  The desktop has already been used for everything from crafts and colouring to puzzles and playtime!

(It came with 2 desk tops, but we only used 1)

And NO room is complete with out some heartfelt touches.  In between her wee little baby shoes, jewelry box and a pic of Big Grandpa, her bedroom has heart and soul.

We’re also getting a lot of use out of our vintage Dr Seuss book collection, this girl loves to read!

Well, I hope that this blog post has made YOU smile, whether you have kids or not!

Want some ideas for your wee ones bedroom (or maybe your own?)  Hire me via my Online Decorating and Colour Consulting!

Kylie M Interiors    Interior Decorating and Design   Budget Friendly Ideas and Online Colour Consulting   Based in Nanaimo BC Canada

The post Cutie-Patootie Girls Bedroom: Soft Pink and Gold appeared first on Kylie M Interiors.

When we bought our home two years ago, I knew the kitchen was not long for this world. Sure, other people thought it was just fine – I mean, the cabinets were solid wood; what can be bad about that, right?

Just because it’s wood, doesn’t mean it’s good    ~moi

Are they good because they’re solid wood? Sure, and they’ll still BE solid…under three coats of GLORIOUS WHITE PAINT!

LET THE PAINTING BEGIN!

This was our kitchen before – decent bones, just not our style. And although you can’t see it in the photos, the side gables were NOT solid wood and had faded to a soft pinkish colour, and the doors around the sink area needed some serious KLC…

Drum roll, please (or just tap your fingers lightly on your wine glass…)

Wanna know what we did? Oh, I say ‘we’ like Tim was involved – you know I make all the big decisions around here (wink wink).

OUR KITCHEN MAKEOVER – THE GUTS N’ THE GLORY

The previous island was 3×5, and while it worked, we had the floor space to extend it by an extra 18″. This meant that it would need some extra support (unlike my chest, which needs minimal, at best #TMI); here are the details…

• We extended the island by 18″ on the end to have three stools instead of two. I scooped up the stools secondhand – FIVE of them! This made the island space look MUCH larger and more proportional to the room, without remotely infringing on any pathways.
• I had my friend and craftsman Christian make up an island base/support for us out of reclaimed wood – MAD love.
• To save money, I chose a quartz counter for the island and an affordable laminate countertop for the rest of the space

Do you want to see what the island looked like before? Trust me, you don’t, but I’ll show you anyway…

YES, this is what happens when you don’t prep your cabinets properly by sanding and priming them. It’s like putting latex over oil-based paint – THE PAINT WON’T STICK and will peel off! I’ll also enforce the fact that it was not me, nor anyone I know, who did this…SACRILEGE!

With some prep work (clean, sand, wipe with a tack cloth, prime, paint, and let it cure) and the right type of paint, this is what the cabinets SHOULD have looked like…

Delea of Details Painting did the prep and painting and did an AMAZING job. I don’t mind a good DIY project and tackled the cabinets in our last home, but they were oak, and oak is much more (ahem) forgiving for less than epic painters. I also had a lot more time on my hands. And while I’m a pretty good painter, but I would NEVER tackle smooth maple cabinets on my own!

Delea took the drawers/doors away and sprayed them smooth as a baby’s bum! The pieces that couldn’t be removed were hand-painted and you can hardly tell the difference between her brush-work and the sprayed stuff  – friggin’ genius!

Now let’s take a closer look at those lover-ly legs…

Simple and solid was what I was going for.  I didn’t want too much decorative detail as the wood itself with a light gray wash would do the decorative work for me!

The Countertop and Cabinets

For the perimeter countertops, I chose Formica Soapstone Sequoia from the 180FX Collection (read a post I wrote about them here). I wanted to make a visual connection with the quartz that would complement – not compete. I wasn’t looking for ‘statement’, I was looking for ‘seamless’…

Read more:  The New Era of Laminate Countertops and Why They Rock

(BTW, there is nothing affiliate going on here – I was not paid to write about this stuff nor given anything for free – insert sad face here). However, you know you’d get my honest opinion anyway.)

Again, choosing a laminate countertop instead of quartz saved THOUSANDS of dollars on ye ole budget, which left me some room to do other fun things – like buy wine! This countertop mimics the look of soapstone and to be honest with you, the quartz island countertop is more high-maintenance than ME!  I see every speck on, even after it’s wiped. The formica/laminate? I can not wipe it for days (true story) and not see a thing. In fact, I didn’t notice some of the junk on the counter until I took photos and realized there were crumbs…oops.

I LOVE this backsplash.  It was installed by my fave local tile guy, Brett Edwards (BE Tile) – he did a great job. Because the cabinets weren’t entirely level, he had to hand-cut each and every perimeter tile – and he did it with a smile (and probably an inside voice that was full of 4 letter words).

The Open Layout

Our main floor is an open layout living room, dining room and kitchen, so one thing ALWAYS relates to another. This is another reason (other than my OCD) why our dining room AND living room both received makeovers in the last 6 months – knowing that the changes in the kitchen would be a HUGE shift for the entire space.

Before, our open layout area felt heavy and dark…

Now it feels like a breath of fresh air! And while our lighting situation is in a bit of transition (really, everything in our home is), there was nothing I could do about the pendants over the island.  The original builder only put 1 junction in, so while in the ideal world I would have 2 pendants hanging independently of each other WITHOUT a huge honkin’ track tying them together – it ain’t happenin’ this go round.

Read more: Our Painted Maple Cabinets – 2 Years Later…

Remember my blog post about ‘how to add light to a dark room?’ While this room is south facing and had tons of light, it had about as much energy as me at 7 am – nadda. Reflective surfaces move the light around a space, adding energy and life!

The only place I want to see a racing stripe is NASCAR – not on my backsplash…

This backsplash is not just trendy (you know how I feel about trends), it is also RIGHT up my alley as I find the hexagon to be one of the more timeless patterns.  Not too soft, not too edgy – juuuust right.

Now you might think that I drank myself a few bottles of wine, snapped my fingers and got all of this done.  Nope.  Like a lot of my clients, this kind of stuff takes some serious coin and I had to BUDGET!  We did the countertops about a year ago, the backsplash and appliances 6 months ago, and the painting and general furnishings 1 month ago.  I don’t mind taking my time if it means I’m making smart choices and the end product is going to SUPER fabulous AND affordable.

Read more: E-Design – Another Maple Kitchen Makeover: White Down

The Whole Kit n’ Caboodle

Here’s a series of photos to see how the kitchen and dining room relate to one another…

Read more:  Our Farmhouse Country Dining Room

Read more:  Our Living Room Makeover

Read more: Another – Maple Kitchen Makeover

So there it is – she’s done…well until next month anyway (wink wink).

UPDATE: Want to know how well they held up? 

Read this: Our Painted Maple Cabinets – 2 Years Later

Chat soon!

Need help with your own home?  Check out my affordable Online Consulting Services – I’d love to help!

The post Our Painted Kitchen Cabinet Update – No More Maple! appeared first on Kylie M Interiors.

The Evolution of Our Dining Room: From Mossy Gold to Gray

Related post:  Our Kitchen Remodel – No More Maple!

I know, you’re probably thinking, ‘Hey crazy-pants, didn’t you just FINISH your dining room?’ Yes, I did, but that was SOOO last year…

Now this colour palette didn’t just ‘happen’, it was inspired by our stone fireplace in the living room, kitchen makeover (which you will be seeing in the next few weeks) and my obsessively strange passion for change.

Before

When we bought the house (which is my passive-aggressive disclaimer that this is not my decorating).

In Between

And then there was the in-between period (more like in-between periods – which is how often I change my style – wink wink).

I actually loved this look. The mossy gold walls warmed the cockles of my heart, but once the kitchen got remodelled it HAD to go!

Read more:  Our Farmhouse Style Dining Room

And now…

And no, I can’t tell you painful it was for me to edit these photos and see that cobweb on the light – I have some decent editing skills, but not that good…(about as good as my dusting skills so it seems).

I decided to step ‘slightly’ out of my comfort zone this time and committed to a bit of colour.  Don’t get me wrong, I am the FURTHEST thing from a colour-phobe, however, when it comes to my walls, I usually gravitate toward creams and really dense, dark and slightly warm neutrals.

I got this perfect little buffet style cabinet at Home Sense and my favourite mirror EVAH was on clearance for $77 – BAM! And making reference to a previous blog post on ‘putting the heart in your home‘, there are several items in this one photo that have sentimental value. Well, maybe not the square plates or the dog dish…

The colour I chose was Benjamin Moore Steel Wool 2121-20. Steel Wool is a medium charcoal paint colour with a pretty skookum (it’s a technical term) undertone of blue and purple.  I felt it was just a smidge dense for my space so I had them lighten it by 1/4. You can see it in our entryway as well.

I actually chose the darker version of this colour, Gray 2121-10, for our feature area in our family room (which I’ve since changed to Cyberspace which is even MORE awesome).

The view from the living room to the dining room (we have an open concept living/dining/kitchen)

It would actually be impossible for me to tell you how IN LOVE I am with my area rug and the way that it connects with the dining room paint colour. So instead of telling you, I will just drool on the keyboard for a second…

Anyway, because I am a lover of warm-tones and I was delving into rich, cool depths, I added warmth via texture, wood and accent colours. I also pulled this look through the ENTIRE open concept space by repeating colours and wood tones for a sense of continuity. You will REALLY see this come into play if you check out our Kitchen Makeover which I just finished a post about!

Want to see the most RECENT dining room update? Click here

Chat soon!

Want ideas for your own Dining Room?  Check out my affordable Online Color Consulting and E-Design Services!

The post Our Modern Farmhouse Dining Room Makeover appeared first on Kylie M Interiors.

Teen or Tween Decorating Ideas:  Girls Black, White and Hot Pink Bedroom

If you’d asked me 9 years ago if I’d ever paint my little girls room black, I would have said ‘not bloody likely!’  Fast-forward 9 1/2 years later and you’ll find me knuckle deep in black paint, red wine, and loving every minute of it!

That’s right, I painted Cassie’s room black.  Not ALL of it (I’m not THAT crazy), just a feature wall, which was just enough to give me the high contrast, high energy look I was wanting to create for her.

Cassie’s Room: Before

I actually really liked the in-between look with light blue/green walls and hot pink accents.  However, like mother like daughter, Cassie asked if we could change her room around – well, you don’t have to ask me twice!

Read more:  Budget Friendly Girls Bedroom Ideas

Cassie’s Room:  After

With the shiny vinyl polka dots, graphic drapes, toss cushions and bedding, her room is a fun mix of pattern and pizzazz!

The photo gallery wall is one of her fave things in the room, showcasing Doug, Henry and her BFF.

Every girl’s room needs a lil’ pug hug.

The white paint colour is Benjamin Moore Simply White.  The black is black.

I decided to try Sherwin Williams Opulence for the white walls and I BEG you NOT to ask me how many coats it took to cover the previously light blue walls….oh if you insist…8 FREAKIN’ COATS OF PAINT!  I was about to lose my mind by the time I was done…long story short, I should’ve used Benjamin Moore paint.  End of story.

Read more:  All About Simply White, Benjamin Moore’s Colour of the Year

The Function Junction

And it’s not just the colour palette that makes her room fabulous, it’s also the multi-purpose desk area!

Using Ikea Kallax units (formerly Expedit), I created a desk area with room for storage, books, treasures and more.

I also re-used the EVER handy Raskog Cart which holds her pencils, felts, papers and colouring books.

Read more:  The Best Little Storage Cart Ever

I bought an extra large corkboard (approx. 30×40) and wrapped it with a fun polka dot fabric to pick-up on her gold vinyl polka dots on the other side of the room.  She now has a place for drawings, schoolwork, memorabilia and photos.

The clipboards are from the Dollar Store (holla, holla, shoppin’ for a dolla’!)  I unscrewed the clips and glued scrapbook paper on to jazz them up a bit!

Read more:  Maggie’s Room – Cutie-Patootie Girls Bedroom 

So what do you think?  Maybe you wouldn’t do it, but do you like it?  I’d love to hear from you!

Want ideas for your own room?  Check out my affordable Online Decorating and Colour Consulting Services.

~Kylie

Kylie M Interiors    Benjamin Moore and Sherwin Williams Colour Specialist    E-Design and Online Colour Consulting Services   Nanaimo, BC, Vancouver Island

The post Girls Bedroom: Black is The New Pink appeared first on Kylie M Interiors.

Entryway Decorating Ideas – Featuring Our Home!

I don’t share my home with you guys that often – not because I don’t want to, but because I don’t want to BORE you to DEATH because if I were to post on every change I made it would be a daily freakin’ event.

However, once in a while I like to sneak in some tasty tidbits to show you how this Decorator decorates her own home!

Our Entryway Before…

When we moved in it, it was like the friggin’ Catacombs. While the ceiling was super high (16′) it felt like we were walking into a tunnel. The layout with the doorway between the entryway and the family room made it feel like we had a basement suite, rather than the kick-butt family room and bar that we do have.

This is a photo from when we viewed the house – even Cassie is scared to go through that door…

There was also a super tragic foundation wall painted bright red. And while ‘technically’ there was nothing I could do about it, I knew a splash of colour and the right décor would make all the difference in the world!

Our Entryway After

When we did my office renovations (here) I had them take out the doorway that separated the entryway from the family room (as shown in the previous photo). At first, Tim was like ‘Hells no!’ and I was like ‘Hells yes!’ and he was like ‘Aren’t we spending enough money?’ and I was like ‘Yeah, so it would be CRAZY to stop now!’ But really, there was only some minor de-construction along with some drywalling and we were well on our way!

That hallway now leads down to my office area as well as the NEWLY renovated family room.

I chose Benjamin Moore Navajo White as the main colour and Behr Gardeners Soil, which is the most epic, dark brown paint colour.

I also bought the biggest most bad-ass clock I could find from Urban Barn. Because our entryway is vaulted, it was a great way to bring the eye up and accent the curved wall that is to the left (which you can’t see in this photo).

The lamp is great for evening ambience and the striped tray is for all of the junk I empty out of my pockets!

I added a small photo gallery of our family to the top ledge of the foundation wall to decorate it without having to take the décor right up the wall (which goes up 16′).  I also love how it’s easy to change things around and get creative when I drink too much wine get bored.

The glass cylinder vase is filled with a few of the hundreds of heart rocks that we collect in our travels and the native carving was a gift I had carved for my hubby for our wedding 10 years ago (read more: 5 Easy Ways to Turn Your House into a HOME!)

Last but not least, my super gorgeous chartreuse front door complements the deep dark brown and cream walls. 50% of our guests love it and the other 50% think it’s the most disgusting colour they’ve ever seen!  And that hook there? It’s actually the hook from my Great Great Grandma’s farmhouse kitchen in Scotland. I had a local guy (who did my Farmhouse Door) mount it on some old wood so I could use it as some meaningful décor!

So there you have it my funny friends – our OLD entryway.

Fast forward a few years, check out our NEWLY REMODELLED ENTRYWAY!  

Happy Decorating!

For your own E-Design Consultation visit my Online Consulting page!

READ MORE

How to Create an Entryway When You Don’t Have One

5 Budget-Friendly Home Update Ideas

From Dark and Dismal to DAMN GORGEOUS! 

ORIGINALLY WRITTEN IN 2015, UPDATED FOR LINKS AND GENERAL EDITING IN 2019

The post Our Entryway – Colour, Décor and More… appeared first on Kylie M Interiors.

For those of you who’ve ever loved a dog…

I was 20 years old and looking for love in all the wrong places.  I knew that my neediness and insecurities were natural boy repellants, yet I felt this desperation to love something outside of myself.

And then I looked in the right place…the SPCA.

There were eight puppies in the pen. 8 black and tan puppies born on Boxing Day 1999. I sat on the ground outside the pen and stuck my hand in to receive a fistful of puppy slobber from 8 wriggling bodies. After a while, they all wandered off to drink water, play with each other, and nap – all except one.

This one little puppy didn’t go. He sat down on the other side of the chain-link fence and let me pet him and talk to him. After about 1/2 an hour, he tried to get closer to me, got his head stuck in the fence, and started yelping for dear life. I knew he was the one.

I took him to my Mom’s house, and she opened the door to a smiling girl with an armful of puppy. ‘This is my new dog – isn’t he great?’ In my emotional and financial situation, getting a dog wasn’t the best choice I could have made – but once he and I found each other at that chain link fence, there simply wasn’t any other choice. I was his – he was mine, and his name was Bowser or Uncle Bowser to those who knew him well.

In his young years, he ate everything. He ate 12 pairs of shoes, a couch, candles, books – you name it. Anytime I left, he would go into panic mode (similar to what I did with my boyfriends – minus the shoe-eating). He wanted to be with me at all times, so he became my sidekick – where I went, Bowser went.

We visited every beach and every park, and on those just perfect days, I would bring him to work with me in my Tracker (convertible). The top would be off, the breeze would be blowing, and for my 4-6 hour shift as a waitress, Bowser would sit in the car and relax. I didn’t need to tie him up; I didn’t worry about him – he was waiting for me and wasn’t going anywhere until I was. I would sneak out strips of bacon and burger patties as often as I could and give him a pet and a tinkle break. Some people would think that’s odd, but I knew he would rather wait where he could watch me through the windows than sit at home staring at the door.

He usually loved getting dressed up and while this was his favourite position, it was not his fave outfit

He slept in my room every nite. I bought a chair for him, a human chair, as I didn’t want him to sleep on the floor. I painted his nails pink, dressed him in clothes with my girlfriends, and laughed until I peed my pants as Bowser would lay about in his ‘loungewear’ – clearly pleased with his transformation.

Bowser was also my radar – my boy radar. ‘If you don’t like my dog, I don’t like you.’ In fact, Bowser was my first serious, long-term relationship, and I was fully committed. I laughed with him, cried with him, and went on dates with him. He was the boy who stuck by my side as I learned the ins and outs of my anxiety, ADHD, and OCD (it’s a lovely trifecta). Never judging, just listening.

And then along came Tim. On our first date, I went through the McDonald’s drive-thru (super romantic – I know) and ordered a two-cheeseburger meal. I opened up that first cheeseburger and passed it over to…Bowser, who was waiting in the backseat for his requisite burger – it’s just how we rolled and Tim was okay with it.

I guess I haven’t mentioned what type of dog my Bowser was. Well, it’s anybody’s guess, but we settled on Doberman, Whippet, and Shepherd, and MAN, could that dog run.

I remember taking him out to Biggs Rd, as 15 years ago, there wasn’t any traffic on it. I’d let him out of the car and slowly (and carefully) drive away, and Bowser would giddyup and rip on down the road behind me. He loved it; tail wagging, he couldn’t wait to jump out and get going as he had some serious energy to burn. We clocked him at 40km an hour.

We took him up to Rutherford Mall once in the evening to throw the ball for him. He ran so fast that when the ball bounced off the wall…so did he, as we heard his yelp echo across the parking lot.

We went up to Coombs one day, another beautiful day, as I would never leave him in the car if it were hot or cold. We were parked on the side of the highway, which is what you do in Coombs, and I was worried about him, so I tied him with his leash inside the car. As I got to the other side of the road, I looked back to see him teetering on his four skinny legs on the top ledge of the roof and proceeded to watch him jump…and hang himself. Luckily a quick run across the road and a boost to the old butt got him back into safety.

Bowser was also a frequent visitor to my Mom and Dad’s house as I would use them for ‘babysitting’ now and then. At the end of the day, I pulled into the driveway and saw Bowser waiting for me on the front step, tied to the doorknob. The next thing I saw was Bowser bounding down the driveway with the doorknob trailing behind him. All I said was, ‘Hey, I would NEVER tie him to a doorknob’.

Bowser was also afraid of fireworks. He would shake like a leaf and cower in a corner. I was at a girlfriend’s one time, just hanging out, and Bowser was in her backyard because, naturally, he came everywhere with me. I heard some booming and banging and thought, ‘Hey, fireworks – cool…wait…not cool…BOWSER!‘ But he was already gone. I searched for him all night and continued the next morning, and the whole family came out. Even my Grandpa wandered around the streets calling his name and in fact, swore he ‘had Bowser’ but was actually trying to convince a random dog to get into his car – luckily the owners never saw this apparent dog-napping.

We found him the next afternoon, about one block from home. He had run across town. He ran from downtown Nanaimo to almost the north end of Nanaimo, and BOY, was he happy to see me – but not as happy as I was to see him.

I remember taking him to my girlfriend’s house, whose mom kindly let me bring Bowser into the house on one condition – that he NEVER step foot on the glorious and plush white carpet in the living room. So, we were hanging out making gingerbread houses one day, and I realized that ‘hey, gingerbread sure does look an awful lot like poop.’ I proceeded to make a nicely curled pile, which I carefully placed on a wee piece of paper towel on her lush carpet. A few minutes later, we heard footsteps going up the stairs and a moment later, ‘KYLIE…BOWSER!’ I ran to the living room and, with a dropped jaw, claimed that it just couldn’t be Bowsers. She asked me how on earth I could know that, so I bent down, picked it up, smelled it, took a bite, and said, ‘Nope, definitely not Bowsers’.

Bowser also loved to snuggle. I would sit on the floor, and he’d mosey on over, park his butt on my lap, and flip himself back so that he was belly up, with his head tucked under my chin. We could sit like that forever, just being together like the best friends that we were.

As he got older, it got a bit more awkward as that old back didn’t bend the same way – but he always tried.

He also liked to sit his bum on the couch like a human with just his front legs on the floor – it was kind of like his ‘party trick’ and was always good for a laugh.

The years passed, and Tim and I fell madly in love and got married. Bowser loved Tim and accepted him as one of the family and even shared his morning ‘air hump’ routine with Tim. We’d wake up and look over to see if Bowser was sleeping to see him air-humping. It’s the kind of thing that is so disgusting that you beg for him to stop, but is so funny that you hope he doesn’t. It was just so ridiculous. Some dogs like their stuffies, some like their beds; Bowser just stood there and humped the air with a goofy look on his face.

And then we had Cassie.

I think Bowser was happy enough that a kid had joined our little family but skeptical about how long she would last.

This was his expression when we brought Cassie home

It was at the 10th month that he realized, ‘Well, crap, that little pink thing is still here,’ and when she crawled up to him, he bit her.

He could have bitten her anywhere, but it happened to be her face. I heard the rumble from him (which was rare) and rushed over to pick her up as she burst into tears with blood running down her face. I just called my Mom, threw her into the car seat, and drove to the doctor’s office.

After the dust settled, we joked that we should have gotten her a nose ring and lip ring as he had punctured her one nostril clean through and her top lip (not funny at the time, however).  She also had little shiners from the impact. My heart broke in two. One half for my baby girl and one half…for my baby boy. What were we going to do?

It’s like the heavens heard my prayers and sent me saviors in the form of Rob and Bobbie – Tim’s parents. They knew that Bowser wasn’t a bad boy. They knew he didn’t have a vicious bone in his body – he just didn’t want to share me with kids.

This is what the vet said when I took him there the day after the incident, and I said through a veil of tears, ‘What am I supposed to do here? I can’t get him put down.’ He said there were two types of dogs: the vicious type of dog that doesn’t just bite but shakes and shakes – the type of bite that results in stitches and skin grafts. And then there was the type of dog who was simply saying, ‘I don’t do kids.’ He said that what Bowser did was similar to what he’d do in the wild and had a pack of pups, a kind of ‘hey, get outta my face, kid.’ He said the kindest thing we could do would be to find him a new home without kids around.

And my heart broke for the first time.

All those boys, those failed attempts at love, and nothing…absolutely nothing hurt more than this. Goddammit, I would miss him. After 7 years of literally being attached to each other, sharing snuggles, car rides, walks, swims, vacations, death-defying jumps out of cars, late-night crying sessions, and many cheeseburgers – I had to say a small goodbye.

Rob and Bobbie live close to us, so I always got to see Bowie, and I could not have dreamed up a better home for him. Every time I went there, he’d go through his whine and wiggle routine, and I’d plop my butt down on the floor, hop into my lap, flip himself belly up, and just hang out. And while my guilt at having to do this was at times overwhelming, the reality is that I did not have another choice. He was happy. He wasn’t with me, but he was healthy, he was happy, and he was loved – that had to be enough.

I couldn’t have had him put down. Not in this lifetime. I couldn’t re-home him to an anonymous person – I couldn’t. And I count my frickin’ lucky stars every day that Bowser found a wonderful home that would clearly love him as much as I did (minus the cheeseburgers).

Bowser living a good life with Rob and Bobbie – his own sundeck and backyard to romp in

Bowser adjusted well to his new home, having visited it many times over the years, and was overjoyed to go on a 5km walk daily. If that walk was delayed or missed, he would walk down to the beach and undoubtedly find a dead fish or something equally as disgusting to roll in. This was relayed to me by my in-laws, and I would just laugh and laugh – good old Bowz.

He made a lot of friends on his walk. Bobbie had a walking partner who would take Bowser out when Bobbie was away. She wasn’t even a dog person, but there was just something about Bowser that you just couldn’t help but like. I don’t know if it’s because he’d sit his butt down next to you on the couch, front paws on the floor, or the goofy way his gangly old legs would amble up to you looking for a pat on the head and a ‘good boy.’ He was just an easy dog to be around.

As Bowser got older, the vet would remark on how healthy he was and how good his joints and heart were. At his last vet check, the vet still claimed that he rarely sees dogs his age in that condition – a 15-year-old dog on NO medication. That wasn’t due to the good food (as I fed him whatever I could afford and cheeseburgers – he had a dumpster gut), and Rob and Bobbie just gave him regular cheap ‘dog food.’ It was all of that walking.  All of that walking and a whole lot of love.

If that dog could have lived on love alone, he would have lived forever.

I knew that our time was running out. The last few years, every time I saw him, I’d sit down and chat with him and tell him how much I loved him. How he was my best friend, and I loved him, knowing that maybe there just wouldn’t be a next time, and lucky for me, there always was. It was a few weeks before that Rob and Bobbie came to the girl’s soccer game, and I said, ‘How’s Bowz?’, and they both said in unison, ‘he’s slowed down…’

(And I simply can’t edit at all from here on in; please excuse any errors.)

And then the phone rang. Tim picked it up, and Tim’s Dad, Rob, said that Bowser had to go to the vet. He likely had a stroke in the night, and couldn’t move his back end. Tim couldn’t even tell me without bursting into tears.

We hopped in the car and got there as soon as we could. He was lying on a soft bed in the garage. He tried to get up when I came in, but he couldn’t and before I could even say anything, I curled up on the bed next time and just held him. He was still here.

Rob said that Bowser had seemed a bit disoriented but clearly regained a bit of energy when we came in – he undoubtedly recognized us. We couldn’t get into the vet until 12, and it was 9 – so I knew we had some time. If he had been in pain, I don’t know what I would have done; I would have done anything to fix him. Luckily, he was just lying there, taking big breaths with that big, strong heart. He looked at me, gave me two licks, and then his focus drifted off.

We lay there for hours. Tim got him and me a blanket as it was cold in the garage, and we lay there under that blanket on his old dog bed and talked. We shared stories. We talked about all of the good times we’d had. Seeing him close his eyes and drift off to sleep felt good. It was clear that my presence was calming for him, and we just lay together, and I rubbed those old bones and that lovely, thick old coat.

And then it was time. We took him to the vet and laid him on the floor on a soft blanket the vet had readied for us. I curled up on the floor with him and held him as much as I could.

The vet gave us a bit more time together. Rob and Tim came in and said goodbye – which I know was so very hard for them. Tim said I didn’t need to stay. There was nothing in this God-given world that could have stopped me from staying. I would not leave him – he never left me when I needed him, and I would not leave him.

We talked.

I told him he was my best friend.

How he saved me from me.

He gave me something to love unconditionally, something that reflected that love and devotion back. I talked about how I would miss him. I told him he was a good dog, the best dog, the best dog a girl could ever ask for – I probably said this a dozen times so that he would hear it for the rest of his days.

The vet came in and said that it was clear that Bowser had a strong mind and a strong heart, but his body was done, and the kindest thing we could do would be to make this process easier for him. He gave him a tranquillizer to relax him. In the few minutes it took to kick in, I held him in my arms as close as possible. When his head started to wobble, I held it close to my chest and held him tight to me. I wanted his last thoughts and breaths to be of me, smell me, hear me, that girl who has loved him for so long – his soul mate.

The vet gave Bowser the last needle, and in a matter of seconds, it was done. I heard this ringing in my ear that very instant, and I knew that it was done. I kissed his velvet-soft ears, kissed his sweet puppy-smelling forehead, and wiped away the tears that had rolled down his face – yes, tears.

I stood up, looked at him, bent down one more time to absorb his Bowser-ness, and then walked away.

The vet said he doesn’t see a bond like that very often.

I…can’t…tell you…how much I loved this dog. I can’t tell you what we had, how we were together. I simply can’t even put into words what this sweet, gentle creature was to me. He picked me. He saved me. To say his pawprints are etched into my heart is an understatement. To say that they are embedded in my soul is as close as I can come to doing any justice to my sweet Bowser.

Good God, I love you, Bowser; you were a good dog.

I belong to you, and you belong to me – on Earth and in Heaven.

Uncle Bowser  December 26, 1999 – March 06, 2015

Well if you made it this far, thank you. Thank you for reading my story. I’m sure you’ve realized that, unlike my other posts, I didn’t write this for you. I wrote this for me.

Rob and Bobbie…thank you

~Kylie

The post Pawprints on My Soul appeared first on Kylie M Interiors.

My Home Office : Sliding Barn Door

See my NEW Office Remodel here:  My Home Office, A Black and White Affair

I finally have a sliding barn door in my house. A real, hunka hunka rustic reclaimed wood with metal track sliding barn door. Oh wait, I think I forgot to mention that I HAVE A SLIDING BARN DOOR PEOPLE!

So, hubby and I decided to transform our un-used spare bedroom into a home office for me. Not that Starbucks wasn’t working as it’s still my fave place to get down to business, but our family room was also overflowing with my colour chips, fabric samples and empty wine glasses.

(This photo was taken prior to us moving into the house)

The ‘Royal We’ decided that the existing doorway needed to be dry-walled over and a new ‘bigger and better’ doorway needed to be created (amongst a few other things) so we hired B Gallant Homes and their crew of hunks to get the job done. I demanded a dress code of Levi’s and no t-shirts but apparently, we didn’t ‘put it in writing’…damn those technicalities. However, in spite of the clothing issue, in a matter of weeks AND on budget, my new home office space went from wet dream daydream to reality.

Now, I’m not going to share my WHOLE office with you until it’s done. I’m a big believer in the ‘evolution’ of a room – rooms are not built in a day you know (well on TV they are, but rooms that truly reflect their occupants usually take more than 24 hrs, a wad of cash and a swat team).

 So without any further freakin’ delay let’s check out my latest and greatest hunk o’ wood!

I literally stand there and push the door back and forth while slipping on a pile of my own drool.

This bad boy was created by a talented local craftsman named Christian – who will have a Facebook page for you to like and love soon. And let me tell you, this thing weighs a ton!

The metal strips with bolts and the bottom faux antique hinges were supplied and installed by the talented Christian (he’s my secret weapon).

The track system is from a company out of the US called NW Artisan Hardware (with shipping and taxes approx. $400). Overall we’re really happy with the track system, but the installer said that there are other tracks available that are more ‘adjustable’ and ‘install friendly’. Hey, as long as it looks good I’m happy and I’m pretty sure that if our house falls over tomorrow that the door will still be standing!

And yes, the title did say ‘Sliding Barn Door and More…’ but you’ll have to WAIT for the ‘more’ as while my new home office is usable and about 75% there – it ain’t ready yet! UPDATE: IT IS NOW! Read all about it here…My Home Office – A Black and White Affair.

Chat soon…

Check out my Online Consulting for your own E-Design Consultation!

The post My New Home Office : Sliding Barn Door and More! appeared first on Kylie M Interiors.

Girls Bedroom Remodel for Under $650

Believe it or not, I finally let go of my control freak tendencies and ACTUALLY let my daughter pick the colour for her bedroom.

Just joking, I didn’t. I asked her what ‘colour’ she liked and she said ‘blue’ and I said ‘alright then – blue it is’ and I picked a blue that I knew she would like, but more importantly – a blue that I could live with…because it’s all about me.

I set myself a pretty strict budget with her room. Just joking, I didn’t. However, I have to admit that I even impressed myself with some of my uber-affordable purchases via Target (pronounced with a soft ‘g’ and silent ‘t’ at the end for those in the know) and a few other local haunts.

The previous owners had used this room as a den. And while the tan suited their style perfectly, we were ready for some moody blues!

I cannot even TELL you how awesome the look on her face was when she saw it. It took me 2 days to completely paint it and redecorate it and I didn’t let her in that entire time.

I chose Icy Moon Drops by Benjamin Moore which is THEEEE perfect soft blue colour with just a weeee dab of green in it which stops it from becoming ‘icy’. And it was actually Cassie who chose coral as her accent colour and I threw some hot pink in there just because a few of her old things were that colour and it saved me some moola.

Along with ‘blue’, another thing she mentioned was a mild obsession with horses and weiner dogs. And while I wasn’t about to paint hoof prints on her walls or hang wieners from the ceilings, I was able to find some artwork and accessories to support this temporary fetish. This makes things affordable to change in the future when she loves push-up bras and Justin Bieber (which will hopefully never happen).

Storage for hanging necklaces, pens and crayons

There’s lots of room here for treasures and knick-knacks, including pens, necklaces, books and crayons thanks to this organizing rod with containers and basket (which will be chatted about more in an upcoming post)

A place for everything and everything has its place…

I’m not a huge fan of artwork, posters and random crap barfing all over my freshly painted walls. By creating this homemade bulletin board (well not COMPLETELY homemade – I bought the corkboard and bedazzled the heck out of it with fabric, ribbon and paint) I was able to satisfy my need for order and her need to display her paper treasures!

THE GRAND TOTAL…

For $150 I got the following from Target:

• 2 gorgeous lamps
• A comforter with 2 shams
• Body pillow and coordinating pillow cover
• Accent cushions
• Drapes
• Desk Chair

AND WHO SAYS TARGET ISN’T AWESOME?! 

The rest of the items added up to $450:

• Dbl bed frame/side table/desk : 2nd hand
• Paint to refurbish furniture : Home Depot
• Rolling book cart : Ikea
• White dresser : My garage
• Long bookshelf : 2nd hand
• Various frames : Misc stores
• Accessories : Home Sense
• Horse Artwork : Quilted Duck
• Handmade bulletin board : Misc stores
• Trunk for stuffed animals : My garage
• Paint and supplies : Home Depot
• Throw blanket : Thrift

This means that I ended up decorating her room INCLUDING FURNITURE for under $650!  This is where I high-five myself.

So I’ve got one happy camper around this house – and it’s Maggie’s room next so stay tuned!

Need help picking the perfect colour palette for your kid’s room?

Check out my Online Consulting Services!

The Best Paint Colour Palettes for a Girls Bedroom

Kylie M Interiors      E-Design, E-decor, Online Colour Consulting Expert        Decorating blog based in Nanaimo on Vancouver Island, serving the whole darned World!

The post Budget Friendly Girls Bedroom Ideas : Light Blue, Coral, Pink appeared first on Kylie M Interiors.