The Sitting Room Before
I get a lot of questions and emails along the lines of this:-
'there is no hope for me and my house, it is brown, filthy, stuck in the 1970's, in the middle of a wood, has orange carpet and purple walls – it will never look anything like a beach cottage or for that matter any cottage. I have a tiny budget, no money for professionals, please help do you think there is any hope for me? I am so fed up with my house…'
this is for you…
And if we can do this, thousands of miles away from friends and family, on a shoestring budget and with no help whatsoever, then anyone can…here's to white paint and sunshine!
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I recently came across a whole load of pictures on an old phone of the day we first viewed the beach cottage (there's more coming people, my goodness no wonder I was upset the day we got the keys to this tatty old place, boy were we brave)
so what we were faced with here was a whole lot of mess (& you thought the non-art on my walls was bad)
(I mean people who has an Open House like this? hello!)
first impressions, hideous grimy colours, piles of junk, outdated fittings…a door that had been blocked up with a melamine bookcase…and did I mention the errrrm fragrance?
but wait and look beyond and you'll see a fairly decent ceiling with a bit of detail and no gunk, wallpaper that could be easily removed, a faux bookcase that could be ripped out, a wide double sash window with heaps of sunlight streaming in and a wood floor under years of carpet layers…and a space that while not perfect offered opportunities away from the Family Room for quiet time…
So here's what we did, first we pulled up the carpet layer, then the linoleum layer, then the newspaper layer and underneath we already knew was a beautiful wood plank floor (we sneakily pulled up every piece of carpet as we walked around).
That was sanded, in-filled, varnished and sealed.
Next we painted the whole room in simple, standard white (since been changed to Dulux Whisper White which doesn't show up but is a touch of cool grey to the white) to clean it up and give us a quick easy palette should we want to change it in the future.
Painting everything in white meant we didn't have to worry about cutting in and meant it was not only much quicker but meant we could buy in bulk meaning more economical.
The faux bookcase (purlease) you can see in the top photo that the owners for some reason put in was to the left of middle of one wall, it meant the room felt very tight and boxed in, apart from the its errm aesthetic properties…
So we pulled it out, it hid the original doorway to the breakfast room. You can see here the original architrave is still there, we considered pulling that off and making it slightly wider, more of an arch but in the end because, again of time constraints we just painted it white and left it at that
We've since talked about a glass door here but I now kinda like the little old doorway…
Old sash windows was on of the things on our list of must-haves for our old Beach Cottage when we were house hunting, these were for sure worse for wear, but they came up pretty ok and I love pulling them up with the breeze blowing in… Mr BC is not so sure and threatens to replace them in Stage II (like he's got a say *wink)
One of the panes was cracked so we repaired that and I spent a whole morning from very early til after lunch cleaning this one window. Years and years of neglect were stuck on there – I scrubbed the little runners with a toothbrush. That afternoon as the paint went on it all suddenly started to look just a little less frightening…
Here's the other side now
and often the blinds are up, windows wide and displaying a few shells
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So on the window we added white blinds to emulate plantation shutters but without omitting the beautiful light that streams through here and without the cost.
Next up went a double layer curtain fixture in matt steel, with clear round finials. Bottom layer drape natural unbleached linen and top layer a white heavy drop cotton.
The other side of this room there is another door to the tiny entrance hall which makes this room tricky to arrange furniture and this little corner has seen many a camera shot as I have collected various pieces of treasure and tried them out here… for the moment it is like this but one of the changes coming up is a small two seater sofa for here somehow…on the other side of the coffee table
So that's it, a little cottage trash to beachy treasure
you can find more sofa pics, where it's working for a living at the Beach Cottage and see how the furniture gets up and moves around all by itself ;-) here, here, here, and here. and you can read here ways to add a bit of coastal country style in your sitting room for not a lot
window: poles, finials, IKEA, blinds IKEA Lindmon, drapes (unbleached) IKEA Aina, drapes (white) IKEA Merete rug: IKEA coffee table: ten year old recycled pine table + natural distressing :-) side table: old meat safe (more pics here) from junk shop, painted with Dulux Antique White lamp table: old sewing box, one of my first thrifted finds ever trunk: thrifted butler's tray: garage sale pot cupboard: auction, sale, read about it here sofa: our trusty old white slipcovered, similar IKEA/Pottery Barn slipcovers pillows: now closed beach shop similar Target, bulap – made by me with coffee sack covers lamps: old vintage – auction, clear base, Target mirrors: all thrifted lantern: IKEA throw: Bed Bath & Table decor balls: shells, now closed beach shop, pearl – Freedom pitcher: Wheel & Barrow canvas: oh goodness, again IKEA
stay tuned for more gruesome reveals, this little photo find has shown me a whole lot about how far we've come, wait til I show you the garden tour, euuuh…and if white coastal style is not your cup of tea you can easily do a similar transformation in a more modern spiffy style – if you can look past the details you can change a room easily with some DIY, a lot of elbow grease and a bit of paint ;-)
p.s. I'm on the mend and OUT of bed and if you have a question leave it in the comments I'll answer it there :-)
blogged for the fabulous DIY event at ASPTL
that is amazing! glad you are doing better!
What a wonderful transformation.
I love it! What a great result from all of your vision and elbow grease! Lovely!
All I can say is WOW!!! What a lovely job you and Mr. BC have done!
Smiles,
Rachel
Love this! Wow, great job, and what beautiful floors!
Beautiful and serene after you got ahold of it and worked your magic. Love it! Thanks for sharing the before and after.
amazing! nice work!
Fabulous – I’m a white fan too and even though ‘they’ say not to paint the outside of the house white I did anyway and am so happy with it.
Everything you do around your cottage is perfect and inspiring to me -
Marsha – chandelier magic
Fabulous difference!!
that is wonderful. Thankyou so much.
What an amazing transformation to the sittng room. Those wood floors are beautiful. Thanks for sharing!
Hello Sarah,
I just found your inspiring blog and I just adore it. I’ll be back to visit again soon.
This is truly an amazing transformation! Love it all! ~Gorgeous floors and furnishings.
Have a wonderfully blessed Holiday weekend,
~Warmly, Melissa ;)
It always amazes me when you hear people say…oh, but it’s hideous..so dark, and dirty!
With vision, you’ve made a stunning home…from a little ugly duckling.
Your home is beautiful…I love your simplicity of taste.
hi Su
thanks so much, too kind
just took a look at your talent, wow! love it – you can sponsor a Beach
Cottage giveaway if you like ;-) let me know if you want details…
Sarah
*abeachcottage.com*
*abeachcottageblog@gmail.com*
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*Follow me on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/abeachcottage*
On Fri, Sep 4, 2009 at 5:42 PM, wrote:
There is NOTHING quite as fun (in my book) as a good before and after!
…Now, THIS is a good before and after.
WOW.
An amazing and inspirational transformation!
My best,
Tricia
It looks absolutely beautiful!
You should be so proud of all that has been accomplished.
Hi Sarah, just thought I’d stop by and say hi after neglegting my regular blog reads for awhile. I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again, thanks for posting about your home!
I really enjoy seeing what you’ve made out of your cottage, it is such an inspiration. I hope it gives those that think they can’t do any type of renovation work the confidence to start on their own.
It’s refreshing to see it come from a regular chic just like ourselves and not from a glitzy magazine, which make you believe you can’t have a nice place unless you spend oodles of money. I do like to look at magazines for inspiration every once in a while, but getting inspiration from the real deal is so much more fun!
Honestly, you’ve got a gazillion comments on how wonderful this is but I HAD to add mine anyway. So lovely and what a wonderful mood it has. So lovely and calm!
tracy
absolutely beautiful!
all the best
Ilse
Sarah, you have come a long way with this one! Undaunted at that! Here’s just a thought I had. That door that you speak of that you’ve considered a glass door for? How about an old vintage screen door? Folks are using those inside all the time now for their vintage prettiness! Glad you’re on the mend!
Brenda
Sarah,
What great advise to give! Especially the white paint. It can work miracles along with lots and lots of elbow grease.
Now the special little touches you’ve added, can only be done by “Sarah”. That’s my favorite part of your home.
Gretchen
Sarah, The transformation is jaw dropping, I love every detail, you have to be so proud of your home… it’s such a special place!!
xo,
LuLu
Beautiful! I love the neutral colors. What a great transformation.
I love paint and I love slipcovers. . . can change the whole room’s atmosphere. Wonderful.
I would love to know what you have hanging next to the butler’s tray in the picture–looks like maybe shells? I love it….
glad you feeling better Sarah!
Brenda Bliss
Oh, um, WOW…even SUPER WOW! What a stunning transformation, and a beautiful room. Just gorgeous!
What an incredibly beautiful space! I LOVE the coffee table!
hi Brenda
it’s a driftwood hanging I bought from a local beach shop
xo
Hi Sarah…I’m new to the blogging world…but I love your blog…Just one question…Do u still have any of the tan striped pillows u were selling???I’ll be reading your blog and hoping the answer is yes…Susan C
Gorgeous! Unrecognizable, the before to the after!
Janell
What amazing photos you have taken! I loved seeing what you have done. The white is perfect for a beach cottage. And I really love the wood floors, Beautiful!!
-Angela
Oh those floors! How I envy you!
BEAUTI-FUL. INSPIRING. LOVE IT.
Thanks for sharing!
Very cozy and bright!
Great inspiration post, Sarah! You were so smart to see the potential hidden in your beautiful beach cottage. :-)
Just Beautiful! It makes me want to curl up with a book and enjoy the breeze! I love the white… so freash and dreamy
Nice, calm and peaceful and clean. I like the look…for some reason I have to have a lot of color in my home….I tried white and beige and it got to me….don’t know why cause I think it looks so nice!! We have had to do the same kinds of things as you–tearing out rugs, paint, clean , cry etc. (don’t know if you cried—one house we moved into the kitchen was so filthy and I had been cleaning and scrubbing forever , and I sat on the floor and bawled….but it eventually came clean). The problem with the house I now live in is that it has lots of shelves and I tend to over clutter them!!! ah well
Its so pretty! Amazing transformation!
Those floors are gorgeous.
Amazing transformation!
Waht a striking and beautiful difference! It’s wonderful! I love it. :):)
absolutely breathtaking!
But did you at least keep the “Mummy” poster? hahahaha!
Seriously, WOW — girlfriend, you have some SERIOUS vision. I had NO idea how amazing the transformation was! BRAVA!!