Mood boards.

Making mood boards really helps me focus on a direction for a room.  It helps keep me focused and at the same time helps me feel brave enough to make choices that I would normally be afraid to make!  Mood boards also help me share my vision with Brian so that he is less likely question my choices along the way ... but let's be honest, he totally still does.  

So I thought I'd showcase my craptastic Photoshop skills and share a few mood boards that I've made lately.  First up, the boys' bathroom.  It was by far the most hideous room in the  house when we bought it.  Mauve countertop and bathtub tiles made the builder beige walls look fuschia.  And don't even get me started on the shiny brass loop light fixture or the cut glass sliding tub doors.  So since this is a small room, and particularly ugly, it's toward the top of my to-do list.  We're going with a vintage-ish nautical theme, splashed with some bright colors for the little boys.   Updates will include new light fixtures, new faucet, removing the tub doors and hanging a shower curtain instead, and fresh paint for the walls, the vanity, and even the vanity top and tub tile.  Progress is underway and it's already looking a million times better.  

Next up is the half bathroom downstairs.  I want to make this room girly.  It's my perfect opportunity to throw some pink into a room and I'm taking it!  I'm thinking blues and pinks, a light color on the walls, painting the vanity a dark navy, and embracing the fun navy chevron rug that's already in there.  It's actually a fairly big room for a half bath, so I'm not going to be afraid to go BOLD.

Last, but most definitely not least, is the Living/Dining Room.  It's all one long room, and up until recently it has been the playroom.  But Brian finally has the basement fairly kid-safe, so the toys migrated down there and I have an adult space again!  I'm planning a light gray for the walls and I already hung Ikea Ferle panels on 3 of the 4 windows that hang more in the Living Room space.  I've been contemplating going with something a little more daring for the big giant window in the back of the Dining Room, so I'm still stewing on it.  This room will also hold the giant dining table that Brian built for me last year, along with some vintage hand-me-down furniture we inherited from both Brian's grandma and my great-grandma.  

 Having a plan "down on paper" makes me feel so much better than when it's just in my head.  It's already feeling more like a home than just a house, even with just a few updates made.  And the process of transforming it can be described as nothing other than cathartic!