BEFORE & AFTER DIY

BEFORE & AFTER DIY

June 01, 2020

Just a little paint can make a HUGE difference!

It's no secret that I love Black & White, right? have you seen the Hello Day products? But as much as I strive to be a minimalist, I like a variety, which means - Black, White, Gold, Brown & Green. And then with hidden pops of colour, like the inside of a bag, or the inside of a wardrobe, I basically love the little surprises of joy that make you smile :)

 
It was 2004/05 when I was intensely into our clubbing days in Washington DC, out of university and living in the city, working hard at an Interior Design firm, but partying hard at night, my friends and I loved getting dressed up for our nights out. My friend Claire's most recent purchase was a FAB black clutch bag to keep her essentials in when out dancing. I remember LOVING it! Well, it was black, so I obviously already loved it, but then she opened it and showed me the inside, and I gasped! It had a HOT PINK interior and I was like, OMG I LOVE! Fact: barely anyone is going to see the inside when you walk around with that clutch bag, but it makes the owner extremely happy! It's the little things like that, the secret gems that bring us confidence and bring us joy :). 
So let's talk DIY
I swear the story above relates to my DIY adventures haha. There is a connection, just give me a second!
I know many of you might have a list of things to change in the house but you think you don't have time to do it. Yeah that's what I thought too! And I start to hesitate, thinking, why change things if we might move to a bigger house that has a garden? I mean, why waste effort? Well, twice in my life, I have lived longer in a situation than I thought I would. Our second flat we lived in, in Barcelona, we ended up there 3.5 years, but I thought we would only stay there a year. This house we live in now, I thought we would rent it for 1 year, but now we actually own it and have been living here for 6 years. Life is FULL of surprises! And yes, the first thing we changed once we bought it was that we needed a Hello Day space, so we added the third floor, and opened up the loft - added an additional staircase, etc. Perfect! We could finally move the Hello Day warehouse that then existed in our Dining Room to the new loft, its own little space. Fantastic! But then we were broke! So we waited a year before until I lost patience and then physically ripped the old carpet out of the first floor and painted the old floor boards white. Ooh much brighter and happier :). but now the older parts of the house were looking even older in comparison to the new changes. And now it is two years since we did the loft conversion, and we realise that we need to face the facts, we will be here for at least a couple more years. So let's start DIYing the crap out of this house because we are the ones that live here now and we are the ones that need to appreciate it while we have it. Because no matter what changes we make, I guarantee the new owners one day will change it to their liking anyway. So let's enjoy it while we have it! 
The EASIEST WAY TO DIY IS TO PAINT PAINT PAINT!
The transformation will blow you away! I promise!
I'll be honest, I know this all along! But I just told myself I didn't have time! Kinda true though, we now have free weekends because of lockdown and we can spend it painting every corner of the house haha. 
Let's start with our pathetic garden, the one I convinced myself that was so tiny and sunless, that there wasn't any point in painting it! But NOT TRUE! I proved myself wrong! All we have done is painted it black and white and it not only makes me happy now when opening the back door, but Dave keeps opening the back door to just 'take a look'. Because it was so disgustingly in need of a makeover, and we have totally revived it with PAINT ALONE! 
 
 
I will show you some of my latest DIY projects, and then towards the bottom, I will show you some latest DIY projects from others, including some of our Hello Day customers ...
 
 
 

OUR LIVING ROOM FIREPLACE

 

BEFORE

 

AFTER

White paint only! And it unifies the room.

 
 

OUR BACK DOOR & BACK WALL

 

BEFORE

 

DURING 

 

AFTER

Black & White Paint, True Hello Day Style. We aren't finished yet, we are going to paint more of the wall, but already it is a huge transformation! 

 
 

OUR BACK DOOR & BACK WALL

 

BEFORE

 

DURING

We used a metal bristle scraper to take off some of the bigger and looser bits of old paint that were peeling off. It was impossible to take off all the old paint though, because the wall is so old, a lot of it would just crumble. 

Dave hard at work.

Me. Painting the top black. BTW, Black textured masonry paint was as hard to find as gold dust during lockdown! But we finally tracked down a can at Wickes.

 

AFTER

Black & White makes my heart skip a beat! Yet to finish this back yard in so many ways, but isn't it already looking fabulous?! It makes us smile every time we open the back door, and we aren't even finished! Imagine the happy dances that will take place when it's really done! 

 

OUR BEDROOM

 

BEFORE

 

DURING

 

AFTER

I love the trim moulding on these wardrobes and they look even better when painted black! I can't wait to get our lights in, rip the carpet out, get new bedding, etc and this room is going to be dreamy! 

 
 
 
Now for some love of other DIY projects from some lovely ladies that I admire ...
 

NADIA'S LIVING ROOM FIREPLACE

@artynads

 

BEFORE

As if it wasn't already GORGEOUS!! 


 

DURING

 

AFTER

White paint only, Nadia has created a fireplace surround. And it stands out beautifully against the dark walls. 

Nadia's house is gorgeous! She has DIYed every single room and it is drool worthy! Head to her Instagram feed to so you can drool with the rest of us.

 
 

MEDINA'S KITCHEN CABINETS

www.grillo-designs.com

 

BEFORE

Peek of the rental kitchen from the dining room space
 

AFTER

Medina converted her kitchen cabinets into open shelving. And get this! - he lives in a rented house! And she has changed SO MANY things in her house, it is very impressive! We always think we can't make many changes when we rent but check out her website and all that she has done, you will be amazed! Her website is above, but you can also head to her personal Instagram feed @grillodesigns as well as her other account @howirent_ where she has brought together many who rent but yet make their spaces look like model homes.


View of the rental kitchen update from dining room
 
 

LEANNE'S BEDROOM

@leannelimwalkerhome

 

BEFORE

 

AFTER

Are you as speechless as I am? Obviously it took a little more than paint in this room, and it was a lot of work, but I just had to show this because I love it! And you should see the opposite wall, it is STUNNING! Head to her Instagram account @leannelimwalkerhome to take a look. She has done a lot of work on her whole house and it is absolutely lovely! 

 
 

NAOMI'S BEDROOM

 

BEFORE

 

AFTER

OH WOW! New Paint, new curtains, new chair, moved the desk, new bedding ...just WOW! What a happy transformation! Who wouldn't smile walking into this room?!

 

BEFORE

Now looking at a different corner of the room.

 

AFTER

WOW WOW WOW! New furniture, bedding, wallpaper, paint & accessories! It's absolutely delightful! And that throw on the bed! it totally pulls it all together, it's like a cheerful bright tropical land of comfort :).

 
 

Well, I could have put loads more on here but we have to end somewhere. DIY projects are endless! And as they say, a home is never finished is it? There's always a job to be done. But as long as you take time to do little by little, you will be amazed at how your home will transform before your eyes! 

You have plenty of encouraging inspiration here to get you going. Please check out the pages of the ladies above, I only gave you a snippet, but they are filled with lots more! Their homes are super inspiring! 

 

xx Kirsten 

 

 



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