More to come...

I have started a new list to the right of all the things I am wanting to do to the house.  What I have so far are just the big things...I'll add more as time goes on.  We will be able to get in the house this weekend to take more pictures and make a better list of what we need to do.  So bear with me and I'll have new things to post soon!

Kitchen Before

The Kitchen.  My take on it?  Not too bad because all the "bad" is just cosmetic.  The layout is good and there is plenty of counter space and as far as I know, all the appliances work just fine.  That's the logical part of me.  The decorator in me says that the cabinets/knobs are not attractive, the appliances are ugly and the floors are linoleum. Hmmm...  Well, the cabinets/countertops are staying because there's no way we're shelling out money to replace them.  The good news is that they are not pink or mint green or country blue and I can work with them. 

So here are my thoughts...

Walls- I was planning on using the same color as I use in the living room, just to keep the flow of the rooms constant.

Cabinets - Of course I want to paint them.  My first choice would be black.  I have a bathroom vanity cabinet in our house now that is black and I. LOVE. IT.  But, the kitchen seems a bit dark right now, so I'd hate to make a mistake and close in the space more.  On the other hand, all the paneling tends to make the whole house dark, so I think once it's freshly painted, everything will be lightened up.  My second choice of paint would be cream...but do I want light cabinets in the kitchen?  I'm messy in the kitchen and I don't want dingy looking cabinets.  Ick.

Floor - Can I do anything to them that is inexpensive? Have you or anyone you know painted linoleum? What wa the outcome? Do I even bother?  I saw on the internet that someone had painted a plywood subfloor and it was AWESOME!  Granted, they took off the linoleum before painting, but could I just paint right over the linoleum? (If you're curious, you can check out the painted plywood floor that I mentioned here.) OR should I not mess with it at all and just cover the floors with some giant rugs?  :) 

Window Treatments- I need something for above the sink and possibly on either side of the back door...preferably super inexpensive, no sew and very easy.  ;) I was thinking of just taking some burlap and making a rod pocket in two long panels for the sides of the back door and then some kind of little something to hang over the sink...now that would be the price point I LOVE!

Any other ideas or suggestions?  

Living Room Before

The living room. (Please ignore the furniture/furnishings/Brian's dad in the photos - they were taken when Brian initially went and looked at the house a couple of months ago.)

My thoughts -

Walls - Of course we're leaving the paneling and I'm planning to paint it a light brown/khaki color (I'm going for a neutral color in the kitchen & living room, but would love other suggestions).  Our house now if a light tan and it is super easy to live with and feels really comfortable, so I'm just going with what I know.

Computer desk/Shelving - I want to paint it, but not sure what color...the trim color of the room?  Or should I go with a creamier shade?  Should I paint the wall behind the shelves a different color to help things stand out on the shelves? If so, what color?

Fireplace Wall-  I don't care for it, but I don't know what to do with it.  Has anyone ever painted a fireplace like this?  Would it look awful?  I've seen brick painted, but never this kind of rock. Help!  

Any more ideas? Suggestions?

Creative Ideas Needed!

Yay! We are SO excited!! We have been looking for land for a while and this place is beeeeeee-u-tiful. The trees, the quiet - I love it. So, the whole reason for my call for help? The house. It is NOT beeeeee-u-tiful.We'll be living in this house until we begin the building process on our "forever house" as I call it. The house is approximately 25 years old and I think I can safely say that pretty much everything is original to the year it was built. I want it to spruce it up a bit, but at the same time, I refuse to spend a lot of money. The plan for right now is to only live in this house for a couple of years. So of course I don't want to put a lot of money in it because (1) I want the majority of the money we spend to go into the new house, and (2) but because when do build, we are planning on knocking down this house and it's totally ridiculous to pour money into it. On the other hand, a year or more is a long time to live in a house (especially when I am home all day looking at it) that is just plain ugly.

So, what do I need from you, my fabulous family and friends?

HELP! I'll post a picture of a room and tell what my initial plans are for the space and I want suggestions, thoughts, ideas & feedback. I don't have a lot of pictures of the rooms - the guy we bought it from still lives there and I only have the pictures that Brian took. Check back soon for more pics - and leave a comment while you're here!