project home sweet home: the sunroom
The house my husband and I bought last fall wasn’t the house we were looking for. In our minds, we were thinking a home built between 1900 and 1940 with tons of character, light, and a big backyard. It didn’t take long before we realized that kind of house in the neighborhoods we liked wasn’t exactly in the budget.
We bought a 1950s house with the right balance of charm, affordability, and projects. It has some pretty outdated features (popcorn ceilings, dark wood paneling, some carpet, and a kitchen that makes us cringe) but we love it. To pieces. The updating has been slower than we thought of course. Like a lot of first-time home buyers we underestimated how long things take and how much they cost!
One of the first things we started on was the sunroom, which I referred to as “a one weekend project” (as my husband likes to remind me). Two to three tubes of caulk, three gallons of paint, and four months later, the room is finally a bright white. We haven’t started the trim because at first I thought I’d want to leave it wood. But the reason I wanted to show you guys this room today is — LOOK what was underneath the carpet! We were positive it was plywood under there, but were so thrilled to find porch floor boards. This weekend we put insulation in the crawlspace underneath and started removing the carpet.
We envisioned the room with bold black and white tiles on the floors, lots of plants, books, a couple of comfortable chairs, and a kilim rug or two. But now that we have floorboards to work with, I’m thinking a painted pattern instead of tile, just like:
(spotted in We Own The Night)
More inspiration —
Bright bold rug and lots of books, Ford Wheeler’s home on The Selby; stand-out windows, plants, and vintage furniture, Nina Shen’s home on Design Sponge; Lori Dunbar’s painted floors on Design Sponge
Vincent C. Richel’s rustic wood shelving on Remodelista; a Kilim rug on The Brick House; plants from Air Plant Supply Co on Etsy
So excited!!
Responses to “project home sweet home: the sunroom”
Michelle
February 14, 2011 at 9:13 amYou should totally paint a pattern on the floor. It will look great! We accomplished a lot around the house this weekend too, we’ve lived here for over 4 years and still are working towards our home decor goals. It’s a journey. Enjoy it!
anna naphtali
February 14, 2011 at 9:28 amthat is the best discovery!!!
elissa @ faucethead
February 14, 2011 at 10:11 amwow what an amazing find! i think painting a pattern is a brilliant idea, especially with those beautiful white walls. can’t wait to see how it comes together.
Elizabeth@rosalilium
February 14, 2011 at 10:39 amIt looks fantastic so far…and I vote for the pattern floor too. It will look amazing.
Eli Van Zoeren
February 14, 2011 at 11:12 amDon’t paint the trim! It’s so nice….
Looking good, though!
ellie
February 14, 2011 at 11:20 amah, yeah, i keep going back and forth on it eli! i think it’s the very last thing we should do, that way i can see it with the floor & furniture. cause there’d be no going back!
twobrunettesshop
February 14, 2011 at 11:58 amekkk I also love the trim too! IT looks great, but also love all white. Such a tough choice. The floor discovery is amazing. A cool bold painted floor would look awesome.
erin
February 14, 2011 at 2:52 pmyour sunroom renovations look amazing! i know all to well how long those “weekend” projects take – my husband and i bought a fixer-upper too.
size too small
February 15, 2011 at 7:44 amit’s going to be so cute! i’m excited for you!
Deb
February 15, 2011 at 10:44 amhttp://ashleyannphotography.com/blog/2011/01/24/diy-stencil-painted-subflooring/
check out this stenciled floor.
abigail
February 16, 2011 at 3:32 pmlooks great so far and I love the idea of a painted floor.
We’ve got a sun room that’s in need of some sprucing, thanks for the inspiration.
Trude
February 16, 2011 at 4:39 pmHow exciting!! It’s for moments like those that I can’t wait until I’m a homeowner. :) Someday…
Casa e Cose
February 17, 2011 at 8:50 amI want to buy a house tooooo – do the painted floor ( like the yellow photo ) Ihave that at pinterest and its super! And its sunny – and that’s your sunny room soo…What fun!
LindseyBee
February 18, 2011 at 11:10 ampainted floors can make me nervous, however, after seeing the yellow & white designs I think I’m convinced it’s worth a try-it turned out wonderfully!