Closet Makeover Final Reveal

 

 Thank you for following the process of me organizing and styling my closet.  I have been so happy with the results that I actually keep my closet doors open now and the closet space has quite literally become an extension of my bedroom.  I'm so happy that I decided to I ignore my thoughts about how my colorful changes may impact the resale value of my house (if and when I decide to sell).  I mean, come on, I have a Kelly Green wallpapered mudroom, a turquoise sunroom  and a teal study.  Here are some snapshots of rooms around my house.  As I've resurrected this blog, I realize that the previous posts about my house are pretty outdated, so stay tuned for future shares of rooms In my house.  

Let's digress for a quick minute: 

Here is a view into my sunroom.  The walls are turquoise, even on the ceiling.  There are 3 walls of windows and lots of colorful pillows.  This is my happy space.  This photo was from a Jayes Studio Photo Shoot at my home, aren't these Bowl's fabulous?  They are by Danika Herrick as part of her collaboration with Jaye's studio, and yes!, I sell them at Vivid Hue Home here.  

Vivid Hue Home Sunroom, Photo Credit: @mindfulmotionphoto

This is Smidge's room.  She's 12, almost 13 and this is probably the most picked up it's ever been.  

Vivid Hue Home House Tour, Smidge's Room 

Another view of my sunroom.  This grosgrain ribbon chair is my absolute favorite.  It's the Louis XV Chair by Dransfield and Ross.  They no longer make it but I am glad I found one when it was still available and I will always treasure it. 

Vivid Hue Home Sunroom 

Vivid Hue Home Guest Bedroom: Styling by Vivid Hue Home, Photo by Mindfulmotionphoto

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Vivid Hue Home Living Room 

Vivid Hue Home Study, Styling by Vivid Hue Home during Jayes Studio Photo Shoot, photography by Mindful Motion Photo

Now back to the original purpose of this post!  This is supposed to be the final closet reveal!  We last left off with me purging the excess out of my closet and then adding pink peach paint to my closet.   Now let's move on to see the final results!  

Recall. BEFORE

And AFTER 

Left side of the closet BEFORE

and AFTER 

Before view of the dresser cubby areas.  

 

Closet Makeover Part 2, Let's Paint!

 

Today I'm going to take y'all on my continued journey of my Closet Makeover.  To see where I started with my makeover, revisit this post, Vivid Hue's Closet Makeover.   This endeavor started with the goal of organizing my closet.  After the first round of purging which led to twenty bags for donation, I became motivated to not only organize the space but also make it more feminine.  Within one night, I'd created a mood board for my vision pulling budget friendly sources that could be delivered to me quickly.  

I was determined to make this space feel girly and colorful like the rest of my home.  These built In drawers were giving me agita.  There was just no easy way to work around them and yet I didn't set out to spend a lot of money.  In the end, I decided I would paint these and I was going to go all In.  

To prep the surface of the dresser, I used a fine sandpaper sponge to rough up the surface and remove the slight glossy finish.  The goal wasn't to remove all of the dark wood coloring it was to add some texture to the surface so the primer would have something with which to adhere. I wiped the surface with a damp cloth to remove the slight dust film. 

I selected Benjamin Moore Pink Peach 2009-40 paint color and a one coat primer that the paint store tinted with a bit of the pink peach color.  This helped expedite the process because as I was adding the primer, the drawers became one step closer to their final color.    Y'all that have followed me for some time know that I love to skimp on my DIY's any way I can.  Yes, it's true.  I become excited to see the end result and I often rush the process. That said, I didn't even remove my drawers from out of the closet or put a drop cloth down.  I literally sanded and prepped them right there.  

The initial coat of primer went on light and streaky.  I let it dry overnight and then returned to do another primer coat.  The more thoroughly you cover the original color of your surface with primer, the better the final coat will adhere.  

The actual paint was a high gloss because I wanted a sheen to the surface.  Below was the start of adding the final coat.  I didn't put more than one final coat on the drawers.  I did, however, have spots that had drips and I had to resand those sections down a bit and retouch.  

You can see some of the paint streaks In the photo below.  I sanded those down with the drawers In place.  

Watch this video that shows me hanging the peel and stick wallpaper to my closet!  

Click here to watch video

Bradley Cooper relaxes In the closet on the new MadCap Cottage Rug! And I practice to take selfies of my outfits from my closet!  

Next, be sure to check back to see how the finished project turned out.  Now that I had updated the interior of the closet it was time to return to actually organizing and straightening the items In there.  

Also, like the style you see on the blog?  Why not head over to the Vivid Hue Home shop and see all of the awesome home decor items we sell!  

A Memory of Marrakesh

 

Happy milestone birthday to my dear dear friend, Kara @karhazel .  This trip in 2002 remains one of my top memories. This was mid-way through our girl’s trip to Spain and Morocco.  Here we are on the Mediterranean Sea between Marbella and Rabat.  I have fun memories of clubbing the night away at the discotheque in Madrid and driving down through Sevilla to the Southern coast of Spain.  

We were busy “almost 30-something” professionals working hard in NYC but also taking plenty of time to enjoy ourselves.  We planned this trip just a year after living through 9/11 in NYC. We didn’t think we were invincible but we also felt there was a world at our finger tips to explore.   As we traveled on the ferry to Rabat, I remember a gorgeous woman in the restroom that asked if she could borrow my bright red lip coloring.  She was wearing a hijab and yet she still took pride In her perfectly stained lips that only she would appreciate.  

 We arrived in Rabat and visited Amy’s home and school she’d attended In childhood during a few years living of abroad with her family (we’d learned years previously that a "State Department" employee from Northern Virginia was code word for “C.I.A.”).   The coastline was like none I’d ever seen.  It was eye opening to walk into a rest stop along our journey and be the only women at the stop (and then we realized the bathrooms were coed and included literal holes in the dirt ground where we were to squat). 

Our experience with the people in Morooco still resonates with me.  Everyone we encountered was very friendly (thinking we were British) and even more sympathetic and warm upon realizing we were actually from NYC.  I’ll never forget the University student who was studying English and earning money while driving a taxi… we were so lost and a bit forlorn because we couldn’t locate our Riad.  This gentleman graciously showed us where to safely park our car and then he led us down maze walkways and alley ways.  We had to put our full trust in him and, along the way, he learned we lived In NYC and he unabashedly apologized to us for what happened on 9/11.  He delivered us to this great castle door and when it opened… it revealed the most amazing oasis of a Riad… owned by a Scandinavian couple who decided to open a beautiful destination for guests In Mirrakesh. Our room was adorned with the most stunning and vibrant textiles I’ve ever seen. The windows had no actual panes in them; animals and insects and people could climb through them if desired and yet I felt the most safe and serene I had felt in a very long time. There was a staircase that led to an unmarked door in our suite. There were candle lights on every stair to set a warm glowing ambience (and probably prevent us from walking up the stairs to the doorway). Of course we had to explore. As we opened the door at the top of the stairs we found ourselves on top of a rooftop. We were overlooking the entire medina in Marrakesh. We saw lights and sunsets and gorgeous colors.  We drank a bottle of wine and took in the landscape.   I could continue on about the millions of laughs we encountered while trying to have Kara take the perfect photo of Amy and me, before iphones and selfies… (kara we are lucky you still speak to us).  But honestly ladies, this wasn’t just a trip of the year or the travel of the century. This was a life-changing journey that we embarked on in our late 20s. It literally was life altering. And I am so happy that I shared this adventure with you women. Kara I’m so sorry I couldn’t be in Arizona with you this weekend to celebrate your 50th.  You ladies truly hold a special place In my heart.   Kara, you are one of the strongest and most “beautifulest”  people I know.  Happy birthday to you my beautiful friend.

Kitchen Renovation REVEAL

By now you've followed my kitchen renovation journey and you're ready for the big reveal!  If you haven't seen the progression, feel free to catch up with these links:    

Kitchen Redo   Goals  Selections  Stools   Progress   Almost Done

It was so great to work with Showcase Kitchens CT .  Their team is talented and precise with meeting my timelines.  Vinny was a great designer to collaborate with during this entire process.  These photos are from a photo shoot we had with Showcase Kitchens.  Chrissy Racho from Lily Camelia Studio took these photos.  

My favorite aspect of the kitchen is the navy island with the extra THICK butcher block wood countertops.  The pendants are lotus pendants from my Vivid Hue Home shop. 

Sources for my kitchen include: Custom Cabinets In urban gray by Ultracraft.  

 

Kitchen Remodel: Details before Finished

This post originally launched on July 17, 2019.  Due to some backend changes to our blog, we are relaunching here

We are now 7.5 weeks into the kitchen renovation project and the details and layers have started getting installed.   This is the fun part where the vision starts to really come together. 

Let's Redo!   |   Renovation Goals  |  Renovation Selections  |  

Kitchen Stools  |  Kitchen Progress |  Kitchen Midway

This week there were some monumental updates that were added to the kitchen; the hardware, countertops and lighting!  

The white quart countertops went In around the perimeter of the kitchen.  If you recall, there was black granite there previously so this makes for a much brighter work space.  

The brass gold hardware was installed onto all of the cabinets and drawers.  

Even our faucet is brass gold (Newport Brass Faucets).  

The most exciting development for me personally was the unveiling of the solid walnut block for the island.  It's double the standard width so it will make even more of an impact.  And it looks fabulous on top of the navy island!

You will recall, below is the original kitchen. 

The entire pantry closet was removed and a hutch cabinet was built with more of a presence. 
Here is BEFORE:

And now after, In progress:

Lastly, the pendant lights were hung In brass gold, the blossom pendant from Worlds Away.  I think they are unique and also tie In well with the other elements of the kitchen. 

 Additional details will be layered into the kitchen as the week goes on.  Next week, the backsplash is scheduled.  Also, the counter stools have been ordered!  Stay tuned for a sneak peek on those. 

xo
Heather