We have really good imaginations.

When we watch House Hunters, we're constantly baffled by people who walk into a house and say "oh I hate that paint color" or "that dining room table is so cluttered" Don't people know those are things that can be changed?!  So weird that that's what they're looking at! But I guess Brandon and I are a different breed; we've never been known to utter the phrase "Hmmmm..... I can't really picture that." 
Case in point: the online listing photos for the Haus.  In larger cities, realty photos are actually pretty good - they showcase a house well.  But when you get into a more rural area, some realtors haven't quite caught on.  They do their best, sure, but you rarely see professional staging companies who know how best to show off a home's architecture & style, or pro photographers to best show a room's layout and size.  Good for us, though, because it kept the price of the Haus down, and on the market long enough for us to get our shit together and decide to move ;)  Partly because this house is so unique, and partly because the photos didn't really do it proper justice.  The choice of furniture and where to put said furniture were a bit....off....when it came to the design of the home, and since it has a unique layout, it was hard to get a feel of what it *actually* looked like.
So when my mom told me she saw this house listing [on the local newspaper's website, no less] and checked it out, we were able to see right past the odd lighting/angles/furniture to the gorgeous structure, and we. were. IN.
 
Despite the paint color.

On to the photos!  There weren't a ton on the site, and there are a few of rooms that are still basically the same [like, um, the master bathroom that I still haven't touched] so I didn't include those pics. These are just the photos of the rooms with the most change [and really, the prettiest rooms]
When I look at the 'before' listing photos compared to my photos of the 'after', I can only assume this lovely old girl is happy with her new colors, furniture, and fixtures - she's been brought back to life :)

[I didn't really feel like taking new photos - that involves more cleaning than I care to do right now, so picture that mustard chair in black leather.  Because that's what it looks like.]

 [side note: this looks like a photo trying to sell bar stools.  ...And does this kitchen have a counter top?  We'll never know for sure.]

Also, the nursery is trucking right along!  Not completely finished just yet, but nearly there!  I'll have a few posts to show it off very soon, along with a couple of DIY tutorials.  Baby will be here before we know it!

It's about damn time.

It's no surprise that MONTHS ago we got hardwood floors. You've seen them on previous posts and on instagram, but it just took me a while to put the finishing touches [and, actually, it's not technically finished - more on that later]

But even though it's been months, my love for these floors has only grown.  There are lots of upgrades we've done to the house so far, and this is in my top two [tied with my beautiful, beautiful kitchen counters] so it deserves its own shout out.
When we moved in, we both hated the carpet.  Loathed.  Carpet is nasty, yo.  Especially when you didn't put it in, and it's full of other people's dirt [a guy I know who installs carpet once told me that new carpet is a lot lighter than old carpet.   ummm.....EW.] But we just figured we'd wait a year or so and save up some money.  BUT - we were lucky enough to sell our old house remarkably fast!  Brandon had planned out finances based on us owning it for another 6-9 months [because that's what the market was looking like] so since we didn't have those extra expenses, hardwood floors moved waaay up the list! 
We looked at Lowes at their offerings, and brought home a few samples, but nothing was feeling right.  Since our walls are walnut we had to keep in mind a few things: 1.no walnut [because the walnut walls are remarkably beautiful and nothing should compete], 2. preferably something darker than the walls, and 3. something with a minimal grain [I didn't really want a trippy, wood-grain optical illusion, because the walls have beautiful grain].  Nothing really fit the bill.  So on a whim we checked a local flooring store, and the guy there [who I coincidentally graduated high school with] suggested this new floor they have, called Muirfield Maple Graphite from Mullican.  Maple has minimal grain, and it was a gray wood floor!  Didn't take us long to order the 5" wide planks and get on the list of very reputable installer.  Then the day finally came!  We cleared out the furniture and said goodbye to the carpet, its content, and its musty smell. 

Aaron, our floor guy, and his crew did an amazing job!  The dogs approved of them too :)

[iphone photos, obvi to instagram the progress]

We had our floor!  We just didn't have stair treads.  I decided to not use the floor planks on the stair, because I didn't want the busy lines on such large steps.  I opted for solid planks of maple, which were then ordered.

Once they arrive I got to work on mixing the stain to match the floor!

And Aaron came back to install the riser [which is 1/4' plywood that I had pre-painted black before he got there to install]

After the riser was put in and the steps installed, we had this [and, sadly, it looked like this for MONTHS]  I told him to just leave the finishing to me, because I'm a badass like that.  

Then the holidays came, and things were busy.  So that's why I didn't really get around to 'officially' blogging the floors until now.

So!  After I kicked myself in the butt I got 32 feet of paint-grade base shoe at Lowes [about $13 total] and painted them black in the garage [and took the pic with my iphone, because I'm lazy.]

And I measured and cut the miters, Amish-style with a hand saw and miter box. [I'm not to be trusted with power tools that can cut off digits.]

And took an afternoon to finish it off!  I ended up gluing it on with Liquid Nails because the angle made it difficult for my brad nailer to do any good.  Seemed to work pretty well.

Then I caulked the lines and painted it all smooth! [I SWEAR I thought I took pics of this step but I may have dreamed it.]  Then it looked like this!

BUT.  I opted to use painters tape on the stair tread while painting the upper riser, but I got lazy on the floor and just went slowly and carefully, and wiped up any drips.  Then I took the tape off of the stair, and IT RIPPED OFF MY POLY.  SONofaB!  Who'd have thought?!  I hate painters tape.  So now, instead of being pretty and finished, it looks like this:

I needed to sand and put a final coat of poly on anyway, but now I'll have to sand harder, and possibly do two coats.  So it's going to look like this for a few more months [keeping it honest, here]

Anyhoo.  The black riser and pretty, solid stair looks quite polished.  And I'm pretty proud of my stain-matching abilities, if I don't say so myself :)

And the floor never fails to STUN, and it looks so much brighter in here.  And swankier.  And it smells better.

A note about the rug: I knew I needed a LARGE rug, at least 8x10.  And I'm very picky.  I wanted something solid [or mostly solid], light gray, and not $1,000,000.  Which the best rugs seem to be.  So after lots of searching, I ended up finding a remnant at a Lowes in Ballwin that fit the bill - light gray, 9x12, and only $80!  Even if it's not the absolute perfect rug, it's perfect for now.  Plus, there have already been a few spills, and since it's carpet meant to be installed wall to wall and last for 30 years, shit just WIPES UP.  It's like it's scotch guarded.  It's amazing. 

and one last before and after:

So.  Much.  Better.

I'm in love.

So last week I posed a question to everyone: should the armchair in my living room be teal or grey?
The overwhelming response was teal. But the very evening the post went live - not exaggerating - I spotted this lovely little number on South Jefferson MidCentury Modern's instagram post, and saw big puffy hearts all around it. Showed it to Brandon, and he loved it just as much as I did [he's good like that - we like almost all of the same stuff.  Makes putting this house together pretty easy :)]
And as luck would have it, I was available to go to their shop the next time they would be open [they're only open on Saturdays, and as a wedding photographer, that's pretty magical that I would be able to go!].  So I grabbed my friend Tracy, and we pulled up to the shop at about 11:50.  There was already a line of a couple dozen people, all waiting to get in at noon when they opened their doors!  Not gonna lie - I got really nervous and kind of competitive.  Sweaty palms aside - as soon as we could get in the door, I quickly swept the shop until I finally found it in the corner and made a beeline right for it.  It. Was. Mine.  And I brought her home!  Those who follow my instagram have already seen it a few times [and for just haus-related stuff, check out the new one here!], but here she is, in all her glory:

Fits perfectly, dontcha think?

I'm a fan of the color, but not for this chair, in this spot.  Lots of warm wood and a bit of yellow in the stone would just be way too much yellow with this chair.  Plus, the vinyl has seen better days...

But those lines tho...

So she'll be getting recovered in black, and she's going to look like $1,000,000 [a million bucks.] ;)

So everyone wants to know, what about the other chair?  I still love that chair, and there was a perfect corner in our room for a comfy armchair [and place to hide shoes & dog toys under] so I put it in there.  We were actually looking for a chair for that exact spot, so everything is working out perfectly!

[lots of dog toys around here.  Just keeping it 100. Though I did make the bed and dust a little before I took the pic]

I still want to get it recovered, but that'll be on the back burner, since it'll take a lot of fabric and won't be cheap.  And no one sees it.  Still thinking teal though - it'll just look so pretty against that walnut!

[there's frequently a beagle on the bed, and at least one toy underneath]

Stay tuned to see the update once I get the new chair recovered!  I just have to actually *call* someone about that.  I hate doing that.

Just call me Megan Draper.

Because my name is Megan and I just put some drapes on some windows. 

After we got those beautiful hardwood floors laid [which, yes, I still owe you a post!  actually, I still need to put the finishing touches on the floor itself first....] we had a bit of an echo problem.  Surprising, right?  I mean, it's just a ton of wood, stone and glass - why in the world would there be an echo? 
So I set about finding the perfect drapes, so I can keep the clean lines of the windows, without froofing things up too much.

I settled on a simple set of charcoal gray blackout panels, with a subtle sheen and texture.  I didn't want a crazy pattern or color to draw too much attention - just something simple and clean.  JCPenney for the win!  Found a pair for $40 a panel, with a grommet top to keep things extra lovely.

Did you know it's incredibly hard to find affordable, really simple curtain rods?  Everything I saw [even at Target!  for the first time in my life, they let me down.  It was a sad day....] was too frilly or scrolly, and just too overdone.  But on a whim I decided to pop into Kohls, and they had exactly what I wanted.  Simple, clean and dark, so as not to draw too much attention.  And as a bonus, they were on sale for $14 each!

Anyhoo.  I'm sure curtain talk is just as exciting as you thought it would be, but to change it up, here's another before and after:

Just enough to muffle some sound, soften edges, and when closed we can become hermit-like cave dwellers and binge watch Mad Men all day. 

SIDE NOTE.  In the precap of the year [see what I did there?] I posted in January, I added 'get chair upholstered' in the list.  Here it is, all avocado, matted and funny-smelling in the corner:

I was dead set on a dark peacock tweedy-textured fabric for the chair.  But then on Pinterest the other day I came across this lovely photo, which looked strangely familiar:

 [from this tumblr]

And I fell in love.  The colors and textures are amazing, and I noticed that all of the furniture is grey.  I assumed in my house all grey would be a tad flat, but this......this is amazing.  DAMN.  Now I have no idea.  [and I don't need help in the waffling on decisions department]
So, dear readers, I need your help! 
I've crudely photoshopped both options - teal and grey - so you can help me decide!  Put your vote in the comments so I can make a damn decision!
1:

2:

Then once I make a decision, and make a phone call like a grown up, I'll get it reupholstered and she'll look all shiny and new :)

The Year to Come

Hello 2015! You are going to be .... full. But I'm ready to go and ready to tackle the upcoming projects!
Now that wedding season is winding down, time is freeing up to [finally] pay attention to the Haus blog.  In the next few months there will be posts on new projects I plan on completing, and posts on little DIY tips that I've already completed and documented.  All I have to do is put the pics on here to show you all :)
FIRST LIST: The projects.
The Kitchen will be my main focus.  We did a few big things right before we moved in to spruce it up, and make everything cleaner and safer [more on that later].  It's been sitting, status quo, the rest of the year, and now I'm ready to do the things that will finish it up [or at least finish it until I'm ready to change things, as I'm apt to do.]
On the list are:

1. Paint the ceiling white.  I love the wood ceiling look, but this ceiling has been whitewashed at some point and doesn't have a clean look - it's more shabby chic.  And definitely not 'us.'  So it's either strip it all and refinish, or paint it.  So I'm gonna paint it!  That room is always the brightest in the house, but once we finish that project it'll be soooooo bright and gorgeous - I can. not. wait.
2. Unify the lighting situation.  From what I've deduced while poking around, the three silver cylinder fixtures are original, and worked well with the kitchen's original layout.  The lady who owned the house before we bought it [which, incidentally, we're the house's third owner since 1968!] expanded the kitchen layout a bit, and when she lengthened the counter on the wall, she added in another light that *sort of* went with the house.  And it's kind of bugged me since we bought it.  I have a few ideas of what to do, but if anyone has any suggestions, I'm all ears!  I probably won't listen, but if you have an idea, share it in the comments!
3. NEW HARDWARE.  Once the gorgeous quartz counters went in, they made the current hardware look that much more terrible.  I already have the new hardware - bought that last year.  And it's really pretty!  I just have to get over the crippling fear of doing it wrong.  So.  I will work on that.
4. Shine up the cabinets.  The original cabinets are strikingly beautiful in person - they're walnut and have gorgeous graining.  But, over the years, and in a kitchen where things can get spilled on, and water sprayed, they've faded a bit.  My mom and I oiled them really well when I moved in, but they need some more doing.  So when I take off the old hardware and fill the holes [of course I didn't pick hardware that fits the spots that are actually there - hence the crippling fear of effing up] I'll pay them some much-needed attention.
5.  [Finally] Reupholster the chairs.  Not really a 'project' I'll be working on, but it does involve phone calls to actual people, which I really hate.  So if I can get those accomplished, I'll be on my way to having the chairs freshened up!  After waffling on 4 different options, I think we've settled on classic black vinyl.  Indestructible, and if I ever change my mind on color schemes, it'll still work.

Once all of those kitchen things are finished I'll do a full write up on all of the decisions, processes, and befores and afters.  That will be a biiiig post [or a couple of medium posts...]

Also up on the project list, but not necessarily ready for a broken-down list, are:
-Refinishing a very cool wood slab coffee table
-Cleaning, organizing & decorating the laundry room
-Making a larger gallery wall in the living room, with more photos and art that have been sadly neglected and put away all year
-Turning a superfluous coat closet off the kitchen into a pantry [!!!]
-Doing *something* with my master bathroom on the cheap.  It needs a full gut job, but that kind of money should be spent elsewhere at this time, so I'm going to spruce it up with some paint and creativity.  Somehow.  Right now it looks like this: [except messier]

[ That should actually be kind of fun, and I really like seeing what I can do with almost no budget ;) ]

NOW!  Done with the Projects list.  If I add another to the list I may end up overwhelmed and just skip doing anything at all.  Next up is the list of already finished updates that have been documented!  I have all the photos, and all I have to do is write up a post to share them all with you!
If you follow me on instagram, you've already seen sneak peeks of some changes, like:
1. We bit the bullet and seriously upgraded the floor sitch:

 

2. I adopted a new little pet, and her name is Miss Figgy:

3. I also did a quick, almost free DIY planter upgrade that brass lovers everywhere will thank me for [seriously - it's pretty cool.  Maybe that post will be up next!]
4. I added curtains!  Not a huge update or anything, but I was excited ;)
5. I rearranged all of the vintage crap I hoard into something presentable and less crazy on the big built-in shelves flanking our fireplace. I'll share my process of how to make sense of a mess of vintage crap.
6. I rebuilt the exterior sill on the windows.  A confusing sentence, I know, but when I get the post up I'll explain it all.  That may have to wait until closer to spring, because I still haven't taken the 'after' pics after the house was painted.  So when it's not bitterly cold I'll go clean up the sills, sweep off the leaves, and shoot some pics.  It's one of the things on the house that I'm most proud of :)

So!  That's a good list for now.  Expect lots of fun-ness here soon!