When I realized I was going to be moving back to South Portland, into my house, I decided I wanted to make some updates before I moved Lily and I back into it. It was all such good timing – our tenants had decided they wanted to move out and buy a house of their own, and they ended up finding a house super quick. I was hoping to be in the house by September, but was able to start working on it at the end of June!
I knew that I needed to make this space 100% true to me. To make it my sanctuary. I knew that if I just rushed and moved back in, I would regret not taking the time to make updates while the house was empty. I’m really happy with the choices I made for the house, and ended up doing some impulse buying too, haha.
What we did:
- Painted every wall, window sill, and trim in the house, except the purple wall. I wasn’t planning on repainting the bedrooms, but I’m so glad I did! The gray is a lighter shade and it just looks so fresh!
- New light fixtures in each room – and I ended up buying a new ceiling fan. That wasn’t part of the plan, but I’m sooo glad I did! It looks so awesome!
- Repainted the living room and bathroom ceilings.
- New bathroom fixtures – planning to get a new tub next year.
- Painted the kitchen counters.
- Added backsplash to the kitchen.
- New floors in the kitchen and bathroom. And let me tell you – the bathroom floor was a bitch to do.
- All new curtain rods, and blinds in the bedrooms.
- Painted the back deck and the front steps, and about what feels like a million other little things 🙂
I learned a lot, I had a great deal of help from my sister, Jenn, and Jack, and I’m so so grateful!! I definitely could’ve done it all on my own, but I’m so glad I didn’t have to. It would’ve taken waaaayy longer!
Also, I didn’t measure a dang thing for the house and miraculously it all fit in here! I got new furniture, some new appliances, custom work for the walls, lots of new plants and it feels like the perfect space for me, Lily, and baby 🙂
I ended up replacing the kitchen faucet at the end of July, and I love the new faucet, but learned I never want to be a plumber, haha. That was quite the intense project for me to do!! I have a lot of projects left to do for the outside of the house and the basement, but for now, I’m super happy with the way things are 🙂
I think the biggest transformations were the kitchen and the bathroom, but overall, I think the whole house had quite a nice little facelift!
BEFORE:
AFTER:
I realized I never took “after” photos of the deck, but that’s okay. It looks freaking awesome and I love it 🙂 You’ll just have to take my word for it!
Linda is a Portland-based photographer specializing in weddings and creating family legacies from Portland to Boston and across New England. You can see more of her work online at lindabarryphotography.com, on Instagram, or on Facebook. If you want to reach out directly: linda@lindabarryphotography.com.
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