What Meegan Makes

vintage style, cottage living, home cooking

Field Trip Friday With Design Dreams By Anne

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Hello my friends!!  I am super excited for this Field Trip Friday with Design Dreams by Anne.  You will love, love, love her home tour!  So without any further adieu let’s get started!!

Hi!  I’m Anne from DesignDreams by Anne.  Welcome to my home!

Three years ago, almost to the day, I bought a 1930s fixer-upper cottage. I was recently separated and wanted a project to focus on to help me pass the time. When I first moved in, I had thought I would be handling mostly cosmetic changes – I was wrong…

The longer I lived in the house, the more I realized there was much more to be dealt with than what appeared on the surface and it would be costly to deal with.  I took to scrounging materials, picking up roadside items, dumpster diving, yard sale’ing, horse-trading and swapping all sorts of things to get the look I wanted. Instead of hiring contractors, I invested in a starter set of power tools and took on the projects myself. It’s been a lot of work and a lot of fun, too.  The satisfaction of having done it all myself and on a small budget is HUGE.  Here is my journey.

First up was my kitchen.  It needed a big overhaul so I used the Home Depot “12 Months No Interest” plan and bought cabinets, counters, sink, faucet, plumbing materials and lights and I got to work.  I also placed my sideboard in the kitchen and put a shelf over it for some free additional storage space.   This is an Ikea sideboard that I painted with a home made paint to give it an antique look.

I found a pot rack at a yard sale for $3 and hung it on the wall beside the stove for easy access.  That bump out wall is the original chimney.  Some day I’ll tear all the drywall off it and make it into a feature…  some day… 

 

The previous owners had an addition built onto the original footprint and now this kitchen has no windows – UGH!  So I carved two holes between the studs over the kitchen sink to give myself a view into the next space that DOES have windows.

I built some shelves from reclaimed wood and brackets I bought from Ikea.

I built a pantry cabinet.  I needed a custom size to fit the space I had, so building was my only option.  I still have to finish the shelves and add a door to the bottom half, but it’s so handy!
I gave my bedroom a huge makeover. I painted EVERYTHING – walls, furniture, trim, closet doors, and more! I built a headboard from a 100 year old door I got at a yard sale for $5.
A new bedspread and shams complete the makeover.

  
Then I tackled my spare bedroom, making curtains and shams from tea towels I got in a clearance bin.

I added a shelf desk and painted some grain sack stripes on it to dress it up.

I had an enclosed porch at the back of the house with nothing in it except washer/dryer connections, so I made it into a laundry/mudroom with lots of storage. I moved the existing dryer vent and bought a stackable washer & dryer to save space.
I used an old potting bench for a counter and hung seed catalog covers on my dryer to doll it up a bit.  My curtains are another clearance bin find – a twin sheet that I folded in half and attached to a rod with clips.
My biggest challenge so far was tearing apart the original 1930s bathroom and rebuilding the whole thing from scratch.

Every room in the house has been painted in either tan or off-white.  I buckled down and painted all the ugly orange wood trim in the house.  It looks amazing now!  I’ve also painted most of the furniture so it all coordinates better.  Painting it was the best idea, the furniture went from looking old and tired to fresh and new again.


For a dining room hutch, I bought a 2nd hand Baker’s Rack for $25 and gave it a makeover.  I added wood shelves and a new wood top and stained/painted the whole thing.

Then I refinished my dining room table to match the new industrial style that I’m falling in love with:

I gave my master bathroom a makeover based on a table cloth I found in a clearance bin (gotta love those clearance bins!!!)  I used the tablecloth as a shower curtain.  I have a fabric liner as well, but the tablecloth is indoor/outdoor fabric – perfect for a bathroom!!

I’m still working on finding ways to brighten my kitchen and I plan to add a window over my laundry tub and widen the opening into my dining room, but mostly the big projects indoors are done!  Hooray!  Next year’s focus will be on landscaping, decks and patios.

Hope you enjoyed the tour. I have lots more photos and how-to details on my blog – come over and visit some time!  For more photos on the room tours, click on the links:

Didn’t I say you would love, love, love it??
Thanks so much Anne for taking the time for a Field Trip Friday with Design Dreams By Anne.  I am inspired by all that you have done in your home, and I know my readers are, too!
Join me again next week for:
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and another fabulous field trip!!
Before you leave today, don’t forget to link up with:
Tickled Pink Times Two
The party is live until Monday evening.  Woo Woo!
Make it a field trip Friday.

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Comments

  5. Brenda Young says

    Wow, Anne sure is one handy Gal! Wonderful field trip, I do so love home tours especially peeking behind the doors of new friends. You really develop a personal connection when you see how someone feathers their nest ! Nice job Anne, you have a lovely sense of style ! Thanks for sharing

    Reply

  6. Crystal says

    Your house is too cute!! I love the colors you chose…especially your bathroom! Love the curtain with blue framed mirror. Love your desk too! Thanks for sharing your home :)

    Reply

  8. Anne Boykin says

    Hi Meegan & Anne, Thanks for such a lovely visit. I love your house, Anne, and love to follow you through your decorating adventures.

    Reply

  9. Rosalie says

    What a fabulous job/look. Congratulations -the elbow power and cleaver uses of materials made your place into a lovely home. Thanks for the inspiration.

    Reply

  15. laurie says

    Anne amazes me! She is so brave to dive in and figure out how to make her home wonderful and to also do it on a budget. I always love seeing photos of her home and her creations. Thank you for sharing this. laurie

    Reply

  16. Bliss says

    I have stalked Anne’s home tour before, but I do believe this is the first time I have seen her clever idea to give herself a window over her sink.

    Reply

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