New Dress Code

Friday, May 11, 2018







Hi everyone!

First off, thank you SO much for all of the love on our laundry room makeover!  I'm thrilled that you love the new look as much as we do. If you missed the reveal post, you can find it here!

So I recently mentioned on instagram that I was doing a huge closet purge.  I've come to realize that I've been pretty guilty of purchasing items that (a) aren't my style (b) were a good deal, so why not?! #sarcasm or (c) were trendy and so of course I'd buy it, right?! #eyeroll lol

Ugh!  In the end, it's become very apparent that the only clothing I should be purchasing are pieces that are in line with my style and what I'm comfortable in.  I think part of the problem is that it's taken a while for me to figure out just what my style is, but I feel as though I've finally realized what that is.  I also want to be way more conscious of what I'm purchasing so that I don't have a closet full of items that I don't love, because really, what's the point?!  As a result, I donated the majority of the clothing that I didn't love and gosh, it felt great!  

I have infinite love for Talbots.  I've had the absolute pleasure of partnering with this incredible brand a few times now and I'm beyond thankful for that.  I honestly feel as though their "petite" line was made for me!  They fit me so well (no hemming pants, woohoo!!!).  Did you know that their hashtag is #modernclassicstyle ?  It's true!  And that is SO me!

The goal from here on in, is to add some go-to staples to my closet.  I'm a huge fan of blazers, I find that they immediately bring an outfit to the next level, but they are also key pieces for layering.  They can be dressed up or down and are great when the mornings and evenings are chilly.  Talbots always does a fab job of paying attention to the details, case in point, the scallop trim on the top I'm wearing, the metallic threading in the purse and the contrasting piping on the blazer.  And these espadrilles are beyond comfy!!!









I feel that this outfit features classic staples that every closet needs!  I'm excited to share a few new looks featuring Talbots pieces in the coming weeks!  Stay tuned for more!


Cheers,
Julie


This post has kindly been sponsored by Talbots, all opinions are my own

Bright and Airy Laundry Room Makeover!

Monday, May 7, 2018

Well, it's time.  They say that good things are worth waiting for and I hope that that's the case for the reveal of our laundry room makeover.  I'll be the first to admit that this project took longer than I had anticipated.  Between a thumb injury that still hasn't healed and a few hiccups, the project that I thought I'd wrap up in February was completed just last week.  I'm thankful for amazing family (hubs and FIL, thank you a million times over for tackling this project with & for me!) and incredibly patient brands.

So, without further ado...you guys, here's a look at where we started (I've listed all of the products that we used for this makeover at the bottom of the post.  Thank you Home Depot Canada and Blanco Canada for sponsoring this room makeover of my dreams!):



 And this is how it looks now:






So, let's rewind a bit.  I have been wanting to tackle this space for a few years now, but was trying to nail down a plan that would be affordable, practical and that would maximize this space to it's full potential.  

This room acts as our laundry room and mudroom, with access to the garage.  The problem was that there was just so much waste of useable space.  I decided to take a look at the cabinetry at Home Depot and was thrilled to discover affordable custom order options, which I didn't know about.  I approached their incredible team and they were totally on board!  Once I had the cabinetry and counters chosen, the fabulous team at Blanco Canada came through with the best laundry sink ever as well as a stunning pull down faucet.

I decided to go with darker cabinetry to help hide the dirt & dust that would come from the machines and well, the baseball fields!  That being said, I did want to lighten up the space, so these stunning grey/green cabinets were the perfection option.  I decided to top the cabinetry with white counters, once again to help brighten up the space.  I added a coat of paint, Tinsmith on the upper portion of the walls and Bakery Box on the trim and beadboard to freshen up the walls.  The beadboard helps to add texture to the wall and also acts as bit of a barrier, it is a mudroom after all and as a result, it's a very hardworking room!




Truth be told, I was slightly worried that I would miss our laundry room sink, despite how non aesthetically pleasing it was!  But wow, the minute that the Blanco Liven sink was installed, I knew that I didn't have to worry.  It's an incredibly generous size and is absolutely perfect for the jobs that I will be tasked with!  The Artona faucet is the perfect pairing.  I just love it's soft shape!







We did have to assemble the cabinetry on our own (and by we, I mean my husband and father in law!).  They were impressed by how effortlessly the cabinets went together.  Once the cabinetry was installed, we then made an appointment with the counter company (through Home Depot) to take the measurements for the quartz counters.  Be sure to have your sink on site for this visit, as they will need the measurements from it as well.  The outside of the cabinet boxes were white, so I had to paint the exposed side of the upper.  To do this, I brought in one of the cabinetry doors and had the paint coloured matched.  I used melamine paint for this.  I also had satin paint colour matched and painted the closet doors as well as the door to the garage.

Though it's not shown (sorry!!), we framed out the washing machine and dryer to support the quartz counter.  The frame was drilled into the studs on the wall and then the vertical support it the centre was drilled into the tile (be sure to use the proper drill bit so that you don't crack your flooring).  We added some trim below the counters for a clean look, but used magnets to hold it in place, so that we can access the machines when needed.



The cabinets took approximately four weeks to arrive after we placed the order and it was another four weeks from the day we ordered the counters to the day that they were installed.  The measurements happened approximately two weeks after we placed our order.

Though I knew that I would love having the ample amount of counter space above the machines, what I didn't realize was how much I'd appreciate having enough space to fold the laundry in the laundry room and to put each of the kid's clothes in their separate piles.  It's the simple things I suppose!  It just makes things SO much easier!

To help keep the kids' items organized, we installed hooks on the wall opposite from the machines.  Prior to the makeover, it was just an empty wall.  I would have loved to have installed cubbies, but there isn't much space between the wall and door to the garage, so hooks were the next best option.



I love how there is a mix of elements in this space.  From the darker floors to the traditional polished nickel hardware.  Not only will this space act as a mudroom and laundry room, but it's also my little oasis, a place where I can pot plants, clip flowers and make arrangements, I took this into account when selecting the finishes.  It's my own little sanctuary to be honest, and I just love that it no longer feels like a room that I just want to hide behind a closed door!







A closer look at some of the details:










As promised here is a list of some of the products that we used for this room makeover:

Cabinetry - Verona from Eurostyle (you can view custom cabinetry options here) (c/o)



Pulls (c/o)

Knobs (c/o)




Paint - Behr Tinsmith on upper / Behr Bakery Box on lower / Behr Ultra White on trim (c/o)

Beadboard - In store at Home Depot, we purchased two 8' pieces and cut as required (c/o) 

Ply cap (c/o)




Though this makeover was a larger project that I had anticipated, we are all so thrilled with the end results!  

Cheers,
  

This post was sponsored by Home Depot Canada and Blanco Canada, all opinions are my own
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