We’ve bought our home in 1988….I know, before most of you were born, but I assure you we were young once. So young that we moved in with our 2-year old and a 2-month old children. It seems like an impossible fete now, but we did it.
The 1970’s home wasn’t what we wanted, but it was what we could afford, and we didn’t want to become one of the house-rich and cash-poor people who were being allowed to purchase McMansions. But that meant the house was small (1800 sf) and it needed paint, carpet, and more. But we figured it’d be our “starter home” and we’d fix it up, sell it, make a huge profit, and buy a nicer home. Well, that didn’t happen and in the next few years our starter home will become our retirement home.
We didn’t start decorating our master bedroom until a year after we moved in and by then we thought we were DIY home decor specialists. We’d already wallpapered and painted most of the rest of the house and were feeling a little heady about our accomplishments. Yes, wallpaper! It was the late 80’s and it was wildly popular and every young wife was spending a month’s check on the printed wonder. Heck, back then there was even a store called Wallpapers-To-Go in practically every city and that’s the store we visited when it came time to choose the wallpaper for the bedroom.
The decorating was in celebration of my husband’s 30th birthday (today is his 53rd) so as his gift, I asked him to make the color and paper choices. I mention this because no one believes me that my husband choose the decor when they see our country and shabby chic style leftover from 1989.
For our new room we decided that we wanted something with less contrast, something more soothing, and something that was easy to match other items to. Our original blue was one we loved, but when it came to finding coordinating items years later, it became a bit of a nightmare. This time we wanted a neutral but not white or off white…but before we could start on choosing colors, we had to remove 1989 from our room. Planning done, we’re ready to get to work.
What’s Next? Flooring!
Previous DIY articles
- Remodeling with Retirement In Mind After 22 Years In Our Home
- Our Spring Home Remodeling and Rejuvenation has Begun!
- Bedroom and Sewing Room Remodel Takes a Step Back, But I’m Happy About It
- Bathroom Update Finished Thanks to Inspiration from The Ladies’ Home Journal
- How to Choose the Perfect Ceiling Color for your DIY Painting Project
- Aren’t I Due This One Little DIY I Told You So?
- Bathroom Tile Chosen and the Cutting and Dry Fitting Begins!
- Bathroom and Hallway Remodeling Update: Mirror Down and Outlets Replaced
- Choosing a Husband Was Easier Than Committing to new Bathroom Floor Tiles – Luckily Online Help Is Available
- Tips on How To Decide What Size Mirror To Buy For the Bathroom
- Choosing the Right Bathroom Mirror For Our Remodel
- The Never Ending Bathroom and Hallway Remodeling Update
- Inexpensive Updates for a 1970′s Bathroom Bring It Up-to-date!
- Martha Stewart Living and Home Depot Visualizer Make Choosing Decor Simple
I remember Wallpapers-To-Go! I use to dream over all the wallpaper I would one day put up. Then I met my husband and he told me I was nuts! “Do you know how hard it is to install, remove, etc.” 😀 We moved around a lot so I never did get around to wallpapering and now I shudder at the thought of it. Of course, 20 years from now I will shudder over my choices of today. EA
I’ve wallpapered and peeled the same walls so many times 🙂 And every time we “upgrade” and love it, 5-10 years late we wonder WTH were we thinking!
I wish you the best! I am interior decorating challenged so I’m sure to be impressed with whatever you do 🙂
Ah, you’re so sweet! I figure if we’re still here in twenty years we’ll be just as horrified of our choices as we were the last redo 🙂
How fun! I love re-decorating!
It’s hard to paint over the kids’ history though – the glow-in-the-dark stars my son stuck to the wall to make me happy when I woke up and the kick marks on the inside of the closed door from when they used to lock each other in. 🙁