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Last Updated: November 2, 2019 By

Three Years Later: Our Before and Afters

It was exactly three years ago this week that our family packed up and made the big move from Ohio to Connecticut. I’ll never forget pulling up to our house after an 11 hour car ride and thinking how much prettier it was than I had remembered. Instead of the piles of snow that were there when we came for our house hunting trip in March, everything in the yard was green and blooming:

Our Connecticut Home | Benjamin Moore Coventry Gray | White trim | Black shutters and door | Bay windows | Hydrangeas

I wish I could say that the better-than-I-remembered-it feeling lasted after walking through the front door but things actually took a 180 turn at that point. Our “new” 60+ year-old house looked so much more worn and dated than I expected. It’s the difference between seeing a house fully furnished vs. completely bare – the battered baseboards, discolored spots on walls where pictures once hung, scrapes on shelving once covered up by books…I realized that we definitely had our work cut out for us!

Fast forward three years – there are still a few totally untouched spaces (yep, I’m talking about you, my heinous little family room), some rooms that are in need of some TLC (our kitchen!), and even one space (my youngest daughter’s room) that I already totally made-over but is on the to-do list for a new paint job. But overall, we’re getting there! Since I love seeing ‘before’ and ‘afters’, I thought it would be fun to take a look back and share a few with you guys.

Let’s kick it off with our dining room that had faux finished blue walls (don’t you love that yellowed spot where art once hung?), no ceiling fixture, and heavy tasseled drapes:

Our dining room before remodeling

After removing the chair rail, skim coating the walls (the worst job ever!), adding crown molding and lighting, painting, and redecorating, here’s our dining room today:

Loving this simple spring tablescape with twin floral centerpieces!

For more on our dining room, see the full tour and source list {here}

Our guest room was one of the first spaces we remodeled since we get lots of visiting friends and family and wanted them to have a comfortable place to stay. The stained carpet, ’80s floral balloon shades, faded walls, and aged outlet and lightswitch covers went bye-bye:

Our guest room before our makeover

and were replaced with bedding and window treatments in textured neutrals along with new carpet, end tables, and accessories:

Our guest bedroom makeover!

 

For more on our guest room, see the full tour and source list {here}

Our home office had a bit of an identity crisis after we moved in – we initially used this space as our family room but later decided to swap the two rooms and make this one our office. The hunter green walls and too-small-for-that-spot chest were replaced:

Our home office before the addition of our gallery wall

with dark charcoal walls, a Craigslist console, new lighting and drapes, and a fun new gallery wall:

Home office with charcoal gray walls and eclectic gallery wall above a credenza

For more on our home office, see the full tour and source list {here}

Our powder room (aka my husband’s bathroom – since our master bath is tiny we decided he would take this one over) was one of the many spaces in our home with dated wallpaper and light fixtures along with nowhere for my husband to store his toiletries so our guests had the joy of using a bathroom with his crap littering the sink:

Our powder room before our makeover

I took down the wallpaper, painted and stenciled the walls, and added new lighting along with a mirrored medicine cabinet to store all of his toiletries (the uncluttered pedestal sink is my favorite part :)):

Bathroom makeover (such a huge change from the before!) | Stenciled walls | Pedestal sink | Sconces | Wood medicine cabinet

For more on our powder room, see the full tour and source list {here}

My oldest daughter’s room was pretty much a blank slate – she wanted a space that was a little more grown-up feeling than what she had in our old house:

Before pic of blank wall over bed

We added light blue grasscloth wallpaper, board & batten below the chair rail, a new light fixture, new art, and new bedding for a more stylish look:

Modern coastal bedroom makeover with quatrefoil chandelier, grasscloth wallpaper, wood and chrome nightstand, and blue and white bedding - beautiful!

For more on this teen bedroom makeover, see the full tour and source list {here}

My youngest daughter had a love for bright, bold colors when we moved in and she wanted bright green walls rather than these subdued lavender ones:

Tween bedroom before makeover

Bright green she got! Along with a DIY headboard, new bedding, and a fun little DIY update to her closet doors:

Tween bedroom in vibrant shades of green and blue - such a difference from the "before" pics!

For more on this tween bedroom makeover, see the full tour and source list {here}

Our living room started off with bright yellow walls and a blue and white tiled fireplace that I had a bit of a love-hate relationship with:

Our living room before our makeover

After repainting and redecorating the room and then debating over that fireplace tile for two years, I finally decided to give it the boot and move forward with new tile and a new mantel. No regrets on that decision – it’s one of my favorite things about our home:

Living Room in Neutrals | Geometric fireplace tile | Layered art and mirror on mantel | Leather ottoman | White IKEA EKTORP sofa | Linen swivel chairs | Rattan bar cart

For more on our living room, see the full tour and source list {here}

And I’ll wrap it up with my recent makeover of our master bedroom. I honestly can’t believe that I lived with those blue faux finished walls and sad bedding for almost three years!

Our master bedroom before remodeling

There wasn’t a single thing that survived the makeover other than our dresser and bedroom chair which both got a makeover of their own!

Master bedroom makeover | Shiplap walls |Farrow & Ball All White wall color | Flushmount ceiling fixture | Gray drapes | Patterned pillows | Swing arm sconces | Wood stools

For more on our master bedroom, see the full tour and source list {here}

The family room and kitchen are next on the to-do list along with a possible master bathroom addition (we’re currently getting bids so fingers crossed on this one). And I’m going to try to fit in a few smaller projects like our upstairs landing area and my girls’ bathroom along the way. Definitely plenty to keep me busy and creating more ‘before’ and ‘afters’ in the year to come!

Thanks so much for taking to the time to stop by today. I hope you all have a great weekend!

KJ Signature

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Comments

  3. Debbe says

    June 18, 2016 at 7:24 am

    Just beautiful, lots of hard work that really paid off! I always enjoy viewing photos of your house, thanks for sharing????

    Reply

  4. Connie says

    June 18, 2016 at 8:34 am

    I am impressed with your vision for your home and bringing it to reality. You have a designer’s eye!
    I am thinking of installing hardwoods in other areas of my house. I have a dark hardwood in my kitchen and although I’ve enjoyed it the dark wood shows everything. My first love is light neutral oak as I believe you have. Would you change to the current dark trend or keep the light as you have now if you were making a change? I’d love your opinion please.

    Reply

    • Kris Jarrett says

      June 21, 2016 at 9:55 pm

      Hi Connie! I actually like the natural oak quite a bit and if I had a choice in a future home would either go that route or with a graywash finish. I love dark floors too but I agree that they show every little speck of dust (I’m not a good enough house cleaner for that 🙂

      Reply

  6. Rene' says

    June 18, 2016 at 8:50 am

    It’s all beautiful! You truly have a gift. A lot of people would have been turned off in seeing
    a house not turn key decorated, but you saw a diamond in the rough. Thank you for
    your blog…you give us all hope, encouragement and helpful hints along the way. 🙂

    Reply

  7. Nancy Borchelt says

    June 18, 2016 at 8:51 am

    I think everyone has that feeling at some point after moving into a new house. We moved 6 months ago from south Florida to Missisippi. And before we actually moved in, I thought we would be doing minimal updating………NOT. We will be updating and tweeting every room.
    Now I know why realtors tell you to show your home furnished..lol.
    Your home is beautiful and an inspiration to me as I keep plugging along..

    Reply

  9. Lisa | Shine Your Light says

    June 18, 2016 at 9:40 am

    Wow Kris, isn’t that amazing to see who far you’ve come? You have updated your home so beautifully with a style that you’ll be sure to enjoy for a long time to come. Can’t wait to see what’s next! I think I first started following you right around your move to this house (the little craft room you did for the girls!) Cheers to friendships that have bloomed from this beautiful blog of yours too!!! XO

    Reply

  10. Lou Clifton says

    June 18, 2016 at 11:45 am

    Great job ..I have enjoyed watching you make this into your home. I have always enjoyed seeing old photos and to think what the new might be before looking at the new design and think what would I have done.

    Reply

  12. Linda says

    June 18, 2016 at 1:53 pm

    You have exquisite taste and real talent! Of all the blogs I follow, not one rises to your level! You should be doing decorating as a profession.

    Reply

  13. Meredith says

    June 18, 2016 at 2:41 pm

    Each room exudes joy. Your beautiful touches, great eye and clever sourcing are delightful to see. Thank you for sharing❣

    Reply

  16. Garden, Home and Party says

    June 18, 2016 at 8:10 pm

    Kris,
    It’s so much fun to see before and afters. I had not seen a couple of your rooms ‘before’ so I enjoyed seeing your talented design work. You have made fabulous changes to all of these rooms. I’m so happy Debra, 5th and State, talked on her blog about your meeting at Round Top, which caused me to click on the link!
    xo,
    Karen

    Reply

  17. Carol @ CAD INTERIORS says

    June 18, 2016 at 11:54 pm

    You’ve done so much in three years, Kris! Love how your home has evolved and reflects your personal style. Btw, your master bedroom makeover is fantastic. Fingers crossed for you on the master bathroom addition!

    Reply

    • Kris Jarrett says

      June 21, 2016 at 10:07 pm

      Thanks so much Carol! Yep, I’m keeping both my fingers and toes crossed – everything in CT is so, so expensive that I’m worried it’s going to fall out of budget.

      Reply

  19. Shelley @ Calypso in the Country says

    June 19, 2016 at 9:09 am

    You have done such a beautiful job updating the rooms, Kris! That dining room has always been a favorite of mine – and that office! Just stunning! You really have accomplished a lot in three years. Thanks for the inspiring tour!
    Shelley

    Reply

  22. Pam @ S says

    June 20, 2016 at 11:51 pm

    Wow, this was so much fun seeing it all in one post! It’s amazing how far you’ve come in such a short time. Love your timeless style and following along with the beautiful home you’re creating!

    Reply

  23. Pamela Quarters says

    July 4, 2016 at 6:39 pm

    Kris,

    I think I found your blog looking at pins for bedskirts on Pinterest, and I am so thankful. Because that was only about 3 months ago I loved seeing everything you have done in one post. It is quite a change!! I like how you have mixed both expensive and budget finds and it looks fantastic (I love the console in your office!!). It’s a home that you would not be afraid to live in (lay on the couch to watch TV or read a book) or to show off as you do so well in your blog.

    I am catching up slowly on your past post and will be using some of your ideas for my future projects. I also love your photo bombing little dog! What a sweetie.

    Pamela

    Reply