Last week, the movers came and got our belongings packed up and crated for our move to Germany, so I guess that means it’s really happening!
When I went back to the empty house to do the walkthrough with the homeowner, I took a few photos to catalog all that we accomplished in the house over the past year. Not to pat myself on the back, but really, we did a ton in just twelve short months!
Starting outside, because curb appeal is so important, the mailbox got a fresh coat of paint, a new flag, and vinyl numbers (see my mailbox posts here and here).
Before:
After:
The front porch got a new coat of paint on the floor and vinyl script spelling out the house numbers on the top step. I also gave the porch swing a new coat of white paint (see more of the porch here).
Before:
After:
The side porch also got a new coat of paint on the floor (see more here).
After:
The front door of the home opens into the living room. When we moved in, the living room and dining room were both bright yellow. I painted them right away (Rock Candy by Sherwin Williams for the living room, and Repose Gray by Sherwin Williams for the dining room).
Living Room Before:
Living Room After:
Living Room Before:
Living Room After:
See more of the living room here and here.
Dining Room Before:
Dining Room After:
In the dining room, I removed the painted wood cornice boards, and in the living room, dining room, and den/sunroom, I added new curtain rods and window panels (see more on those here).
Dining Room Before:
Dining Room After:
In the sunroom/den, I kept the original color (S/W Rock Candy) but did patch a number of nail holes and added curtains and a rod.
Den Before:
Den After:
Probably the biggest makeover was in the downstairs bathroom that you can catch of glimpse of through the door on the right. When we moved in, it looked like this:
I gave it a total facelift (read more about it here), and the after is so cute:
The kitchen and laundry room were the only rooms that didn’t get a coat of paint; they stayed blue. I did change the glass shades on the pendant lights over the counter, but that was it.
Kitchen Before:
Kitchen After:
You can see more of the laundry room here.
Moving around to the steps, I don’t think anyone will ever forget how they looked when we first moved in. They were super cheerful, but not my style.
Stairs Before:
Painting the stairs and the banister and installing the runner was an easy project but a very time-consuming one (see more here and here). It made a huge difference, though.
Stairs After:
Stairs Before:
Stairs After:
Just a quick side note: you probably noticed the difference in light from the before pictures to the afters. I shot the house at a different time of day and it made a huge difference in the light (the afters are a bit darker). Also, the “after” photos are just quick snaps on my iPhone as my fancy camera is boxed up in a crate somewhere. I just didn’t want anyone to think that the colors I chose made the house look darker when in fact the opposite is true!
Remember the pink master bedroom?
Master Before:
This room was painted (S/W Rock Candy) and got four new curtains. I also sprayed the existing wood curtain rods gold.
Master After:
The second bedroom was my daughter’s, and it went from green to S/W Sea Salt (she’s had that in her last four bedrooms so I promised her something different in Germany, even if it’s just plain old white!).
Bedroom #2 Before:
This room also got new curtains and I spray painted the wood rods gold.
Bedroom #2 After:
The third bedroom was our guest room and also our son’s bedroom when he was home from college. When he came home for spring break in March and never went back thanks to Covid, I will admit that there were a few times that we wished for an extra bedroom just so we could have little more space, but it was still well worth it to have him home for a few bonus months.
This room started out green and I painted it S/W Repose Gray.
Bedroom #3 Before:
Bedroom #3 Before:
Last but not least, the upstairs bathroom was pretty wild when we moved in. It would have been perfect for an artist, but I think that painting it was the right decision for a rental home since a neutral palette is usually best. I used Repose Gray in here, too.
Upstairs Bathroom Before:
I did have to paint the ceiling, too, since the painting extended up there.
Upstairs Bathroom After:
So all in all, it was a great year in Magnolia Cottage and we’re certainly going to miss this sweet little home. The convenience of living downtown and being able to walk to local shops and restaurants made downsizing well worthwhile–plus it was good practice for European-sized living.
You can see all of my Magnolia Cottage content here.
I’ll look forward to showing you our house (or apartment–who knows?!) in Germany soon. The way it works over there is that we have to live on base if they have an apartment for us within 60 days of our arrival. We’ll stay in a hotel until then and that’s also where we’ll spend our 14 days of quarantine. With any luck we’ll be able to move into an apartment sooner than 60 days, but after that period of time, if something’s not available on base, then we’re given the okay to search for a home on the economy (aka off base). As to when our stuff will arrive, that’s anyone’s guess, but I’m hoping by September.
Friday I’ll be back with my friend Kathie’s beautiful backyard. I’m greatful for generous friends who are allowing me to share their homes while I’m waiting for our next one!
Thanks for sharing our time at Magnolia Cottage, and thanks for stopping by.
