The Wallpaper Battle

There has been so much going on in our lives over the past couple of years. And I know that I've failed to blog about most of it. So as I sat thinking about how to catch you up on everything, I realized that not once have I posted anything about the updates and improvements we've been making around our house! I hope this is the first of many updates on our progress.

By the way, in an effort to come up with a creative title, today's was inspired by a quote I found from Oscar Wilde: "“My wallpaper and I are fighting a duel to the death. One or the other of us has to go.” (Mr. Wilde was an Irish playwright who lived during the late 1800s.) My point is that even then, wallpaper posed problems for folks. I do think wallpaper is making a comeback these days and there are a ton of cute things you can do with it, however, this is our story of 30 year old wallpaper and how we tackled it...

The kitchen was our first project. We started stripping the wallpaper and painting before I ever moved in. I found some of the details in this old post which shows the before and during pics of the kitchen. 

The wallpaper was a team effort! We spent quite a few evenings with John's parents scraping and peeling. This was my first experience with wallpaper so I had no idea what I was in for! 

BEFORE:

Here, you can see what the wallpaper looked like and the dingy outlet.

This is a wider angle of the kitchen in its original state...dark wallpaper, dated linoleum, and original refrigerator, and don't forget the old lighting box that hung down from the ceiling!

We did the kitchen improvements in stages, tackling the wallpaper and paint first. (See older post mentioned before.) The trick was to soak the walls with warm water and give it a few minutes to set in before peeling. When I say soak, I mean the more water, the better. We had some pretty handy wallpaper scraping tools which helped take off large chunks of paper at a time. 

Once the walls were cleared of paper and scrubbed clean, we chose a light tan shade to brighten up the room and purchased inexpensive kitchen curtains and rods from Anna's Linens to establish our color scheme, which is burgundy, green and gold.

Over time, we were able to put in new tile floors (Thank you Pat & Linda!)...

...update the electrical (Thanks Dad!)...

 Cool new light switches

 An outlet that charges an iPhone, iPad AND our coffee pot all at the same time!

Recessed lighting replaced the old box.

...add stainless steel dishwasher and fridge (a wedding gift from John's friend Greg), and add a few personal touches. 

Nice new fridge.

 Artwork to match the burgundy color scheme. I think these came from TJ Maxx or Home Goods.

Cross on the wall and fun personal items on the fridge. I'm pretty sure I bought that cross at Bee Hive in Ruston, LA several years ago.

Our most recent buy - a fun loving sign from Hobby Lobby. Always take a 40% off coupon with you! I can't leave empty handed.

AFTER:

The transformation is amazing! We've even had a couple people ask us if we redid the kitchen cabinets...I think all of the other upgrades gave those cabinets an instant facelift! Now our kitchen is warm, inviting, less of a bachelor's kitchen and much more "us"!

Lexi in her "new" kitchen complete with fresh paint, new curtains, tile floors, updated lighting, and a new table!