https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Tue, 14 Apr 2026 17:54:36 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/new-house-decorating-help#post-2338729 Thu, 29 Oct 2015 11:31:26 +0000 brownepiano 2338729@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Grays are really in style right now. But you have to make sure they will match your carrier colors too. That's the problem I am running into. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/new-house-decorating-help#post-2338648 Thu, 29 Oct 2015 10:59:08 +0000 Jess1483 2338648@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs D: Those are great ideas! Thank you so much! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/new-house-decorating-help#post-2338647 Thu, 29 Oct 2015 10:58:24 +0000 Mrs D 2338647@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Jess1483: then get their catalogs! Its maybe better inspiration than the store because its in real houses! PB, Crate and Barrel, RH, Arhaus, Z gallery are all great catalogs. Also - Ballard Design, which is online only. West Elm, CB2 are great too - with a more modern flair! This would also help if you ever did find or use a decorator (there are online services for this too) you could show them what you have clipped! I have a binder - for each room in the house a tab...I keep two "clear" folders in each one holds receipts for purchases in that room and one holds clippings for ideas. I also have a small inspiration page for the room where I put things like paint swatches, fabric swatches and what not that we have used! Helps me stay organized/focused! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/new-house-decorating-help#post-2338628 Thu, 29 Oct 2015 10:52:48 +0000 Jess1483 2338628@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs D: Haha, no, we don't. We're one of the larger cities in the state. I live in Montana. It's a different world. Using a fabric to pull from is a great idea.</p> <p>And thanks for the website ideas. I've never heard of most of them. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/new-house-decorating-help#post-2338627 Thu, 29 Oct 2015 10:51:41 +0000 Mrs D 2338627@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Jess1483: Well, presumably you have some of these within an hour or two drive? Maybe not? If so - you can always take pictures into these stores, ask for advice/tips then go source products elsewhere? I LOVE to use the PB catalogs for inspiration...you can find very similar products elsewhere and online. When we first moved in I signed up to receive all the catalogs - I tore out inspiration pics for each room. Some pieces (quality, long term pieces) we have purchased from these stores - but mostly just use it for ideas! Plus all their services are FREE!</p> <p>Once you get ideas (I usually need a piece of furniture or fabric as inspiration to drive a room) scour Wayfair, Joss &amp; Main, One Kings Lane and all those fun "sale" sites for the pieces to bring the look together! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/new-house-decorating-help#post-2338618 Thu, 29 Oct 2015 10:47:18 +0000 Jess1483 2338618@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs D: Thanks for the tips. I think for most of the country, my city would be considered a very small town. We don't have any of those stores... We've pretty much got Home Depot. And Lowe's. We have some boutique stores, but they'd just be way out of our budget. I could look for an interior designer to give us some tips, though. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/new-house-decorating-help#post-2338609 Thu, 29 Oct 2015 10:44:54 +0000 Jess1483 2338609@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@78h2o: I sent you the link to the house ;) I would LOVE your input.</p> <p>@looch: I really like that color! I definitely won't do too much color in paint on the main floor. And yes. When we did curtains in this house, I was floored at how expensive they were. I have some that I'll be able to re-use for now, but I need to keep that in the budget. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/new-house-decorating-help#post-2338606 Thu, 29 Oct 2015 10:43:51 +0000 Mrs D 2338606@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Jess1483: Congrats on the house! Its great to find a diamond in the rough you can adjust to your own taste! Here are my thoughts...</p> <p>1) The stairs should be basically a non issue - just dont put a piece of furniture next to them - otherwise I would not fret!</p> <p>2) How about making the third bedroom and office with a Murphy bed? My sister just did one of these in their house and it came out beauitfully!</p> <p>3) Def paint and do all flooring before moving it - its such a HUGE issue once your stuff is in. and as @78h2o: the best order would be paint then flooring.</p> <p>4) Find a local interior decorator to help you! Their services are usually FREE as long as you buy from them. Many main stream stores also offer free design services...Ethan Allen, PB, RH all of them! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/new-house-decorating-help#post-2338594 Thu, 29 Oct 2015 10:39:04 +0000 looch 2338594@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Jess1483: When we painted our house, I followed the general concept of keeping color in the bedrooms. We painted the main area all one color (BM Sea Salt) and each of the 4 bedrooms is a different color. Is there a piece of fabric that you really like, or something that you would put in the room that inspires you in terms of color? I like to start with a fabric and pull colors from there.</p> <p>The other thing I would look at addressing right away is the window treatments. I didn't realize how expensive the ones I liked were and it took me a bit to find reasonable options. We had the bare window look for a good 6 months and it was driving me CRAZY. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/new-house-decorating-help#post-2338582 Thu, 29 Oct 2015 10:34:34 +0000 78h2o 2338582@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>If you can, finish all your painting before you replace the flooring so that you don't have to worry about protecting your new carpet! :) Benjamin Moore paint is pricey, but it's my favorite. I feel like it covers really well, often with just one coat, and they have low/no VOC options. SW is my second choice. BM sells small samples... I would definitely recommend putting up a few colors on the wall to see what looks best with your lighting... make sure you like it morning and night. </p> <p>We painted our kitchen cabinets white and we definitely learned some things a long the way. We found BM paint worked the best by far.... it made a huge difference. I think we did need to use an additive with it though for the cabinets, I'll ask my husband. We found it best to brush the cabinets first to get into all the nooks and crannies and they to use a mini roller with a very smooth finish for subsequent coats. I'll see if my husband has other tips. Once we found a process that worked, they came out really well... there was just a fair amount of trial and error in the beginning. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/new-house-decorating-help#post-2338562 Thu, 29 Oct 2015 10:28:07 +0000 78h2o 2338562@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Hmm, my comment might not make sense, lol! I think I'm confused about the layout. Do you have a floor plan or could you sketch something? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/new-house-decorating-help#post-2338555 Thu, 29 Oct 2015 10:26:10 +0000 78h2o 2338555@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I didn't realize you'd bought a house?! Or maybe I knew that and I am so sleep deprived, I'm forgetting it? Congratulations! </p> <p>That makes sense about using the room with a bathroom as the office. Also, if it's a large room, you could maybe put a bed in there for guests and make it a guest suite/office. Guests like to have their own bathroom too, so that would work out nicely. Is there room upstairs to add a master bath? Maybe a laundry room you could take over if you moved it elsewhere??</p> <p>I can try to help you... I love interior design (that was my grandmother's occupation) and I come from a long line of home renovators! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/new-house-decorating-help#post-2338541 Thu, 29 Oct 2015 10:21:52 +0000 avivoca 2338541@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Jess1483: I would definitely make the attic room the office area. As for favorite colors, I absolutely adore Palladian Blue by Benjamin Moore. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/new-house-decorating-help#post-2338496 Thu, 29 Oct 2015 10:12:16 +0000 Jess1483 2338496@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@lamariniere: @brownepiano: @looch: @Mamaof2:<br /> Phew. You ladies gave me a lot to think about. I agree, though, that I do think it makes the most sense to have the funky room of the master be the office (we definitely need a dedicated office as DH is on the phone all day long). Except it's a HUGE room for that. So we're thinking about putting the desk in there, and perhaps a table, and then maybe a couch and our smaller TV. But that way DH can go to the bathroom without the boys seeing him (it's killing him to hear "are you done working, Daddy? Play with me?") and even go out on the deck off the master for calls.</p> <p>So that leaves us 3 bedrooms upstairs. I think without the funky space, it isn't worth having a dedicated playroom upstairs, so we'll probably do a guest room and the boys' rooms. </p> <p>Downstairs (well, main floor), there is a kitchen, informal dining area, formal dining area, and two living rooms. Ideally, I'd put our table in the informal dining area, turn the formal dining area into a playroom, the main living room into more of a sitting area (with a few toys), and the sunken living room into a TV/lounge area. If the table doesn't fit comfortably in the kitchen, then I can turn the sunken living room into a more dedicated play area, I guess.</p> <p>@lamariniere: It's the corner bedroom--there are two others (not counting the Master). I'd probably make this the guest room since it's got both windows. </p> <p>@looch: We have furniture for the Master (though I might get a headboard that can sort of double as a night stand so I don't have to fit that in there), but we have the bed/dressers/etc. (there's a walk-in closet off the Master bathroom, so we don't have to fit those in the Master itself). My boys have sort of been sharing a room (though in reality, it's more like we share with the 4 month old), so we'll use all of that furniture in the baby's room, and buy new stuff (including a twin bed) for my preschooler. We also have furniture for the guest room. I'll replace it all slowly over the next few years, since it's a bit of a hodgepodge, but I don't want to spend money replacing furniture rather than on the house itself. All the bedrooms have nice closets, which is exciting.</p> <p>So, our major first plan is to replace carpets and linoleum (although I'll investigate whether there is hardwood below the carpet on the main floor first), and paint everything (including painting the trim and kitchen cabinets white). I have no idea how to choose colors, so I'd love to hear peoples' favorites! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/new-house-decorating-help#post-2338043 Thu, 29 Oct 2015 07:30:44 +0000 Mamaof2 2338043@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I would use the room off the bedroom as your DH's office and then use a spare bedroom as the playroom. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/new-house-decorating-help#post-2338018 Thu, 29 Oct 2015 06:52:23 +0000 looch 2338018@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Do you have furniture that you're bringing in for the master and your son's room? </p> <p>When we moved into our house, we attacked the walls, floors and lighting. We basically painted over every surface, including trim, installed over head lights in the bedrooms, switched out all the lighting in the other rooms and ripped out the carpet and refinished the hardwoods beneath. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/new-house-decorating-help#post-2337975 Thu, 29 Oct 2015 05:40:25 +0000 brownepiano 2337975@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We're going through this with a new house too. Could you switch the office and the playroom? I like having a bedroom that doesn't have to be entirely toddler proof. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/new-house-decorating-help#post-2337941 Thu, 29 Oct 2015 03:10:23 +0000 lamariniere 2337941@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>For the playroom, I would probably paint it white or at least paint the sloped walls, ceiling and window wall white and maybe the short walls a bright color. I would hang some framed art on the sloped part or find some sort of long decorative wall decal. It looks like such a long room with only one window, I wouldn't want it to feel dark by painting it.</p> <p>If you don't need the dedicated office and want to go with two separate rooms for your LOs, or one bedroom for the LOs and one guest room, I would maybe consider setting up a desk and some shelves next to the stairs that lead to the playroom. Or make it a seating area with two nice chairs and a little table? I can't tell how much room that would leave for your bed though.</p> <p>Which room is the 3rd picture? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/new-house-decorating-help#post-2337854 Wed, 28 Oct 2015 22:51:32 +0000 Jess1483 2337854@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@yoursilverlining: It's the only bedroom with a bathroom off of it. Ultimately, we'll probably close it off and vault the ceiling from below as part of a huge kitchen renovation, but that's, like, 10 years away. For now, I'd rather have it be usable space. I don't have a lot of trouble with the boys in and out of the bedroom. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/new-house-decorating-help#post-2337848 Wed, 28 Oct 2015 22:36:56 +0000 yoursilverlining 2337848@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Does that bedroom off the playroom have to be the master? Could you make it one of the boy's rooms so that they are not always accessing your bedroom? You could put a pull out sofa in the playroom for guests, especially if you won't have guests often. </p> <p>I'd just start by ripping out all the carpet, new paint, new switch plates, new curtains and new overhead lighting and at least then you'll have a decent canvas to work from! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/new-house-decorating-help#post-2337845 Wed, 28 Oct 2015 22:31:52 +0000 Jess1483 2337845@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Ms.Badger: Oh, interesting. I'll keep that in mind. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/new-house-decorating-help#post-2337840 Wed, 28 Oct 2015 22:29:27 +0000 Jess1483 2337840@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@youboots: Hm...I should add that I live in a relatively small town. Design classes sound awesome, but we don't have a Pottery Barn (and I've never heard of West Elm) or anything like that. But maybe there are some good ones on-line. I'll look into it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/new-house-decorating-help#post-2337839 Wed, 28 Oct 2015 22:29:04 +0000 Ms.Badger 2337839@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>On the kids rooms vs. guest room thing. If we have a second child(we have a 3 bedroom house), we'll put Jonah in the bigger bedroom in a full/twin bunk. When we have guests, they can stay in the full bottom bunk. That's our plan anyway. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/new-house-decorating-help#post-2337831 Wed, 28 Oct 2015 22:23:07 +0000 youboots 2337831@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>You can go to design classes. I think Pottery Barn and West Elm both offer them for free. I think West Elm will even send a consultant to your home. My advice: don't buy everything in one place from one season. Pace yourself so it looks collected. Land of Nod has great kid stuff. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/new-house-decorating-help#post-2337802 Wed, 28 Oct 2015 21:48:04 +0000 Jess1483 2337802@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>So...we accidentally bought a house. By which I mean, we intended to start looking in January, but were trying to get a feel for the market and found an incredible deal on a house in the exact right neighborhood and jumped on it. And then won a bidding war. So there it is. But it's in terrible need of updating. We have enough money for paint and new flooring in the house, and a few tiny projects, but otherwise we'll fix things little by little. But here's the thing...I'm awful at decorating. Really, truly horrid. So I want your help! Your best pinterest boards, whatever. The spaces I'm most interested in getting some cool ideas for are:</p> <p>The playroom. So the weird thing about this space is that it was a converted attic and kids have to go through our master bedroom to get to it (which is why I have that photo). It's my least favorite thing about the house, but I think the playroom space itself is kind of awesome.</p> <p>The Master Bedroom--what do I do considering the weird configuration with the stairway?</p> <p>The boys' rooms. There are 3 bedrooms (other than the master) on the same floor. We will use one as an office (DH works from home) and the other two for boys' rooms. But in the long run, we want to be able to put the boys in the same room (temporarily) and have a space for guests to stay. Or maybe it makes more sense to have the office have a pull-out couch. Thoughts? If we combine both boys for guests, I'm thinking about a trundle bed (obviously if we have guests while LO2 is still super young, we'd just have him in a pnp in our room, but for down the line...)</p> <p>My main focus is LO1's bedroom. I imagine the move will be hardest on him, and so I want to make sure his room is both 1) completely done and 2) completely awesome, so that he feels excited to be there.</p> <p>Phew. Thanks for reading all of that. I welcome any suggestions! </p> [attach=5159/15/nwyns4.590x399.playroom.png] [attach=5159/15/nwyns5.600x398.Master.png] [attach=5159/15/nwyns6.591x398.Kids--room.png] [attach=5159/15/nwyns7.597x395.Stairway-to-playroom.png]