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Houzz Tour: Making 'Normal' Beautiful for Less
Ingenuity, elbow grease and bargain hunting result in a light and lovely beach cottage style
Houzz Contributor. Hi There! I currently live in a 1920s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe as "collected."
I got into design via Landscape Architecture, which I studied at the University of Virginia. I've been writing about design online for quite a few years over at Hatch: The Design Public Blog.
Houzz Contributor. Hi There! I currently live in a 1920s cottage in Atlanta... More »
Creative mom Jillian Woods lives in a house she describes as "a very typical Texas, brick ranch style home" outside Ft. Worth, Texas, and it's exactly what she wanted. "When we bought this house, I wanted to take something unpolished (but not dented) and polish it up. We all dream of the perfect airy, spacious home with 10-foot ceilings, but in reality most of us live in houses like mine. So, if I can't have my dream house, I'll make my dreams fit into my house." Woods shares her projects and finds on her blog, The Virginia House, where she says, "hopefully I can inspire someone to take the 'normal' and make it beautiful for less!" Here's a look at her clever projects and inspiring results.
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| We'll start in the kitchen, which originally had brick-red walls and natural-colored builders'-grade cabinets. The same week the family moved in, Woods got busy painting the cabinets, removing some of the upper cabinet doors, and adding rustic pieces, transforming the room into an airy cottage kitchen. |
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Woods removed the doors on the upper cabinets to open things up, seizing the opportunity to create another layer of texture and visual interest with white china, clear glassware and baskets for loose items.
Woods painted her cabinets with Caromal Colours Paint. She says, "If you have slick, 'not real wood' cabinets then this stuff is amazing! It sticks to anything!" The upper cabinets are "Wisteria," the lower cabinets are "Cobblestone." She scored the cabinet hardware on eBay.
Woods painted her cabinets with Caromal Colours Paint. She says, "If you have slick, 'not real wood' cabinets then this stuff is amazing! It sticks to anything!" The upper cabinets are "Wisteria," the lower cabinets are "Cobblestone." She scored the cabinet hardware on eBay.
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| This is the family room, where the children play and where Woods sews. It had to be flexible and kid-friendly, so she kept things soft, light, and neutral. Where to begin when furnishing an entire house? "All of our furniture is pretty much from Craigslist," Woods says. "I love that site. If I can find an ugly piece for cheap and make it look good again, then I'm happy." She mixes her Craigslist scores with antiques she finds at favorite local haunts. |
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"I still have plank-filled dreams for this room, but it's come a long way already," Woods says. The room has a wide range of textures, including some distressed pieces which add patina style to the room.
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| The mix of textures, distressed finishes, Craigslist finds and vintage pieces continues into the family room. A grid of botanicals picks up on the green paint on the farmhouse-style coffee table. Tip: If your room is lacking architectural details, add them via vintage doors, shutters and windows. |
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| Woods is so industrious, It's hard to keep up with her. See the white rocker on the left side of the previous image? Apparently, someone whipped up a French grain sack-looking slipcover overnight! See more details on how she made this. |
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In that same vein, blink and you might miss it. Woods likes to rotate in new finds, and to resell a lot of them when she's ready for a change. Who knows what this tablescape will look like next week?
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This room belongs to her two oldest sons, Beau and Jack. "They are cowboys every day of their young lives (even though we live in town), and I thought it would be very fitting to give them a room that really says who they are and what they love," Woods says. The room's Texas country style is enhanced by a barn star (Texas stars have 5 points), red lanterns, and of course, cowboy hats!
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Woods enhanced the "plain and boring" bedroom by adding board-and-batten trim work, which keeps the walls from being overwhelmed by the bold blue paint.
Tip: When deciding on a height for this type of trim work, think about the amount of room you want for hanging art above it.
This window is one of Woods' oldest finds. The window "started me on my whole, primitive, antique journey," she says. "I've put different pictures in it and hung it different places, but I love it where it is now. I just Googled for old cowboy photos, printed them, and stuck them on the panes with tape. Easy art."
Tip: When deciding on a height for this type of trim work, think about the amount of room you want for hanging art above it.
This window is one of Woods' oldest finds. The window "started me on my whole, primitive, antique journey," she says. "I've put different pictures in it and hung it different places, but I love it where it is now. I just Googled for old cowboy photos, printed them, and stuck them on the panes with tape. Easy art."
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A bright lime cabinet adds another dose of cheerful color.
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Woods continued the board-and-batten siding into the boys' bathroom. A sign Woods made from an old board inspired the style of the room, which she dubs "vintage beach."
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Formerly a dark and dated builder's special, today the bathroom is crisp, relaxing and airy.
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| Woods outfitted the baby's room with furniture she already had, repainting everything to create the soft and light look. |
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Horizontal striped walls enliven the neutral-hued room.
How to keep painted edges neat: "Seal off the outside of your taped off stripes with paint before you actually start painting your contrasting color. It keeps the paint from bleeding through and makes your lines much more crisp and clean," Woods says.
How to keep painted edges neat: "Seal off the outside of your taped off stripes with paint before you actually start painting your contrasting color. It keeps the paint from bleeding through and makes your lines much more crisp and clean," Woods says.
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In addition to all of that painting, Woods made the bedding herself after falling in love with some she saw in a photo. "When I look back at everything I did in that room then, I think I must have been high on pregnancy hormones or just plumb crazy," she says.
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Before I got to know Woods, I assumed this mobile was some $300 number from Anthropologie. I was about $296 off.
"I have wanted a mobile since I had my first child five years ago, but I hated all the ones I saw in the stores," Woods says. "I kind of combined a bunch of ideas together. The birds' tattered look was born out of laziness because I didn't want to have to turn them right side out after sewing. The whole thing cost me about four bucks!" Woods hung all of the magical creatures and objects from a simple sewing hoop.
"I have wanted a mobile since I had my first child five years ago, but I hated all the ones I saw in the stores," Woods says. "I kind of combined a bunch of ideas together. The birds' tattered look was born out of laziness because I didn't want to have to turn them right side out after sewing. The whole thing cost me about four bucks!" Woods hung all of the magical creatures and objects from a simple sewing hoop.
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| The master bedroom and the nursery have warm neutrals, lots of light and soft textures in common. It's a design formula that works for all rooms and all ages. An antique shutter adds an architectural element and patina style to the relaxing retreat. |
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| The Vintage Bricoleurs made the grain sack pillow for her. The "W" is for Woods, and the year on the bottom is the year she and her husband were married. |
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| Finally, let's move across the yard to the poolhouse, which Woods infused with coastal style. She says "to me coastal is not only relaxing, but happy and sunny looking. It makes me think of the beach/coast, and that's always a good thought." The window seat stores all of the chemicals for the pool. It "was the first thing I ever built on my own and I have to admit I'm a little proud of it. Mainly because it's still standing after a year!" |
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With a small amount of help from the men in the family (she says she did 75 percent of it herself), Woods made and installed these boards, which she created by cutting into strips the original hardboard that lined the poolhouse. They add an instant beach-shack vibe to the little outbuilding.
You've probably noticed all of the fun vintage-looking signs around this home. Woods made every last one of them, and her cottage hobby has turned into a cottage industry. You can check out her latest creations in her Etsy shop.
You've probably noticed all of the fun vintage-looking signs around this home. Woods made every last one of them, and her cottage hobby has turned into a cottage industry. You can check out her latest creations in her Etsy shop.
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An inexpensive and easy way to bring in the beach ambiance: Pour your favorite shells or stones into the bottom of a mason jar, nestle in a tealight, and light it up.
Thanks so much to Jillian Woods for sharing her delightful home and wonderful, inspirational ideas with us.
More: Update That Beachy Style
Get the Look: Sophisticated Country Style
10 Wonderful Farmhouses
Houzz Tour: Warm Country Charm
Thanks so much to Jillian Woods for sharing her delightful home and wonderful, inspirational ideas with us.
More: Update That Beachy Style
Get the Look: Sophisticated Country Style
10 Wonderful Farmhouses
Houzz Tour: Warm Country Charm
Ideabook published on Oct. 9, 2011.
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This is contrast to some of the other tours we see on Houzz... the huge, product-stuffed, over-designed mansions built for two. I want to see more practical-beautiful houses like Jillian's, rather than the stuff that so nauseatingly celebrates huge inequities in wealth... and sense.