4 Men 1 Lady

a lifestyle blog about the persuit of bringing beauty to a house full of men.

My proudest DIY moment.

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Three years ago I tackled one of my most ambitious DIY projects ever of wrapping our entry with stripes.
The reason I’m re-visiting “my proudest DIY moment” is because Part Select is holding a contest for bloggers to post and submit a noteworthy project and potentially win $5,000.00 worth of new GE Appliances!
Go here for details.
Our home was a “tract home” meaning it was visually B-O-R-I-N-G! Feeling a slight allergic reaction to having an identical home that looked like everyone else’s I knew I needed to give it some personality.  The house had quite a grand entryway which I envisioned wrapping in stripes. The “three-day project” actually took three weeks, every night from 7pm-12am.
We measured each line with a ruler and level to make sure the lines were even.  Then we used Frog Tape, (which was perfect because there was no bleeding under the tape) to mark off the stripes.  Last, we painted the grey between the tape, alternating every other stripe. 
Talk about tedious! 
Now when you enter it’s far from looking like every other house on the block anymore.
People always ask about the layout and where the hall leads to.
At the end of the hallway is the living/dining room.
Another DIY feature we made was this message board which we created with magnetic and chalkboard paint.  It’s perfect for displaying calendars items, making lists of things to-do and keeping us informed of important upcoming events.
This office is also right off the hallway.
Photos by: Wondertime Photo.
We also created a little breakfast nook, giving the space more use than just a means from here to there.  It’s much closer than walking all the way around to the dining table and a great little place for kids to do homework while I’m doing dinner.
  I’ll think long and hard about doing stripes again but it was well worth it in the end. 
It’s a space that makes me happy and proud.

Comments

  1. Well, it is a track home no longer. I love the grand entry and the massive chalkboard. I have been wondering around my house looking for the perfect place for a chalkboard… hmmmmmm….

  2. so glad you posted this again. I bet when your neighbors walk in they are freaking blown away~ I too have found a place for the chalkboard in the kitchen – going to tackle that this week :o)

  11. 3 things.

    First we just bought a house and our dinning area had red walls. Hated it! I just painted it out (1 week ago) and did a stripe like your entryway. It was my inspiration and I LOVE it. What I thought would take me 3 days took me 1 1/2 weeks and my space is at least 1/3 of yours.

    Second I saw you in Costco the other day. I wanted to come up and say hi but I didn’t want to seem stocker-ish and you looked like you where in a hurry so I thought I’d better not bother you. Being a complete stranger and all…

    Third I am doing a yellow blue pillow combination for my pillows in my family room. I just saw your yellow pillows and I think that’s the yellow I want to go. Do you happen to know what that color is called or where you got those pillows?

    Hope you had a great Christmas. I love your blog!

  12. Hi Lindsey S,
    Thank you for your kind words. So glad to be of inspiration for your new striped entry.

    Costco…oye. I’ve been there about 3 times in the last week. One of those times I had my little guy with me. As we were waiting to check out he took a nose dive out of the cart and we ended up in the emergency room across the street for 4 hours. He turned out to be completely fine but it wasn’t my best day to say the least.

    Yellow pillows are from Crate and Barrel.

    Thanks for your comment. Wish we could have met!

  13. Your home is gorgeous. Love your hallway! Have you ever thought to paint the interior entrance doors your yellow? I think it would be such a great pop of color amongst the beige/white. I did it to my interior door(but with blue)and LOVE it! Love your blog!

    Rebecca

  14. Oh my goodness! Sorry to hear about your little guy. That was the day I saw you. He was in the cart and looking so darn cute. I am glad to hear he is OK.

    If I see you again I’ll for sure come say hi! I’d love to meet you.

    Thanks for the info!

  16. This is SUPER adorable.. I HEART!! WOW – SOO creative.. LOVE all your spaces. I would LOVE for you to please link it via my Pin’Inspirational Thursday Party Pweeease..It’s happening right now via http://theartsygirlconnection.blogspot.com/2011/12/pininspirational-thursday-14-linky.html . I’m Marilyn, your newest HAPPY follower here.. So much creativity, can’t wait to indulge in more of your posts.. Hope you can stop in.. Cheers to a HAPPY NEW YEAR.. ~

  17. Michelle,

    Did you get the idea from a posh hotel in New York City? I cannot remember the name of it, but was shown in an episode of Kim and Kourtney Take New York. It’s identical to your striped entry way.

  19. Absolutely beautiful home! Your entry blows me way. Where did you get your white round mirror in the entry? I’ve been searching everywhere for one just like it.

  20. thanks for the link to the contest….i’ve entered and am keeping my fingers crossed….

    i always adored your foyer….any idea when you are going to be able to move into your house? hopefully it will be soon….

    thanks again, cindy

  23. Beautiful home without a doubt but I have to say your kids pictures is what caught my attention. I am such a sap when it comes to kids photos. They just make your home that much more special.

    Happy New Years

    ~Mandy

  25. I’ve followed your blog for about a year now, but I’ve never left a comment. I have since launched my own blog & I now understand the value of dropping comments on posts that I love. When I saw this recap post today, I decided to tell you that your striped foyer made me drool so much that I accomplished my own striped hallway DIY project last year & it’s my favorite thing about my house! =) Thank you so much for the constant inspiration!!

    Mendi @ Her Late Night Cravings

  27. I saw the image of your hallway on Pinterest and pinned it so I could share the image with my readers in a post I am preparing at the moment on stripes. I recently featured a fabulous striped hallway in my interior designer friends home and inspired by his hallway I had thought about putting stripes in my own but like yourself, I think possibly horizontal stripes would look good. For me it would also make my hallway appear longer. I am thrilled to have seen your post now and will link back when I publish my post. If I go for horizontals I will use your instructions, if I go for verticals I may buy wallpaper but really do like the horizontal look.

    Lee

    • JENN! That is AH-MAZING! I love the yellow stripes and turquoise door! That is a spectacular transformation. Do you just stop and gaze at it when you walk by? I would! Bravo girl!

  29. What is the name of the living room color? I’m having such a hard time finding a tan that doesn’t look mauve.

It is nice to meet you!

Hey there! I’m Michelle; I’m an Passionate DIY’er and in constant pursuit of how to bring beauty to my house full of men (3 boys + 1 hubby). Stick around and see what I’ve got up my hard-working sleaves!

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