Welcome to our home!
This house has been quite the journey. When we moved in, our little brick ranch had one foot still firmly planted in 1973 and the other stuck somewhere in the mid-nineties.
Updating all of this on a tiny budget, doing one little project at a time has been a huge undertaking. And even though there is always another project waiting to be done, I’m thrilled with how our home has become our happy place.
Every room in this house is filled with inexpensive DIY projects and upcycled thrift scores that I hope will inspire you as you create your own happy place.
Below each picture, I have linked to as many shopping sources and DIY tutorials as possible. Since our house is filled with secondhand treasures, it isn’t possible for me to share links to many of the exact items we own, but I have tried to link to something similar when possible.
This post contains affiliate links which means if you make a purchase after clicking a link I will earn a small commission but it won’t cost you a penny more. Click here to see my full disclosure policy.
Entryway
tutorial for DIY house number * tutorial for DIY orb light fixture
Come on in! For a long time, our foyer was the ugliest room in our whole house, but a colorful wood wall and other personal touches completely brought it to life! You can see more of our entryway here.
similar mirror * tutorial for DIY wood plank wall * table is no longer available
Library
tutorial for reupholstered sofa * tutorial for DIY curtain rods * tutorial for DIY Thankful sign * tutorial for DIY arrow growth chart * rug is no longer available
My kids call this room the library because of the wall of built-in bookshelves I added. I’m a big reader, so I love the idea of a home library. Plus it sounds so fancy! Our library is full of color and almost everything in here is either a killer yard sale find or a DIY project. (That blue velvet sofa was actually free!)
Tutorial for built-in IKEA bookshelves
Dining Room
chandelier (similar) * tutorial for refinishing table * tutorial for ombre curtains * tutorial for recovering chairs * tutorial for reupholstered bench
Our dining room is separated from the library by a small half wall. The table is most often covered in legos and crayons, but as our kids get older, we’re working on eating more family dinners here as well.
white table (similar), gold mirror (similar)
Kitchen
backsplash stencil * tutorial for painted cabinets * tutorial for stenciled backsplash * tutorial for updating hinges * tutorial for updating IKEA stepstool * tutorial for wood plank wreath
This kitchen has come such a long way from the dated beige room it used to be. I was able to completely transform this entire room for less than $1000 including ‘new’ appliances. Now it’s a space I love to be in. You can see the awful before pictures and read more about the whole transformation here.
barstools (similar) * pendant lights * tutorial for painting countertops * tutorial for DIY planter box
Family Room
Rug * tutorial for DIY lampshades * tutorial for refinished end tables * tutorial for reupholstered armchairs
This is the room where we spend most of our time; it holds our only TV and most of the kids’ toys and it gets lots of use! Painting the fireplace blue was a little risky but it made such a huge difference in making this space feel cozy and welcoming.
tutorial for painted fireplace * tutorial for DIY mantel * tutorial for TV frame * upcycled firewood holder
Hall Bathroom
gray bath mats * tutorial for board and batten walls, tutorial for sunburst mirror * tips for installing tile
Our hall bathroom was another room that was still stuck a few decades in the past. I did most of the work on this room myself from tiling the shower to installing the dresser vanity to adding the board and batten walls. And while it was very time-consuming, it wasn’t nearly as difficult as I’d imagined.
You can see the horrible before pictures along with all the details of this makeover here.
vessel sink * faucet * tp holder * tutorial for cow hand towel holder * tutorial for turning a dresser into a vanity
Master Bedroom
white sconces * tutorial for sewing curtains * tutorial for DIY headboard * tutorial for creating nightstands from a vanity
I recently gave our master bedroom a major refresh using for less than $50 using things we already owned along with a bit of DIY. Over the years I’ve made three different DIY headboards for this room, but this curvy wood plank headboard is by far my favorite. You can see more details and photos of this space here.
tutorial for succulent wall art * tutorial for You & me sign
Master Bathroom
tutorial for painting vanity * tutorial for herringbone wood wall * tutorial for DIY wood shelves
Our tiny master bathroom was incredibly outdated but I was able to give it a major refresh for only $100. There are DIY touches all over this tiny room but the herringbone wood wall, the painted vanity, and the vintage mirror made the biggest difference.
You can see the very 90s before pictures along with all the details of this makeover here.
Boys’ Shared Room
striped bedding * tutorial for window awnings * tutorial for mountain mural * tutorial for signs * tutorial for making bedskirt from flat sheet
My 4 and 7 year old sons share this bedroom and it is full of so many fun details from the mountain mural headboards to the vintage globe collection. Kids rooms are definitely the most fun to decorate!
You can see more photos and details of this room here.
huge bear * tutorial for explore letters * play tent no longer available
Nursery
floating shelves * tutorial for Dream Big mural * tutorial for painted dresser
The nursery is currently my 2.5 year old’s bedroom. I know he will be ready for a big boy room soon but for now we’re still enjoying this sweet space. You can see all of the details and more photos here.
glider (similar) * tutorial for DIY curtains * tutorial for reupholstering glider * tutorial for pedestal table
Screened In Porch
metal chairs * tutorial for farmhouse table * tutorial for wood bench * tutorial for stenciled floor
And finally, my favorite room in our entire house – the screened in porch. This is the most amazing space for relaxing and enjoying the fresh air without all the bugs. I built a lot of the furniture out here and it really made me fall in love with woodworking.
You can see all the details and before and after photos of our porch here.
Thanks so much for visiting our home! I hope you’ll follow along here as I continue to make this house our home one step at a time.
In the meantime, if you love DIY and thrifty decorating as much as I do, I’d love for you to pin this tour to Pinterest!
