If you’ve been reading a while, you know every year I volunteer for a project called Clean Slate. It’s a charity project in which a family is chosen to receive a home makeover that will hopefully serve to improve their lives.
This year, Clean Slate was in May and I have been debating on whether or not to show you the after photos ever since. I’ll be honest, every year it’s extremely challenging to completely makeover an entire house in 48 hours. But this year it was especially difficult. Clean Slate happened to fall on the same weekend that Tim and I went to work on an episode for HGTV’d which meant I missed the first 1/2 day of the event. Also, having a full time job at Anthro meant I couldn’t put as much time into preparing as I have in years past. And although I surely think what we accomplished while we were there was an improvement from what the family had, it was really hard for me to walk away feeling like it was a real success. I just feel like I wasn’t able to really finish the rooms and style them the way I would have wanted. Oh and another major bummer was that we finished around 9:00 pm which means the lighting in all the photos is sorely lacking. If you know anything about taking pictures, you know lighting is essential. So knowing all this please don’t judge too harshly.
So here’s the absolutely wonderful family that was chosen to receive a “Clean Slate!” I cannot tell you how incredibly genuine and warm this family was. It was such a joy to provide a helping hand to people with such loving personalities.
Jennifer (the mother) asked for a design that was classic and elegant but still kid friendly. She loved inspiration rooms with white walls and warm accents. Here’s what our Clean Slate team was able to give her in just 52 fast and furious hours!
LIVING ROOM BEFORE
LIVING ROOM AFTER
Given more time and resources there are few more projects I would have taken on in the living room to really finish it off. Mainly I would have made or found more art to hang around the TV and above the sofa. The sunburst mirror is very undersized and I would have loved to find an extra large one to replace it or hang multiple smaller mirrors to make a large statement. I also would have painted the front door a warm green color. Lastly, I would have waited to take my photos until the sun was out!
DINING ROOM BEFORE
DINING ROOM AFTER
Before, the dining room was overcrowded with furniture pushing the table to one side of the room. Using a smaller table and clearing out the other furniture allowed this dining area to function for the family of 5. The brand new dining table was a donation and was a blessing. However, if I were doing this dining room for a client I would not have chosen a dining table that was the same color as the floor. It just blends in and creates no visual impact. A rug would have done the trick to break up the wood tones, but it was not in the budget nor do I think it would have been super practical for the kids. I am really happy with the overhead lighting fixtures in the living room and dining room. I feel like they definitely add an elegant element.
BOOKSHELF BEFORE
BOOKSHELF AFTER
Before the bookshelf had a bunch of awkward nooks. I had a volunteer get rid of all the extra cubbies and create a traditional bookcase feel. I also put fewer items in it and grouped them in odd numbers to keep the shelf from seeming cluttered.
Although I feel like I could have improved these rooms with a little more time, I was happy to see the homeowners reaction when they walked through the door. I think they were pleased and touched by the transformation.
Ok, so it was really hard for me to show you my work when I didn’t feel like it was the best it could be, but hopefully you were inspired by something you saw. And maybe it helps you to know that my projects don’t always turn out how I want them to and perfection is something that is still far from my reach. I know the “thing” right now in the blogging world is to stop pretending like we have it all together. I certainly do not. 🙂
I’ll share the kid’s bedroom makeovers and kitchen overhaul later this week!
I totally understand what you mean. I so do not have my life even close to “together” right now! I feel like I am stretched way too thin between work, personal things going on, and working on the house/blogging! I’m a huge perfectionist and hate admiting when something turns out differently than I had hoped, or when I feel like nothing is “together”.
I think that even with everything you had going on, the Clean Slate house turned out really well! I’m sure they were pleased with it, and thankful for everything you did.
If you are still in contact with the family, you could try to talk to them. Maybe tell them what else you wanted to do or make a few other suggestions? Things along the line of what you mentioned in the post. I think an inexpensive jute rug (Ikea or Lowe’s usually have good prices) would work really well in their dining room. Also, maybe they could paint the dining chairs or the table legs to create more visual impact?
Wow…nice job and so real and still comfy and lived in feeling to it.
xo Jana