Anyone who reads my blog today, which chronicles the transformation of my diamond in the rough Lake Superior bungalow, would know right away that turquoise is my favorite colour. But when my Handy Hubby and I were transforming our last place, a sweet little townhouse, I didn't really use a lot of turquoise in the decor. I was concerned with keeping the space neutral for resale, plus, if I'm being honest, I was too timid to make bold design choices. Instead, I chose a neutral backdrop - our walls, curtains, bed linens, bathroom cabinetry and tile work were all white - and then I sprinkled in some colour with art and accessories:
Now that we've bought a more permanent pad, I've thrown caution to the wind. I'll show you what I mean! I'm going to take you on a mini-tour and show off two of our finished-for-now spaces, each boasting more eye-popping aqua than I've ever used before. First up, the kitchen. When we bought the lakehouse, it was a typical, late 1990s oak kitchen that had seen a lot of wear:
We're saving up to gut the space, but it's going to take at least five years and in the meantime we craved a few things, like more storage, new counters, and some colour. The upper cabinets were small, awkward, and provided surprisingly little storage. We tore them out, along with the dated tile backsplash, damaged laminate counters, and worn out sink and faucet. We left the lower cabinets, which I primed and painted turquoise before adding sleek new hardware. Hubby built solid maple counters, which I stained a creamy white, and a new sink and faucet were a must. We put up inexpensive paneling, painted white, in lieu of a backsplash and then added a DIY pantry and open shelves. The icing on the cake was unpacking my collection of turquoise Pyrex, after abandoning it in storage for months! I stuck to a very streamlined palette: shades of turquoise, cream, white, and touches of grey and blue. Some friends are itching to add some yellow or orange to the space, but this is exactly what I envisioned and it's perfect for our lakeside abode.
This post has all of the details: links to DIY projects and sources, plus more before and after shots and a budget breakdown. I'd like to eventually add a vintage map of Lake Superior to the right of the window, which will break up the aqua with pale blue (that counts)!
When we renovate the kitchen, the adjacent laundry room will get a facelift too but for now I needed a simple solution to hide the ancient machines and laundry tub. In addition to being a laundry room, this space is also the only access to the powder room, electrical panel, and attic. Our 87lb pup, Szuka, sleeps and eats here as well, plus we use it as a mudroom of sorts. In a relatively small home, all of the rooms work overtime, but I didn't want guests to feel like they had to traipse through a utility room to use the loo. I also didn't want to air my dirty (or clean) laundry. Here is the before:
Fresh white paint plus a new light helped brighten the room, while floor to ceiling drapes - with sweet turquoise fabric, of course - conceal the unmentionables. Szuka even got a matching turquoise quilt!
Even though we have a lot of work still to do, for the first time I feel truly happy with our home - both Hubby and I feel incredibly content in the lakehouse. We loved the townhouse, our first home, but it never felt "right," so I was always fussing with it: tweaking the decor, adding things, moving things around. These days I make design decisions, and then I'm happy with them! This is largely because everywhere I look now I see my favorite colour, but it's not just about turquoise. It's also that I'm finally decorating for us - not potential home buyers, not friends or family - just us. And we happen to like a lot of turquoise...
If you're curious about the rest of my home, I invite you to take a peek at my blog, Dans le Lakehouse. Thanks so much, Erin, for having me today! I've long loved House of Turquoise because it's always been a comfort to find other people who love turquoise as much as I do, and it's always been an inspiration to see room after room decked out in our favorite hue! I'm so thrilled to finally have a home drenched in it.
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