It’s been a few weeks now since we’ve gotten our new windows installed, and I am so happy with them! They make me feel like our house is cleaner. If you have a house with old windows (ours was built in 1979), you know what I mean. So much condensation due to improper sealing, which leads to too much mold to keep on top of. Yuck. Plus, whenever it was -5 degrees or colder, which is most of November to March, a lot of the windows would completely frost over. It made it feel like we were living in a bathroom. And sometime in the winter one of the living room windows developed a huge crack. Not safe!
When you go from this… …to that, you can’t help but feel good about the place you and your children are living in.
And then of course you can’t put old window coverings on new windows (especially since all the blinds that were there before didn’t fit over the new mouldings), I was given Tim’s blessing to get all new curtains and drapes for the house! It just adds that much more homeyness to our home and makes it feel a lot more cozy (before there were just brown, dusty blinds).
And also a lot more inviting for those who find themselves in our guest room!
One of the biggest changes was the living room, AKA toy corner. The house came with boring brown curtains which I never liked because it matches the colour palette of this house which I don’t like: brown with brownish-yellow. As soon as I looked out the front of our house through the new windows, I was so struck by how clear the view was! And we all know, if you can see out, you can see in (when the lighting is right), so I knew sheers, to let in the light but keep out the gazes, were a must, since we live on a fairly busy road.
So much better, right? And the new drapes make birthday party decorations look that much better too!
I won’t deny that I have cleaned these windows more in the past few weeks than I have in the past almost two years that we have lived here. Condensation hides so much!
I have to say, I really love IKEA’s curtain rods. So easy to make the double layer, and they even have a corner connection piece so you don’t have bare ends sticking into each other! Brilliant!
Another huge change, and maybe my favourite, has been the dining nook in the kitchen. This is what it looked like before. The window isn’t the only new thing in here. Back in the fall I did a little painting of the icky brown paneling (which is actually still just primer; I won’t know what colour I want it to be until I know what colour I eventually want to paint the cabinets). And we also got a new table and chairs!
So much better!
Let me tell you about the table for a second. I found it on Kijiji for $25! It only had three chairs, but you really can’t beat $25, especially when it was the exact shape and size we wanted. I couldn’t have found a more perfect table. It came with lighter wood top, but I stained it (horribly, so don’t look too close) so it looks better. And if the boys happen to climb on top of it, I have zero worries of it collapsing, like I did with the old drop leaf table (which we kept because I still love it; it now just serves as an end table in our living room with the sides dropped).
Now let me tell you about the curtains themselves, because I am proud of myself. The drapes in the living room and bedroom are from IKEA (the floral sheers in the bedroom were a donation from a friend who didn’t want them in their house; thanks Anna!). But the floral print curtains in the guest room and kitchen I made! Aren’t they great? I think IKEA doesn’t sell short curtains, so then I was looking at their fabric, and HAD to get the floral prints. I love them!
And then of course we have the outside.It’s a subtle difference, but there will be a ton more impact once we get the stucco redone in the coming month!
I love being able to make these big changes to our home. Last year our big project was the backyard. Being a home-body, it is wonderful to be comfortable in the space I am living.
It’s amazing how much difference little changes make. Your house definitely says “Larissa” more now than it did before.
I can’t believe you made those floral curtains! Now you’ve got me thinking about changing our living room curtains to something brighter.
And the dining area looks so much brighter now. Bye bye, poopy brown!
Wow! What a difference new windows made! I love how you’re fixing up your home, Larissa!
So nice to get new windows and curtains. I can well imagine how you are appreciating this. I love, love clean windows. I especially like the makeover in your eating area!