You know that feeling when you get really excited about something, your mind builds things up so much that reality can’t possibly compete? That’s exactly what I thought was happening after we bought our new house. My excitement made a kid at Christmas look like an unenthused blob. Those 45 days to closing were The. Longest. Days. Ever.
It was my dream house. I had dreams about the unique woodwork and original hardwood floors. I cried a little when I imagined decorating it for Christmas. If you think I’m exaggerating, you don’t know me very well. Hello, my name is Megan and decorating 150 year old homes for Christmas makes me ugly-cry. In the best way possible.
I really, honestly thought that after getting settled in and living here for a while, my excitement would fade.
It didn’t.
Every time I complete a new project and make the home feel a little bit more “me,” I just get even more excited. However, when you see these before pictures, I’m very ready for you to say I’m crazy. I mean, holy wood-paneling, Batman!
Aaaaaaaaaand that drop ceiling. We haven’t even left the entryway. But just look at that entryway. Look at that (real) woodwork and trim. There’s a diamond in there, baby. PS: our master bedroom in our old house was smaller than this entryway. True story.
If you have some wood paneling staring you down and re-drywalling is not in the budget, paint it. If you dislike it even a tiny bit, promise me you’ll paint it. You won’t regret it, okay?! Proof is coming…
So if you were to come straight in that front door, this is what you would see.
This is what we call the ballroom. I think if we were normal people it would be called a sitting room, but when I said in passing that I had no idea what I’d use this room for, my dad jokingly said it could be for dancing–a ballroom. My two-year-old daughter picked up on that and the rest is history. This is our (her) ballroom. 🙂
From here, if you look to the right, this is what you see.
Ignore the paint and ladder, focus on the original French doors. The doors lead to the main living room. You can see the coat of primer on the living room paneling–already making a huge difference.
Again, wood paneling aside, its a huge room with floor to ceiling windows. Here is our “progress” picture:
Truth time: neither the before or after photo have been edited. The power of paint, people. Never doubt it.
Happy sigh. Off the living room there are two rooms. The first is our master bedroom.
You can see the whole master bedroom transformation here. It’s a happy ending, I promise!
The door right next to our bedroom is our office.
Baha. This gem of a floor was waiting for us under the old carpet. I cant decide if it makes me want to cry, or play a game of chess…or cry because I don’t know how to play chess…
The living room then leads us into the dining room.
Not too shabby. Yay for crown molding! A progress photo (sorry, it’s from the opposite angle!!):
And that yellow wall in the background is the start of the kitchen, that you can see here:
I have HUGE plans for this kitchen (that also require a HUGE budget….so that’s on the back burner for a while 🙂 ) This kitchen cracks me up, because it presents me with a problem I’ve never ever had before. The cabinets are soooooo nice and so high quality, but sooooo not me. I’ve painted cabinets before, but they were old and crappy and there was no way I could have made them worse. These babies are pristine and I don’t trust myself to do them justice. I really really really have my heart set on white cabinets– but guys, getting cabinets professionally painted is NOT cheap. So we wait. (First world problems, I know.)
And our last stop is the sunroom, which I am just ecstatic to have! 
Here is our progress:
I hope you guys enjoyed this quick stroll through the main floor of our home! I highly recommend taking “before” photos of your new home when you move in. It is so encouraging to see how far you’ve come!
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