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The Secret is Out

OUR 2nd HOUSE

DISCLAIMER:  This is a sponsored post brought to you by The Home Depot.

This past summer I made a couple ‘work’ related goals.

What an exciting post, huh?! You must be thrill seekers adreneline junkies to read this 🙂

Well, one of those goals was to keep blogging at least four times a week. I knew that with three kids in the mix, it would be easier to just throw in the blogging towel whenever the kids exhausted my energy resources and having a goal would be the motivation I needed.  Having this little simple goal actually forced me to be more productive and document things I really would have left by the wayside. And those little things are important to me because they are usually photos of my kids.  Even when I fail at this goal (ahem…this past week), it is nice to know that each week starts over and the slate is clean for me to start again.

Another goal was to finish a room.  I have been stuck on a lot of rooms in my house…trying to figure out the best ‘function’ for a space, making it the best I can for little money.  Combine those goals with the fear of wasting money or time or making the wrong choices and it lands me with several rooms only 30-50% complete.  What rooms you say?  Well, Will’s room, the laundry room, the office, the playroom, the dining room, the living room, and the upstairs hall just to name a few.  Is it too hard to just start and then complete a room!?  Apparently it is harder than a diamond encrusted Thor hammer if you never do it.

Lastly, I wanted to work with Home Depot in some capacity.  This totally could be a pride blog thing.  I will admit that.  I told my friends about this goal.  I told my family.  I didn’thave a single contact there but I knew they were an Atlanta based company that were blogger friendly and I met a few reps at Haven that were great.  I did a giveaway with them during Christmas one time but it was through a PR company so I never actually had a direct working relationship.  I really wanted to do something with them because of three reasons. It would mean that I could brag that I worked with most major home improvement stores…making me feel validated as a DIY blogger.  The second reason was because they are an awesome company that gives back to people in need, veterans and has great employees (including our neighbors).  And thirdly – because they are one of our favorite places to shop.  That one is self-explanatory.  Hello Martha.

So after I set all these goals, I went through the motions of putting them in motion. Low and behold, I got a contact through a contact through a contact. I made a master list of rooms and prioritized them and their projects. I made a blogging schedule. That wheel had started turning. You know the wheel – it’s the one where you put things out there and eventually you look backwards and you did those things.  One day in September came a very awesome email.  It was from Home Depot asking us if we wanted to do a bathroom makeover and to have the entire thing documented.  At first, I was a little hesitant because of the dreaded fears.  You know….what do I do with the kids?  Do I even know how to finish a room?  What if I make a giant bad design choice…a la pasting hay on the walls?  What if I look like a bazillion pounds while tiling?  What if Home Depot picks the most unflattering photo of me ever?  What if my readers hate the entire space?  What if my kids forget who I am while I am in that bathroom?

All valid fears.  Sortof.

Jeremy came to my rescue and just said LET’S DO IT!  He said that we would just figure all the little stuff out.  And we did.  And so it is a very real pleasure of mine to finally reveal our SECRET PROJECT!  We tackled a bathroom space….transforming it from top to bottom…all by ourselves (literally…I laid every single tile) and we had the entire thing filmed.  Photographers, videographers, directors, and all those creative types came to our house for six days over the course of a month and we did the entire sha-bang. But before we get into the nitty gritty – let me tell ya about the space that we tackled.  It is our guest bathroom…and here are some very old before photos of it…. (that’s Will in that photo below and even I was fooled and thought it was Weston! ha!)

I like to say that it was like a bologna sandwich…hold the mayo.  Completely blah.  There was nothing particularly awesome about it.  It served a function but it didn’t really say “Welcome guests!  I am here to pamper you and tell you that you are beautiful!”

It’s hard to tell in these photos but the trim is all the tan color that we have been slowly phasing out of the rest of the house.  The tile is beige marble with teal glass tile accents.  The tile didn’t go all the way to the ceiling and for some reason, I felt like it should.  The walls were not in great condition and the drywall needed patching and repainting in several areas.

 

We lacked storage in here and brought in a cabinet from our old house but it didn’t really hold very much and was kind in the way.  The pedestal sink is usually great for tight spaces but in this room…it actually made the space feel smaller because we made up for the lack of storage with that old cabinet.  The sink and the toilet were also that lovely bisque color….which I think could work in a certain space….just not this one.

So when we finally said YES! Home Depot came back to us and told us about the details for this makeover…budget, time constraints, etc. and that they needed to know our plans like yesterday.  We got right to work.  We decided that the vanity would be a great jumping off point for the entire moodboard and chose the one that best fit our style and the size we needed.  The Albright vanity is a nice grayish brown color that we loved and it was the perfect size with loads of storage.  It was available with different color tops so we chose the stone effects vanity top in Carrera marble.  Next we picked out some options for tile.  We decided to keep things uniformed so that it seemed less busy and more cohesive (creating that illusion of more space) and the marble we picked for the walls and the floor matched the color of the vanity top and was HONED.  Come to mama!  You know me and marble.  I can not resist.

After that, it was smooth sailing.  I picked everything out on HomeDepot.com or Homedecorators.com.  Everything would be fresh, clean (so fresh and so clean clean!) with industrial cottage touches.  This is the moodboard we sent back to Home Depot as our original idea….

Lovely, right!?  We knew that some of the things would need to be modified….like those shelves from the blog 7th House on the Left (hi Ashley!!!) and the mirror, paint, and tile was just an inspiration…but for the most part, we wanted the space to feel like a luxurious and fancy hotel bathroom.  In fact, I even mentioned to Jeremy that we might just move into the guest room if it looks half as good as the moodboard.

The best part about this secret project is yet to come.  Right after Christmas, we get to share our final result…that’s only a few weeks away!  Yup.  No waiting through mountains of how-to posts (I will share some nitty gritty info at some point but right now we just want to share the transformation!)….we are gonna be able to show you some really great short informative videos including the big before & after reveal.  Are you excited?  I am.  I bet Jer and I will look like complete dorks on camera but just look past us and keep focusing on the bathroom….it will be epic!  I’ll keep you updated so stay tuned!

 

I acknowledge that the Home Depot is partnering with me to participate in this HDC Influencer Program.  As part of this Program, I am receiving compensation  in the form of product and services. for the purpose of promoting The Home Depot. All expressed opinions and experiences are my own words.  My post complies with the Word of Mouth Marketing Advertising (WOMMA) Ethics Code and applicable Federal Trade Commission guidelines.    

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  1. Why is the date on this November 23rd? It shows as new on my feed but not first on your homepage as if you posted today. None-the-less great news and can’t wait to see the results.

  6. So excited for you! Can’t wait to see it! Plus, I just did a little happy dance at my desk that you like the same shelves I told my hubby I wanted to put up in our guest bathroom. 🙂

  8. Hay on the walls…definitely remember watching that episode of Trading Spaces in college! 🙂

  10. This is awesome! So happy for you that you hit this goal. FWIW you don’t need any “DIY blog” validation in my eyes 🙂 Cannot wait to see the reveal. I want hotel-spa-like bathrooms too. (And yes for me it just showed up in feedly too (like above commenter).)

  13. Congratulations on your partnership with Home Depot! I am so excited to see the final reveal! I love your blog so much – you make DIY so accessible (even if your and Jeremy’s skills are WAY beyond mine!) I am so glad Home Depot chose to work with you – you are clearly a great fit for their brand and you’ve used them for years!

  18. My hubby just DIY’ed those exact shelves for me. He thinks it’s silly how giddy I get when I show them to people. He’s like, “It’s just a shelf?” But NOOOO! It’s SO much more! Ok, maybe not. But I do love them 🙂

  19. Totally unrelated but WHEN are you going to reveal who won the make a project contest?! Did I miss it?! Who won?!

  20. I’m so excited for you, Katie! That was such a great goal to set and your hard work definitely accomplished it! I cannot wait to ogle over all the photos and get some inspiration for our lackluster master bathroom! Since I could hardly wait a week and a half for this, I’m not sure how I’ll survive all of December waiting to see the final product!

  22. Oooooh! So excited for y’all. We are functioning with ALL (yes, all) rooms at 50%…if that, so I totally ask myself (constantly)- HOW HARD IS IT TO JUST FINISH?! **that’s what she said**

    Can’t wait to see your glorious bathroom! 😀

  23. Good for you Katie! Way to put those goals out there and sincerely chase after them. Happy for you guys! Can’t wait to see the finished result 🙂

  25. This is such exciting news!! Congratulations!! I can’t wait to see what the final product looks like!

    Somewhat related question for you – I am a new homeowner and the trim (and walls, ceiling, doors.. EVERYTHING) is painted a dingy yellowish off-white color. Did you prime before you painted the trim, and what sheen of paint did you use? My sense is it might be better to go with something glossier for clean-ability, but I have literally zero experience in the painting realm. Help!

  27. Did yall ever announce the winner of the last Bower Build Off? I want to know who built what?!?!

  28. Katie—so exciting, I love everything you chose and can’t wait to see it! I never ever comment but actually have a question about this specific vanity. I’ve been looking at it online in the 37″ size, because we have a boxed-in space and I want only drawers (most 37″ vanities are an off-center cabinet with small side drawers… not my jam). Anyway, can you give any measurements regarding inside guts/back of the cabinet and the plumbing? I’m worried about the all-drawer style because of where and how our plumbing is located, but those details are never provided in the specs. I’d appreciate it! Thanks!

  29. YAY!!!! You are my favorite, favorite blogger and this is such wonderful news. So happy for you and Jer!!

  31. Can’t wait to see it all done! By the way….did you ever post the winner for the 2nd DIY competition between you and jeremy or did I miss it??? Dying to see who won!

  33. Gah! The moodboard is awesome and is a mix of all the styles I love. Can you come to my house a make a bathroom look like that?!

  36. So happy for you!! You’ve been legit to us for a long time, lady, but so glad that this is working out so wonderfully for ya. Can’t WAIT to see the videos of you guys AND the reveal!!

  37. Good good good good job Katie B!!!!! I really cannot wait to see it! I’ve been in a blogger vacuum since John and Sher dog retired from bloglandia. Hopefully this fills in some gaps! Yes I know I’m selfish #sowhat I know you two have done a GREAT JOB already!!!! Beautiful moodboard!

  38. Congratulations! The finished bathroom will surely be great, but to me the best part is how you worked to achieve your big goal! Go on, Katie!! 🙂

  41. Katie, I am just so excited that one of your goals was to blog 4 times a week. I really love your content and have been excited to see so much of it lately! (Especially because I’m really missing your BFF Sherry and her husband John!) I can’t wait to see the bathroom makeover! Kelsey

  42. Great news. I wonder, could you point me to the post about the bowerpower challenge reveal? Can’t find that and don’t know how I missed it!

  43. Wooohooo! Congratulations on Home Depot. And an even BIGGER CONGRATULATIONS on blogging 4 X per week with three little boys!! Wonder Woman, I tell you…

  47. What do you need? That confuses me. You need the inside measurements of the drawers? Or where the cut out is for the plumbing?
    xo – kb

  48. Me tooooooo 🙁

    But glad you’re still blogging! I loved (whichever month it was) when you blogged every day!! 🙂 Do that next year, too! 🙂

  49. Yay, so exciting. Congratulation! You are the perfect blogger to pair with Home Depot because you do so much of the hardcore DIY (building, etc) yourselves. I’m excited to see what you do with the bathroom.

  50. Squeeeeee!!! I absolutely fell in LOVE with that very same vanity light fixture!!! I searched high and low for a four light fixture in the darker pewter color and finally found it when I was building my house! It is a great fixture! and I’m sosuperexcited to see it on a blog I love! Yay!!!

  52. LOVE the mood board. Congrats on working with Home Depot! I can’t wait to see the reveal. We sold our home a few months ago and are living with my sister until we find a new home. Most homes on the market where we now live need lots of updating. I plan to visit your archives for inspiration, but I may need to steal this entire mood board for a bathroom makeover.

  53. We do prime. We first clean it with a liquid sanding solution and then prime and then paint. I use semi-gloss paint because I have tried gloss and it is a little too shiny for me and usually I use eggshell for walls so the semi-gloss shows shiny enough for my taste 🙂
    xo – kb

  60. Congrats on accomplishing a huge goal of yours! You know what I’m most excited about? Seeing more of Jeremy. I enjoy seeing you two work together as a team and he seems like such a great teammate, husband, father, etc. It’s really fun when you guys pair up on projects! Plus he makes you laugh and makes you feel like you can be yourself… and I love seeing you be YOU!

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