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Just like every single project I take on, my hallway is taking longer than I had expected. I thought I would be done with it last week, but as much even with as much trim installation, wood filling, sanding, caulking, and priming as I’ve done in my two decades of DIYing, I always seem to be surprised about just how long all of that stuff takes with each new project.
But I’m finally past the slow part. All of the trim is installed, wood filled, sanded, caulked, primed, and painted. The last big thing I need to do is to paint the light gray stripes on the wall, and then I’ll be ready to bring in the new console table and the decorative touches.
By the way, if you missed the new DIY console table, you can click here to see it. I made it by repurposing the edge grain plywood herringbone coffee table top that I made in 2019.
Anyway, I’m anxious to see the new console table in the “new” (much smaller) hallway. But before I can count the hallway as finished, I’ll also need to do some paint touchups on the doors, install door hardware on the doors (door knobs on the bathroom doors and door pulls for the pocket doors).
(Note: If you’re reading this post on any website other than Addicted 2 Decorating, that means you’re reading on a site that is stealing my blog content. I hope you’ll consider joining me on my actual blog by clicking here.)
And finally, I need to do a small project on the cabinets. Our router/modem sits on the top right shelf of the hallway cabinet now, and the outlet is in the bottom left cabinet. For over a year now, I’ve had this really fancy and stylish orange extension cord, winding its way out of the top cabinet, across the front of the drawers, and into the bottom cabinet where it plus in.
All I need to do is drill a hole (maybe two) inside the cabinet to get the cord through the inside from top to bottom inside the cabinet. Evidently that’s an extremely complicated project because I’ve been putting it off since the fall of 2019. 😀 But it’s time to tackle it. It might even take me all of five minutes.
In other news, I shared a few days ago about how we’ve turned our breakfast room into a sitting room for the time being. After making that change, the chandelier in the breakfast room seemed out of place, so I decided to purchase a new light for the room. I decided on this sputnik light.
I love light fixtures that make a statement, and this one fits the bill. But as I was putting it together (yes, you have to screw in every single one of those metal spikes one by one), I decided that this light might be a better fit for the living room. It’s definitely more of a statement than the one that’s currently in there, which looks like this.
So I think I’ll do a little light fixture swap and put that light in the breakfast room, and then put the new light in the living room. After all, if one of those rooms should get a statement light, it should be the room you see when you walk in the front door.
Now if only I can get the thing put together. I only have half of it so far.
And finally, I received the wall mural for the master bathroom! This is the one I ordered…
I haven’t unrolled the whole thing yet (I’m afraid I’ll damage it), but from what I’ve seen, it’s spectacular.
I ordered the deluxe paper, and it’s a vinyl paper which should hold up well in the bathroom. And just look at all of these gorgeous colors!
All of the panels come on one long, continuous roll with lines showing where to cut.
PhotoWall is located in Sweden, so I expected it to take a couple of weeks (at least) to get here since they custom size, crop and print each mural according to your specifications. But it got here in a matter of days. I think it took a total of five days from when I ordered it. That’s pretty amazing! And now that I have the actual mural in hand, I can make the rest of my selections for tile, paint colors, etc.
So things are moving right along! I’m finally getting to a point where I actually feel like my old DIY-loving self. All of last year, I just felt so unmotivated. And then it’s been really hard to get back into the swing of things this year. DIY is like a muscle (at least for me), and if I don’t work it out regularly, it gets weak. So this year has felt really challenging for me. But just in the last couple of weeks, I’ve started really enjoying working on my house again.
And I’m very excited that I’ll soon be able to show y’all the finished hallway, the finished music room, and the finished living room!! I’ve put off showing y’all the music room and living room because the unfinished hallway showed in pictures of those two room. And after taking so long to finish the music room and living room, there’s no way I wanted an unfinished hallway mucking up the pictures of those other two rooms. So I’m about to be able to show y’all a whole lot of newly finished areas in our house!
Addicted 2 Decorating is where I share my DIY and decorating journey as I remodel and decorate the 1948 fixer upper that my husband, Matt, and I bought in 2013. Matt has M.S. and is unable to do physical work, so I do the majority of the work on the house by myself. You can learn more about me here.
I hope you’ll join me on my DIY and decorating journey! If you want to follow my projects and progress, you can subscribe below and have each new post delivered to your email inbox. That way you’ll never miss a thing!
24 Comments
Gretchen Tucker
May 11, 2021 at 11:53 amI love your mural wallpaper!!! I’m so glad you are getting back to your DIYing self. I get so much inspiration from you!!!
Josie
May 11, 2021 at 11:58 amThat is some wallpaper! Glad to hear you’re getting your DIY groove back!
Charisse
May 11, 2021 at 12:10 pmoooh, I can’t wait to see that wallpaper in your bathroom! I think you made a good decision to change the sputnik light for the living room light. I think the bulbs from the sputnik light might have reflected onto the TV screen maybe? I do also love the living room light in either place…..very classic. So glad you are back in your feeling better, DIY mode. I can totally relate to feeling “less than” during the covid year.
Karen
May 11, 2021 at 12:20 pmI can hardly wait to see your fabulous rooms! I live vicariously through your bold and lovely decorating. . . I have a sweet fuddy-duddy living with me so my only bold anything is my kitchen’s red bay wall! So thank you for sharing all your beautiful renovations!
I do have a suggestion for the near future . . . Update your house tour of 2018, please!
Deb
May 11, 2021 at 12:23 pmThe way the mural is printed is very interesting. I guess I imagined about five panels to wrestle with but that looks very doable for even someone like myself who has vowed never to wallpaper again😃 I for some reason can not get into the Sputnik lights but that one does look like it was made for your living room.
I just absolutely love the richness of your living room and can’t wait to see the final pictures.
Joan Hornung
May 11, 2021 at 12:40 pmSo much in the works! I know you will be completing things quickly now, and the plans for the bathroom look awesome! Love that mural! Looking forward to those pictures!
Lynn
May 11, 2021 at 1:17 pmIt will be beautiful!! Was wondering if you saw where I had ask about your mattress a couple weeks ago? If your pleased and the kind you bought. If you read this hope you can answer. Thank you.
Kristi
May 12, 2021 at 1:02 amI missed that! I’m so sorry! I love the mattress. It’s quite different from our last one, which had a pillow top and was pretty soft. This one is much firmer, and I really like it. I didn’t love it the first night. It took a couple of nights to get used to it. But now I wonder how I ever slept on that super soft mattress we had before. Although, it might explain the lower back pain I had for years.
Here’s my affiliate link for the one I got: https://amzn.to/3f4OKig
Gina
May 11, 2021 at 1:18 pmOh that mural makes flutters inside! It is absolutely beautiful, and looks so alive with the close up pictures you shared. THAT actually makes me like wallpaper again! I’m so glad you are finding your groove again.
And those light fixtures–you have such an eye for the right one for the room! You seem to knock it out of the ballpark with these choices!
sheila felix
May 13, 2021 at 4:56 pmI am so happy to see your posts show up in my inbox! I absolutely understand that caring for yourself and Matt during this pandemic has curtailed your diy. But, I have missed you! In a world of Youtube, you are the only blogger I still follow. I am always amazed with your work ethic and your creativity. I look forward to a house tour of your finished rooms. More than Half the house!!! May I also state that your love for Matt warms my heart. You two were meant to be! True love! I know how much work is in being a caregiver and you manage it and produce such great content while letting us know Matt’s contributions. I feel he is your sounding board and your best friend as well as your husband. I am sure what I am typing does not convey my thoughts. But I think the two of you were meant to be….
Love to you both,
Sheila F.
Elaine Ness
May 11, 2021 at 1:48 pmIt is all coming together beautifully, Kristi. The fixture switch decision was brilliant. As you said, definitely a statement piece for the living room. Sputnik is out of this world.
Patrice Luckey
May 11, 2021 at 2:22 pmYay! You picked my favorite! Up close, some of the flora and fauna looks photographic! It’s just gorgeous!!! Again – it’ll be heavenly to experience in your space!
Marianne in Mo.
May 11, 2021 at 2:56 pmLoving the mural wallpaper and that light fixture! So I guess the workmen have begun on the new bathroom?
Kate S
May 11, 2021 at 3:16 pmOh my. We had a Sputnik light in our apartment dining room in the mid-60’s. We even called it a “Sputnik” but that was just our nickname we made up 😊. Takes me back….
Kathy
May 11, 2021 at 3:25 pmKristi,
I would love to see a survey of your followers to see how many have been inspired by your account, done their own DYI projects and how things turned out. My daughter just bought a hone that needs a few updates. Contractors are so booked up- we are trying to get our courage up to tackle the master bathroom.
Cathy Brule
May 11, 2021 at 4:15 pmLove the wallpaper!
Jill Nelson
May 11, 2021 at 5:03 pmLove this post! The sarcasm – it’s as if I wrote it myself! LOL
chiflipper
May 11, 2021 at 8:48 pmI think you’re wise to swap the light fixtures, the clear lamps in the Sputnik model might have caused an issue when watching TV.
Karen H
May 11, 2021 at 9:20 pmThat mural is gorgeous, Kristi! Really so pretty! I cannot wait to see it installed in your bathroom! And I agree with swapping the lights… they are both so pretty and unique, but the new one does make the bigger statement!
Suzie
May 12, 2021 at 2:26 amIt’s all coming together so nicely Kristi! The mural is stunning! Love reading your posts and how you keep things real. I read them all the way over in South Africa. I can so relate to orange extension cables snaking out of cabinets for months. Somehow it’s always the small projects that seem to take the longest : )
Sue Rood
May 12, 2021 at 9:26 amI can’t wait to see the completed hallway with your ‘new’ table and some art work. Very exciting! The light fixtures should be perfect as a swap. That mural is very pretty and should be spectacular. So exciting watching these rooms come together and get completed.
Melissa Kramer
May 12, 2021 at 9:31 amThat mural is….everything! Love!
Tracey
December 16, 2021 at 1:07 pmI received the spikey light fixture for a gift (it’s been on my wish list since you posted about it). Mine did not come with any instructions on spike placement or installation. As I am going to attempt to install it myself, do you have any tips on how it was for you to install?
Kristi Linauer
December 18, 2021 at 4:49 pmI tried a few different configurations with the assembly, and I finally used the small spikes on the top two and bottom two rows of holes, and then filled in the all the rest with the long spikes. The way I went about the process is that I put the short spikes on the top two rows of holes. Then I installed the light. Since I was installing it by myself, and I have short arms, I didn’t think I’d be able to reach around it with the whole thing assembled. So I just did the top two rings of spikes (short spikes), then installed the light, and then assembled the rest of the spikes after the light was installed.
I hope that helps!