My Three 2013 Favourite Remodeling Projects
I know everyone wrote that kind of posts a week ago, but a) I'm always late for eveything - b) I wasn't intending to write one.
But I noticed that I had new readers (welcome to all of you, by the way, I'm so pleased you're here) and I had a few questions about the cottage. If you're not new, don't feel like I don't care about you, there'll post about the future kitchen soon.
When I was at my mom's during the holidays, we watched together a show where they remodel a whole house in a week (I'm sure wherever you live, this kind of show exist on your channels as well). She turned to me and said "Why can't you do that?" and laughed.
Quand j'ai passé quelques jours chez mes parents, nous avons regardé une émission dans laquelle une maison est intégralement rénovée en une semaine (je suis sûre que vous voyez de quoi je parle). Ma maman s'est tournée vers moi et m'a dit: "Pourquoi tu n'arrives pas à tout faire en une semaine, toi?" et elle a ri.
The renovation here goes slowly because I live in the house, so I can't do all the rooms at the same time and I do that on a French teacher salary (enough said).
La rénovation et la décoration de mon cottage prennent beaucoup de temps, c'est devenu une blague dans ma famille. Le fait de vivre dans la maison m'oblige à faire les choses petit bout par petit bout. Et puis, une vieille bâtisse réserve toujours des surprises!
But I'm happy that after nothing much happened in 2012, the year 2013 saw progress. Here are my three favourite projects. Clicking on the pictures should take you to the posts if you missed them.
Mais je suis tout de même ravie: après une année 2012 au point mort, 2013 a été marquée par des progrès dans le cottage. Voici mes préférés. Cliquer sur les photos vous emmènera aux articles, si vous ne les avez pas lus.
Project 1 : ceiling / plafond
I got rid of the drywall ceiling that had been put by previous owners so recess lighting was possible...
Je me suis débarrassée du faux plafond en placo...
... to uncover the original wood and beam ceiling, which after a lot of work, looks like that now...
... et après pas mal de travail, il ressemble maintenant à ça...
Project 2: window / fenêtre
The kitchen window wasn't very safe, as anyone - even me - could open it from the outside. Plus it wasn't really cottage-y. (Excuse the previous owners mess below).
La fenêtre de la cuisine n'était pas très sécurisante car n'importe qui pouvait l'ouvrir du dehors. Et je trouvais qu'elle manquait de charme. (photo prise lors de ma première visite)
So I had one custom made from my drawing and then I created faux moulding on the sides and even my first curtains ever!
J'en ai fait faire une sur-mesure d'après mon dessin et j'ai ensuite créé de fausses moulures dans l'encadrement... et aussi fait mon premier ourlet de rideau!
Project 3: the dining-room/kitchen wall / le mur entre la salle-à-manger et la cuisine
The dining-room and kitchen used to be separated by a wall.
La salle-à-manger et la cuisine étaient deux petites pièces séparées par un mur.
I had it knocked down (twice actually, because when the cottage was flooded, the parts of the wall that were still there badly suffered) and I found a way to display some of my collections there.
J'ai fait tomber ce mur (deux fois car après l'inondation, il a fallu refaire ce bout de mur) et j'ai même trouvé une solution pour exposer une partie de mes collections.
I like to think the delays in the renovation actually help me find new ideas along the road. The kitchen, seen in the background of that last picture, is my 2014 project. The next appointment with the contractor is next Thursday. I'm making a list (and checking it twice) of all the things we have to go through! And it's a long list!
J'aime penser que les retards pris dans la rénovation me permettent en fait de trouver de nouvelles idées. La cuisine, que vous voyez en arrière plan de la dernière photo est mon projet 2014. Prochain rendez-vous avec le cuisiniste jeudi prochain et j'ai déjà une longue liste de choses à voir avec lui!
Do you have a big project for 2014?
Et vous, avez-vous un grand projet pour votre maison en 2014?
See you soon,
A bientôt,
I'm sharing the progress at the cottage with:
It is all so wonderful!!!
ReplyDeleteI love each of the projects you completed in 2013. I look forward to what you do in 2014.
ReplyDeleteIt is surprising how one's ideas change as one lives in a place. We are about to start a complete re model of the bedrooms and the original ideas have now been tossed aside for much more practical ones.
ReplyDeleteça avance, Magali,
ReplyDeletecomme chez moi... tout doucement...en fonction du temps, des idées, du courage...
ici, 2014 sera vraisemblablement axé sur ma chambre: pas de gros travaux, juste de la déco, mais surtout l'aménagement d'un dressing sous le rampant du toit... et ça , c'est le plus compliqué!!
à bientôt
Odile
Doucement, mais sûrement, je l'espère! J'attends de voir ces nouvelles transformations sur ton blog dans l'année! Surtout que j'ai aussi des chambres sous les toits à refaire plus tard!
DeleteLooks like 2013 brought you some very beautiful changes. 2014 will be even better. Cheers!
ReplyDeleteMy big project for 2014 is getting our baby girl's room ready. Since I only have until the end of March, I need to step up my game. Painting, buying furniture, stuff on the wall. Luckily it's nothing as big as you have undertaken or are going to but it's still something I need to do.
ReplyDeletePS....My fave project of yours is that ceiling. I am in love with it.
J'ai eu des projets moi aussi pour ma cuisine... et je me suis découragée quand j'ai vu tous les problèmes que tu as eus... et puis ma vieille cuisine est de fabrication française et de bonne qualité, alors je la garde. J'attends que mon architecte d'intérieur préféré(e) me propose un relooking sympa.
ReplyDeleteI think I discovered your blog with your ceiling project Magali and I still admire it a lot today. It is just simply beautiful. I'm glad to witness too how your home is slowly transformed, so don't rush, just enjoy the 'chaos' and we will enjoy reading about it in 2014 too!
ReplyDeleteI loved what you have accomplished!Good luck with the new project!The kitchen is in my plans for 2014 too!AriadnefromGreece!
ReplyDeleteYour ceiling and window are my two favorite projects of yours as well. So perfect for your cute little house.
ReplyDeleteI must confess, I spend some time admiring the ceiling that was so much work! And it suits the house better than recessed lighting, even if it's less practical!
DeleteMy big projects for 2014 is to purge a lot of stuff and be streamlined LOL. I live in a 1,400 sq ft home and have 6 closets that are FULL so it's time to get rid of stuff. I could open up a fabric and clothing stores so that is going bye bye.
ReplyDeleteI liked seeing all your posts again.
Good luck with your contractor. Have a great weekend.
Mary
Il va y en avoir des articles sur tes travaux & ça me réjouit.
ReplyDeleteJ'ai aussi beaucoup de choses à boucler cette année: la boutique dans le jardin, un nouveau portail & son portillon pour la maison principale, changer les fenêtres & porte fenêtres dans la petite maison de montagne & y faire l'isolation des murs qui est inexistante, mettre toute la maison en peinture , refaire la cuisine, je suis contente d'avoir profité des soldes pour acheter un réfrigérateur & un piano à gaz (je suis jalouse de moi car la maison principale autrait aussi besoin d'un nouveau réfrigérateur) & puis prendre le temps de prendre le temps pour faire tout ça.
Aussi internet est plus difficile à caser au milieu de tout ça. Mais on va y arriver.
Bon week end. Bises. Babette
Every project you complete increases the grace and elegance of you charming cottage, Magali! You are living a dream I know a lot of us have, and you are doing it to perfection! I love every project you have undertaken, the ceiling is of course REMARKABLE (I can not conceive of anyone covering that up, and am so thrilled that you were able to uncover it), and I am also in love with the window, I feel windows are kind of like eyebrows-you don't specifically notice the difference they make, but they change the whole essence of the face (room) in such a subtle and powerful way. And the wall!! I love the absence of the wall and I LOVE the display areas you have incorporated into the edited wall! It's just a thrill to watch the transformation take place, and I am SO EXCITED about the kitchen, I am just finding it hard to sit still. I am in the process of stripping all the paint off the kitchen cabinets at my place (AGAIN) in preparation to paint them (AGAIN) for what I HOPE is the last time, and am so excited to see what you are up to in your charming kitchen. You are also teaching me to be patient and enjoy the process, something I am so very poor at!! Looking forward to all your exciting posts and projects and trips and adventures! To savoring 2014 to the utmost! Sarah
ReplyDeleteSarah,
DeleteEach of your comment makes me feel so good (I'm sometimes unsure my choices will please my readers). What colour are you going to paint your kitchen cabinets?
Can I ask a little more patience from you? I chose not to have the kitchen redone in winter, just in case we have a few more bad surprises like last year!
I have so enjoyed your blog and I'm so glad we "met"! Happy 2014, and I look forward to all things Magali in the coming year(s)!
ReplyDeletexoxo
-andi
Loving the ceiling, what difference...how could anyone cover that up! You did a lot of work this past year, let's see what the new one will bring - a new kitchen. :)
ReplyDeleteI actually thought this year would be easier, but it turns out there are so many decisions to make about the kitchen!
DeleteYou did so many big projects around your home, Magali--that's a lot of work, but very beautiful and I am sure satisfying results--it all looks beautiful!
ReplyDeleteSo fun to find your French cottage via the Meet the Neighbors Linky. I love what you are working on and I just posted something similar here in the USA. Love how we can connect Have a great week-end.
ReplyDeleteI love your wood ceilings....well, I love your whole place.
ReplyDeleteI think you know my big project.... ceilings. :)
Ceiling is marvelous and so is the window, plus, plus everything else. We have to take down some wallpaper and paint, paint, paint.
ReplyDeleteGo for it, girl ! And stick to your plans and ideas, sometimes despite "good" advice. When we moved into this house with our 4 little sons, we converted a quite small attic room packed with old stuff into a cosy bedroom. My mother advised against it, feeling sorry for the poor kid who "had to" sleep in that "junk room" of the previous owners. But the 7-year old saw its potential, and he fell in love with the feeling to sleep up in al lighthouse-like room. He's 16 now and refuses to move to a bigger room :-D
ReplyDeleteSo good luck with all your future projects! Marcy from Antwerp
Thank you so much. Somehow I believe people who live in the house are those who know it best. I would have loved a room under the eaves as a child!
DeleteLoved revisiting your projects! They were all worthy of looking at again. I have many big projects for this year and can't wait to get started...:) Have a restful weekend....Vicky
ReplyDeleteI so enjoyed coming into your home with seeing your projects. I just love that window, oh what a beautiful window, and I will never understand how someone could of covered up that gorgeous ceiling? Just don't get it. I've never been to France,but feel I am now visiting through you.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for the kind words about my remodeling. The previous owners had very different ideas about the house! I'm taking you to visit France a little more in my next post!
DeleteYou've made such a difference to that house already, turning into a truly charming home. You know I just love, love love the way you opened up the ceiling to reveal the beams, but everything you've done so far seems to perfectly suit your home.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to more of your renovations and so glad I'm here to follow the story x
Your renovations are great to look back on. I am busy on pinterest to get ideas to do my house this year. So many plans to update. Have a great weekend x
ReplyDeleteDear Magali,
ReplyDeleteHope you are having a good weekend. I love your style and all the transformations! :)
Hugs ~ Izabella.
Magali, you've made wonderful improvements in your cottage. I really, really like the ceiling with the exposed beams. So charming, as is the new wall between the kitchen and dining room. The new window and the curtains are perfect. You have done a great job. It will be so much fun to see what you end up doing in the kitchen. Can't wait to see it. xx ~ Nancy
ReplyDeleteYou got a lot done last year, and I am excited to watch you renovate your kitchen in the coming year. Our big projects this year include have a bathroom vanity built, and refinishing the floors and painting in the living room and dining room. That one scares me!
ReplyDeleteEffectivement pas une simple affaire de rénover l'endroit que l'on habite. Surtout pour les travaux de fond comme électricité, plomberie...Ensuite pour les pièces comme cuisine ou salle de bain quand il n'y en a qu'une. Comme tu dis: le temps des travaux donnent le temps à la réflexion...
ReplyDeleteBon dimanche.
Je dois avouer que je me souviendrai longtemps de mes deux semaines sans chaudière lors d'un printemps breton qui a battu, comme par hasard, des records de froid!
DeleteCeilings, to me, are one of the most important features of a room. Upon entering a room, I always tend to look up. I wonder if that's just me?
ReplyDeleteYour home is lovely, and reminds me so very much of France. I'm sure the kitchen redo will be perfect. Stick to your guns!
Dear Magali,
ReplyDeleteI think you have done a great job with your renovation going on. Everything looks so pretty and I imagine the result as simply wonderful! We have had an old farmhouse, we want to use as a summerhouse. For about two years we have been thinking about it and gathering ideas. Now we started and will soon be able to go there for the weekends. I don´t regret thinking it over and over again, for it is nearly 200 years old, was in a very bad state and we couldn´t afford to spend a lot of money, because if we worked more, we would not be able to go there often.
Your blog encouraged me over and over again and I will enjoy following you!
Greetings from Munich
Sarah
Sarah,
DeleteYour old farmhouse project seems fascinating. I'll be happy to check on your project and practise on my German at the same time. Renovation is a difficult balance between what we want and what we can afford, but time helps make the best decisions!
Thank you for your kind words about my blog,
Magali
You've made great progress Magali. I love the ceiling and the new opening between kitchen and dining area. Can't wait to see what you do in the kitchen.
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year!
Deborah
Everything is coming along so nicely! It's so fun coming along with you...
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Cindy
Fantastic - I love that ceiling, so nice that you had those beams and planks to uncover! Mine would be nothing but loose insulation!!
ReplyDeleteYou know I love your window & curtains and I was around for the wall being torn down. Great job! xox
Hello Magali, I am just back participating in a photo a day for 365 days! Ann
ReplyDelete