Average But Inspired

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My 1970s Home Updates: A Year of Paint Makeovers in 2020

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About one year ago my family packed up our beloved home in Illinois and moved to a suburb of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  We moved here not knowing what insanity 2020 would bring, and we were thrilled to have found a home in time to get our kids into school right after winter break.  

The home is a 1970s style that is completely different from the beautiful 1920s architecture we were used to in Illinois.  It had a lot of brown, a lot of mirrors (so many mirrors! practically every surface was mirrored!), and a lot of carpeting.  But what it lacked in style, it made up for in space and location.  Because of that, we knew it was the house for us, and that with time, we’d turn it into a home that reflects our style.

Although 2020 was an extraordinarily difficult year, one of its blessings was extra time at home, which allowed me to accomplish many more house makeover projects than I would have in a “regular” year.

Because I accomplished so much, I thought it would be fun to do a recap of my 1970s home updates in 2020.  I worked very hard, learned a lot, and am proud of the transformation so far.  Looking back on these changes has me feeling excited for even more projects in 2021!

In just one year Bre from Average But Inspired updated so much of her "new" 1970s home - and much of it was done with paint alone! See what she accomplished in her year of DIY, and be inspired to make over your home with paint, too!

Limewash Stone Fireplace Makeover

Read about my limewash fireplace makeover!

The first project I tackled was making over our 1970s rock fireplace.  The orange color scheme did not work with my furniture, and I wanted to refresh it.  Using limewash to give the fireplace a facelift was a very inexpensive project, and actually very easy, too!  

Before - this dated 1970s rock fireplace was orange and bulky. See how this blogger gave the fireplace a fresh new look with a limewash treatment. It's just one of the DIY projects she did to her 1970s home this year.

Mirrored Built-In Makeover

Read about using peel and stick wallpaper to make over a built-in!

Once the fireplace was complete, I had to tackle the flanking built-ins.  They were oak wood with mirrored backs.  I did not enjoy seeing my reflection all the time. Ha!  Paint and peel and stick wallpaper gave the built-ins a whole new life!

Before - dated oak built-ins with mirrored backs flanked the large stone fireplace (which was limewashed or whitewashed). See how this blogger updated the built-ins with paint and peel-and-stick wallpaper to give the entire space a fresh new look.

Luxury Vinyl Plank Flooring Installation

Read my review of luxury vinyl plank flooring!

Next up, we replaced the carpeting in the living room area and basement with luxury vinyl plank flooring, which matched the flooring already installed throughout the first floor of the home.  With kids and a dog, this flooring has been amazing, and we’re thankful we were able to get this installed before the world shut down in March.

Bre from Average But Inspired had Tranquility luxury vinyl plank flooring installed in her home this year. Read her review of Tranquility Copper Ridge Oak on her blog.

Powder Room Makeover & Painted Countertop

Read about how I painted a countertop to look like marble!

After a couple of weeks of being stuck in the house in the early spring, I decided to make over the powder room on a whim.  I painted the vanity and baseboards with paint I already had, and then I ordered a paint kit online and painted my countertop!  I was very nervous about this project, but surprisingly it turned out really well!  I am a full advocate of painting a countertop if you’re on a budget.  It’s holding up great and looks really nice.

Before - a dated oak vanity and busy granite countertop were a lot to handle in this bathroom with a busy wall tile treatment. See how Bre from Average But Inspired painted her countertop to look like marble, and changed the whole look of the space.

Built-In China Cabinet Makeover & Dining Room Makeover

Read about how I overhauled the built-in china cabinet and gave my dining room a beautiful makeover!

In the spring, my kids took over our empty dining room as their e-learning classroom.  But they quickly abandoned it for more comfortable locations.  When they moved out, I got to work redoing the built-in oak china cabinet and fixing up the dining room.  It turned out beautifully and is now one of my favorite spots in the house!

Before - the dining room in this 1970s home was all brown. After Bre from Average But Inspired painted the built-in china cabinet and refreshed the room's furniture and furnishings, the dining room has a whole new look.

Limewash Stone Exterior & New Exterior Paint

Read about how to limewash exterior stone and about our exterior paint job and makeover.

As soon as the Wisconsin weather turned nice, I rented scaffolding and got to work limewashing the large exterior stone column – using the same method and products as I used the limewash the interior fireplace.  Once I finished that, professional painters took over and gave our house new life with a fresh coat of paint in Sherwin-Williams Pewter Green.

Before - this 1970s home was brown and boring. After it got a new paint job in Sherwin-Williams Pewter Green and a DIY limewash stone makeover, it has a whole new look.

Faux Wood Finish on the Front Door

Read about how to paint a door to look like wood.

In what was one of my biggest DIY fails of all time, I tried to paint my front door to look like wood, and it went horribly wrong!  But I persevered and figured out how to get a convincing finish.  Now the front door coordinates with the garage door, and it looks very cohesive.

Before - this front door was pretty in orange, but this blogger needed it to go back to a stained wood finish. She how she did a faux wood finish to get the look without stripping the door!

Kitchen Makeover

Finally, the last part of 2020 has been devoted to making over the kitchen!  It’s taken me months (approximately 3.5 months) because this job had many parts:

Before - this honey oak kitchen with busy backsplash got a total makeover with painted cabinets, a painted backsplash, and trimmed out soffits.

Seeing this all laid out in the blog post makes me realize how busy I’ve been this year . . . and how much I love painting!  

I’m excited to share my DIY plans for 2021 with you soon, too!  I’ve got a long list going already, and I think they’re going to be so good!

Tell me in the comments what’s on your home update list for 2021?

-Bre

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Comments

  1. Kristen says

    I just came across your blog on this lazy Saturday morning and I’m enjoying reading all of your posts! You did a lot in 2020 while I did nothing. ha! I love the way you trimmed out your kitchen soffit and just worked with it. Can’t wait to see what you do this year and now I need to make a list of my own. đŸ™‚

    Reply

    • Bre says

      Hi, Kristen – thank you!! So sweet of you to stop by and check out what I’ve been up to! Listen – I was in a new (OLD) house during a pandemic – what else was I going to do? :-). So nice to connect with you!

  2. Angela Catron says

    Wow! Amazing improvements!
    I have almost identical stone and just bought the real milk paint to redo it. It’s very dark and old looking currently. It actually covers the bottom third of the wall and the top has cedar slats. I really don’t care for either. I was thinking of doing the limewash on the stone and the boards.
    Your pics give me hope. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

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