If you all have been following along on ISPYDIY Instagram, you’ve seen that I have been putting some finishing touches on my dining room and kitchen, and giving it a bit of a Fall makeover. I was going to waiting till I had everything done to show you all photos, but I a bunch of you DMed me questions about my kitchen table while I was staining it, and I wanted to give you the details right away! A little backstory, when we were gutting the house, and vaulting the ceilings, I had the demo guys keep a bunch of the original 125-year-old 2x4s. I knew I wanted a big kitchen table for entertaining, and thought using them would be a fun homage to the house and it’s history. My carpenter pulled out the one million nails from each piece of wood, and ran them though a plainer a bunch of times, then glued and clamped the 2x4s together to create the top. I stretched up a base idea for him, and he welded it to match the vision I had in my head perfectly!
The table has been sitting unfinished for about a year and a half, because I was not sure what direction I wanted to go with it. I honestly love the unfinished wood look, but it left the room looking a bit undone. I went stain shopping an found a color I had not seen before called Minwax® Early American, and I thought it would be perfect to give the wood a richer tone and really show the character. It did exactly that! I love the color variation from one piece of wood to the next. 
Next, was deciding on a top coat…gloss or matte. I tend to always go for matte satin, but I thought for a dining table that would have to withstand a lot of spills, a gloss would be better…so I ended up somewhere in the middle with a semi-gloss Minwax® Helmsman® Spar Urethane specially formulated to use on surfaces exposed to water. No coasters for me! I was nervous because it looks SUPER glossy when it goes on, but it dried with just the right amount of sheen.
Steps and Supplies after the break! (more…)
Looking back on 2020, I could not believe that we did more than a dozen room reveals, including a full restaurant makeover! Navigating this year, raising our first baby during a pandemic, the uncertainty with our small businesses…it was a lot. But throughout, I repeated my word of the year: Quality. I set out in 2020 to make quality content, and am really proud of the spaces Mr. Yolo and I created this year. We were forced to slow down, pivot, and re-think our businesses. Since we were staying at home more we focused on making a backyard oasis and creating more spaces in the house for Baby Yolo. While our rentals were guest-free, we touched up, renovated, and upgraded them; looking ahead to a day when people would travel again. We reached out to local businesses that closed their doors and offered pro bono design work to get customers excited for the day doors could reopen. The slower pace allowed me to be more thoughtful with my design, try new paint colors, and be more intentional with the details. In the end, I feel like the work we did this year, more than ever, is a true reflection of my design aesthetic and direction. Let’s take a look back!
My First big reveal in January was Baby Yolo and her Schoolhouse nursery!
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It’s Week 2 of the One Room Challenge, and SO MUCH has happened since last week!! The hub has been working his buns off and laid this GORGEOUS marble chevron tile. I am in LOOOOVE. It honestly looks more beautiful than I even imagined. It’s the Siberian Pearl Chevron Marble Wall and Floor Tile from The Tile Shop, it makes me want to tear out all the tile at my house and replace it with this, ha!
Can you even believe this is the same bathroom I show you last week? If you are looking for everything that is happening during the in-between, make sure to following along on @ISPYDIY Stories. The first thing that we tackled after demo was the window. I found this tempered window at Home Depot, and KNEW it would make a huge impact in the bathroom. It lets in so much light, while providing privacy with the frosted glass, and I love the patterned detail, I could not recommend it more! Also thanks for the paint input last week, I have it narrowed down to Behr’s Midnight Blue and Chimney, which are both dark blues, and now that the window is in, I am confident the room can handle a bold, dark color.
The tile install went super smoothly, and we started by dry laying the sections. Since they are on mesh sheets and can be a bit irregular, you need to play around a bit to make sure everything fits nicely together, and all the cut for the plumbing could be made before mortar. Next up, grout!
Next up, installing the Paintable Bead board Panel. The plan is to install it 5 feet from the floor, topping it off with chair rail, and a chunky baseboard at the bottom. First, adhere it to the wall with Power Grab, and secure the bead board with a nail gun. Let me know if you want me to take pics of the whole process and I can put together a tutorial post! And make sure you check in on all the other ORC participates!
At Charlotte’s House | Design Addict Mom | Erika Ward Interiors | Erin Kestenbaum | Girl & Grey
Gray Malin | Hommeboys | I Spy DIY | Jewel Marlowe | The Learner Observer | Making it Lovely
Nicole White Designs | Old Brand New | Oscar Bravo Home | Place of My Taste | The Rath Project
Room for Tuesday | SG Style | Undecorated Home | Veronica Solomon | Media BH&G | TM by ORC
