The other day I was working away in the office and Sherry breezed in and stole some paper from the printer. I didn’t think much of it… until a few minutes later when I walked into the kitchen to find this. Well, this and Sherry grinning at me and batting her eyelashes.
I soon learned that these large succulent photographs that she’d been eying for some time from West Elm had gone on sale (boo, but it looks like they’re back to full price now). It’s more than we typically spend on art, but they’re very large (almost 30″ wide and tall) and the price included the big glass frame – so Sherry took the 20% markdown as a sign from the succulent photography gods that two of these should come to live with us. I actually really liked them too, so I was easily convinced. We’ve been wanting to slowly amass more large-scale art over time (other than this yard sale painted canvas that Sherry DIYed and these bike prints I framed, we really don’t have much) so it’s nice to balance out some cheaper homemade stuff with some custom framed professional prints.
Fast forward a week or so, and that big empty wall in our kitchen is no longer empty.
Here’s a much less glare-y view from the other side of our two new additions.
That’s the abridged version of the story. The complete version starts with a reminder that this is what the wall looked like to start with. As in, it had that big awesome non-working intercom in the way.
Although I had sort of grown to love this ugly non-functioning hunk of faux wood grain & dials… it was time to say goodbye. Luckily it only took a few loosened screws to detach it from the wall.
We hoped that we’d just find a tiny patchable hole with a couple of wires sticking out, but instead, we found this. For a few good seconds I was pretty certain it was a bomb and I’d be in trouble if I let this bus slow down.
But since it was not actually explosive (and since I’m most definitely not Academy Award winning actress Sandra Bullock) it was pretty easy to defuse, er, detach. With the power off, I was able to unhook the two power cords (blue and white) and the mess of other connectors that I believe weave through our house to the other rooms with intercoms (again, none of which really work).
Seeing as this wall is on the demolition list down the line (for when we eventually open the kitchen up to the living room), we opted for a temporary solution for now. Translation: we didn’t call in an electrician just yet. The intercom only shares a breaker with the light in our wet bar, which we never use, so we opted to cap and tape the intercom power wires, flip off that breaker, and call it a day. The next time I’m at the hardware store I’m going to look for a big flat metal plate that I can screw in to cover things up. Obviously it’s not a permanent solution, but it’ll do for now.
But the radio wasn’t our only eyesore. We also had a phone jack nearby that wasn’t in use. I did lots of googling and found a range of theories/instructions on how to disconnect one of these. The general consensus was (1) you don’t have to worry about getting zapped by a phone wire unless the phone is actively ringing or in use and (2) you usually can just cut the wires and stuff them back into the wall.
I was a little wary of both, but I was able to disconnect the four pairs of wires from the jack with nary a shock. Rather than leave them totally lose and exposed, I capped them with wire nuts just to be thorough. I capped the matching colored wires together after looking behind another already-capped phone jack in our living room and seeing that someone before me had done the same thing on that one.
With those wires capped, I pushed them back into the box and tested the phone (still worked!). Then I stepped back to admire those two gaping holes. Gorgeous, no?
Well, they now look like this. Notice how I didn’t show any photos of drywall patching? It’s because we haven’t done any. Again, since this wall’s days are numbered we decided not to bother patching either hole (plus this leaves my temporary wiring fixes available for the electrician in the future if we want to get them handled by a pro). So for now, we just put a blank cover on the phone jack (and painted it to match the wall). And the big radio hole, well, it’s behind the green succulent. Sort of like hiding an old medicine cabinet hole behind a new mirror. But I’m hoping that big metal plate cover that I mentioned grabbing the next time we’re at Home Depot will make it a little more… temporarily legit?
I do have a bit of DIYer shame for not following through completely with those two holes, but at the same time I felt kind of silly paying for an electrician now (or carefully patching the drywall) just to tear it out later. So instead I’m just enjoying the new view.
Oh and from this shot you can see that we chose to center the art on the table and the chandelier, as opposed to centering it on the wall (we tried it both ways and it looked a little wonky when they didn’t line up with the table or the chandelier).
Can you guess which one is Clara’s favorite?
Yup, that purple one on the left.
We like that they add a little more color, but aren’t too crazy or busy (especially since we’re hoping to add some window treatments which might have more color and pattern). And since this wall won’t always be here, we’re certain they could work in a ton of other rooms in the future (like the dining room over a buffet, the office over a desk, etc).
I think I may have to send Sherry to a Succulents Anonymous meeting soon though. The photo below doesn’t even include the terrarium she just made.
Man that last picture makes me want to do something about those counters right this second (well, those and that trash compactor). We just want to make a bit more progress in the nursery before we give those Ardex concrete tutorials a shot. And those floors. We’re coming for you, floors. Be afraid. Be very afraid.
Too bad we can’t just hide them behind a frame.
Jen says
Oh BUMMER! I have the same glaring intercoms in all of our bedrooms and was hoping that you would help me through the patching process!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, that’s in the cards down the road. We’ll either be keeping the system and updating it with something fun like an IPad speaker system or something throughout the house (but either way that one wall is coming down so we’ll have to relocate the big until from the kitchen to somewhere else) or we’ll be patching every last unit in each bedroom upstairs (if we can’t find a cool updated system to retrofit). So we’ll definitely share that adventure as we go!
xo
s
Paige @ Little Nostalgia says
I think you guys made the right call about the wall holes. I’d think you were strange if you DID patch them. :-) Nice fix with the pictures. I’d totally do the same thing.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Paige!
xo
s
Sarah says
Ahh!!! This kitchen is looking so amazing! The West Elm sale got me too…but I made it out under $50 bucks since I was eyeing clearance bedding and they applied the 20% to it. :D
YoungHouseLove says
Wahoo!
xo
s
Angie says
Love the prints! I’m a self-confessed succulent geek. At one time I had 150 different species and maintained my own inventory of succulents that I owned, alphabetized by scientific name (I’m a biology major so I tend to be a bit nerdy). So by comparison, I don’t think you need to worry about Sherry just yet :)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, thanks Angie!
xo
s
Anita says
Anxious for you to use Ardex. We’re contemplating it for our bathroom, to cover hideous 80’s formica trying to look like marble, but not fooling anyone.
Little Green Notebook made it look super easy & high end.
YoungHouseLove says
Yes! Other bloggers have been using it a lot lately too, and there are even write ups about how it’s wearing 6 months later so that’s so nice to get to read beforehand. Will keep you posted!
xo
s
Bonnie says
I just love that artist, such cool work!
Nathan says
Those prints look so much better than the intercom!
I wonder if you could use the existing paths for the intercom wires throughout the house to pull some CAT6 cable instead. That way you’d be able to run any kind of networking devices in the future (including, I’m sure, music).
YoungHouseLove says
Really smart! We’ll have to look into that!
xo
s
Emily @ Love, Pasta and a Tool Belt says
I love those prints! I’m going to have to check them out. We just finished remodeling our Living Room and still need some things to hang on the walls.
Living Room Reveal: Before and After
http://lovepastatoolbelt.com/?p=2828
YoungHouseLove says
It’s looking so happy in there with that color on the walls!
xo
s
Katy @ The Non-Consumer Advocate says
I love it, very Novagratz-y!
Betsy says
Any idea when you may be doing the Ardex on your countertops? I bought all of the supplies, but am still too chicken to try it out. Knowing you plan on giving it a whirl, makes me want to wait until you have tried it out. But I’m not sure how long I can wait. I have 1950’s black laminate in my kitchen which was ok at first, but is starting to really wear out. Saving my pennies for Soapstone, or real concrete(if my cabinets will hold the weight)? Until then, I’m hoping the Ardex will work to tide me over.
Your house is looking fantastic. We have many of the same fixtures, rugs, etc. Total coincidence by the way. Great minds think alike!
YoungHouseLove says
We’d love to tackle that before the baby comes (sometime in the next 2.5 months) although we haven’t bought our supplies yet and still want to finish more in the nursery, so maybe a good goal is by March/April?
xo
s
Bailey says
These succulents go beautifully with the color scheme you guys have going on in that room! Very tranquil :)
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Bailey!
xo
s
Annie says
I’ve been doing all kinds of electrical stuff recently, too! We’re finishing our basement and decided to do the electrical work ourselves (with the help of my very knowledgeable father-in-law). I was pretty proud of myself for wiring up a three-way switch on my own!
YoungHouseLove says
That’s awesome Annie!
xo
s
Kate says
I am a huge fan of your blog and everything you two do. Your solutions are so well thought out and incredibly creative. I am an interior designer and I love those prints but I have to say they are hung too far apart. If you look at how they are hung in your link to West Elm, the spacing is much tighter. I don’t think you need to go that close. They would look more substantial and hold the wall better a little closer together. Not a criticism, just a suggestion.
By the way, I think your nursery is going to be spectacular!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Kate! I completely agree with you! Unfortunately to cover the intercom hole we had to place them that far apart, so until we either plate that or patch it in a more permanent way I can’t scoot them any closer (without them both becoming off-center to the table/light).
xo
s
LeeAnn says
We totally have disguised a hole in the wall with a large piece of art. Going on 4 years now and I almost forgot what was lurking behind. You should put some hinges on that frame and create a super top secret hiding spot in that space. But don’t blog about it or it won’t be a secret anymore. Or have you already done this??? We may never know!
YoungHouseLove says
Hahaha! It’s where I hide all of my money and poison a la Walter White.
xo
s
Rebecca says
Lol to the reference of covering a medicine cabinet hole with a mirror! We bought a foreclosure and the bank put in one of those HUGE non-built in medicine cabinets that stuck out way too far into the small bathroom. When we removed it, we realized they were covering up a smaller built in medicine cabinet hole. So we bought a giant mirror that covered up the larger medicine cabinet footprint and no patching has been done! Hah!
YoungHouseLove says
So funny!
xo
s
Cassidi says
Love the pictures!!! I am definitely a lover of all things succulents, as those seem to be the only plant I can currently keep alive!! lol!!
On another note, I was browing anthropologie.com this morning and saw your book in one of their pics, not sure if you’ve already seen it or not, but I thought it was pretty exciting!!
http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/product/home-office/27210285.jsp
YoungHouseLove says
Isn’t that CRAZY?! My breath catches in my throat every time I see it. Nutso.
xo
s
Kate says
beautiful transformation-so fresh and happy!
Erica says
You should totally hide money or valuables in that cubbie…although the world wide web would know about it and it wouldn’t be such a secret place then, would it?
YoungHouseLove says
Someone else said that too!
xo
s
Cynthia says
The bus … I wil giggle to myself all day. Good one :)
Sharon says
The kitchen is looking great! We bought a house before you, and ours is much, much further behind!
Any idea when painting appliances might be on your agenda? We want to learn from you!
YoungHouseLove says
Not sure when we’ll tackle that! Still debating if John’s on board for my crazy plans… gotta get his agreement first ;)
xo
s
Patty says
I have totally covered a few things in my house with a picture! It’s on my list of things to fix, but let’s be real, if it’s not in front of my face it’s down on the totem pole of things to address OMGRIGHTNOW!!!
http://www.minneapplegirl.com
YoungHouseLove says
Haha!
xo
s
Shannon says
This made me LOL because I just posted today too about batting my eyelashes at my man to get my way! hehehe
Fancy Chandy in the Foyer
Too funny! I love these prints and definitely think they were worth the splurge! :)
Shannon
YoungHouseLove says
So funny! Love that chandy! And your Sponge-Bob-ish womanly wiles. Haha!
xo
s
Sydney says
Ugh, the purple one. I love. Wish I had a place to put it! (And that it was more of a college kid price…) I also like how the green one pulls out the greenish color of the wall!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Sydney! I hope it goes on super clearance and ends up in your lap somehow!
xo
s
Rosa Lopez says
I can’t wait to see what kind of window treatments you’re going to be doing. I have a similar area near a window where I want to change the window treatments but can’t decide if I should do curtains, bamboo blinds. Right now I have Oak Wood Blinds and it seemed like the right (expensive) choice at the time, but it covers part of the window light when they’re raised since they’re installed inside and I don’t like the “traditional” feeling it gives… I can’t wait to see what you’re going to do!
Olivia says
Holy cow. I *never* would have thought of putting pictures of succulents on my walls, but now I want to go buy a whole bunch of those. SO pretty. And I agree with Clara, the purple is my favorite too. :)
Eilene says
My son (almost 4) picked out a purple flowered plant for me.. cause he’s the cutest…I put it in my living room and let me tell you… I’m not a fan of anything purple, but the color just made me so happy!!! It possibly even made me feel like spring. I was at Target yesterday keeping my eyes peeled for the same shade in pillows or some sort of decor… It’s so close to the purple succulent!!
It would be interesting to know if you ever hear from suppliers after you post items on your blog… even paint colors… to say they have sold out of a product or that they’ve seen an increase in sales. Yesterday I was going to run out and get a paint sample bases on your son’s bedroom, and I wondered if BM tracks sales based on the colors you choose on your blog. I know you influence a lot of people and I love how you don’t use that power for ‘evil’! That’s such a great thing about your blog. I feel like I’m being inspired and not being sold something. That is all… business Eilene is out!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Eilene! I love that your son picked out a purple plant for you. That’s so sweet! Now I want a purple cactus to add to the bowl!
xo
s
Kelli says
Beautiful choices! The way the purple glows in there is gorgeous! Love the organic nature of the art and the way it compliments your natural looking light fixture.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Kelli!
xo
s
Alyssa Bennett Smith says
Look what I found over at A Beautiful Mess…they put a light fixture in their terrarium ;)
http://www.abeautifulmess.com/2014/01/abm-studio-the-entryway-progress.html
YoungHouseLove says
No way! Love it!
xo
s
Laura says
At least the art you’re using to cover the hole in the wall is universally beautiful. My grandparents had a giant (like 3-feet-tall) velvet painting of a horse my grandpa “got for a steal” in Mexico hanging in their living room to hide a hole he accidentally made. Covering the hole was the only way my grandma allowed the painting to go up. Decades later when Grandma moved out of the house she tried to throw the painting in the trash. I rescued it, much to my boyfriend’s chagrin, and now it hangs (behind the front door) in our apartment.
YoungHouseLove says
So funny! The horse lives on!
xo
s
Pat S says
Love the new prints!
Louise says
When I saw that big old hole in the wall that was the intercom I immediately thought … wall vault. You know, for all those precious items you want locked up in a safe. :)
YoungHouseLove says
Other people have said that too! Will have to hide something fun in there. If only I had jewels…
xo
s
Emily S. says
I thought those horse prints or the other larger art you had in your bedroom from house 2 would have been great here. The darker colors would have really warmed up the kitchen area and tied in with the darker lower cabinets.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Emily! Those would actually be too big for that wall, but I love the idea!
xo
s
s says
btw, in this case, it’s actually defuse not diffuse (grammar nerd alert).
YoungHouseLove says
Love the tip! Thanks S!
xo
s
Laura Mangiaracina says
Pretty!
Carrie Lea says
Oh I love those! So relaxing to look at. Ahhh. Want them for my bedroom.
In the last shot if you squint it looks like your floors are dark hardwoods and not vintage brick linoleum. :) those 80’s counters are kinda rough though, but not horrible. I’m really loving your phase one!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Carrie Lea!
xo
s
Karla says
Beautiful!
Oh and ps. there is an awesome shop on Zulily called Lolly Gags and they have a sweet crib sheet and changing pad cover in black and white houndstooth that I think would be awesome in your son’s nursery! Just FYI! :)
YoungHouseLove says
Sounds awesome! Thanks for the tip Karla!
xo
s
Donald says
Dudes, VCUArts is a great art school right in your town. Zero reason you haven’t signed up to some email list they have (or Facebook page) and attended one of their art sales (when the students sell their amazing 100% original artwork for super cheap prices). Art schools usually have big sales at the end of the school year and before Christmas, when the kids are trying to get rid of the stuff they made that year or raise some extra cash for the holidays.
YoungHouseLove says
Love that idea! We’ve actually attended a few VCU art events but haven’t found anything perfect to purchase for our home just yet. We also go to a lot of other art fairs here that spotlight local artists (college students and beyond), like this one, this one, and this one. We love buying prints, paintings, and other handmade items while chatting up the locals. Oh and First Fridays are fun too (galleries open their doors on the first Friday of every month and they have drinks/snacks to encourage sales). We love how artsy RVA is!
xo
s
Corbin (Decor-Eat) says
I love these!! I am waiting to have a place to put them until I buy them, but love the botanical look. They look great in y’alls dining room!
Corbin
Claire says
This looks great! I am so excited for you to do the Ardex counter tops as I am dying to try it out too. I read all the instructional blogs and was ready to give it a go when I found this blog detailing what a disaster ardex counter tops were: http://412love.wordpress.com/tag/ardex-feather-finish/
Now I’m not sure which way to go and this blogger makes a good point that the other blogs never seem to do a follow up a couple of months down the line! I’m so torn.
YoungHouseLove says
I know what you mean! We’ve actually found a few follow up posts by other bloggers after living with theirs for 6+ months (many of which are still raving about them, but are honest about things like scratches) so when we tackle ours we’ll be sure to link to all the stuff we found that helped us make our decision!
xo
s
Leslie says
I love the movie and song quotes you guys reference in your posts. That ‘slow the bus down’ gave me quite a laugh. I LOVED the movie Speed and was quite take by Keanu back in the day. Thanks for the laugh, it was needed!!
Julianne says
Nice & bright & cheery! Love your taste. Actually, if you had never said anything about the countertops, from the pictures, they could pass as Corian or Quartz. You can’t tell that they need replacing. They look nice and crisp from this view! ;O) Can’t wait to see what it’ll look like once you take out that wall. That’ll be an amazing space!! Hardwood throughout?
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Julianne! You’re so sweet! We’re actually thinking it’ll be hard to match the hardwoods that are already in the living room, office, and dining room, so we lean towards some awesome dark tile (perhaps in a herringbone pattern? and maybe with a heated system underneath so it’s nice and warm on cold days?).
xo
s
Julianne says
Sweeeeeeeet!!!!
JG says
Does it have to be a metal place to cover the hole? If you have a scrap of 1/4″ luan (very thin plywood) you could cut it to size, sand the edges and paint it. It would look a lot like the blank phone plate. Heck you could probably even hot glue it into place, if you didn’t want to screw it!
Or if you do make it a secret stash place, you should use it to hide things you are keeping away from the kids! Then it doesn’t matter that the internet knows! As long as you can get Clara to forget there is a hole back there…
YoungHouseLove says
I think technically a metal plate seals off a box with live wires more safely, but I’m sure people have used wood panels in front as long as the wires are capped and it’s all good!
xo
s
Dani says
I’m so excited for the countertop project! I just did the concrete overlay on my countertops last year and I love them!
YoungHouseLove says
So glad to hear that Dani! So they are holding up well so far?
xo
s
Erin says
Are you ever contacted by previous homeowners? Do they follow your blog? I would be all over that if you guys bought a house I had once lived in.
YoungHouseLove says
It has been in amazing in our last two houses – in both cases we heard from older owners and had awesome chats about where things used to be and even saw photos from decades ago of our first house with the original owners in it! We’re hoping that happens here too!
xo
s
Pat C says
Not to scare you, but the sooner cover that hole the better.
I once removed a quarter round from the back wall of my butler pantry counter (I was refinishing the countertop). Within a week or some ‘leetle friends’ came to visit… little mice friends. Not a fun time.
Love the new art and wall. Really adds a finishing touch.
YoungHouseLove says
Eeks! Thanks for the tip Pat!
xo
s
Gabbi @ Retro Ranch Reno says
Those prints are amazing!!! I love them, and they look perfect on that wall!
Ragan says
Your kitchen is turning out so beautiful!! I can hardly wait to see what everything looks like after the wall is down and it’s open to the living room!
Raquel says
They’re wonderful -love the size and subjects. Maybe it’s not possible because of the holes behind the pictures, but I think they might look even better hung a little closer together–a big impact! What do you think?
YoungHouseLove says
I totally agree! Due to the intercom hole, that’s as close as we can get them right now, but if we ever get that patched or covered so it blends more we can scooch them both in a bit more.
xo
s
Sydnie F says
These pictures were driving me crazy, cause I felt like something huge was missing. Then you said “window coverings” and I realized that was totally it! I’m currently making window coverings for our kitchen nook so I clearly have them on the brain. Seriously though, that’s a great deal for large art. Good find guys!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Sydnie!
xo
s
Suzanne says
Nice! How would you feel about maybe adding one more? I think toy could hang closer together and fill that wall better. Power of three!
YoungHouseLove says
I think one more would be slightly too much for that wall, but I do like the idea of hanging them closer together (they have to be this far apart for now to hide the intercom hole). I think since this wall is coming down eventually, it’ll be exciting to hang them together in the dining room over a buffet or the office over a desk, so I’m looking forward to that too!
xo
s