I knew when we bought this house three years ago that I had to find somewhere to add a sliding barn door! The tricky thing about adding a sliding barn door is that you have to have wall space at least on one side of your doorway. And surprisingly in this very large house of mine, there isn’t a lot of wall space near a doorway as funny as that sounds. Although there is one spot that I knew I could make work. My office! So interestingly enough when it came down to plan out our office reno I used the sliding barn door as my pillar inspo for the whole design!

The hardware

Making a sliding barn door is pretty easy. We bought the hardware from Walmart. It had great reviews and only came in at around $50! The hardware couldn’t have been easier to install. Literally, just connect and drill to the wall. Creating the barn door took a little bit more effort, but nothing too complicated!

The door

We had all the wood in the barn that we needed. We ended up using 5 1×6-inch boards. So for us, it was really just finding a style we liked and then recreating it. I’m always drawn to a more simplistic design so I wanted straight boards and a z pattern. We cut the boards to size and ran them through a planer. Then my husband assembled the boards by length and then attached two boards going across the top and bottom and screwed them together. Then he ran a board diagonally across connecting the top and bottom board making a z. The great thing about making a barn door is you want them to look more on the rustic side – so no need to go crazy with filling in all the screw holes! Although we did run some caulk along the lines of the board were you could see right through.

The paint

I went with my absolute favorite paint color on the outside of the door. It’s from the home depot called Little Black Dress from Behr paint. It’s a black paint color but has this beautiful navy blue undertone! I have it in fun little spots all over my house. For the inside of the door, I painted it off white from Glidden. That’s the color of the walls on the inside of my office. I wanted the peek-a-boo of the door which you’ll only see when the door is shut to look like an Extention of the wall and not a random pop of color in the wall. If that makes sense.

The installing

Hanging the door in our old 300-year-old home was a little more tricky. For most people, it will be as simple as drilling hole and attaching the bolts and tightening everything up. For us – we have to hang things a little on the crooked side to give the appearance that things are straight and level. It took a little jimmy rigging, but we got it up and it “looks straight” to us! Which is all that matters!

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Thanks so much for reading along, pals!

Much Love,

Kori ~ From The Farmhouse Life

Coming up with kids’ bedroom storage is probably a universal problem everywhere, am I right? It really doesn’t matter the size of the room, if kids don’t have a spot to put things they’ll end up scattered all over the floor.

In my boy’s room particularly, we had a very serious book storage issue. There were books everywhere and just not enough storage space on their bookshelf to store them all. We did have quite a large wall to display them all. So we decided to get some industrial brackets and some 2-inch boards (which we had in our barn) to create rustic shelves that were large enough for all of their books.

We started with measuring, cutting, and planing our boards. Once they were ready, we took them upstairs and held them up on the wall to get an idea on how to space them. Since we had 4 boards, we measured the distance between the top board and the bottom board and then cut that distance in half twice to get 4 evenly spaced shelves. We had 3 brackets for each shelf to make sure they were adequately supported.

Once the brackets were on the wall, we placed the boards on top and I used a light coat of Early American stain to give the shelves a more rustic vibe. I ended up only giving them one coat because the stain did a great job covering the boards. I didn’t want the shelves too dark because I wanted to match the boy’s furniture. Here’s a quick video of the process.

Styling the boy’s shelves was fairly simple because the objective was to get all the books off the floor. After that was accomplished I was able to work in a few fun decor pieces. Instead of standing all the books up on end, I decided to stack them and stand them up to add a little more visual interest. This way all the titles are still showing and the really tall books don’t stick out like a sore thumb compared to the smaller chapter books.

Now that the project is done my boys absolutely love their new space and want to take care of it. I find them reading more up in their room and carefully putting things back. That right there makes the project completely worth it!

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Thanks so much for reading along pals,

Much love,

Kori ~ from The Farmhouse Life

Office reveal!

Ok – I know I’m so late on the One room challenge stuff. I’m going to blame it on COVID. Working, homeschooling my kids, and managing a home renovation all were a bit too much at times and it put me way behind schedule. But as I always say, better late than never! I’m so excited to finally share our completed home office!

My favorite feature of our new home office has got to be the sliding barn door (Tutorial coming soon!) I also love the fact that we salvaged the desk from the barn… who knows how long it had been sitting in there! If you’ve been hanging out here for long you know that I love salvaged or thrifted items. They add such a sophisticated “lived in” vibe that only antiques can provide.

The bookshelves in our office are from Ikea. (ps – everything is linked at the bottom. Scroll down if you want to check it out.) After styling them, my husband was a little confused as to why there weren’t any “real” books on the bookshelf. As you can see, the books on the bookshelf are all antiques and are more for decor purposes. You see – we have boxes and boxes of our “real” books in the attic that we’ve both been dying to bring down. I told him not to worry and that I have a plan for all those books in our next project! We’re building a library nook! I wanted the shelves in the office to be available for office storage supplies. With such a small space I wanted to make sure there was plenty of storage without feeling too cramped. So I went with lots of baskets on the shelves.

I also wanted a cozy spot in the office to sit and read. The large armchair and leather pouf provide a great area to grab a cup of coffee, put your feet up, and read a great book – or work on your laptop. You’ll also notice a few spots around the office that are meant for inspiration and organization. I put up a pinboard as a visual for our up and coming projects and a whiteboard for day to day tasks.

Lastly, the wallpaper I chose has a creamy texture. It creates a nice backdrop to the fun statements on the wall like the bull skull and woven light!

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That’s it, pals! Thanks so much for following along!

Much Love,

Kori ~ from the farmhouse life

In week 4 of the One Room Challenge I installed peel and stick wallpaper from RoomMates. I love RoomMates because they have such a beautiful variety of peel and stick wallpaper and wall decals. They even have stick tiles if you’re looking to add instant eye candy in your kitchen as a backsplash! I decided to go with a creamy neutral botanical wallpaper that would fit right in with my neutral palette and help to add in a little more texture to the room.

I put wallpaper on only one wall, and am using it as an accent wall instead of wallpapering the whole room. I feel like it adds a little bit of interest to the space without feeling too overwhelming.

I love peel-and-stick wallpaper because it’s literally as easy as peeling off the backing and applying it to your wall. No need for pastes or paintbrushes. Although, you do need a few tools to make the process a little bit easier.

1~A box cutter to cut excess paper

2~A putty knife to tuck paper behind a heater or around window trim

3~A damp cloth to smooth out all the wrinkles

Here’s a quick video and rundown of the process:

3 tips that I’ve found that make the process of hanging peel and stick wallpaper much easier are:

1. Having the right tools – A box cutter to cut excess paper -A putty knife to tuck paper behind a heater or around window trim – A damp cloth to smooth out all the wrinkles. I prefer a wet cloth over using a putty knife to smooth everything out because it’s gentle on the paper and smooths everything out better!
2. Cut your strips of wallpaper to size allowing a few extra inches on the top and the bottom. This will give you a little wiggle room and give you a nice clean line when you trim with your box cutter. It will also make it much easier to line up your wallpaper without the added weight of the roll.
3. Only peel about 6 inches of the backing off at a time and smooth as you go. This will make sure the paper doesn’t curl in and stick to itself. This process is the easiest because you can smooth as you go without having to peel it completely off and start from scratch.

Wallpaper source: https://roommatesdecor.comLight

Light fixture source: wooden light fixture

Thanks so much for reading along!

Much Love,

Korilyn ~ From the farmhouse life

Here we go – Week two! I hope you’re ready! For me, this was the hardest part. We have used this room for storage for the past 4 years… It was so full you couldn’t even access the room. It was filled to the brim with stuff! Cleaning it all out was the BIGGEST chore – Ever! Ok, I may be exaggerating but it was a challenge to find new places to put everything.

Some of the stuff in there has been there since we moved into this house! That was almost 5 years ago! Can you tell I’ve been avoiding this area of our home?  I knew we had some serious organizing to do and so in order to get myself going, I had to 5-4-3-2-1 it! If you’re a Mel Robbins fan, you’ll know what I’m talking about – If you’re not and you’re like why did this woman just count down? Do yourself a favor and read the book The 5 Second Rule! It changed my life and I have a feeling it can help you too.

Ok – off-topic. Sorry! We started by getting all of the “keep” items out and making a trash and donate pile with the rest. Then, little by little we worked on organizing and putting things away. Once everything was pulled out of the office, I admit I was a little more motivated. The office is right off of the landing so that’s where everything got put. It was totally in the way and hard to maneuver around. I made a goal to work on it every day for an hour until it was done.

If you want to feel really satisfied… watch this time-lapse video of the actual cleanout. What is it about time-lapse videos that are just so satisfying to watch?!

Be sure to check back here Thursday for the next One Room Challenge post. It’ll be on Installing sound-proof walls! A total must for any office space!

As always Pals,

Thanks for reading along!

Much love,

Korilyn ~ From the Farmhouse Life

Lately, I’ve been pulling more natural warmer tones into my home. Our house is large and feels kind of stark and cold. More natural linens and warm tans/beiges really help to add that cozy feeling. I’ve been in love with large clay pots I’ve seen at Pottery Barn that would complete the vibe I’ve been transitioning into. But at this time in my life, I just can’t drop that kind of cash on decor pieces. Then I saw my friend Bre from @brepurposed on the gram transform her lamp with just a few easy steps into this gorgeous clay-looking Pottery Barn /Restoration Hardware creation! I decided to give it a go – and I’m so glad I did! I’m so in love and can’t believe I actually made this! Below I’ll show you each step so you too can create gorgeous vases/ pitches/lamps.. really whatever your heart desires… for a fraction of the cost of what you’d pay for brand new! I’ll also have a video of my project from start to finish at the bottom.

To start, pick out your piece! This is where you can have fun… Really anything will work. Don’t worry if it’s too shiny and smooth. We’ll be adding texture to help give it that clay look! I chose two large jars/vases and a pitcher. I’ve had these jars for many years… Remember when Chevron pattern was all the rage? Well, I jumped on that bandwaggon and displayed these beauties proudly. They’ve since been stored in my attic just waiting to be used for the right DIY.

Next, get all your supplies together

1. drywall mud
2. Plaster of Paris
3. sandpaper
4. paint of your choice
5. mud from outside
6. paper towels
7. paintbrushes (small and medium)

Thankfully, I had all of these supplies on hand. Plaster of Paris is what you use when you’re mixing up your own chalk paint recipe – and lord knows I mix up a lot of chalk paint so I had plenty of that on hand.

Step one

With your small brush, lightly spackle over your vase. It’s ok if it goes on thicker in some areas – after everything is dry,  we’ll give it a good sand to get rid of anything loose. Keep going until your entire vase is covered and then let dry. Make sure to rinse your brush well because you’ll be using this size again in another step.

Step 2

When your vase is dry – give it a light sand to get rid of all of the loose pieces of spackle. It’s ok if some spots of your vase are bare again.. it’ll only add texture and dimension if some areas are more raised than others.

Step 3

Mix 1/2 cup of plaster of Paris and about 1/4 cup water together. It’s ok if it’s a little watery. Plaster of Paris thickens over time so you may have to add a little more water as you go or even start with a fresh batch to continue to have the right consistency. With your small brush, paint your vase with the plaster of Paris mixture until you have your desired texture and until it’s fully covered. Remember to work quickly or be prepared to make a new mixture because your plaster will harden in your dish. Let dry completely.

Step 4

Choose a paint color. I used Glidden Off-White. It has a subtle beige that really adds a lot of warmth.  Use your medium-sized brush and paint over your entire vase and let dry.

Step 5

Mix dirt and water to create a thick mud mixture (not watery) and completely coat your vase. It’s ok to put it on thick. After it dries, take a paper towel and brush off any loose mud from your vase.

Step 6

Lastly, grab a paper towel and dip back into your paint and sponge it on in small areas on your vase. This is so you can get your desired color and also to help capture a more multidimensional look.

That’s it guys! How cool was that?!

Here is a video from start to finish of my projects and just how simple it really was!

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As always pals – Thanks for reading along!

Much love,

Korilyn ~ from The Farmhouse Life

I’m so excited to finally announce that I am a guest participant in the One Room Challenge for the Spring 2020 season. When I signed up to participate in this challenge, I knew exactly what room was begging to be renovated. Our home office! First off – with everyone at home now, having a quiet place to work is a must! Secondly – It is currently being used as a storage spot that is desperately in need of a good cleaning. And third of all – It’s such an eyesore with a sheet draped over the doorway (so no one can peep inside)! I just can’t take it anymore.

When we bought this old home we knew that home projects would be a big part of our lives for many years to come. We bought a 4,000 sq ft saltbox home that was built in the 1700s. Thankfully the last owners brought it up to the 20th century but stopped updating somewhere in the 70s. Because we have been doing the work in our free time, (we are self-employed) it takes us quite a while to finish a project. That’s why I jumped at the opportunity to get in on the One Room Challenge.  I knew it would be the encouragement we needed to get the office reno done and in a timely fashion.

Week 1 – The before…

You can’t see it in this picture, but two of the walls are covered with dark wooden boards. The scary wallpaper you see here will come down and the wall color will change. The ceilings are very low and in need of a little TLC. There is a closet, but I’m not sure we are going to keep it. You see, it pops out over our staircase, cutting into the stairway space. I think I would rather have ceiling height over my staircase and have a beautiful chandelier than have a closet in my office.

The plan…

I’m going for warm, sophisticated, and library-esque. The first thing we have to do is something about the ceiling. We’ll see if It can be painted and patched – but if that doesn’t work we might have to tear it down and slap up a new one. Next, we’ll have to paint the walls to lighten up space. I’m going for a warm off-white. Not quite tan or beige… just a really creamy off-white. I’ll also add an accent wall with a beautiful wallpaper from Roommatesdecor . Then, we’ll finally put a real door on this baby. I’m thinking a sliding barn door. We have some old hardware we found in our barn that we’re going to use to install the door. It’s so cool and very authentic. And lastly, all the furniture and decor. We are trying to use a lot of what we have… but we’ll definitely be ordering a few things to help complete our space.

Alright – That’s it! I’ll be back next week with week two’s progress! Head over to check out the other amazing participants and to see their design plans!

As always pals, Thanks for reading along

Much Love,

Kori ~ At the Farmhouse life

Stocking up on bar cart essentials is always a good idea. Especially with everything going on right now! We can’t go out and get a drink – But that shouldn’t stop us from making a drink at home and enjoying ourselves. Since my husband and I cant have a date night at the moment we’re treating Friday evenings like “date night” by making a couple of drinks and spending a little one-on-one quality time together.

Now, I know what you’re thinking –

Isn’t being at home quarantined with your significant other enough one-on-one time? Well – For us we don’t really have a lot of time to spend with one another on a regular basis. He spends most of his time upstairs doing all of his work appointments while I’m downstairs taking care of the children, the house, etc. And in the evenings I try to get all my work done for the day while he switches into parent mode. Needless to say, life can get busy – even when you’re stuck at home. So let’s have a drink and enjoy ourselves!

Want to stock up on essentials but you’re not sure where to start?

Knowing what items to stock up on really depends on what your favorite drinks are. For instance, we love a good Moscow mule and I wouldn’t say no to a mimosa on a Saturday morning either. Bloody marys are fun and probably my go-to drink is always a good ol glass of cabernet. Really, whatever your fancy – you can probably bet items like rum, tequila, vodka, and wine are a good idea to have on hand. Then grab those mixes… Margarita, ginger beer, orange juice, coke, cranberry juice, limes, Mint, etc.

I like to hide some of the smaller nips in a cute cookie jar to style on my bar cart and I also have a marble cutting board too. This way everything is accessible when your ready to make that drink and slice those limes. Also, make sure your bar cart has all the tools it needs to make your favorite drinks too and of course the appropriate glasses.

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Looking for ways to style your bar cart?! Check out this short video below!

As always pals – Thanks for reading along!

Much Love,

Kori ~ from The Farmhouse Life

Hey guys – I’m so excited to finally show you our bath reveal. We’ve worked for the last few months in our spare time… buying some things and using what we already had to create a big-budget look with a  pretty small budget. Everything will be linked at the bottom.

To start

We peeled up the old peel and stick tile and surprisingly laid down new peel and stick tile. We just took it up a notch by getting faux wood tiles and laying them down in a herringbone pattern. Check it out here! Then we grouted. Did you know you can grout peel and stick tile?

Next, we painted the vanity

Painting the vanity was pretty simple. I used paint I already had called little black dress by Behr paint. And oddly enough it has more blue undertones then black. I mixed up a chalk paint recipe and then sealed the vanity with a polycrylic. Then I updated the hardware… this really helped to give this vanity an updated look.

Then, we updated the mirror and light fixture

This is such an easy way to give any look an upgrade. Light fixtures can be pretty inexpensive and so can mirrors! Both of mine are from Amazon! I feel like updating these two things really helped this outdated bath turn into the modern-boho vibes I was going for.

Lastly, we put on the finishing touches.

I have to be honest… Installing all of the finishing touches was probably the most exciting part. We put up new towel hooks, a shower curtain, plant hangers, a toilet paper holder, a shelf, and a new blind! These things really brought the whole look home.

Check out our finished project below

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As always pals – Thanks for reading along!

Much love,

Kori ~ from the farmhouse life

When I first showed my husband the tile I wanted for our new bathroom floor he was all about it. It’s inexpensive peel and sticks tile – and looks like wood flooring. He was a little more apprehensive when I showed him what pattern I wanted it laid in. Although I did I tell him I’d do the brunt of it, I’d just need him for the tricky angles. Low and behold –  most of the angles were tricky and above my pay grade. So I told him if he took over, I’d go and make him homemade donuts. He thought this was a fair trade.

Now, I’m not going to lie to you – if you’re expecting this project to take you a few hours… sadly It will not. This project was time-consuming. Our bathroom is small, and it still took us 8-10 hours. There will be an angle to cut with almost every piece you put down, due to the herringbone pattern. At least, this was true in our case because our bathroom is narrow and only the first strip of tiles that went down didn’t need to be cut.

OK – onto the tutorial… Below I’ll list all of the material and tools we used just in case you want to give this project a go.

To start, lay out a centerline…

This will give you a reference point to ensure the focal point of your herringbone design is centered in your space. Then you can start laying your tiles in a V-like shape alternating each tile to butt up against the top side of the tile. Do your best to estimate tile placement so you can avoid having small pieces of tile in high traffic areas (like a doorway). 

 1. Use a tape measure and a sliding T-Bevel…

to ensure you are obtaining the correct angles at which to cut your tiles. Using a pencil and the T-Bevel, trace a line on your tile. 

2. Lay the tile on a piece of wood…

so you don’t cut into the tiles below. Firmly cut along the pencil line, scoring the surface of the tile but not cutting all the way through the tile. You then quickly and firmly snap off the tile along the scored line.

3. Place the tile in its spot to ensure proper fit…

and trim if necessary. If you plan to grout the tile, make sure your spacers are in appropriate spots.

4. Pull the backing paper off the tile…

and using the heat gun, warm the adhesive on the back of the tile. You may also consider putting adhesive on the floor itself.

5. Carefully put the tile in place…

ensuring proper spacing by using the tile spacers. Finally, use a J roller to firmly press the tile down (begin in the center of the tile and roll outwards) to ensure proper adhesion. 

Helpful hints: 

1. 1. When cutting, make sure you use a sharp blade. Take a scrap piece of tile to practice scoring and breaking if you’re struggling to get clean cuts. The key is to score the tile deep enough to ensure a clean break, but to not press so hard that you are trying to cut all the way through the tile.
   2. For tricky corners or angles, using a piece of poster board can work nicely to make a stencil that you can bend and flex to cut to fit the desired shape, and then trace the shape onto the tile. 
   3. Inspect your baseboard/trim board ahead of time, and see if there is space for the tile to slide under the trim to ensure a cleaner, neater finish. 

Here is a video from start to finish of our project!

Enjoy

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And click here for the tile we used 

As always pals – thanks for reading along!

Much Love,

Kori ~ at the farmhouse life