McFarlanes.net - Sauk City, Wisconsin

HOME

COMPANY HISTORY

MEET OUR FAMILY

CONTACT INFORMATION

MAP / DIRECTIONS

McFarlanes’ Spirited Design Makeover Weekend Results in Fun for Everyone

Remember the contest we held a while back where the winner gets whisked away to a resort for two nights while McFarlanes’ Spirited Design team makes over a room in only forty-eight hours? Well, the weekend has come and gone and boy what an adventure it was! Since we didn’t have a camera crew following us around like those shows on T.V., I thought I’d put together a little blog to share our adventures with you. It seems everywhere I go inquiring minds want to know, “How did it turn out?” Read on to find out more…

Friday

This is the first official day of our makeover weekend and I’m pumped. I started planning my designs for the space about a week ago and for days I have driven all over Madison and scoured our local Cameo Antiques and McFarlanes’ True Value finding just the right accessories and materials. I’m ready!

I arrive in Harmony Grove around 2:00 p.m. and the first thing I notice are the approximately 15 steep and icy steps leading up to the home. I half expect Richard Simmons to jump out of the snow bank and urge me on as I carry van-load after van-load of tools up and down the hillside. “Come on girl, two more…one more.” Note to self: next time do this makeover thing in the summer!

The first task is to start painting the deep burgundy accent wall. I want to choose a color that complements the tiles I have chosen for the top of the custom cabinet we’ll make. Unable to find just what I’m looking for, I put the tile in McFarlane’s custom color computer and voila! I even name my very own color: Reserved Passion. Don’t you just love paint names!

Thank goodness for True Value’s Base Coat Primer. It’s designed for making dramatic wall color changes or any time you plan to use a neutral base paint. Since we are going from a white wall to a very rich color I was able to tint the primer using a ¼ to a gallon tint of our custom formula. Tinting the primer will save me a lot of time in the long run.

Of course, before I can get too far I have to make sure everything is prepped for when the painters and builders arrive tomorrow morning. Wait a minute! I don’t see those hunky carpenters and designers on T.V. scrubbing walls and vacuuming! Note to self: hire an agent, land a television show, and become famous.

Saturday

By 7:00 a.m. I already have the first coat of Reserved Passion on the wall, coffee brewing and home-made orange cranberry muffins with almond glaze ready for “my boys.” My team arrives promptly at 7:00 and we get down to painting the rest of the walls. I have chosen a soft creamy white for the cabinetry and a very subtle light tan for the walls. The contrast between the walls and cabinets will be just the right balance to brighten the space. Tone on tone is always a great color plan and choosing a creamier white will be more appealing on the eyes than a stark, clinical white.

I don’t know if I should admit this next little item to my blog or not, but it is so “Jody” I can’t resist. When Eagle Carpentry arrives I offer to move my van so they can unload the cabinet we’ve been working on. Let’s just say my backing-up skills were never grade A fancy—especially on long narrow driveways surrounded by trees! Crunch! There goes my taillight. I smashed into the tree! So Jody! However, on the positive side…I later discovered that a broken piece of taillight makes a great tool to cut open boxes of tile!!!

The painters are done—quick work—and it’s time to remove the old wood stove and start installing our custom cabinet. I designed a piece that would serve multiple functions for the family: extra storage, increased counter space, a place for extra seating and even a space for the family dog, Blondie, and her extra large dog crate. Given our budget we purchased two standard base cabinets and then applied bead board around the back and sides and assorted moldings to give it a high-end look as if it just stepped out of the pages of a magazine. It turned out great! Kudos to Steve and Brent from Eagle Carpentry for flying by the seat of their super cute pants!

The last task for the day is to tile the top of the cabinet. As the interior decorator, this is not a job I normally do, but given our budget I’m going to tackle my first tile job ever! The first step is to lay out the tiles and apply them with an adhesive. By 10:00 p.m. the tiles look great. I even incorporated little stones along the border to give this Lake Wisconsin home a very personal touch.

Sunday

Sunday arrives and I have a lot left to finish—most importantly grouting the tile. And here is where the adrenaline starts to pump! The product I chose was an adhesive and grout ready-mixed combo. The adhesive part of this product worked very well the night before, but unfortunately the grout did not work well at all and I recommend to all D.I.Y-ers to avoid this product and stick with the standard grout product you mix yourself with water. Grouting with the right product is actually fairly simple and fun to do—but not with that adhesive/grout stuff. I ended up having to remove the entire bad grout product before I could go back in and re-grout with the good stuff. Did I mention I’m on a time limit and the homeowners will be home in four hours?! This is not how it works on T.V.!

Thank goodness Steve from Eagle Carpentry and his wife Linda decide to come out to lend me a hand through this time crunch. Steve installed all of the cabinet doors. Linda, bless her heart, scraped the old grout from around the tile while I started to work on hanging artwork. Joan Baier from Hart Painting arrived and saved the day by installing the new satin brushed nickel hardware which really lent an elegant touch to the space.

I know the family loves to fish so I worked in some very special personal elements such as hanging a window treatment on a bamboo fishing rod and incorporating antique rods over the soffit. It’s important to reflect family hobbies in unique and simple ways that are never too theme-y.

The family just called! They’ll be here in thirty minutes. Remember all the tools that came in through the 15 steep stairs? Mad rush to take them out! Here they come! The family opens the door and finally—just like on T.V.—they say in unison, “Oh, my gosh! Oh, my gosh!” First they see the accent wall with the deep burgundy color. “I love this color!” exclaims the husband. Yes, the husband! Whoo hoo! Then they see the cabinet we built. Wow! They can’t believe how light and bright the kitchen looks. The family kids can’t resist taking a seat at the new breakfast bar. I am so glad they love it.

Well, this was one spirited weekend for sure! Hats off to my team who put in many hours to give the Oberg family a space they can enjoy for a long time to come. Here’s to teamwork!

Stay tuned for more design adventures as they happen. If you have a room in need of a makeover send us your photos. We’d love to have a good laugh or cry at your expense! Until next time—let your life proceed by its own design. --Jody Kapp, Spirited Designer

You can reach Jody any time at spiritedesign@verizon.net or by visiting her at McFarlanes’ Spirited Design Gallery from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. on Fridays or Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.