A Do It Yourself Time
Written by Claire
Jen and I launched our new business venture two weeks before Vancouver closed due to COVID-19. Leading up to the launch, we were incredibly excited, energized and had high hopes for our first year of business.
I was transitioning from my own styling and renovation business – Alter Homes – to a partnership with Jen, giving us the opportunity to collaborate on projects and to collectively build a business larger than ourselves.
With momentum and new projects in the wings – the future was looking good. However, things came to an abrupt stop and for me and Jen (and so many others) it meant we were home full-time with our young children. So not only had business slowed, but we were suddenly focused on the new demands of our children and taking on the role of homeschooling teacher. Sound familiar?
Despite this change, our obsession for styling spaces remained. With so much time being spent at home we found ourselves re-evaluating our own spaces (well that’s really nothing new but it was magnified). Since March, our houses have become test spaces where we try things out, see how they work and learn something from it. We’ve always been quite handy in the home renovation arena, but thanks to this quarantine we realized that there is so much more that we can do ourselves. Sometimes we just need a bit of a push, a little guidance and then we’re well on our way.
One of the projects I took on at my house was creating an accent wall in my master bedroom. I’d been contemplating it for years! So finally one weekend in early April my husband and I decided to wainscot the wall behind the bed. I’m very grateful for my husband’s handiness and how he helps to turn my visions into reality. We designed the look of the wainscoting after helpful searches on Pinterest, then we bought the materials and we were on our way.
I’m still waiting for our new bedding and eventually wood side tables, but I’m super excited about this new look. With a little inspiration, one weekend’s worth of time and $150 worth of paint and building supplies, we made that accent wall dream a reality… not too shabby!
We’ll be sharing more of our own DIY projects as this year progresses, including Jen’s paint refresh at her house and more wainscoting… because who doesn’t love wainscoting!
Stay safe,
Claire