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    • Aug 22, 2011

    by Layla

    Let There Be (More) Light

    Now that the floor is done in the living room, it’s time to trim everything out and put the room back together.

    This is a photo of what the room looked like about a year ago:

    Note: A lot of things have changed since we snapped that pic, and we’re looking forward to adding some more current photos to the Our House tab on our Home page soon!

    See how those blinds we got at Bed, Bath & Beyonce a few years ago were mounted inside the window frame in the photo above? Welllll, I’ve been itchin’ to hang ‘em up a little higher since….oh….I don’t know…the day after we hung them up a few years ago. But since that sounded about as fun as a kick in the shin, I just kept putting it off, and putting it off. Then finally, a few weeks ago, I just decided to get it over with. Barefoot and determined, I crawled up there on the back of the couch and fought with those blinds and my power tool for the better part of an hour mounted them to the wall above the windows…

    And wouldn’t ya know it- exposing that top row of glass made the room so much brighter! It’s basically it’s like we added another half a window if you count up the panes. (There’s 6 more of those suckers showing now!)

    I got another burst of energy yesterday, and decided to complete the obstacle illusion. (Sorry, I heard a guy say it that way one time, and I’ve been sayin’ it that way ever since! Ha!) I used a piece of scrap wood to make it look like the windows are actually taller than they really are, and so it doesn’t just look like two blinds mounted to the wall anymore…

    (Pay no attention to the footprint mark and rough edges…all that stuff sanded right off with the help of my handy dandy sanding block.)

    First, I painted the piece of wood the same color white as the rest of the window trim, (just regular ol’, off-the-shelf, white paint in semi gloss from Home Depot that we had laying around the house) and while the paint was drying, I climbed back up on the couch and took down the blind on the right…

    I ended up having to remove that little silver bracket mounted to the wall up there too.

    After that, I used a hammer to coax the piece of wood into place behind the blind on the left so that it lined up with the window trim running vertically down the wall between the two windows. Then I filled in the crack between them with non-cracking, paintable white caulk, touched everything up with a little more white paint, and voila- taller looking windows!

    Total cost: $0! And my secret’s safe with you, right?

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    62 Responses to Let There Be (More) Light

    1. Susana of Montessori Candy says:
      Aug 22, 2011 at 9:50 am

      Wow, Great job! I especially love the fact the you pretty much used what you already had to make such a big difference in the room! This is definitely a great post that a lot of of us could easily implement in the home. Thanks!

      Reply
    2. Melissa says:
      Aug 22, 2011 at 9:52 am

      I love the twig basket on your coffee table in the old photo! Where’d you get it?

      Reply
    3. Luciane At HomeBunch.com says:
      Aug 22, 2011 at 9:56 am

      That’s so smart! Yeah… your secret saved me! ;-)

      Have a blessed week, you two!

      xo

      Luciane at HomeBunch.com

      Reply
    4. Luciane At HomeBunch.com says:
      Aug 22, 2011 at 9:58 am

      Gosh… I meant, your secret is safe with me… my pregnant brain, I tell ya… :-)

      xo

      Luciane at HomeBunch.com

      Reply
    5. Miss Kitty says:
      Aug 22, 2011 at 10:03 am

      I’m gonna have to steal the “obstacle illusion” phrase from you…love it!

      Reply
    6. Gloria says:
      Aug 22, 2011 at 10:03 am

      That is awesome and just in time. I have some of those blinds to put up on a double window and want to give the room some height. Thanks for the awesome idea!

      Reply
    7. Donna Pizzi & Philip Clayton-Thompson says:
      Aug 22, 2011 at 10:05 am

      Discovered your cool blog from a fellow Facebook pager whose house we photographed for the new magazine Fresh Cottage. LOVE IT and the work you & your husband do together. Great idea (if you have the room) to hang the blinds higher than the window to let in more light (a big MUST in the light-starved Pacific Northwest where we’re located.) We have a lot of window & door clients, BTW. Which window company did you use when you added the second double hung? Check out our blog @ http://www.blackstoneedge.com/blog to see a FEW of the images of Portland, Oregon’s 2011 Street of Dreams house – Con Amore and Philip’s “Tales From The Road” series, which is a comic report of our tales while on the road.

      Reply
    8. Marsha says:
      Aug 22, 2011 at 10:07 am

      You’re tricky (Run-DMC) tricky, tricky, and smart by adding that fake trim piece. Thanks for sharing.

      Reply
    9. ashley @ the handmade home says:
      Aug 22, 2011 at 10:09 am

      LOVE your living room. oh-so smart. ;)

      Reply
    10. Gabbie says:
      Aug 22, 2011 at 10:18 am

      This is pretty clever. I like the way my bamboo shades look but I don’t like that I can’t retract them all the way to the top of the window. If they were hung higher, then then could be pulled all the way up. Sneaky!

      Reply
    11. Diana @ Our Vintage Home Love says:
      Aug 22, 2011 at 10:19 am

      I did that in a house we used to live in!! Awesome and your living room looks beautiful!!

      Reply
    12. Lisa says:
      Aug 22, 2011 at 10:27 am

      we recently purchased new curtain panels for each lving room window but didn’t want to open and close morning/night. I got them 96′ so they hung right under the crown molding and then measured and ordered wood blinds so they were the right length when closed….we hung those right under the curtain rod making the windows appear so much taller. When the blinds are up I can leave them down just to the top of the window so I get all the light and the windows still appear tall. Now the panels stay where they are framing the window and the blinds go up and down morning/night. That was a clever trick you used.

      Reply
    13. Debbie is reFresh reStyle says:
      Aug 22, 2011 at 10:42 am

      I like the way you think! Free makeover, more light and secret tricks!

      Reply
    14. Denise @ nestandbloom.com says:
      Aug 22, 2011 at 10:49 am

      I love that obstacle illusion!

      I wish I had thought of that at my last house!

      Reply
    15. Jennifer McGinnis says:
      Aug 22, 2011 at 10:57 am

      So clever….I love it!!

      Reply
    16. Carolyn says:
      Aug 22, 2011 at 11:23 am

      You are brilliant my dear! I have been staring at my windows, wondering what to do.I know we wanted match=stick blind, but my view is so incredible, I didn’t want to hide it.Thank you, Thank you, Thank you.
      Hugs to you both,
      Carolyn

      Reply
    17. Jessica says:
      Aug 22, 2011 at 11:29 am

      I love your living room! Forgive me since I’m kind of new to your blog but I’m blessed/cursed with an abundance of paneling in my new house and I absolutely LOVE how you’ve used it to your advantage. What color is on your walls???

      Reply
    18. wendy says:
      Aug 22, 2011 at 11:34 am

      Layla,
      It took me a minute to figure that little sliver of wood out. Kind- a- like not getting the joke and laughing anyway. But a few scrolls back and fourth and i got it:) I do the same things with my windows when I can. Trying to convince the hubby I’m not nuts is the hardest part. Now I can show him this post and say, “See it’s perfectly normal, Layla does it.”

      Reply
    20. chris from midwest cottage and finds says:
      Aug 22, 2011 at 1:18 pm

      love it!! have been looking at my bedroom windows that are exactly like your living room windows and thinking….WWLD? The extra piece will really finish off the window and make it look finished!! I did your mirrored closet doors in my bedroom and I LOVE them!! Check them out in your free time–right…free time???what’s that?!
      http://midwestcottageandfinds.blogspot.com/2011/08/master-bedroom-mirrored-closet-door.html
      thanks for all you do to keep us all doing!!
      chris

      Reply
    21. Jen says:
      Aug 22, 2011 at 1:18 pm

      I never would have thought of something like that. That is fantastic!

      Reply
    22. Beverly Palmer says:
      Aug 22, 2011 at 1:27 pm

      I am SO doing this in our bedroom! Thanks for your sneakyness.

      Reply
    23. Cheryl says:
      Aug 22, 2011 at 2:46 pm

      I have loved this room and the colors since seeing it in the Sept. 2010 Cottages and Bungalows. I loaned that magazine to a friend who “misplaced” it. Since I needed your room as an inspiration I ordered another issue online.
      In the past year my room has been evolving using your color scheme.
      I have just recently ordered a sofa similar in color to yours. I already have the Pottery Barn blue pillows like yours (love the reversible sides) and hope to find others to complete the look. You may be updating your room but thanks for sharing your original.

      Reply
    24. Rita says:
      Aug 22, 2011 at 4:37 pm

      That is genius! I’ll have to remember the trim trick.

      Reply
    25. Krystle says:
      Aug 22, 2011 at 4:45 pm

      I love the obstacle illusion. It really looks great in your living room. I love all the natural light and how open it looks.

      Reply
    26. Leen Curinga says:
      Aug 22, 2011 at 5:10 pm

      Golly gee, you are so stinkin’ clever! Love it!

      Reply
    27. Cynthia says:
      Aug 22, 2011 at 6:01 pm

      Do you use a liner on the side of your blinds that show outside?

      Reply
    28. Bethanie says:
      Aug 22, 2011 at 6:46 pm

      Dang girl…you’re so stinkin smart!! :0) Dont you just love it when a plan comes together?! I’ll admit, I wasnt sure where you were going with the trim, and when I scrolled up and down a time or two it was like a light bulb went off!!

      Reply
    29. Stephanie says:
      Aug 22, 2011 at 7:09 pm

      Genius!!! What an awesome idea!!! I love it!! Im’ thinking of where I can do that in my house now!!! :-)

      Reply
    30. Gini says:
      Aug 22, 2011 at 7:22 pm

      I LOVE it–I absolutely love natural light–what a great way to let more in. :) (And really love that bowl on the coffee table!)
      ~Gini

      Reply
    31. Holly says:
      Aug 22, 2011 at 8:27 pm

      Love it! I’ve been wanting to do this in my living room for awhile now (the curtains are hung so high they look a little weird) but was afraid it’d look goofy. Thanks for the push, I’ll be doing this now!

      Reply
    32. Dasi says:
      Aug 22, 2011 at 9:11 pm

      I’m very impressed, great job!

      Reply
    33. LLH Designs says:
      Aug 22, 2011 at 9:22 pm

      I’ve been wanting to do the same thing in our bedroom, but haven’t dared engage in a fight with my power tools (or my husband who would say he hung them right the first time…cute thing!). But at least I tackled some floor to ceiling bookshelves recently! No power tools required!

      Xo,
      Linsey

      Reply
    34. Nita {ModVintageLife} says:
      Aug 22, 2011 at 10:32 pm

      So much better. Before you added the wood trim in the middle….I was like hmmmmm…..then after adding…yes…taller window. I am so going to try this in my own house.

      Reply
    35. sarita says:
      Aug 22, 2011 at 11:17 pm

      oh! oh!!! how cool is that!!! Thanks for sharing such “secrets” with me – or US!!!!

      Reply
    36. Lora says:
      Aug 23, 2011 at 12:18 am

      I am so excited that you have posted something about your own house projects again! I have missed seeing the interior of your home!

      Reply
    37. Danielle says:
      Aug 23, 2011 at 7:16 am

      Layla,

      Where did you get these blinds? I really want to do this kind in our living room and having a hard time finding the right color. Love your idea of hanging them higher. Thank you for all your inspiration. I love The Lettered Cottage.

      Danielle

      Reply
    39. Gena says:
      Aug 23, 2011 at 9:52 am

      Love it! The room looks so comfy! This just proves why you deserve your own show!

      We just put down new laminate floors and now need a rug. Where did you get your rug? It looks just like what I’m looking for – just a neutral plain rug.

      Thanks,
      Gena
      gena.hawkins@alcatel-lucent.com

      Reply
    40. Lesley says:
      Aug 23, 2011 at 11:08 am

      You are a genius! Pinning . . .

      Reply
    41. kathy says:
      Aug 23, 2011 at 11:14 am

      A painting question–I have a medicine cabinet (inexpensive) that I would like to paint black from white…….it is made from melamine and I was wondering what you would recommend–spray or brush–and should I use a primer as well.

      Thanks so much,
      Kathy

      Reply
    42. Anita @ GoingalittleCoastal says:
      Aug 23, 2011 at 11:56 am

      Your living room looks great! I am wanting to go with a more neutral rug in mine and I was wondering where you found yours? It looks like a nice flat weave. Is it soft? Oh and also, your front door. Did you refinish it? I would love to replicate that type of finish. Mine is stained a funky tone right now. Thanks :)

      Reply
    43. Maria Trader says:
      Aug 23, 2011 at 2:41 pm

      totally brilliant!

      Reply
    44. Shelly says:
      Aug 23, 2011 at 7:42 pm

      I love your pillows…in your living room and your reading room. Where do you get them?

      Reply
    45. Sarah @ Thrifty Decor Chick says:
      Aug 23, 2011 at 11:29 pm

      Love it!! I’ve been thinking of doing the same! Did you just use the same hardware? I think I’m making this much harder than it needs to be. ;)

      Reply
    46. Nicole Glover says:
      Aug 24, 2011 at 6:25 am

      Love it! I love the extra light!. Great idea!

      Reply
    47. Julie says:
      Aug 25, 2011 at 9:04 am

      Saaaaweeeeet! Definitely using this idea. Scrap wood finishes it nicely. Thanks for sharing!

      Reply
    48. Jessica says:
      Aug 25, 2011 at 1:54 pm

      Great idea with the little piece of wood! Brilliant!

      Reply
    49. Lindsay says:
      Aug 31, 2011 at 5:59 pm

      Love this idea. I also like your curtains. I never thought finding the perfect white curtains would be so hard. Where are yours from?

      Reply
    50. lindsey R D says:
      Sep 8, 2011 at 12:01 pm

      LOVE IT! It is the exact thing I need to do in my dining room. I was looking for inspiration and go figure Id find it here!
      THANKS!

      Reply
    51. patty says:
      Oct 17, 2011 at 11:14 pm

      Where did you get the beadboard or paneling for the wall? We want to do floor to ceiling beadboard in our family room and really like the unique spacing of the grooves on the wall. Love your site!! Thanks!!

      Reply
    52. Krystal Catino says:
      Dec 9, 2011 at 9:44 pm

      Hi! Just came across your blog form pininterest. LOVE your sofa and chair, wherever did you get them from??

      Reply
    53. kiley says:
      Mar 20, 2012 at 6:48 pm

      What a timely post for me (even though I’m reading it long after you originally posted it!). A few months ago we hung bamboo blinds in one set of windows. I LOVE the look, however, it has really darkened up the space. Our house tends to be on the darker side anyhow b.c of great shade trees. Anyhow, I’m lifting my blinds above the window now!!! And I feel confident in purchasing blinds for a few more spaces! Thanks for sharing your secret!!!

      Reply
    54. leigha says:
      Mar 25, 2012 at 8:56 am

      Great idea! For anyone looking to try, we use a single bamboo outdoor “porch” shade, so that we didn’t have the split in between the windows, and it was cheaper ($30?). Also, Ikea sells 108′ white back-tab panels for only $5!

      Reply
    55. Megan Crofton says:
      Apr 13, 2012 at 11:58 am

      I want to live in your house, it is gorgeous. If my pinterest was working at my job then your house would be pinned all over my boards! I love the posts, thanks for posting this stuff for simple people like me to try to accomplish… in my dreams.

      Reply
    56. Jill says:
      May 25, 2012 at 4:09 pm

      Layla, Love this idea, but I was wondering where you got your blinds. I have been looking for those for my boys room. And, are they expensive? Thanks,
      Jill

      Reply
    57. Carolina says:
      Jan 14, 2013 at 8:58 am

      Love the couches! Where did you get them?

      Reply
    58. Michelle says:
      Feb 14, 2013 at 9:31 pm

      I also love the couches! Where did you get them?

      Reply