Eco-Friendly Home Makeover

I've spent the last month and a half of my life doing a huge makeover of my kitchen, living room and dining room. Like most people these days, both my time and my finances are limited. Going into my project, I knew that I needed to stick to my budget but, I wanted to make sure I was using quality products and I really wanted to ensure that I was using products that were safe for my kids and for the Earth. The products I ended up using are both high quality and eco-friendly. As a mom, taking on my first major home improvement project, my main comment is: Anyone can do this! Be sure to view the before and after pictures.

My kitchen had the original, very dated, cheap formica counter tops. I knew that no matter what I did, nothing would change the place quite like new counters. The amazing, gorgeous marble counter tops now in my kitchen are a result of Giani Granite. I had heard about how you can paint formica counter tops to look like marble but, was definitely wary of how it would look. Giani sent me the kit for black counters. One of the great things about the Giani kits is that you can control the shade of color. I wanted mine dark but, could easily have made them much lighter or even darker. All their color kits give you this kind of flexibility. I'm so happy with the counters that I'm probably going to be getting more of the kits to do the bathroom counters. I was really shocked at how easy it was to paint them. Everything you need is in the kit (which is nice considering how many times I had to go to the store for other things I needed during this project). You roll on the primer and let it dry for 8 hours. Then, you use the easily labeled paints to sponge on your colors. This is the point where you can control the shade. After that dries for four hours, you roll on your top coat. You can do up to three applications of the top coat. I did two on my kitchen counters and three on the bar because I knew it would get more hardcore stuff thrown on it. Some stuff I learned from their website: The blend that Giani uses in their paint locks out moisture, goes on so many different types of counter tops, is actually water-based which makes it low-odor and the topcoat is automotive grade. I can absolutely attest to the low odor. I was shocked that there was virtually no scent when painting the counters. I am absolutely in love with Giani Granite. Their customer service is amazing and their product is phenomenal. Want to know the best part? It's 1/4 of the price of this type of product that I've seen at major hardware stores! Everyone that has seen my counters wants to know where I got it and when I tell them that a $49.95 kit covers 16 running feet of counters, they are flabbergasted. I'm never in favor of spending a ton of money for anything. To me, there is no reason to spend hundreds and thousands of dollars on counter tops when the paint from Giani Granite is so affordable and the results are absolutely to die for!

I decided on my paint colors before I started the project. After looking through countless DIY blogs, I decided I wanted every picture, mirror and shelf to really pop off my walls so, I settled on stark white for all the walls and upper kitchen cabinets. My white walls are courtesy of another amazing company called Ecos Paints. The first thing to note about Ecos Paints is that they are all absolutely 100% non-toxic paints. Completely. Everything in the paint is safe for people and for the environment. There is so much amazing information on the Ecos site HERE but, one key point I want to make sure you know is that this paint is not like the "no-solvent" paint you'll find at the local hardware store. This paint is NO solvent. That means, no scent, no harmful chemicals, no harmful anything. I can absolutely tell you that there is zero scent with this paint. When you're painting as large of an area as I did, that is a huge plus. I remember painting my daughter's room with regular paint from the big chain home improvement store. We had to have the door shut and windows open for days in order to get the smell out. Using Ecos Paints was nothing like that. Aside from the lack of odor, the other thing I love about Ecos Paints is the texture. Seriously, painting with this paint was like painting with silk. I completely love it! I wanted stark white for my walls so that everything else would pop. The phenomenal customer service at Ecos Paints helped me figure out what type of paint I wanted and it was absolutely the best choice. I chose the Soft Sheen and I love that there truly is a soft sheen. Not shiny but, not totally flat. It's perfect!

But, after the walls were done, the bar was finished and the countertops were gorgeous, the entire place needed a window treatment pick-me-up. So, I turned to one of my favorite sites. Plow and Hearth. I adore browsing their site. It makes me feel all warm and cozy and definitely wish I lived somewhere colder. Oh how I want to curl up in front of a fireplace adorned with stuff from Plow and Hearth! I found the Black Matchstick Roll-Up Shades and thought that was just what I needed for something different for my windows. We live in the country (kinda) so, I didn't really want a ton of coverage for my windows. The bamboo shades allow the sun to come in even when they are down but, keep out the glare and I think they look fab. I thickened the sheer curtains on the front windows by putting heavier drapes behind them but, left them sheer over the Plow and Hearth shades on the back windows. I'm all for natural sunlight in the house and love that these shades can be a major decor item without hindering the sunlight. Really, whether you want shades, other window treatments, mantle decor or so many other decor items, Plow and Hearth is just awesome and their prices are definitely affordable. I have to add that these shades were so very much easier to install than any mini-blinds or other shades I've ever seen. I installed them all by myself!

For the finishing touch in any room, decor is the word. I already had tons of decor. Because I'm cheap (um, frugal?), I really didn't buy much as far as new decor. I redid what I already had. The barstools were a major find and I got them from my husband's aunt for so much cheaper than I would have paid in the store. I painted them black and they were good to go. Lots of other things, lamps and light fixture, bowls and vases, picture frames and mirrors, all got painted and they are good as new and now match. But, even with all the decor makeovers, there was one thing I really wanted to get for the kitchen that I knew would just top it off with the perfect touch. I turned to Decal Delight and they sent me the Chandelier Decal. I cannot think of another thing that could have completed the look I was going for in the kitchen. I absolutely love it. I really like that the black has a slight shine to it so it matches my black painted trim. I also love that such a large decal sells for such a great price. I've seen the chandelier decals before and I've always wanted one. So thrilled with this one! Decal Delight has both an online shopping site and an Etsy shop. The look of a decal can be achieved with a stencil but, I am absolutely certain that I would get frustrated with a stencil. I always end up with smeared paint and it's just such a hassle. Decals are so much fun and I love how they've transformed the look in the rooms I've used them. Their site says that Decal Delight uses top quality vinyl that is certified to last for 5-7 years outdoors and usually much longer indoors. Something else I learned from their site is that a vinyl decal is eco-friendly both because it can be recycled and because 57% of vinyl is made from common salt. A really good tip I can give you is that if you aren't absolutely certain where you want the decal, apply it to the glass of a cool frame and then you can move it around all you want!

I've lived with these products day in and day out for over a month now. I've thoroughly used and tested each and every one of them. And, I can completely stand behind the products and the companies they come from. If you have plans to do renovations in your home, take a look at these companies and see for yourself what they can do for you.