Houzz Tours
My Houzz: DIY Walls and Color for a New Hampshire Home
See how this handy homeowner personalized her family’s home with vibrant hues, wood elements and DIY furniture
Jillian and John Grennon have been personalizing their home in southern New Hampshire for the past 10 years. Jillian is a full-time blogger and DIY enthusiast who has transformed the once-dated interiors room by room into a home that reflects the family’s needs. “We are a crazy family of five who all have nutty schedules with work, sports, social engagements and family time,” she says. “Our home needs to be especially flexible and livable.”
“My dining room is my favorite room,” Jillian says. “It is where we eat every night because we have a small kitchen; it is where homework is done in the afternoon and where the stories of our days are told each evening.”
Wall color: Rich Navy by Glidden
Wall color: Rich Navy by Glidden
BEFORE: Jillian’s first update of the dining room was fairly neutral. After doing other rooms in the house, she returned to this room with a more adventurous approach.
AFTER: Updated colors in rich navy and bright white add a fresh and modern look to the space. The blue picks up the same color used in the kitchen, and the blue-and-white color scheme continues down the hall.
To create the look, Jillian bought 4-by-8-foot plywood underlayment sheets from Home Depot and had them cut into 6-inch-wide pieces to add a shiplap-inspired wall treatment. She then painted the installed boards white for a farmhouse look.
To create the look, Jillian bought 4-by-8-foot plywood underlayment sheets from Home Depot and had them cut into 6-inch-wide pieces to add a shiplap-inspired wall treatment. She then painted the installed boards white for a farmhouse look.
BEFORE: Previously, the wall colors changed abruptly and there was no sense of continuity between the dining room, hall and adjacent kitchen.
AFTER: Jillian built the farmhouse-style dining table using peg-and-hole construction. Many of her carpentry projects stemmed from an unsuccessful search for a piece in the perfect size or style. The family’s old dining table had leaves that Jillian disliked adding every time guests came over, so she made this table large enough to accommodate 12 people. She documented the table DIY project on her blog.
Jillian gave the existing chairs a facelift by spray-painting them a fire-orange hue from Rust-Oleum and by re-covering the cushions with the help of a staple gun.
Jillian gave the existing chairs a facelift by spray-painting them a fire-orange hue from Rust-Oleum and by re-covering the cushions with the help of a staple gun.
A small corner of the dining room is devoted to a vintage secretary desk that Jillian found for $10. Above it, she displays a collection of white plates.
The console table in the front entry has baskets for storage and a few decorative items. The framed photo is special to the family. “It’s a picture of the Tobin Bridge. My dad was part of the team that built it many, many years ago and my sister took that picture from a boat, just after his funeral,” Jillian says.
A bowl of driftwood the family has collected over the years also sits on the console. The couple love that their house is surrounded by woods, making it a quiet environment to raise their kids. But they’re also close enough to town to easily and quickly run errands.
Jillian built the breakfast bar herself, again out of necessity. It’s the perfect height and depth for their space and is well-used thanks to its location between the kitchen and dining room. She shared the process of building the table, which cost only $40 to make, on her blog.
The kitchen, which is between the dining room and living room, has an opening that allows Jillian to keep an eye on the kids while she’s cooking.
Much of the house was filled with wall-to-wall carpet when the Grennons bought it, but they’ve since removed most of it and replaced it with hardwood flooring they put down themselves.
Wall color: Sonora by Glidden
Wall color: Sonora by Glidden
Jillian often draws inspiration for incorporating elegance in a fun way from designer Genevieve Gorder. She also loves the work of designer Sabrina Soto and often uses her blog posts to guide her projects.
Armchair: Wayfair
Armchair: Wayfair
A large sectional from Jordan’s Furniture provides plenty of comfortable seating for the entire family and guests.
Jillian made the paper art mounted on an old window. “I hot-glued rolled-up book pages onto a wreath form,” she says. The wreath form was made using a pool noodle and duct tape. The rolled pages are from a romance novel Jillian bought at a discount store for 50 cents.
Jillian made the paper art mounted on an old window. “I hot-glued rolled-up book pages onto a wreath form,” she says. The wreath form was made using a pool noodle and duct tape. The rolled pages are from a romance novel Jillian bought at a discount store for 50 cents.
The master bedroom is on the main floor. Jillian and John recently updated the space by adding 6-inch-wide, quarter-inch-thick plywood planks to one wall and painting the other three walls a soothing green color. “My husband likes to say that if you stand still too long around here you may get painted,” Jillian says with a laugh.
Wall color: Elfin Sage by Glidden; bed frame: Jordan’s Furniture; mirrored chest: HomeGoods
Wall color: Elfin Sage by Glidden; bed frame: Jordan’s Furniture; mirrored chest: HomeGoods
The couple also added sconces on both sides of the bed.
Next to the master is the only bathroom in the house. Because it’s used by five people, the family has tried to make it as functional as possible.
Extra cabinets hold toiletries and other necessities.
Downstairs is a family room with a cozy love seat that’s often used for playing games and watching TV. It also provides the perfect spot to read a book or do a craft project.
This space connects to the driveway, so Jillian made a matching wooden entryway bench and coat rack as a place for the family to leave jackets and take off boots.
Wall paint: Sharkey Grey by Martha Stewart; love seat: Wayfair
This space connects to the driveway, so Jillian made a matching wooden entryway bench and coat rack as a place for the family to leave jackets and take off boots.
Wall paint: Sharkey Grey by Martha Stewart; love seat: Wayfair
This level is also where the laundry room is located, along with extra storage and a game room for the kids. Jillian made the floating shelves using plywood and a walnut stain.
Opposite the sofa in the family room is a TV and desk, along with a wood stove that keeps the family warm on chilly New Hampshire nights. Jillian made the “Lucky” sign with a horseshoe from the first horse her daughter ever rode. “I made the frames for the silhouettes of two of my kids. The silhouettes were made by their preschool teachers as Mother’s Day gifts. They hang next to a hand-drawn picture of my oldest daughter from her preschool days,” Jillian says. “The barometer was something I inherited from my dad. The G is our family initial, and it was a store-bought G that I covered in stamps from my Dad’s stamp collection.”
Given her love of redesigning, Jillian says, the house may never feel completely done, but it has already become a home that perfectly represents her family.
My Houzz is a series in which we visit and photograph creative, personality-filled homes and the people who inhabit them. Share your home with us and see more projects.
Browse more homes by style: Apartments | Barn Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Floating Homes | Guesthouses | Homes Around the World | Lofts | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Small Homes | Townhouses | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | Vacation Homes
My Houzz is a series in which we visit and photograph creative, personality-filled homes and the people who inhabit them. Share your home with us and see more projects.
Browse more homes by style: Apartments | Barn Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Floating Homes | Guesthouses | Homes Around the World | Lofts | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Small Homes | Townhouses | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | Vacation Homes
Who lives here: John and Jillian Grennon and their three children
Location: Londonderry, New Hampshire
Size: 2,000 square feet (186 square meters); four bedrooms, one bathroom
Year built: 1981
Jillian focuses much of her free time on projects around the house, which she shares on her blog, I Am a Homemaker. She feels that her home has inspired her occupation. “I was a stay-at-home mom when we bought the house,” she says, “and it was my constant ‘fixing and primping’ that made me think I should share some of my tips, tricks and tutorials with people so they could make their space more enjoyable without breaking the bank.”
The watercolor seen here was a collaborative art project by the kids.