J. Swofford Designery

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Bathroom Remodel - CabinetsSo much planning and consideration went into my cabinet design. I was thrilled to work with S...
04/23/2024

Bathroom Remodel - Cabinets

So much planning and consideration went into my cabinet design. I was thrilled to work with Steve again at Calton Cabinets. He tolerated by crazy cabinet ideas when we originally built out house so he knew I would be extra. Here are the things I wanted in new cabinets and counter tops:

1. I am a slob, there is just no getting around that. My vanity cabinets and finish were ruined by dripped water from face and hand washing, and I needed a solution for that. Aside from being a slob my former vanity had detailed woodwork trim that stuck out and caught / trapped dripping water. This detailed cabinetry trim also was a dust trap and required more cleaning that I cared to do. So the new cabinet faces needed to be simple. Another way I planned to address this was to make my counter tops have an apron front that stuck out a little from my vanity so this slobs water drippings went down the apron front and dripped on the floor not the cabinet.

2. Storage - I needed all the storage I could squeeze into this newly arranged space.

3. I live in a traditional home and love traditional style. So the cabinet and drawer designs are inspired by traditional vintage cabinetry. That included beautiful mullion work on doors and lots of traditional crown moulding. Symmetry was really important in my bathroom design and I wanted all cabinetry to go to the ceiling to give the room more height. I didn't want any cabinetry deeper that about 18". Why? I only wanted them deep enough to fit folded towels. In my original bath my pantry was 24" deep and the space was wasted and things got lost.

4. I also knew I wanted some mirrored doors and an appliance drawer for all my irons and hair dryer. I wanted this space to be pretty and timeless. Timeless to me is in 20 years will I look at a space and say oh that was done in the tuscan trend (like the original bath design) or in the farmhouse gray trend or the black and white trend. Timeless is when your space is always feels current but it's time design period can't be tied to a specific trending style.

I drew up my cabinetry plan and met with Steve to set my plan in motion. I know I say this every time I post an update, but I can't emphasize enough having a clear idea about your finished space. This planning is imperative to a good outcome. My mood board came in clutch when it was time to meet for cabinetry to get all the details right.

03/28/2024

Remember my mood board from last week for redecorating my dining room? Here is my completed dining room! I wish it only took a week to create, but it was curated over many months/ years and still has somethings that need to be done.

How do you like to decorate your home….are you a neutrals kind of soul or do you like to live in color? I think you can probably guess where I land on that.

*Primary Bath Reno*The rough in stage was a bo**er. Prior to meeting with my contractors I sketched out a plan for the p...
03/20/2024

*Primary Bath Reno*

The rough in stage was a bo**er. Prior to meeting with my contractors I sketched out a plan for the placement of everything I wanted in my bath. After meeting with my contractors they ran with my vision and made improvements and corrections to what I planned.

Plumbing -
This was probably some of the hardest work, but easiest decisions for me. One thing that changed from conception to implementation was the location of the plumbing controls. My new bath floor plan dictated most of my plumbing placement. The hard work was for the plumbers to make that happen. This included rerouting plumbing for the old whirlpool, old shower and one of the vanities to our new vanity and new double shower ( 2 linear drains, 2 rain heads, 2 shower heads and a handheld wand) locations.

Electrical -
You need to have a really concrete idea about how you will function in your space during this phase. Every switch, plug and electrical fixture placement is planned here. Having this wrote down and drawn out prior to meeting with your electrician is the key to making sure you get everything you want, everywhere you want. Things to consider - how high do you want your sconces, if you want a bidet you have to have an outlet by your toilet. Unfortunately we had limited wall space for electrical so we had to be really strategic and creative with placement of switches and plugs. Here is what our electrical rough included- wiring 3 can lights inside the new shower, 4 sconces (2 over each vanity), 4 can lights in bath area, a chandelier in the toilet room and a chandelier in center of bath, outlet in toilet room for bidet, warm drawer (for hair stuff), outlets and switches.

Heating and cooling - had to reroute 2 vents - one in the floor one in the wall

Insulation - We had to insulate our new shower space and redo insulation in areas of new plumbing and electrical in our exterior walls.

Plumbing, hvac, and wiring were done we had to replace the sub floor in nearly half of our bath, remember my old shower leaked and caused some pretty good damage to that floor. Once that was all done we started sheet rocking which is what you see pictured I also included a picture of the rough in plan for electrical and plumbing. You don't have to be fancy, just thorough and a hand written plan can work.

What's next?....Cabinets!!!

I love mood boarding for a project. I MEAN LOVE! 😍This mood board was the driving inspiration for redecorating my dining...
03/15/2024

I love mood boarding for a project.

I MEAN LOVE! 😍

This mood board was the driving inspiration for redecorating my dining room. Can I afford everything in this picture, uhh NO (like the pink china cabinet by the The Resplendent Crow), but it certainly served as an inspiration piece for my dining room. I owned two things in this mood board, the art work and the leopard tray. Everything else needed to be aquired.

When decorating a lot of you want to start with a wall paint color. While you can start there there truly is a better way! I like to start with something that has the most color, like on my mood board that would be the China cabinet - it has all the colors I love - pink, blue and green and it's style is 😙🤌. That busy pattern is where I draw all the color inspo for a room.

Have you decorated using a pattern first? Great places to start using this method are rugs, pillows, drapes, or wall art. Want to get started decorating a space? I'd love to help! Message me and let's get started.

Want to see how this mood board actually came to life? I will show you next week! in the mean time I’d love to see your decorated spaces! Share them below.

Bath Remodel Time to start building it back and next step is the framing stage. Hiring highly skilled and quality trades...
03/13/2024

Bath Remodel

Time to start building it back and next step is the framing stage. Hiring highly skilled and quality tradesmen is essential for any project. Due diligence is a MUST when researching who you hire for construction work. Consider the following: how many years have they been in business, have you seen their work in person, can you get objective references (not just from the contractors' friends), check case.net for litigation.

So for all things framing and building related I always refer to Irwin Custom Homes. Bill is my neighbor and long time friend, a trusted high quality builder, and he is just brilliant in his industry. Anytime I want to project brainstorm he is my first consultation.

In this phase of our project here is what needed to be done:
-Cover & frame in the two existing 4' windows that were over the former tub
-Frame and cut hole for new 8'x2' shower window
-frame in shower
-Frame in existing bath entrance and cut hole for new entry
-frame in existing closet entrance and frame new closet entry
-Frame 6" dropped ceiling

A lot goes on in this phase of construction and it really dictates how this space can be finished. It is really important to have a solid plan about how this finished space will work prior to starting this stage.

We left a vanity to use as long as we could. Before the next phase could start it would have to come out. Up next is rough-in: electrical and plumbing.

Prior to demo I made all my selections and had a really clear idea what my finished bathroom would look like. The first...
03/07/2024

Prior to demo I made all my selections and had a really clear idea what my finished bathroom would look like. The first thing I did was create a pinterest board for my ideas and I just started adding everything to it that I loved. I did a lot of research on pinterest, houzz and instagram and I follow several designers on socials that influenced my choices. You can check out my pinterest board for this project here: https://pin.it/12w1mQJwr

I love tons of finishes but that doesn’t mean they work together. In order to organize my ideas and make sure that my selections were cohesive I created a mood board. The mood board is a working template that you use to make sure what you want works together so this evolved until I was certain about my choices. Mood boards should be as detailed as possible for a project. Here is what mine included: paint colors, wall paper, vanity design, cabinet face designs, tile selections, mirror designs, shower glass design, carpet, plumbing fixtures, light fixtures, counter top design and color. Mood boards really help with the direction of a project and keep you from decision paralysis.

The first thing I knew for sure in this project was my plumbing fixtures. I knew for sure they would be chrome and easy to clean. I wanted to keep it classy and timeless, also we own a plumbing company so plumbing fixtures are easy for me. The next thing I knew for sure……..
my wallpaper. I have loved this wallpaper for years and while wallpaper isn’t a hard finish I knew I for sure it was going somewhere in my bath. It is glam and a little over the top. I just needed a small dose of it and the toilet room was a perfect place. The next thing I knew for sure was tile. Design nugget to keep in mind for your next project: choose one busy hard finish and everything else should compliment and not compete with that element. My herringbone tile floor was going to be that element and that really drove the rest of my decisions.

Whether you are redecorating, remodeling or building I highly recommend mood boarding your selections before you start your project. I used adobe illustrator but honestly you could use powerpoint, google slides or canva to create your mood board.

Do you need help with selections or creating a mood board? I would love to help! message me and let’s brainstorm together.

What are your Scottdale AZ weekend getaway recommendations.Best places to see, do and eat?
03/03/2024

What are your Scottdale AZ weekend getaway recommendations.

Best places to see, do and eat?

Demo TimeFrom Jan - Sept I spent a lot of time shopping and pricing my finishes (tile, cabinets, paint, lighting, etc.)....
02/28/2024

Demo Time

From Jan - Sept I spent a lot of time shopping and pricing my finishes (tile, cabinets, paint, lighting, etc.). I didn’t want to start demo until I had a solid plan for putting my bathroom back together. I also didn’t want indecision or back ordered items to hold up my project.

Demo of our bath began in September. Our bath was a complete gut, and everything down to studs had to go. Just a reminder if you are planning a reno project, demo creates a ton of trash make sure you plan to have a dumpster or trash haul off.

Demo took us a few weekends to complete. Once demo was complete the next phase was framing.

Primary bath remodel layout planning.This part of the project evovled over years to what we finally settled on. Here are...
02/22/2024

Primary bath remodel layout planning.
This part of the project evovled over years to what we finally settled on. Here are the factors that dictated our new layout:

1. My husband said the only thing I could not do is move the toilet. So it had to stay in place.

2. Had to consider cabinets and storage. In our previous design we had tons of storage and I didnt want to sacrifice that. The pantry in the original bath was too deep and that space was wasted and a deep dark nowhere where thing disappeared.

3. Separate vanities were a must

4. I wanted natural light that didnt have to be covered

5. In anticipation of this reno I renovated my closet a few years ago. And in order to maximize closet space I wanted to move the closet door over a couple feet. That allowed me to add more hanging poles in my closet.

6. Doors, there were so many swinging doors in the original bath and I wanted to eliminate the intrusiveness of those doors.

7. Separate but equal. I am a symmetry girl and I don’t share well. I wanted my husband and I to have the same stuff but did not want to share any thing.

8. No tub, so that freed up a lot of square footage. But how did I want to use it? makeup vanity maybe? more cabinetry? A steam shower unit? All of that was considered before we committed to the below plan. And ultimately decided on a huge shower that we would each have out own sides.

Once we settled on this floor plan layout I began to dream of the details and the real fun began. My husband gave me a start date of Fall 2023 and in Jan 2023 I started the processes of looking at finishes. More on the selection process in my next post.

Been away for a bit but my most recent project was a primary bath remodel in my own home. This remodel has actually been...
02/15/2024

Been away for a bit but my most recent project was a primary bath remodel in my own home. This remodel has actually been on my mind since we built and moved in this house in 2008. Let me walk you through why this bathroom didn't work well for us.

1. Originally we thought we were building the coolest and most functional shower at the time. What we didn't realize is that because the shower wasn't enclosed there was no way to retain heat and even the hottest showers were cold.
2. The foot print of the original shower had so much wasted square footage. And while it takes up a lot of space only about a 3'x4' space was actually usable for showering.
3. The shower niche was in a placement that caught a lot of water from the shower head. Over the years this began to leak and caused major damage to the wall and subfloor. To see the extent of the damage a few years ago we opened up that wall and tore out the niche. In order to continue to use the shower I covered the huge niche cut out in marine vinyl which surprisingly has held up really well since the tear out a few years ago.
4. The whirlpool tub, never used it, but constantly had to clean and dust it, lots of wasted square footage.
5. The original bath design had two 4' windows around the whirlpool. You would think that would provide a lot of natural light, but because they were low I had to keep the covered for privacy. So there was virtually no light coming in this bath.
6. The bath is very dated. There is nothing timeless about this bath design, you can tell this bath was created in the tuscan 2000s era.

So here is what our bath originally looked like. In the coming days I will post some mid remodel pics and give you a glimpse into the design process that took our bath from drab to fab.

If you ever came to a sign party in my home you will probably recognize this piece. I have decided to sell this beloved ...
05/20/2022

If you ever came to a sign party in my home you will probably recognize this piece.

I have decided to sell this beloved piece of furniture. I dont know its exact history but believe in its heyday this piece was used in a hardware store. All the drawers are functional and faced in wood but constructed of some type of metal, maybe tin. This piece is extremely heavy and huge approx 96” wide x 53” tall and 12” deep. It is more manageable if all the drawers are removed.

$600 firm cash or venmo.

I do not need to sell this piece, I just do not have use for it anymore and hate seeing its beauty and function go to waste. I am offering this to my friends first and have not posted this on any for sale pages or or marketplace. Message me if you want more infor or to arrange purchase.

Do you do affirmations for yourself? I was listening to Jennifer Lopez’s (Jlo, Jenni From the block, - love her!) inter...
09/28/2021

Do you do affirmations for yourself? I was listening to Jennifer Lopez’s (Jlo, Jenni From the block, - love her!) interview and she does this daily affirmation for herself everyday! And I love it. I changed for myself, and would love to make this for you! It is the perfect size for a phone wallpaper.

Drop a comment below or pm me with the name you would like me to change it to and I will send you this affirmation wallpaper! FREE!!!

Why??? cause after all this time you are still here, and I love you, and because you are worthy!

Yesterday I found this tiny reminder of how sick I was 4 years ago. Somehow this tick appeared in my whirlpool tub! Wh...
06/23/2021

Yesterday I found this tiny reminder of how sick I was 4 years ago. Somehow this tick appeared in my whirlpool tub! Where did it come from? how did it get here? I am terrified of ticks now. After you know my story I hope you become more vigilant in protecting yourself and your kids from ticks.

In 2017 begining in early March I was very sick for what seemed like forever. I thought it was the flu, and was self medicating with cold and flu meds. I delayed going to the doctor until Monday April 17th when really extreme symptoms started to present. I never had the typical spots. At the time it was still pretty cold in Missouri. I had only mowed my yard once, and hadn’t really spent a lot of time out doors. I was really lucky that I had a Dr who didnt assume I had the flu. I was diagnosed and treated for Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. I never saw the tick that bit me!

My first symptom was lethargy, and then came muscle and body weakness. I was working out regularly and just a week prior I was cranking out push ups and for some reason I just didnt have the arm and core strength to get a single one out. Then memory loss, this was scary. I couldnt remember my dogs names and so many other things. Then the onset of extreme muscle and joint pain and just a general body ache, severe headaches and not feeling good. My joints were swelling so badly they were hardly mobile. I was taking a lot of over the counter cold and flu meds and a lot of ibprofen for inflammation. I woke up the Monday after Easter 2017 in unbearable pain and could barely walk. I dont know how but miserable, crying and delirious I made it to the doctor that day. I got a shot for pain and they drew a ton of blood and sent me on my way. I was bedridden until I got diagnosis on Wednesday, when they prescribed me the correct medication to treat RMSF.

I am now vigilant and paranoid about tick bites and tick born illnesses. Now we don’t spend time outside without dousing ourselves in bug repellent.

Tick born illnesses are no joke, you cannot self treat them, they will kill you!!! Don’t assume you or your kids have the flu and do not delay going to the doctor!! The only way to confirm a tick born illness is through specific blood tests and tick born illnesses are often misdiagnosed, so make sure you mention it so it is on your physicians radar.

♥️

I am not always organized, but sometimes for just a second everything is in the right place. My office closet:You wont b...
06/23/2021

I am not always organized, but sometimes for just a second everything is in the right place. My office closet:

You wont believe my pantry! Pics of that coming soon!

I have been OBSESSED with Sonic ice for years. My daily order is a rt. 44 water with extra ice. Yesterday was my last ...
06/11/2021

I have been OBSESSED with Sonic ice for years. My daily order is a rt. 44 water with extra ice. Yesterday was my last day to make that order because the ice machine I have had my eye on finally arrived!!! The ice is probably a little smaller than sonics which makes it even better!!! Happy anniversary to me!

Ice….it’s the little things that make me happy!

Latest Homegoods find…. So dang good.
06/07/2021

Latest Homegoods find….

So dang good.

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Pleasant Hill, MO
64080

Telephone

(816) 419-1065

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