Author: Nicole Balch

  • The Bathroom Renovation Begins

    The Bathroom Renovation Begins

    This bathroom renovation is sponsored by Lowe’s. Thank you for making this project possible!


    Oh, the plumbing issues we’ve had. At first, we thought that the trouble was limited to the drainage pipe from the bathtub on the third floor. I remember being all the way upstairs cleaning and emptying a bucket of dirty water into the tub, followed by Eleanor calling out from below “Mom, it’s raining in the bathroom!” We had to rip out the beadboard ceiling to access the pipes and fix them from below, and thought we were good. I was planning to start on this bathroom a year ago! Then plumbing problem number two hit. This one was far worse.

    We were starting to notice a discolored spot at the foundation line near the back door, then discovered a puddle of water in the basement at the bottom of the plumbing stack. I thought it was an unresolved issue related to the third floor again, but the plumbers we called in explained it as an overflow issue from below. There was a hole in the ancient cast iron stack that had been slowly forming, and had the water not had that escape route it would have backed up out of the shower and out into the main floor. So yay for that not happening? The whole thing was a MESS in every sense.

    Walls and ceilings were opened from the basement through the third floor. The stairway needed to be patched up. All three bathrooms are in need of some level of repair, but the second floor is taking priority. Here she is in happier times.

    Bathroom (Second Floor)

    We’ve fixed the ceiling and the layout works well, but I’m taking the opportunity to address some of the issues that had been bugging us. The antique toilet is out and a new toilet is going in. I never loved the old one, and we especially didn’t love climbing up to fiddle with the tank every few days to keep it working (and even then, the toilet was always running).

    We’re also swapping out the marble console sink. It’s so pretty, but a new pedestal sink (one with hot and cold water coming out of a single faucet and an easier surface to clean) is going to be far more practical with three kids. We’ll store the antique sink in the basement for now.

    The new toilet and sink will be white with brass fixtures, and I’m thinking the walls will either be painted the same color as the wood trim and beadboard, or a shade or two lighter. I mentioned on Instagram that I was considering brown, and people balked at it being a bit… “biological.” (I think it could be amazing.)

    Bathroom Color Options

    Our antique tub is staying. It needed to scoot out temporarily so I can tile the floor, but it will go right back in with a new paint job on the outside and a new faucet. I was more nervous about moving the tub than anything else, but it came out pretty easily!

    Bathroom (Second Floor)

    The wood floor has not fared well and I’m ready to replace it with tile. I have a mix of biscuit-colored hexagon tile and four colors of 1″ square tile for a border design. Something like so?

    Tile Designs | Making it Lovely

    I’ll be sharing in real-time on Instagram as I go, especially in Stories, and of course will document everything here on the blog. I can’t wait to show you more! And my family can’t wait for me to get this thing done so we’ll have a working bathroom on the second floor again.

  • Honor Roll

    Honor Roll

    Honor Roll
    Great Wolf Lodge Kids
    • Great Wolf Lodge invited us to spend a day last weekend, courtesy of them, and we absolutely loved it. We swam, we mini-golfed, played the arcade games, went on a quest, swam some more… the kids were exhausted in the best way! Great Wolf Lodge has Summer Camp-in activities going on now and cute camp-themed suites to stay in, should you be looking for something fun for the family.
    • A little setback as I work on our bathroom has me wondering if I need to change my design. It’s one little (well, kinda big) piece of old marble! Now what?
    • I agreed with so much in “Smash the Wellness Industry”, but sometimes I wonder if I’m in the minority for not hating or obsessing over my body.
    • The new Animal Crossing game has been delayed to avoid crunch. We can be patient! It looks super cute.
    • Hello, perfect little summer dress (with straps wide enough to cover a regular bra). I’ve also been living in their Day Glove flats. The caramel color goes with everything.
    • Omar (@justaconstructionguy) is #justamarketingploy.
  • Starting a Quick Guest Room Refresh

    Starting a Quick Guest Room Refresh

    I am in the middle of a bathroom renovation. (Finally, and there are more details to come!) On top of that, I have decided that now would also be a good time to give the guest room some attention. It’s used for sleepovers more than anything else, and it looked like this when empty.

    Attic Guest Room

    I’ve worked on it a little at a time over the years. Furniture initially went in as part of a brand shoot while the shell of the room stayed the same. I liked the overall look, but I knew I could do more to the space.

    Making it Lovely's Guest Room

    The walls went pink (after a brief but disastrous deep teal that I immediately repainted). The single nightstand was replaced by a thrifted pair that I painted black. Two brass mushroom lamps for more symmetry, and the room was looking pretty cute.

    Bed Centered Under Attic Eaves

    My sister and her husband were going to buy a dresser from IKEA for their nursery, but it was out of stock. They asked if I had any ideas for something similar, and I offered ours up from the guest room. It’s now in their house with a changing pad on top. Replacing the guest room’s dresser was the kick that started the rest of the changes I’m working on.

    Wooden Dresser with Brass Pulls

    I was offered my choice of something from Young House Love’s furniture line and there is a lot to love there, but for me that Noble Dresser is tops. To the guest room with thee! It’s wider than the previous chest, but it’s still a good size for the room and the traditional details are much more in line with my style. Those curves and fluted corner pieces! So good.

    Young House Love Noble Dresser

    Why, yes, you may have seen me posing in front of it when I realized that I often dress to match my house. #housetwinning I promise to take more photos with me not standing in front of it as soon as the room is pulled together.

    Color-Block Matching My House | Making it Lovely

    The dresser switcheroo sparked a few other changes too. The handles on the vintage nightstands always bugged me, and although cool, the mushroom lamps don’t give off enough light. And I’d been looking for a place to use my Padma kilim rug design for Dash & Albert, besides the small 3×5 I have in my closet. This is the room!

    Padma Kilim Rug, Annie Selke, Dash & Albert, Making it Lovely

    I still love the wall/ceiling color, and I’m not ripping out the carpet. The changes will be more in the furniture, accessories, and styling, and it’s a fun project to work on in between scraping wallpaper and tiling in the bathroom. I’m hot and tired, but between the two makeovers, I’m having the best time.

  • Summer Suits

    Summer Suits

    A pink suit had been on my wish list. Well now I have one! It is here and it is wonderful. I’m so smitten with it, I want to add the white suit below too. I already have one in black, and my wardrobe will be pretty well covered between the three, keeping the matching pieces together or as separates.

    I sometimes wear suits to client meetings, styling them on the casual side. Colorful shoes, a fun bag, glasses (or sunglasses), and interesting jewelry are part of my usual go-to for styling. Or red lipstick, but that’s a lot of look all at once!

    Summer Suits | Making it Lovely

    1. K.I.S.S.I.N.G. Lipstick (Love Bite), Charlotte Tilbury, Nordstrom
    2. Shawl Collar Cropped Blazer (Pampered Pink), J. Crew
    3. Full-Length High-Rise Pant (Pampered Pink), J. Crew
    4. Fan Tassel Earrings, J. Crew
    5. 2 Linked Rings, Gem
    6. Crepe Kick Flare Pants, 1. State, Nordstrom
    7. Textured Crepe One-Button Blazer, 1. State, Nordstrom
    8. All Abuzz Bee Studs, Kate Spade
    9. Stone Tassel Earrings, Madewell
    10. Hutton Doubleweave Blazer, Ann Taylor
    11. Belted Pleated Doubleweave Pants, Ann Taylor
    12. Alice Rounded Sunglasses, Anthropologie
    13. 49mm Gradient Round Sunglasses, Longchamp, Nordstrom
    14. Vera Seashell Sunglasses, Chloe, Nordstrom
    15. Flat Clutch (Cream with Eyes), Clare V.
    16. Large Nicole Circle Bag, Sézane
    17. The Day Heel (Bright Red), Everlane
    18. Gemma Striped Pump, Target
    19. Cecile Heels (Bright Dijon), Boden

    OK, a quick try-on! Doing a little #housetwinning here (tassel sconce, tassel earrings; pink wallpaper, pink suit; white trim, white top). The pants just arrived and need to be hemmed, but I’m very into the high waist. These jeans too! They’re possibly my new favorite, which is saying a lot to edge out the Madewell jeans I’ve loved so much.

  • Creating an Insta-worthy Backdrop Outside

    Creating an Insta-worthy Backdrop Outside

    This is the third post of three sponsored by RISE’s AND not OR home and garden program. All thoughts and opinions are my own.


    This was a fun one! With kind of a funny behind-the-scenes bit of info, but more on that in a second. First, how cute is this little setup?

    Creating an Insta-Worthy Backdrop Outdoors | Nicole Balch, Making it Lovely

    I’ve been working on various updates outside. More shrubs, a couple of planters over here, a pair of chairs over there — that kind of thing, all with the help of AND not OR. These new goodies will be moved to their intended destinations, but first I gathered them up to create an Insta-worthy seating area.

    Between Two Ferns

    You’ve seen these planters already. Do you recognize the setting? I was going to stage my seating in front of the back fence but the ground was muddy so I moved everything to our parking pad on the other side. Just beautifying the alley temporarily, like that’s a totally normal thing! (I hope my antics brightened your day, neighbors.)

    Initial Setup

    Initially, I had planned on a pair of arborvitae to anchor the grouping, surrounded by a mix of flowering perennials and annuals in containers. It wasn’t as full as I’d like though, so a couple of Weigela joined the mix, along with more planters borrowed from out front and pillows for the chairs.

    Initial Setup With Sketched Changes

    I used to think of potted annuals as a waste of time and money. Is that terrible to admit? ‘Why would I want to plant something that’s going to die,’ I thought, ‘when I could choose perennials that are come back every year?’ Well, perennials don’t always bloom a lot the first year or grow much. Annuals like petunias and geraniums are like The Little Engine That Could of the garden; they’re ready to go and keep on going all season long. I now happily include them each year.

    Some popular plants (geraniums included) are prone to problems. Starting with a good quality potting mix is helpful, especially when container gardening. If you find yourself with plants that aren’t doing well though and you’re giving them the sun and water they need, you may have garden pests. The AND Approach can help you find, solve, and prevent future problems.

    Planting Annual Flowers (Zinnias)
    Arborvitae and Wine & Roses Weigela in Planters | Making it Lovely

    This look can be easily recreated with any substitutions you like (either items you prefer or already have). Two large planters, four tall urns, four smaller urns, and a colorful pot contain all of the greenery. I think these chairs are pretty much the cutest around, but any pair of chairs, a bench, or an outdoor sofa/loveseat would be work. The decor consists of a pair of pillows, an outdoor rug, garden stool (as table), string lights, and a few lanterns.

    A Mix of Annuals and Perennials in Planters and Containers | Making it Lovely

    Planting everything in containers made it easy for me to move things around for photos (ahem, Instagram, this was kind of made for you). They do require more plant food and water though, in addition to pest control.

    You can find more quick and easy projects like this from AND not OR, and I hope this photo-ready seating area can give you some ideas! It works if you have a blank backdrop you’re looking to fill, whether you’ll be container gardening or planting directly in the ground!

    Creating an Insta-Worthy Backdrop Outdoors | Making it Lovely
    Create a Cute Backdrop with Seating and Plants in Containers | Making it Lovely
  • Reviving the Front Yard For Spring

    Reviving the Front Yard For Spring

    This is the second of three posts sponsored by RISE’s AND not OR home and garden program. All thoughts and opinions are my own.


    The great spring garden cleanup of 2019 has come to completion! I’ve pulled the weeds and have been assessing the garden after our particularly harsh winter. I like most of the garden to be self-sustaining and easy to take care of, but I do enjoy my time working on it! AND not OR has tips tailored to all kinds of gardeners to help you get a game plan together.

    Spring Garden Clean Up!
    Perennials coming back after winter

    The perennials are thriving! I was able to split some of them to use along the wrought iron fence. We have a lot of the varieties from RISE’s list of plants that work well in this area, and looking at it again I’m thinking I’d like to have hollyhock too. Doesn’t that sound like a charming addition to the front of a Victorian?

    I monitor our dwarf Alberta spruce throughout the year for spider mites and have to treat it periodically (they’re prone to pests), but it’s fine right now. I’ll be trimming the boxwoods later this month and I cut back as much of the yew as I could reach. It’s probably time to bring in somebody that can lop off the top half and bring it back to a reasonable size. I remember my grandparents yews getting cut down to bare wood and bouncing back beautifully; yews are like that.

    The fence borders were filled with creeping charlie. I found the best technique for removal was to take my Japanese garden hoe and run it beneath their shallow roots. This is just one example of how I use The AND Approach to find, solve & prevent using a combination of solutions that work for me based on the problem at hand. Based on peoples’ responses on Instagram, creeping charlie is tenacious! Look at that beautiful weed-free bare dirt. I need to get something planted there before it gets overrun again.

    Front Garden in Spring | Making it Lovely

    I’ve filled the planters flanking the front walkway and lined up on the stairs with annuals. Sometimes I’ll arrange my own combinations of flowers, and other times I take the easy route and buy the ones that are ready to go. This year I mixed some flower fertilizer into the soil, planted the refill, and called it good.

    Scalloped Planters on a Victorian Porch | Making it Lovely

    The yews and Annabelle hydrangeas out front continue to fill in nicely! Still babies, but they’re growing.

    Victorian House with Front Yard Garden

    I’ve added creeping phlox, and a new lily to the yard. I split some of the allium, phlox, and lamb’s ear that was growing on the left side in the flower bed and planted it on the right. Please please please don’t let me forget to add tulips and/or daffodils in the fall so that we have some spring color next year. The houses that have them are so cheery! I want in.

    Victorian with Wrought Iron Fence

    I also added foxglove, again, which I know is a biennial (and poisonous) plant. I keep trying, but I’ve never had any luck with them reseeding to come back. I think this is the fourth year I’ve planted them. I continue to love them, even if they don’t seem to love me and my garden back. Is there a trick to this that I don’t know?

    Foxglove and Perennial Flower Garden

    Everything has come together so nicely, but what should I plant in the newly bare section along the fence? I like the idea of a mass planting like the Annabelle hydrangeas on the other side, but they seem too big for this spot.

    The Lovely Victorian Garden | Making it Lovely

    It’s in full sun. Roses or hydrangeas? Our street sees a fair amount of foot traffic and I worry about thorns at the fence line snagging passers by. Does that push me definitely toward hydrangeas though? The fence will be covered in sweet autumn clematis come late August or September with prolific tiny white flowers, but it’s so empty until the clematis takes off. Lavender was a popular suggestion too. What’s your pick?