A DIY home tour + confessions on how I messed it up

A DIY home tour + confessions on how I messed it up | home vlog

Рет қаралды 4,116

7 ай бұрын

I really wish I was better at DIY. Sometimes it's good (like this week) I actually did a good job reupholstering our bed. Oh and that time we painted our kitchen cabinets--well that worked out well. BUT in my experience DIY is the worst. I would rather pay someone to do the work BUT we can't right now.
So here I am, messing up our home. Wanna see?
XO CD
@christinadistefanostudio
ABOUT ME:
Hey I'm Christina DiStefano! I am sort of a jack-of-all-trades: artist, sales director for a top NYC real estate development company, certified life coach, yoga instructor, Reiki practitioner, artist (I'm a painter), business woman--and now I'm taking on Interior Design via a certification (I'm starting an Interior Design firm in 2024 lovingly called Casa Serenità Interiors. Oh and did I mention I'm leading the renovation of our country home (inside and out)?!
I believe that home is a sacred place that we nurture and in return it nurtures us. That being said, my design process is focused on creating a sanctuary, a place of serenity that truly feels like home.
Questions? DM me on Instagram
@christinadistefanostudio
* If you want to share your home, design projects, inspirstion & ideas to be used on an episode feel free to contact me at the email below. I’d love to share your ideas with the community 🤍
christina@casaserenita.com
TikTok
@christinaatcasaserenita
My artwork
www.christinadistefano.com

Пікірлер: 58

@cb6375 6 ай бұрын

Oh my gosh, I freaking ADORE YOU!!! You are so real, warm, vulnerable, and honest. I want to be your best friend 😂 ❤ I've been struggling with not being able to paint the hideous cream walls in our rental but I love what you did with all the big canvas paintings. That's something I can rope my friends into helping me with. A weekend studio in the garage, some margaritas, and then hang! I can't wait to see what else you come up with. Please don't change who you are and try to be all influency. You're the best thing on KZfaq.

@ChristinaDiStefanoStudio 6 ай бұрын

OMG can I come??? 😂 I definitely think you’re on the right track!! I have found that working with what you’ve got opens up our creative genius. And thank you so much for the compliments lady! It’s a weird thing making videos of oneself and being truly authentic. I’m a lot sillier in person and I’m working on letting that come through little by little (getting used to this!). I mean after all it’s home design-we should have fun with it! Do the painting party and let me know how they turn out-please! 😘

@maryanncarmody5646 3 ай бұрын

Omgosh I just found her and if I could request just ONE thing it’s what you said, “don’t change who you are and try to be influency.” Christina you are a breath of fresh air!❤️

@ChristinaDiStefanoStudio 3 ай бұрын

@@maryanncarmody5646 Awwww thank you!!! I’m not an influencer so that shouldn’t be too hard! I will recommend things on occasion but not with that kind of energy but for education. Also I am considering occasional sponsored videos but again not just anything to make money, only things I believe in that will help. Hope that doesn’t disappoint you! I don’t like the “home shopping network” kind of videos at all so I would never want to make them.

@whiteoakinteriorstudio8232 5 ай бұрын

I am so happy to find your wonderful channel Christina

@ChristinaDiStefanoStudio 5 ай бұрын

Thank you 🥰 sincerely! I’m so grateful for your kind words and compliments. Such a great way to start my day with my coffee 🤍 Yes as we move on I’m not feeling so bad about the mistakes. They’re a part of our home story now and great lessons for sure!

@timilisafogal6990 2 ай бұрын

Oh! A sneak peek of your house! Cool! I've binge watched 5 of your vids in a row today 😅. The big pond on your property is so COOL! We have a little stream in our woods, but that's the only water we have. I kind of love the outside of our property more than the inside if I'm being honest. Talk about getting some color palette inspo! YKWIM? I think you did a great job reupholstering your bed. And I think the bedding and new furniture pieces you chose are gorg. I wonder if you are going to paint some of your rooms a surprising, rich color? I'm going to paint my kitchen cabinets too. But IDK if I can make them turn out as well as yours did. I really like the contrasting pulls. I absolutely cannot decide what color to paint my cabinets. I've literally been wishy washy over them for m-o-n-t-h-s 😳

@ChristinaDiStefanoStudio 2 ай бұрын

Hahaha I hear you! I love the sort of antique white we used. Those pulls were from Amazon and are solid. I can give you the link if you like. I think we’re going to paint the ceiling in our bedroom. It’s a bit dark so I’m thinking like a pretty muted yellow color or a bamboo color-which is my favorite-that sort of yellowish color with a hint of green. Oh the kind is amazing and the woman we buy some of our blanks from is giving me waterlilies! I’m so excited about those!

@karenh.9180 Ай бұрын

This was so much fun to watch again. You are so funny and make me laugh 😂. Love your sweet vulnerable self. You did a great job with all the DIY’s. ❤

@ChristinaDiStefanoStudio Ай бұрын

Thank you so much, Karen! Lol I’m quite goofy if given the opportunity!! Keeping the inner child alive 😘

@saraheschweiler4939 5 ай бұрын

Please be very careful with your shoulder/rotator cuff. Christina, if you try to power through a project & the rotator cuff gets torn, it can be extremely painful & take many months to heal, dear. A really bad tear could even require surgery. Please, take good care of you! 🙏🌲💐🌲😊💚😘🌲💐🌲🙏

@ChristinaDiStefanoStudio 5 ай бұрын

THANK YOU 😘 yes I’m am being more careful now and listening to my body when I’m tired. I’m reminded that projects should be savored and enjoyed, not just another task to complete. Appreciate you Sarah.

@soniabanwell6670 5 ай бұрын

If I lived close to you I’d happily help repair and paint your bathroom tile. I’ve done a similar project in the past and it turned out fab. The key was to use the correct primer which was solvent based smelly stuff can’t remember exactly why it was called but it worked great. Then the paint application was straight forward enough. We learn from our best lessons from our mistakes so chin up and stay confident. 😉

@ChristinaDiStefanoStudio 5 ай бұрын

Sonia! Where have you been all my life?! We could be DIYBFFS-me of course learning under your tutelage 😉 You must have used two separate products versus the Rust-O-Lium kit that I used. The paint and primer for the kit (I’m presuming) are all in one because I was required to mix something into the can of paint. It went on well initially but it melted every single roller which caused a panic and was crushing. Clearly super toxic! We have another bathroom to do and this time we went to Benjamin Moore. They make a primer for tile (it’s similar to what we used for our kitchen cabinets). I’m really hoping this second round restores my DIY confidence! 😂

@birdy4394 6 ай бұрын

so much fun to try stuff in your new home. But, be careful with toxic stuff. Been there done that;) I even had to move as a result of toxic fumes not going away ;(

@ChristinaDiStefanoStudio 6 ай бұрын

Oh no! That's not good. Yes I learned my lesson the hard way. Never again! 😆

@lucybraun8969 4 ай бұрын

I'm really proud of myself, because I solved a toilet flow issue without having to call a plumber. Funny how it came about. I was getting a tree stump removal estimate the same day. Turns out tree roots can be the source of a toilet flushing problem. Thankfully, it wasn't in this case, but that's beside the point. I was determined to get that toilet fixed, but I actually have to give credit to the tree stump removal guy. He told me to dump acetone on the problem. Just so happened I had a full bottle of acetone-based nail polish remover in a bathroom cabinet. I no longer use the stuff, but that's another health issue story. Heavy ho I go with the acetone. A $3 bottle from Walgreens, and no more problemo. Just a little factoid for those DIY people who like saving money for more important stuff! The products I tried that were supposed to resolve the problem, but didn't. You really don't know how much you appreciate your toilet until the only one in your house isn't working!

@ChristinaDiStefanoStudio 4 ай бұрын

I had no idea that tree roots could cause such an issue but it makes sense!!! We have a lot of trees on our property and so I’m going to pay attention to this should we have a similar issue. Thank you!

@lucybraun8969 4 ай бұрын

@@ChristinaDiStefanoStudio I don't know what the former owner was thinking when they planted an oak tree near the foundation and a gas line! Definitely not the brightest crayon in the box!

@ChristinaDiStefanoStudio 4 ай бұрын

Haha definitely not!!!

@lucybraun8969 4 ай бұрын

I also removed upper kitchen cabinets, & replaced them with floating shelves. They were partially blocking views out the kitchen window. Best. Decision. Ever. My kitchen looks twice as big, and the floating shelves take my glass cannisters up off the counters. I use the cannisters to store seeds & nuts. Yes, taking the uppers out makes for less storage, but I store pots & pans in my oven for now. It works, and is function appropriate.

@ChristinaDiStefanoStudio 4 ай бұрын

That’s exactly what we did with our pans but then I got a kitchen dresser and we store everything in there now. The kitchen must have had a breakfast nook at one time but was removed. The dresser worked in that gap area.

@lucybraun8969 4 ай бұрын

Ah, the infamous gap. I have one of those, too - in my entryway. In a somewhat oddball nook where the front door used to be, there is a somewhat odd window that runs across the back of the nook, starting at floor level, and running up to about 3 feet high. Since I follow the motto of embracing unusual architectural features rather than trying to hide them, the window now looks intentional as I have turned the entryway into having an atrium vibe. An adjacent wall will soon have a wallpaper mural depicting windows looking out to plants, which should make the narrow hallway feel much bigger.

@ChristinaDiStefanoStudio 4 ай бұрын

Ohhh I love it. I'm all about embracing the imperfections and working with them. Our best most creative work is born from this!

@civilizeddiva 4 ай бұрын

3:54-4:00: Yes, Girl. I am so with you😂. I watched two(!) KZfaq videos before hanging my blackout curtains. In my defense, my partner hated them and found every opportunity to yank them open and closed, so that’s why I believe they eventually fell on his head while he was resting.

@ChristinaDiStefanoStudio 4 ай бұрын

Oh no! I hope he's okay! On a side note, I think I'm a little too clumsy for DIY! I think it's just practice--which I'm getting a lot of with this old house. PS That's good--I'm sure you hung your curtains the "right way!"

@kathyesargent9088 5 ай бұрын

❤❤❤❤❤❤

@ChristinaDiStefanoStudio 5 ай бұрын

xoxoxoxo Thanks for watching my DIY winds and disasters, Kathy!!!

@lucybraun8969 4 ай бұрын

My DIY tends to stay pretty limited to things like painting something a more workable color. I once cut off the top of an oganic squiggly reed screen to make it more workable in the space it was placed to hide tv cords. That worked! Right now, I'm in the middle of a sort of DIY hardwood floor renovation. I'm feeling like I bit off more than I can chew with this one, so any further DIY projects are back burner. Flooking ahead, I'm strictly sticking with adding a wallpaper mural. That ought to be enough DIY for the next 6 months!

@ChristinaDiStefanoStudio 4 ай бұрын

Wow Lucy!! I’m impressed with the wood floor renovation project! Was the “flooking ahead” intentional? If so I love it! I like to combine and make up words for efficiency and just for fun. Flooking ahead makes me think of the time when you get beyond the floors (floors + looking). Okay I’ll stop showing my weirdness now 🙃

@lucybraun8969 4 ай бұрын

@@ChristinaDiStefanoStudio lol. Typo. Weirdo! 😋

@ChristinaDiStefanoStudio 4 ай бұрын

Well I love it!

@lucybraun8969 4 ай бұрын

How did your floors turn out? After ripping out carpet & nail boards, I encountered hundreds of paint spills. Got that all scraped off. Then 10 sanders later, most of the sanding is finished, but next, bleaching and crack filling ahead, as well as stain & polyurethane coating. I chose a black stain to help cover any stains that may not bleach out. What an enormous undertaking. Definitely not for the novice DIY person.

@ChristinaDiStefanoStudio 4 ай бұрын

I wanted to take on the project but my husband was like, “No way!” He used to work in construction and he said it’s too big of an undertaking for our part-time home. After DIYing the bathroom tile paint I felt the same way. I actually really like the beat up floors now. They are very rustic and this house in the country is very cottage/bungalow-ish.

@lucybraun8969 4 ай бұрын

@@ChristinaDiStefanoStudio I'm almost to the point where I want to hire flooring pros to finish the job. Your husband was right! But I hated the awful carpet I ripped out, and don't miss it one bit, even with the project still not completed.

@ChristinaDiStefanoStudio 4 ай бұрын

I totally agree with you on that one. ANYTHING is better than old carpet! Good luck babe if you decide to finish on your own--or hire someone. No shame in that!!! More like peace of mind :)

@vickimaiorano5763 6 ай бұрын

What a lovely home. So exciting for you. The powder bath does t look too bad, try not to focus on the flaws. You did good.

@ChristinaDiStefanoStudio 6 ай бұрын

Thank you Vicki 🙏 I appreciate your encouragement! It’s funny, as we’ve lived with it for a couple months now, I’ve gotten used to it. Maybe I’ve stopped focusing on the bad and more the overall feeling we have in the room now 🤍

@verovale5029 5 ай бұрын

I have to be honest , when you guys can replace those tiles. There’s some stuff that it’s almost impossible to make up or fix mistakes, I learned that when I renovated my 1920’s house a year ago.

@ChristinaDiStefanoStudio 4 ай бұрын

It’s just a temporary fix until we renovate all the bathrooms.

@graydalemartzharris4053 7 ай бұрын

I like the revolving chairs in the living room a lot, subtly eccentric, functional and unique ❤; beautiful home designs. I love your art 🖼️ everywhere and how every little decision is a “we/us” moment

@ChristinaDiStefanoStudio 7 ай бұрын

Thank you!!! First off I love a good swivel chair. I love to spin. Sometimes I spin too much. No bueno. Jerry is my BF and so it’s for sure a we/us situation. I can be stubborn but ultimately I want him to be happy too! Making our love nest after all!! 😘

@sheriarmes9033 6 ай бұрын

Where did u come from?I have watched 4 videos in a row!Sheri from Omaha Nebraska

@ChristinaDiStefanoStudio 6 ай бұрын

Awwww Sheri! You’re a sweetheart! I’m from Kansas City, MO originally but I’ve been in NYC for 17 years. We bought our house in the country last summer. Things the home in the videos. I loooove it there!

@verovale5029 5 ай бұрын

Me too 😅 I’m doing a marathon of her videos love everything about her 💜

@ChristinaDiStefanoStudio 4 ай бұрын

Thank you babe!!! So sweet 😘 Hope you liked the videos!

@maureenk1635 4 ай бұрын

If you are in or next to the woods watch out for ticks. Someone in our family contracted Lyme's disease, and that is forever. Beware.

@ChristinaDiStefanoStudio 4 ай бұрын

Thank you for looking out for us 🙏❤️

@cindiblazer8621 5 ай бұрын

I wonder if you could sand the paint on the tile and then use oil base paint. It might work. Your house has wonderful bones. Its looking lovely

@ChristinaDiStefanoStudio 5 ай бұрын

That’s a good suggestion-thank you Cindi 😘 I have a second bathroom to take on but this time with a less toxic product. It’s a proper tile primer (not an all in one product like Rust-O-Lium). We used a similar primer for our cabinets (but for cabinets specifically). While I’m at it, I’ll try sanding this room too and repaint as you suggest. Now that it’s been a couple months I’m feeling more adventurous again ☺️ It’s a good lesson. I was so worried about making mistakes and sure enough, I did!

@cindiblazer8621 5 ай бұрын

@@ChristinaDiStefanoStudio you can do a lot of the work your self. I've made many boo boos. You've got this. Just think things through.

@ChristinaDiStefanoStudio 5 ай бұрын

Thank you 😘

@tonicmom11 16 күн бұрын

19:02

@ChristinaDiStefanoStudio 16 күн бұрын

Do you like the mini paintings? 🤍💛

@pierre931 Ай бұрын

is not you that has not capacityes in hand made but you has nor right informations...you hass as good taste for thyhe furnishment and a good creativity.is not obbligatory spend a lot of moneys.with you creativity you vcan do good things, painting a furniture and a stool ecc.let go to your creativity and good taste

@ChristinaDiStefanoStudio 12 күн бұрын

Thank you so much! I'm happy you enjoyed the video.