After avalanches, monsoons, traveling, colds, boo boos, and more, phase 1 of Tania's living room is winding up. We did:
1. Caulking, spackling, and painting the walls and aaaaaaall the trim (reviving that beautiful mantle, too!)
2. Wallpapering the fireplace wall with a creamy linen patterned, washable/stain resistant, designer wallpaper.
3. Hanging the bronze curtain rods in brick and other stubborn stone products.
4. Rewiring the original, dingy, black outlets (complete with knob and tube wiring - eek)
5. Replacing the brass on white 1980's fan with a frosted globe and bronze fixture - revealing the ceiling medallion behind it.
6. Cleaning and organizing!
7. Arranging the books and accesories to tempt the local readers and cover purusers.
8. Sewing new throw pillows from designer sample fabrics in interesting, button and dimpled designs.
9. Refinishing and reupholstering an old chair.
10. Refurbishing an antique type-writer's desk for an activity/computer station.
What's next?
Probably more details, hangings, better organizing, a couple bronze lamps (bye bye 80's floor lamp).
But perhaps... an audience vote!!! ...we could do:
- Trimming out the bookshelves to look like on seemless piece. Like molded built-ins.
- Tiling the Fireplace in maybe a creamy, rustic travertine to echo the color scheme. Or slate? Or marble?
- Wainscoting all around the room. Crown molding anyone?
- New blinds?
Details of each project and more detailed pictures will come shortly. This is just the appetizer! Enjoy!
I'm a super tough contractor!!! GRRRRRRRRRRR!!!
I fudged the drill hole. I am ashamed.
Sophy saves me from my graceless misery and becomes my amazingly helpful helper!
Wow! I loved the suggestions and I love the results even more. You found a treasure in Stevanie. I've long been drawn to the decorated bookcase look myself, but can't bring myself to give up that many books for beauty.
ReplyDeleteAs to what next? Redoing the fireplace would make the most dramatic difference. Alas is way expensive. Still it remains my #1 choice. The other ideas are terrific but could be done piecemeal as the girls grow more sophisticated.
In our in house in England we had gorgeous wainscoting and crown molding. The paneling was a rich wood, but the molding we discovered, rather late in the game, was Styrofoam. Who knew? It was 8 feet up. It is available here, looks real, and saves big bucks. It is so exciting to see everything pull together. Congratulations.
Mum
ooooh oooh oooh. Crown molding or wainscoting!!!! Good job on the color--I think it really helps the chairs (which initially I wasn't fond of). I'm glad you've come over to the dark side (ahem...wallpaper). Nice light fixture too!
ReplyDeleteThere is a lonely little chair in a lonely little corner...is that the time out chair?
I love it! The cream really warms it up. Were a lot of books removed when you did the bookshelf? I've always wondered when shelves are done pretty how much book space is lost.
ReplyDeleteOn the fireplace-- I think a cheap and easy solution would be to paint (with special heat-resistant paint if it's a functioning fireplace) the brass doors, etc. If you and they are not horrified by it, painting the brick is something I've seen done to great effect. I think there are examples on younghouselove.com. Great work! Can't wait to see it in person.
Thank guys!
ReplyDeleteWe actually brought in more books for the shelves, though not all of the books in storage. They may rework it to put the stereo on a bottom shelf and perhap mount a flat screen within the bookshelf! The TV would blend in and is in plain sight, simultaneously. If you're particularly desperate for storage, you can still vary vertical and horizontal placement without sacrifice.
The lonely chair (love that - time out chair - it totally looks like that in the pic!) goes with the activity desk I just dropped off today. More photos will be taken tonight and posted asap.
Ahhh yes, my conversion to wallpaper. All those design shows persuaded me to the idea that it can be beautiful if well selected. Tania well-selected.
Yes! Ann, exactly! I was thinking using budget friendly MDF (medium density fiberboard) for most of the wainscoting. It durable, cheap, and looks identicle to wood when caulked and painted.
And Ann, thanks for all the sweet comments. I'm really touched.
Tile on the fireplace would not be such an overhaul as one might think. Nice stone tile is expensive, but it's a small surface area - so big impact for not too much $$. I've been considering doing a rustic, buttery toned travertine (not the smoothed out and olished kind but the stuff that looks like some European church floor from forever ago) cut in a 2" x 6" brick tile. I could mimic the exact layout already exhibited by the brick but freshed by the new medium. What a fun way to nod to the original styling of the house but updated and freshed! Or perhaps slate? Or Marble? Other? Thoughts? Suggestions?
With the cream on the walls, it's warmer and still light. It blends with the couches so the volume of the furniture isn't imposing in a narrow space. And if it gets dirty, it hides it better than a plan white wall.
I really like the idea of painting the dated brass grill with heat-resistant paint. I think that would glam it up nicely.
More to come. Thanks everybody! This is so much fun.