We're well into January, so at our house we jumped into a long-planned (four or five months,) long awaited (almost eight years!) project: painting the living room.
Well, not only the living room. Our house is a split foyer, open floor plan house built in the early 2000's. If you know anything about house styles, you can picture what I mean.
(Please excuse the poor photos...)
These pictures are from the day we first looked at the house. Open, yes. Light? During the day!
If you can see it, most of the walls were painted a light brown. And then there were the accent walls that were painted a dark brown (except this one in the foyer - a greenish color.)
I don't really like brown walls, and as time has gone on the paint has dulled and become even more...well...blah.
So, knowing we had a long weekend coming up, we made plans, bought the paint, packed up books, moved the furniture, and removed the switch plates and outlet covers.
And wall by wall, we transformed dull, drab, brownish-something...
...into a smooth, creamy/buttery yellow/white.
Yes, we still have more work to do. The kitchen and stairway both need a second coat. And then there's the clean up to do and the furniture to put back where it belongs. We're working on that today.
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| A photo bomb from Wynter! She's still with us at 14 years old! |
And like we always do when we get to this point in a project, we're asking each other why we didn't do this years ago. LOL!
Do you have projects that you've waited for years to complete?
What would be your incentive to get them done?
Our incentive is that we hope to find our retirement home in the Hills to move to this year or next, and will be putting our house on the market when/if that happens.
If we don't find the place in the Hills? Well, we'll enjoy our freshly painted house for a while longer!
Jan Drexler lives in the Black Hills of South Dakota with her husband and growing family. When she isn't writing, she loves hiking in the Hills or satisfying her cross stitch addiction.
You can find Jan on Facebook, Jan Drexler, author, or her website, Jan Drexler.com.
We are doing the same thing in the new family room that is now 5 years old and has helped raise a half-dozen kids in daycare... and cute grands living here for 15 months.... so I've gotten the wall patching done, the paint bought, and ready to go... now we just need two days to jump in... I've got three walls ready, Jan! And then we'll move everything again and do the final wall, and then the entry that has taken a beating... I love the look of freshly painted walls! It makes me so happy!
ReplyDeleteThere's nothing like it, is there? And if you make a major color change, it's like you're living in a new house!
DeleteBut I remember the first time you painted your new family room...it can't be five years ago, can it? I know how a well-used room needs a fresh coat more often, though.
In eight years, I've painted my office twice. Once when we moved in (I couldn't live with that color and the striped accent wall more than a week...) and then again after our daughter's wedding. It's the smallest bedroom in the house, but it had gotten a lot of use as a school room, my office, and then a bedroom for someone who really needed an entire apartment to live in. :-)
Jan, the house looks fabulous! There's nothing like a fresh coat of paint to revive a room/house. Paint is the quickest way to transform any space. However, after the big reno of 2017, I don't plan on doing any painting or any other major household projects for a while. Call me crazy, but I think I'll stick to writing books for a while.
ReplyDeleteI don't blame you, Mindy! You did the whole shebang at once, and it turned out beautifully!
DeleteThis is only a three day project, and I can't wait to get back to my normal schedule. I can't imagine having it last most of the year.
Ooohhh -- I love the paint transformation -- and the Wynter photo bomb! She kinda complements the colour, doesn't she?
ReplyDeleteI wish I could paint my place but I rent and I'm not allowed. :-( I've been here over ten years so you can imagine the state of the walls. Sigh. They are neutral...not quite beige but a neutral colour and I am so not a neutral person! lol
I have this gorgeous desk that I want to paint. I found it at the side of the road years ago. It has curlyques and scallops and built in slatted bookshelves on either side. I want to paint it Mary Englebreitish but I got it just before my health took a dive and I haven't recovered enough fine motor abilities to make a go of it. Soon, though, I'm hoping.
The problem with rentals is that you can rarely get permission to paint...but at this point in my day, with our painting project done and clean-up looming, I'm thinking that might be a blessing! Oh well, the work will be done soon. :-)
DeleteI think you've just set a goal for yourself as your health continues to improve! You'll have to share a picture of that desk when you get it painted! (And notice that I said when, not if!)
I like the new color. When Peter and I get to that point in a project, we're usually asking ourselves why we didn't leave well enough alone! But we're also usually glad when it's all over. Our next project is to replace the flooring in the living room and kitchen. :)
ReplyDeleteJan, I love the color you chose! It's so pretty.
ReplyDelete