Truthfully I don't know how I could have lived in this house with the condition of my former door frames and baseboards. I do remember a small meltdown about them 6 years ago and one of my friends told me wisely, "you have plenty of time to address them later". I guess we now know "later" is 6 years. It's amazing what I can choose to ignore when given the opportunity. 😎😎
One of the other major walls is a stationary ugly window. If I was rich instead of so good looking, I'd have that window replaced in a heartbeat.
The window sill has water damage so it's on the short list for repair this week. I think I can handle it.
I originally thought about having it replaced but Brent reminded me of the door fiasco & suggested I work with what I have already. At least we know it fits. Who knows if the window is square?
My dog destroyed the bottom half of the blinds (aargh!) & I usually have raw edge drapes hanging. I washed them yesterday.
There's a small wall to one side of the large entrance (it's the tiny foyer for the front door). That cabinet is basically empty. I'm contemplating moving it to another bedroom so I can use it for storage and display which surprisingly is its purpose. That would open the wall space for my butterfly florals. I'm imagining a short table there so I can have a shelf for a few folded quilts and some knick knacks.
Maybe about 19 years ago a man I was dating gifted me the framed poster. It's a fabulous piece and a family favorite. It's also big. I have traditional ceiling heights (except in my studio which is the original living room) so there aren't many places where it can hang. It's either here or the space where the cabinet is currently standing.
I think at one time I thought of moving her and Laura commented how much she loved looking at her from the kitchen table. She had a good point. I love seeing her too. So I think she is staying there.
I'm trying to resist the temptation to add other pictures with her.
Ideas to contemplate:
1. I think I am finished enjoying the blue/periwinkle paint. It's been on the walls about 18 years. Now would be the time to change the color.
2. I have a very nice silver tone rod hanging my drapes. I could move it to the one main wall I have for a larger wall hanging/tapestry.
3. If I move the rod, I could leave the windows bare or I could sew some minimal looking roman shades. Roman shades are my go to window treatment. They are easy to sew, affordable and surprisingly wonderful. Having the shades would "clean up" the look of that wall. It would possibly give me a bit of wall space to hang another picture.
4. No way would I have a wall and a window wall both with hanging pieces. So I need to decide which one gets the rod.
Last year I worked on this huge piece of raw edge yardage with the thought of using it to reupholster a Goodwill chair. I haven't done it yet and I think the chair needs new padding, etc. so I'm not keen to jump on that project just now. I'm quickly moving into the "let's get this stuff out of here" attitude rather than "let's redo everything" attitude. Funny how that happens when you launch into a big project.
But!
The idea of further embellishing this piece as a tapestry for my sitting room wall appeals to me very much. It has enough bright colors & a shabby chic look that I like. I can envision connecting a bunch of memorabilia type things to its surface.
The AC is on hold this week. I'm hopeful the rat will be found dead floating in my neighbor's pool. He suggested coming over and just shooting it but I didn't want to take that opportunity for something to go wrong.
There's a tropical disturbance due in soon. Hopefully it only brings enough rain to get us back on a cooler track and saves my tender garden.
That's where I am now! If you've followed along, thank you. It's hard to imagine if you are not directly involved in a project.
I have come to grips with the fact this is an older house and the original construction was not super top notch to begin with; so, I have some little blemishes I'm overlooking. If not, I could spend all summer just working on the short hallway. I'm not about to sand down walls & I gave the door frames & baseboards a cursory sanding at best.
While I have been painting I have also been thinking about my front sitting room. It was designed as the house's dining room but it's never been used for a dining room. I have a large enough kitchen eating area that I've never needed it for dining.
Currently I try to use it for a sitting room. It's a nice spot away from the massive clutter of my studio which is on the other side of the wall.
As a sitting room it has some design challenges. Occasionally I feel like I've made progress with them (or have learned to ignore them) and other times I am searching for a magic wand.
I've started to dismantle it a little. But before I go full force, I decided to post some pictures. The room is roughly 10 x 12 feet.
This is the view from the front hallway. Straight in is the main wall. I currently have one of my raw edge pieces hanging there flanked by machine embroidered butterfly florals I stitched.
I'd like to somehow keep the butterfly florals (I have 8 in the set) for the sitting room. I can move the wall hanging to the other hall or a bedroom. (And I could do that with the butterfly florals too.)
One of the other major walls is a stationary ugly window. If I was rich instead of so good looking, I'd have that window replaced in a heartbeat.
The window sill has water damage so it's on the short list for repair this week. I think I can handle it.
I originally thought about having it replaced but Brent reminded me of the door fiasco & suggested I work with what I have already. At least we know it fits. Who knows if the window is square?
My dog destroyed the bottom half of the blinds (aargh!) & I usually have raw edge drapes hanging. I washed them yesterday.
There's a small wall to one side of the large entrance (it's the tiny foyer for the front door). That cabinet is basically empty. I'm contemplating moving it to another bedroom so I can use it for storage and display which surprisingly is its purpose. That would open the wall space for my butterfly florals. I'm imagining a short table there so I can have a shelf for a few folded quilts and some knick knacks.
At one point Brent & Laura installed mirrors on the other large wall because they were using the room for a belly dance studio. I've considered removing them but others have suggested they do give the room some light and depth. At this point, I'll just leave them.
The big disadvantage is the lack of wall space on the far side of the entrance. In a perfect world I could put a couch there and look into the courtyard. Clearly this is not a perfect world. I don't want the end of a couch clogging the entrance.
Maybe about 19 years ago a man I was dating gifted me the framed poster. It's a fabulous piece and a family favorite. It's also big. I have traditional ceiling heights (except in my studio which is the original living room) so there aren't many places where it can hang. It's either here or the space where the cabinet is currently standing.
I think at one time I thought of moving her and Laura commented how much she loved looking at her from the kitchen table. She had a good point. I love seeing her too. So I think she is staying there.
I'm trying to resist the temptation to add other pictures with her.
Ideas to contemplate:
1. I think I am finished enjoying the blue/periwinkle paint. It's been on the walls about 18 years. Now would be the time to change the color.
2. I have a very nice silver tone rod hanging my drapes. I could move it to the one main wall I have for a larger wall hanging/tapestry.
3. If I move the rod, I could leave the windows bare or I could sew some minimal looking roman shades. Roman shades are my go to window treatment. They are easy to sew, affordable and surprisingly wonderful. Having the shades would "clean up" the look of that wall. It would possibly give me a bit of wall space to hang another picture.
4. No way would I have a wall and a window wall both with hanging pieces. So I need to decide which one gets the rod.
Last year I worked on this huge piece of raw edge yardage with the thought of using it to reupholster a Goodwill chair. I haven't done it yet and I think the chair needs new padding, etc. so I'm not keen to jump on that project just now. I'm quickly moving into the "let's get this stuff out of here" attitude rather than "let's redo everything" attitude. Funny how that happens when you launch into a big project.
But!
The idea of further embellishing this piece as a tapestry for my sitting room wall appeals to me very much. It has enough bright colors & a shabby chic look that I like. I can envision connecting a bunch of memorabilia type things to its surface.
The AC is on hold this week. I'm hopeful the rat will be found dead floating in my neighbor's pool. He suggested coming over and just shooting it but I didn't want to take that opportunity for something to go wrong.
There's a tropical disturbance due in soon. Hopefully it only brings enough rain to get us back on a cooler track and saves my tender garden.
That's where I am now! If you've followed along, thank you. It's hard to imagine if you are not directly involved in a project.
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I like your idea of moving the cabinet elsewhere and I would definitely keep the large poster where it is. I love the blue color but I can how you would be tired of it after 18 years. I may have mentioned this before, but a friend had an apartment that had a huge mirror like yours in the dining room. It did add more light and he did not have the option of removing it. So he did lace curtains on the sides with a matching valance. It made it look like a window. And for the window, it looks like metal, but I've painted metal frames before, just be careful not to get it in the grooves if yours opens. It makes a world of difference, at least until you want to tackle replacing it. Love the butterflies and the raw edge piece, I'm sure you'll work out where they want to live. Love your new idea of the patchwork piece too. Maybe instead of a couch you could do a loveseat or a 1 1/2 chair?
ReplyDeletelooking good.
ReplyDeletePainting would not be high on my list because from here, it still looks nice. I’d move the cabinet and hang more of the embroideries. I like the idea of simple Roman shades in the room. If you can use the existing rod as a space for a rotation of existing pieces, that would be a way to use the display space. I’m not sure I’d make a new piece for decor purposes. (I think I’m feeling unmotivated today.)
ReplyDeleteYou certainly have lots of options. I think the window would be great without the blind, but keeping your curtains, so you could close it off if you want to. It looks out on a nice little garden spot, and you can add to that for a pretty view. Why not put the sofa (or a love seat might be perfect - depending on money available and what the thrift store has) on the wall that looks out there? I like the idea of moving that cabinet where it can be useful and hanging your pictures there.
ReplyDelete