January 3, 2008
what have I been doing? oh, not much
When Wade and I were getting ready to sell our last house, we knocked ourselves out doing various home improvement and repair things. Okay, we hired contractors to do most of it, but we DID do a few things ourselves. Like paint the damn bathroom.
And then we punched ourselves in the head because after seven years of living in that house, it looked the very best in the two weeks before we sold it. And because things like painting are SO EASY and make such a HUGE DIFFERENCE.
When we bought this house, we swore a solemn oath that we would NOT shirk our homeownery responsibilities, and that we would paint! and decorate! and improve! and not wait until we were ready to sell to do it. But then we got all bogged down by paint colors and fabric samples and dining room chairs that cost more than private school tuition, and we kind of gave up.
Over the Christmas holidays, we got inspired, and we painted the downstairs. In THREE DAYS. Yeah, baby.
I did most of the painting, while Wade did all of the child minding. I still think I got the better end of that deal, really.
Remember what the foyer used to look like? Now it looks like this! But only that one wall, because that’s a LOT of orange (or “carnelian,” if you will).
Now we need a table or something to go in front of the nice wall. But mostly we’re just happy it’s not white any more.
The dining room is a happy yellow (”dahlia”) that makes me smile every time I walk past it. Which is every ten minutes all day long.
I want to put a cozy chair in this corner with a wee little table, just big enough for a cup of tea. And I will sit there all day long and revel in my bright dining room.
This is the view from the dining room into the foyer. Clearly, we’re not color shy. The family room is that nice paper-bag brown color, which we LOVE.
The most startling change is where we painted around the bottom of the breakfast bar. Suddenly the white tile doesn’t look quite so institutional, and the creamy carpet looks more beige and less plain vanilla.
Although now the kids are mad because they have been banned from sitting there and banging their feet against the new paint.
I am completely in love with our house again. I am also a little bit obsessed with painting, and have planned out how we are going to paint EVERY SQUARE INCH of remaining wall space in the next month. This weekend, we’re going to tackle the stairwell and the laundry room, and then the master bedroom and the upstairs hall, and then the kids rooms, and then …
Posted by Susan @ 10:37 am • home sweet home
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January 3rd, 2008 at 10:51 am, Liz Says:
Yippeee!! I LOVE to paint — it makes a world of a difference at a low cost. I can’t wait to see what else you all come up with.
I love the foyer color — so happy!
January 3rd, 2008 at 10:54 am, whoorl Says:
I LOVE the yellow!!
January 3rd, 2008 at 11:01 am, Heather B. Says:
The hell? I was just in that living room! It looks amazing.
…and then the GUEST ROOM. I like bright colors. Just in case you were wondering.
January 3rd, 2008 at 11:09 am, Catherine Says:
yay you! I love color too. My kids’ rooms are purple & orange and aqua & turquoise. I was so happy after painting A’s room. It was a white wall hell and the color turned it into a little girl’s room. I would tell you our other colors, but we’ve not painted anything else … YET!
January 3rd, 2008 at 11:16 am, BethanyWD Says:
Love the colors you have chosen! My dad always said that the cheapest home improvement was to paint, and as much as I am annoyed to say this: he is right.
January 3rd, 2008 at 11:20 am, All Adither Says:
I like color too. Though, unlike my husband, I have nothing against a well-placed white wall.
January 3rd, 2008 at 11:36 am, kat Says:
wow that is impressive - no wonder you have been mia! i love the dahlia too!
January 3rd, 2008 at 12:00 pm, arduous Says:
It looks beautiful. I agree that painting makes all the difference in the world. I rent, but even so, I always paint because nothing makes a rented apartment feel homey like painting.
And the colors you picked were absolutely lovely.
January 3rd, 2008 at 12:34 pm, daysgoby Says:
I love how the sunlight comes into your dining room. What a happy house, Susan!
January 3rd, 2008 at 12:35 pm, Erin Says:
Love the colors so much! We are in the process of putting our house on the market right now, and it definitely looks better than it has ever looked. We are home owner slackers. As we house-hunt, I am taking notes on paint colors and such in preparation for re-painting over any white walls.
January 3rd, 2008 at 12:36 pm, Mandy Says:
Oh, you are my inspiration. We’ve been planning to put color on our condo walls for two years and we haven’t. We got a bunch of gift cards for Christmas from our parents so that we have no excuse to not do it. But we’re L A Z Y. But after looking at your photos I’m thinking of going to buy paint tonight. Weeee!
January 3rd, 2008 at 12:36 pm, aimee Says:
LOVE your colors! We have very bright colors in almost all our rooms. After living in white apartments for years we went painting crazy the first week we moved in. Our dining room is yellow, too, and it makes me so happy!
January 3rd, 2008 at 1:02 pm, Stephanie Says:
Very pretty! Well done you!
January 3rd, 2008 at 1:05 pm, Kendra Says:
Paint is next for the bathroom. I’ve already: stripped and stained and sealed the cabinet, replaced the counter top with granite, installed a new faucet, removed ugly old medicine cabinet. Change and color if FUN!
Yours looks great-can I see the rest for inspiration for the rest of my house?
January 3rd, 2008 at 1:07 pm, Susan Says:
Kendra, I bow to you. THAT is impressive!
I draw the line at painting. The rest of the work is too much for me.
January 3rd, 2008 at 1:21 pm, ollka Says:
This is SO COOL! I love painted walls, most people in Lithuania use wallpaper, but paint - it’s so much more fun! You did such a great job:)
(Goes over to parents’ room to ask if they want to paint some walls)
January 3rd, 2008 at 3:13 pm, Angella Says:
I love the feel of the after…it’s the getting there that is the hard part.
Well done! It looks amazing!
January 3rd, 2008 at 4:10 pm, Sarah Says:
I’m glad we aren’t the only people in the world with a bright yellow room! And our dining room is bright blue. People say we must be Pacer’s fans, since we live in Indianapolis. Not so much. We just like bright colors!
January 3rd, 2008 at 4:55 pm, Rebecca Says:
And then next weekend you’re coming here to my house to start painting it?? Right?? Please???
January 3rd, 2008 at 5:52 pm, jm Says:
Wow! Those colors look PHENOMENAL! I am most impressed! And yeah. I’m more into the painting than child minding, I’ll admit. ‘Cause I can drink beer while painting.
Looking awesome. Next time, tell me. I’ll come down and lend a hand!
January 3rd, 2008 at 5:52 pm, jm Says:
Oh, and color names please! For the record, you know.
January 3rd, 2008 at 5:54 pm, Susan Says:
The paint is all from the Eddie Bauer Home colletcion at Lowe’s; the dining room is Dahlia, the foyer is Carnelian, and the rest of the downstairs is Winter Wheat.
January 3rd, 2008 at 8:14 pm, Daisy Says:
I’m a little afraid of choosing colors. My husband and daughter do it better, so I trust their choices. They seem to do it right every time.
January 4th, 2008 at 11:30 am, Friday Playdate » if no one winds up in the hospital, I will consider it a success Says:
[…] « Previous Main […]
January 4th, 2008 at 1:30 pm, STL Mom Says:
We’re selling our house soon and the realtor said we should get the fireplace working, preferably with a gas log. So now I’m wondering why it wasn’t worth it to spend $700 for us to enjoy the fireplace, when I am now prepared to spend that for someone else to enjoy the fireplace? Hmm…
I vow that my next house will be made lovely and functional within one year!
January 6th, 2008 at 5:26 pm, She Likes Purple Says:
I love each and every color.