Patience is a virtue, that's for sure. We live in an 1823 farmhouse (since 1981) and the last time our living room and library were painted it was 24 year ago! The plaster was cracking and there were chips in the paint here and there.
1. First we had to move the furniture (started in the living room) away from the walls and took down all the artwork so Gary could fill the cracks. All the rugs were dragged upstairs and I put all kinds of little stuff in that wicker trunk.
2. Then he primed the walls and all the woodwork. Of course the windows were a pain.
3. After that, two coats of paint on the walls, woodwork and ceiling. We chose to paint all of it the same color.
4. Next came the library...what a disaster! We had hundreds of books and ended up giving away 10 boxes. Took FOREVER to decide what to keep.
Same procedure....
The living room was painted, but still a mess as we had to move furniture back there.
(Yes, I love plants-the hibiscus must have loved the light as it had several new blossoms during this transition)
This was my side of the room and I had all kinds of stuff to get organized. So, I went down to Big Lots and got a bunch of boxes. Now everything is hidden.
It took us hours to organize the books...poetry, gardening, local history, big books, fiction, and more. BUT, now we know exactly what we have, so it was worth it.
(Sharon Creech has her own section)
5. All done! Gary painted almost every single day for 2 1/2 weeks. Same old furniture, fewer books and not so many paintings on the walls...it seems like a different house. There is something to be said for light walls...I feel like I am in a loft.
It's so nice not to have everything all topsy-turvy.
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The lighter walls are super, and after weeks of chaos, lovely to look at, know where those books are, and to relax for the last part of winter. All praise to Gary for sticking to a 7 day working week, and to you for putting up with mess, cartons, and skating rinks on the way to the barn. Cheers from Jean
ReplyDeleteAll the inconvenience was worth it in the end. Everything looks light and airy. Enjoy it and relax with a good book.
ReplyDeleteWOW, that looks great! Very light and airy. It's amazing what a little (or alot) of paint will do.
ReplyDeleteOur walls were similar to the color of yours when we moved in our house and everything got a coat of Oyster Shell white. Very refreshing :) Now, I'm thinking of maybe putting up some wallpaper. Whatever happened to wallpaper amyway? Nobody uses it much anymore.
Did you watch HGTV?
ReplyDeleteLily
Not asking you guys to paint, but would you takle the organizing of my den bookcase?
ReplyDeleteEverything clumped together--- A-Z.