Dining Room Tweaks

I recently posted  about the command message center in my hallway. While I was working on that I did a few tweaks to the dining room.

Here is a picture of the dining room at Christmas

Here is the dining room now. Yep it's the same room, same paint color. What a difference a better camera and improved lighting will do! And yes the room REALLY is that small. The dining room is approximately 8 x10 ft.

Notice the mirror is low? Well I hung it for my height (which is Shorty Mcshort-short). The hubbs can only see his mid-section in this mirror, haha. Eventually  the curtains will be dyed to closely match those concealing my storage on the left. That is floor to ceiling storage my hubbs put in for me a few years back.  I keep towels on the dining chairs because they are white denim slipcovers. And I have a cat. And 2 dogs. I get tired of washing the slipcovers all the time so it is just easier to use beach towels.

My curtains are tied back using 6 inch grapevine wreaths. It was a quick fix and  frugal ($0.59 each). The curtains are a tad to long and puddle on the floor. They are white and I have animals, not a good combination. I needed them pulled back so Sam-Sam can get in the window without shredding them. Or the dogs trampling on them.

Here's the view as soon as you enter my house. The dining room is the first thing you see. Ok- maybe the second because chances are the dogs will be jumping on you. I like the Expedit bookcase because it gave the room a little more definition. Instead of feeling like a pass through (which it is really, the stairs are tucked back in the corner) it feels defined.

We still need to install new flooring (that's the 131 yrs old floor your looking at), new  baseboards and update the lighting.  Eventually  I hope to install custom made doors for the floor to ceiling closet on the left. For now it works. It feels warm and enveloped. We don't have any big or fancy spaces. Everything is fairly simple and indeed cozy.  What do you think?

So, tell me about your dining room or entry!

Shared on    Metamorphosis Monday 2/13/12

Shared on CHS#6 Thursdays 2/15/12

Shared on   2/19/2012

My girly guest room-Before and After

I should really say this is my room. I love to hang out in here and read. The room has 3 windows (1 normal size and 2 little windows). It has a North, West and South exposure.  This room wasn't always so welcoming. The  door was a bi-fold closet door, there was dark walnut paneling and drab, musty olive green carpet. Awesome.

I talked about my girly room in a previous post. (Still a work in progress.)
Before

After

Sam-Sam enjoys the view

New "Home Tweet Home" pillow. The coverlet is in The Broken Dishes pattern.

What's left on the list?
Spare Bedroom (aka The Girly Room) Checklist

[✓] carpet

[✓] repair walls
[✓] paint walls
[✓] prep window trim
[✓] prime window trim
[✓] paint window trim
[✓] prime baseboards
[] paint baseboards work in progress
[] install ceiling trim molding
[✓] install new window blinds
[✓] install window treatments
[] clean up antique bed frame
[✓] set up bed
[] amp up the charm with a faux fireplace--YES PLEASE! No room, wah, wah, wah
[] convert closet to entertainment nook  Apparently I need storage more-boo!
[] install new ceiling light fixture Still figuring this one out
[] decorate  work in progress
[✓] enjoy!

The room isn't complete, but I AM enjoying it (as is Chubbs, Tovah and especially Sam-Sam). It is light, bright, cozy and comfortable. Still a few tweaks and unfinished projects but waaaaaayyyyy better than before!

Everyone wants a little nook-y

You naughty little bloggies. Who would have ever guessed? Now get yer mind outta the gutter. Haha! I pulled you in with the title. Suckers. 

I have nook envy. Not Nook the e-reader. Nook as in the quirky little space found in most older homes. Wikipedia defines Nook as a corner or narrow recess (as in a room). A secluded or sheltered space. A retreat.  Um, yes please , I will take one of those.  My house is so small I barely have decent sized usable rooms, let alone a nook.

I am dreaming of a cozy breakfast nook. The kind with a built in banquette. With lots of windows. Bright, light and airy. 

myhomeideas.com

homestoriesatoz.com

 

http://www.kitchenbathideas.com

And a reading nook. Anyone can read in the living room or in the bedroom. But imagine saying to all your friends, "Please join me in the reading nook". Okay-Library would be better. But that sounds all hoity-toity. When in doubt pinky out! Besides how many farmhouses do you know that have a library? Hmmm, that's what I thought. Anyhoo, the reading nook should be comfortable, cozy and inviting. 

http://diyshowoff.com/our-farmhouse-tour

http://cozycottages.blogspot.com/2009/12/home-is-where-we-start-from-but-home-is.html

upstategal.wordpress.com

Maybe it is the winter blahs that makes me crave the light, bright airy breakfast nook. (or maybe I am just hungry and want breakfast).  Perhaps is is the frigid grasp of winter that makes want comfy cozy and to snuggle up with a book. And a cup of cocoa. And a cookie, brownie, scone! Yeah, I'm hungry. And cold. And sleepy.

Looking around my house, I can't have a breakfast nook but surely I can carve some space for a reading nook. I will keep you posted if I find anything. Meanwhile, I would love to hear from all my bloggy friends.  Do you have a favorite nook in your house?

Bedroom 1: Work in Progress

I have been working to update one of our bedrooms. When we first moved into the house there was paneling EVERYWHERE! The front bedroom was no exception. Dark walnut paneling, 40 year old drab royal blue carpet, and dingy ceiling tiles. This was designated my daughter's room. She tacked posters all over the ceilings and painted the walls what can only be described as egg yolk yellow. And so the room has remained untouched. Poorly painted paneling covering our degrading plaster walls, carpet so worn  the holes were patched with duct tape (I AM NOT KIDDING!) and  no storage space.

After my daughter moved out we moved our furniture in and lived with the dysfunctionf or about 2 years. FINALLY our new carpet was installed October 22 but I wasn't able to complete all the painting prior to the install. Since all the furniture was out the room it seem like a fine time to paint and reconfigure the space.

Before (West facing window)

 Before (North facing window)

Unfortunately, we just didn't have the budget to gut the bedroom to the studs. For now we will work with what we have. The loose paneling was re-adhered to the walls using  construction adhesive and finishing brads. All the big gouges were filled with wood putty, left to dry and sanded. The large seams/ gaps were caulked using a paintable silicone caulk.

The windows and trim were cleaned and thoroughly dried. The window trim was sanded using 120 grit sandpaper to take off the varnish and smooth out some of the roughness. This was wiped down to remove any grit and given the once over with a water based primer (Kilz 2). I allowed the primer to set up overnight before I applied the trim coat. I use Valspar Ultra  Kitchen and Bath Enamel White.

Walls painted, trim in progress (West window)

Since we couldn't afford to do much with the ceiling either, the hubbs picked out all of the staples left behind from our daughters' posters. (Haha glad he had that job and not me!) The gouges were filled  in with  light weight spackle and all the rough edges had a seam of paintable silicone caulk.

The ceiling was painted Valspar Oatlands Subtle Taupe (6005-1B). It is sort of a greige (grey + beige) color, depending on the light. Granted the room is small and low ceilings, so we could have gone with white but that is so boring...bland...expected. My [NEW] mantra is do the unexpected! The walls were painted a creamy buttermilk color.  It is a custom mix of leftover paint from the living room -2 parts Cozy Cottage (Behr 740C-3) and 1 part Oatstraw (Behr 740D-4).

Something unexpected but trendy!  The shades I have picked are not so trendy that I need to re-paint 6 months from now.  Here are my inspiration rooms. 

~*Inspiration Rooms*~

Courtesy of http://adiaryoflovely.blogspot.com

 Courtesy vi.sualize.us

courtesy Country Living

There are 3 windows in the room so we have a North, South and West exposure. Our bed was placed  in front of the West exposure window which I hated because I didn't have access to the largest window and all the light was blocked. Unfortunately there just isn't one wall that suitably fits our queen bed due to the weird little windows (we call them the cat windows). After much consideration this room will be returned to spare room because our furniture just doesn't fit this space. Since we just finished the upstairs bathroom it make sense to have the Master bedroom adjacent  the master bath. 

Now what to do with this space?  hmmmm....

Spare Bedroom (aka The Girly Room) Checklist

[✓] carpet

[✓] repair walls
[✓] paint walls
[✓] prep window trim
[✓] prime window trim
[] paint window trim
[] prime baseboards
[] paint baseboards
[] install ceiling trim molding
[] install new window blinds
[] install window treatments
[] clean up antique bed frame
[] set up bed
[] amp up the charm with a faux fireplace--YES PLEASE!
[] convert closet to entertainment nook
[] install new ceiling light fixture
[] decorate
[] enjoy!

So as you can see my To Do list is extensive but I will keep you apprised of my progress.
 SIIIIIGGGGHHH, a woman's work is never done....

Falling in and out of love

Do you remember when you fell in love? Because you found...THE ONE! You could barely contain your excitement. The object of your affection was always on your mind and it was the topic of every conversation. After some time passes and careful consideration you throw caution to the wind. You jump in and make a commitment. A long term commitment. A life altering commitment.

You change how you go about your day. Long gone are the carefree days and nights as an non-committed person. You feel you crossed the threshold into adulthood and have responsibilities. So MANY responsibilities. Your friends who have not yet taken the plunge harass you in a good-natured manner, when you beg off of a night of fun and frivolity.

You continue to work and strive for all your dreams, because after all...this is the ONE! After some time there is a sense of  familiarity. While not as exciting as in the beginning,  you are glad it is comfortable. You feel a little more relaxed and settle in for next phase. You tackle all the things life throws at you..setbacks, emergencies, and additions. You spend the next few years living life, growing and changing.

Then one day it happens. All the things that your were once enamored with are now minor annoyances. Quirky and charming have been replaced with ambivalence. Day after day the feelings of unhappiness  grow until you ...cannot possibly live like this ONE MORE DAY! You decide that it may be time to say good-bye.  You wonder could I have done something different? How could something that seemed so perfect now seem so wrong? You understand that people and interests change. You think about friends and family and how they have have been committed for so long. You hear from well meaning elders,  "This generation is never happy. Always wanting bigger and better. Why can't you stay and make it work?"  You just want something... different.  So when did it happen? When did you fall out of love...with your house?

HA!! Fooled you! I bet you thought I was talking about a relationship. Well, I suppose in a matter I was. You do have a relationship of sorts  with your house. Your home. You put your heart and soul into picking colors, making changes to suit you, and  to make it comfortable and inviting. Sometimes it is a forever home. Sometimes it is not.  Even though it may be time to say good bye doesn't mean it was all bad.  You will take with you memories, photographs and anecdotes to tell during social gatherings. You will take with you things you did wrong and right.

Maybe you don't love your house right now. Maybe you can love it again. Maybe not. Regardless if  you are on your first home or your forever home, just  make it yours. Don't base your choices on what society dictates. Your house--your HOME--is a reflection of  YOU. Let your personality shine through. Whatever you love will show and that's what makes design work. It isn't always about pattern, texture and color. It is about the mood-- the feeling it exudes. Be your house big, small, new or old--may it always be filled with love and coziness.

"A house is made of walls and beams; a home is built with love and dreams." unknown

Home Sweet Home

Cute ideal!  Using Ceramic tiles for house number placard.

I suppose I should offer up a little more information about my house. As you know my house was built in 1881. The architecture is pretty much none existent at this time due to a remodel remuddle in the 1960's by the former long term owner.  Here's a bit of history on the house...

The prior owners lived in this house for 51 years. When we purchased our home in 2000 we were the first "outsiders" to live in this home for 85 years. Prior to that the home was strictly generational. When the house was originally constructed the home was 1 of 3 tenant farmers residence, all which belonged to the gentleman farmer (whose very large Queen Anne Victorian, which sits atop a hill overlooking my property). The original owner actually owned over 2000 acres.  Can you imagine?

The three tenant farm homes were very modest in construction--clapboard siding and wood shingled roofs. The original layout consisted of pseudo great room and a loft. The great room was divided  by fireplace into a modest kitchen (of sorts) and a sitting parlor.  The loft was accessed by a ladder.

There was a a common cookhouse used by the tenant families in the summertime. A summer cookhouse was used for multiple reasons. 1) It could serve great number of people at once 2) Due to the elevated temperatures in the summer and 3) The biggest concern was fire since the houses are of timber construction. I am told there was an outhouse but I am still not sure where on the property it was located.

Indoor plumbing and electric was installed some time 1910-1920. I still have tube and knob wiring for 3 rooms of my house (which scares the bejeezus outta me!) but we haven't been able to (afford) rewire the house yet. We are hoping next year! Our housed passed inspection when we purchased it. The electrician said the wiring is still tightly wrapped and doesn't show any signs of oxidation--which is good. It apparently was a quality job.

Street side view

Over the years the rooms were divided and rooms added on. The former lean-to porch is now the kitchen. A partial second story was added in the 1950's, which resulted in a bathroom and bedroom addition. A carport and garage were constructed in the 1970's.  The well was slabbed over and a block shed was installed over the slab in the 1940's-1950's. The patio which is located between the back of the house and front of the garage sits  over what was once the cistern.

We have a dungeon cellar and stone foundation.  This was HAND dug by the prior owner in the 1950's and all of the dirt and debris was carried up in buckets via a ladder  because no stairs were installed.  He then poured his own concrete slabs by mixing in a wheelbarrow and transferred via buckets to the cellar.  Such amazing stories!

The largest of the rooms is no more than 12x12 and the smallest  is the spare room closet (aka my craft room) which measures a diminutive 3 x 6 feet. When our daughter was living at home that bedroom was the master which means that was the master closet AND the only true closet in the entire house! We had to shimmy in sideways because it was a "walk-in". Good times, not!

The final dimensions are Living Room (12x12), Dining Room (8x10), kitchen (12X10), 1st floor 1/2 bath (4X6), laundry room (5x6),  up 10 stairs for the 2nd floor which consists of  the Master bedroom (12x12), dressing room  (6x14),  full bathroom (6x7) and the L shaped spare bedroom room (10x13, 8x6). If you count all of my hallways and unusual nooks, I have a grand total of ~ 985 square feet of living space!  Rather small by today's standards.

Former side porch is now the main entrance.

Our house has standing seam metal roof -with the exception of the "addition" and that has normal shingles. Most metal roofs (if maintained) will last upwards of 100 years! Based on inspection we were informed ours is now pushing 90-95 yrs.  An interesting fact--visible in the attic is the ORIGINAL wood shingles under the metal roof. Pretty cool, huh?

My house actually has 4 doors. This picture was once used as a side porch but  is now our main entrance.  We have a 2nd door from our kitchen to the carport, the 3rd is located smack dab in the middle of my living room facing street-side-(we don't use it and have plans to convert it a window) and the 4th and final door is located at the bottom of my stairs from the carport. That is weird because it appears to float several feet from the ground. Unfortunately if you want to get any furniture to the second story that is the only way to move stuff upstairs.

And speaking of stairs, while mine aren't so creaky since they are relatively new (installed in the 1950's) since the addition was put on. They are incredibly steep and narrow! More than 1 person has in this house has rode the stairs on their bum. OUCH!

View of the garage and house from back field.

The original clapboard has long been covered with aluminum siding. You can hear it contract and expand as the weather changes (it makes a popping noise). We don't have any plans yet to remove it, however we have located several contractors who will paint it.

As for the property, we have about 0.65 acre. The lot is narrow (~65 ft.) but long (365 ft).  Can you say football field?  It is great for running my dogs though! We have a creek that runs the back edge of our property which is great until the torrential rains happen. It changes from a sleepy trickle to a roaring river. It is especially scary when it floods, although (knock on wood) my house hasn't flooded in over a hundred years.

Well that is pretty much all I can tell you on the history of the house. With one exception. When were house hunting I saw the pictures of this house (and they looked horrible), so I refused to come look at it. The realtor showed us 12 other houses which had great pictures--but were horrible in reality. Finally in desperation we agreed to come view this house.

Immediately upon pulling in the driveway, I was struck by the resemblance to my Nanny and Pawpaw's house. Yup it was sooooo totally a grandma and grandpa house. We walked in and it felt warm and inviting (just like someone had hugged you). Never mind the dated ugly stuff--it just felt right. The hubbs and I grinned at each other. This was the ONE! It was home.

That is the great thing about older homes. They have a soul. So many people have passed though those doors. Loved and lived their lives. You can not but feel that energy! So despite all of the quirks and inconveniences of this old house- and that it is a bit dated and worn- we are very happy with our home.

"Home, the spot of earth supremely blest, A dearer, sweeter spot than all the rest"  Robert Montgomery