The Reveal

I didn't really mean to leave y'all hanging on seeing the before and after pictures of Watson's house.  I just kind of ran out of space and time :)

I left Sunday morning.  Since I was travelling I, of course, had to have some sustenance and Hardee's was on the way.

With sausage biscuit and Diet Coke in hand, off I went.

I arrived in Farmville around noon.  We unloaded, planned and figured then all of the sudden it was 1:30!  So off we went to Lowe's.

By the time we got home and got started, it was already 3:30 - at this point, I could tell we weren't going to get everything finished that we wanted to, but I knew we could come pretty close. So, we painted and straightened until 10:30 that night! After that, we finally put our feet up and ate a delicious steak  salad that Watson made, then crashed at midnight.  The things you do for your children---I'm usually snoring by 10!  

First, the before pictures.  Now remember, Watson is 27 and lives in this little house by himself.  There is no one else to help or blame for the state of affairs.  I want everyone to know that I really did try to teach him (and his sister) to keep things picked up, but alas, it didn't stick.  Now, in reality, the apples probably didn't fall far from the tree.

Anyway, first up.  The living area.  It's one room with a fireplace, 4 windows, 3 door openings and a laundry closet.  

That's a world map held up (not so much)with duct tape. There is NO overhead lighting anywhere, so lamps are a must.  Before, he only had two - one of them being a cheapy floor lamp from goodness knows where.  The wing chair is from our house and the nice leather sofa came from the shop.
Nice color on the walls, but all the red sort of made you feel like you were in a cave.

Here's the after--kind of.

The new color is around the fireplace.  That's the highest I could reach with the roller on Monday after Watson went to work.  I REALLY wanted to get that map down and put up art so he could see where we were going.  I brought the tortoise candle jar, the dog and the lawn ball from home.  The lawn ball has his initial on it.  I found it in London---it was his present I brought home.  At the age of 13, he wasn't too impressed, but now I think he appreciates it.

We pushed the sofa back to give more space in the room.  (The front door is behind the sofa, but no one ever uses it, so access wasn't important.) It faces the TV (of course).  The pie safe is now in the left corner and can hold extra clothes, CD's, whatever.  

Here's a better photo.  The wing chair and a Hitchcock style chair are on either end of the sofa.  The rug is on loan from a friend until we get what we want.  The trunk is the coffee table until we find one.  There is now a nice floor lamp on the wing chair end of the sofa, and a lamp on the bookcase on right and a lamp on pie safe on the left.  With all the new lighting and the change in wall color, it should feel much lighter now.  We're going to get a matching floor lamp for other end of sofa.

Next blog---the bedroom and the bathroom. Stay tuned because my before and after pictures are much better for those!

Patience grasshopper!  

The Story of Mrs. X

We thought we would kick off our blog, dear reader, with a story of how a little paint, 2 pairs of hands, and some determination can really transform a space.  We are going to tell you the story of Mrs. X.

Mrs. X works hard and plays hard, but had been ignoring the sad state of deterioration going on right under her nose.  She lives in an old house (94 years to be exact) and had an epiphany about the state of her guest room on a rainy night not too long ago.

In her day job, Mrs. X, helps people make their homes look wonderful, yet in her own living space things were getting pretty blah.  The room was always piled with junk treasures and a random collection of furniture and accessories and nothing to tie them together.

 

 Mrs. X got into the habit of just closing the door to this room and saying she would worry about it later.  It wasn't until she repainted her old vanity to put into her room that she really looked at the sad state of affairs. Something had to be done.

We always like to say that a fresh coat of paint is like a truckload of mulch, it covers a multitude of sins.  So armed with her trusty and talented sidekick, Mrs. X headed off to get paint for the ceiling, walls and trim.  Standing in front of all those 2 x 2 inches of color choices can be a daunting task! Luckily, Mrs. X's trusted sidekick happens to be an interior decorator extraordinaire.

Trusty sidekick - oh, let's call her "Karan."  Anyway, "Karan" gave the advice that she gives all of her clients when picking out paint colors Go with your gut.  You can be bold with color and still have a great looking room. Take your paint chips outside and look at them.  Unless your house is installed with florescent lights, your color choice is going to look different outside in the sunlight or regular home lighting than it will in the store. 

Armed with their supplies, the ladies got to work prepping the walls, trim and baseboards.

Who knew Kate Spade made safety glasses? 

Mrs. X and Karan spent 2 days painting, cleaning and re-decorating the room. Their results were excellent, the room was in desperate need of freshing up.  The trim and doors all got a fresh coat of Benjamin Moore's - White Dove. 

Hopefully you can tell that the door frame on the left and top has been painted!  A rather dramatic before and after if you ask us.

 After everything was painted and placed, the ladies re-arranged the bookshelves, made the bed, and set the vanity.

Mrs. X couldn't have been happier with her tidy, relaxed guest room. It was still filled with the items and colors she loved, but the room was now purposeful and polished.The paint had not dried before she began contemplating who she could get to be the inaugural guests to stay in the newly revamped room.

Mrs. X says there are a few finishing touches that she's planning on adding and she promises to keep us posted!