Slap a Coat of Paint on it...We're Done!

We are happy to announce that the painting party is officially O.V.E.R.  Thank goodness because after 3 weeks of not being able to have a normal life in our house, it was time.  And even though the "during" phase was brutal, the "after" is so amazing that it was worth all the pain and suffering.

We have shared the progress shots here so we don't need to go over that mess again.  Here is a first time look at the new space complete with freshly painted walls, a new bannister, and some new light fixtures.

KITCHEN

LEVEL 1 HALLS

NEW BANNISTER

 LEVEL 2 HALLS AND LIGHTS

 LIVING ROOM

The house is about 92% back together and we couldn't be more pleased.  Items left to do on the list include hanging the new curtain rod and curtain above the door in the kitchen, creating a frame gallery above the couch and possibly along the stairs and sourcing a new kitchen table - preferably a weathered, farmhouse slabbed one.

And because it is fun, we wanted to show some side-by-side before and after photos so you can really see the true transformation.

Here is the front foyer. BIG changes here with the new and improved light fixture and updated bannister.

This shot of the hall shows that we switched out the ugly "boob" light fixture for a recessed beauty.  The change is a definite improvement!

The kitchen saw some major improvements not with just paint, but with updated lighting.  We can't tell you how much we love, love, LOVE the drum shade pendant over the table.  And the new pendants over the island really make the room that much brighter.

The living room is still a work in progress, but so far so good.  The new rug is awesome and actually helps make the room look bigger (at least we think so!).  We plan to hang a frame gallery over the couch once we nail down which pictures to frame.

The hallway on the second level also got some new lighting. We removed the "not our taste" chandelier in the stairwell and replaced it with an industrial beauty.  Ed is very pleased as it was his pick. :)  We also replaced another "boob" light with a recessed can.

Despite being displaced for close to 3 weeks and despite the mess that re-painting your house creates, we are so happy we did it.  The house looks fresh and clean and really reflects our style rather than that of the previous home owners.  We did this project in lieu of the basement which we still need to save more pennies for, but we both agree it was the way to go.  We hope you like it as much as we do!

The Goodies

We are entering the home stretch of the painting project and let me tell you, it could not come any sooner!  This has been a long haul - 3 weeks to be exact.  It has not been easy to have a house in complete disarray with a 15 month old, but we made it through the hard part and can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. 

Before we show you some "after" photos, we thought it would be fun to share with you some of the new goodies we will be showcasing now that the walls are refreshed.  First off - the paint.  We have a bit of an open floor plan in our townhouse so we needed to choose colors that complimented each other.  The kitchen/downstairs hall/upstairs hall are one color and the living room is another.  After lots and lots and lots of deliberation, here is where we ended up:

Kitchen/Halls - Revere Pewter | Living Room - Stonington Gray

 

They are very similar (especially on the computer screen!), but in person, there is a nice difference ~ especially in different lights.  

 

When you paint, it makes a room feel like it is brand new so we embraced the new feeling and decided to add some new decorating elements into the mix.  The first is a new pop of color in the living room.  I'm a big fan of a gray/yellow combo so when I saw this rug on the Garnet Hill website, I knew it had to come live with us.

 

 

We rolled it out last night and it looks amazing.  We decided to go a little bigger than our last rug and I'm glad we did because it truly makes the living room look cozier.

 

Some other new additions are on the ceiling in the form of light fixtures.  We moved into a house that had lots and lots of light fixtures.  All of which were not our taste.  We replaced a few with recessed lighting and purchsed these beauties for various locations.

 

 

We like to think of the styling as contemporary with a twist with the twist being that guy in the lower right hand corner.  We decided to go with an industrial feel in the stairwell to jazz it up a bit. 

 

Playing off that industrial feel, we updated the curtain rod in the kitchen to this puppy in the brushed nickel.  We really liked the way the industrial looked against the modern so we went with it.

 

 

 

There are still a few more things on the list to acquire like new lamps for the living room, new curtains for the kitchen and some new throw pillows, but all in all, we are in good shape.  It's really starting to come together and we just can't wait to see the finished product!

 

Disarray!!!

That is the word that would describe our house right now.  The official painting party has begun and boy has it gotten messy around here. And I fear it will get worse before it gets better.  But that is okay because when it gets better, it is going to be AWESOME!

Our trusted painter came by yesterday and started prepping the ceilings and walls making significant progress as he spackled and caulked his little heart out.  Things are very polka-dotted around here, but I hear that it is a fashion trend for Spring, so we are good with it.

Oh and that hole in the wall with the cord hanging out...that was where the security system panel that we did not use lived.  We are VERY happy to be rid of it since it was completely non-functional and quite the eye sore.

Today Jerry the Painter was back and put our sample paint on the wall so we can be confused choose our colors.  Because we have an open floor plan, we are doing the kitchen/halls/stairwell in one color and the living room in another.  They need to complement each other since things are quite open around here.  This is view of the space from our couch (and an obvious old pic since James' Jumperoo has been in storage for quite a while now).

We know we want a gray for the halls.  And not a blue gray.  A gray gray.  Here are our options:

All these wall samples have done is prove that we are more confused than EVER!!  It's hard to tell on the computer screen, but the top 3 colors in each picture are more blue gray. The bottom 3 are more gray gray in person.

We also want a complimenting gray in the living room.  Here are the choices:

We like the dark but are nervous it is too dark.  Again...the computer makes the colors look more blue than they really are (sorry about that!).  DECISIONS DECISIONS!!

We have some time to mull.  Jerry will not start painting the walls until Monday so we can live with the options all weekend.  I'm sure we'll change our minds about 107 times before we make a decision, but we are positive that two of the colors on the walls now will be our colors.  We just have to pick them.  Wish us luck!

The Scary Age

I hit my own milestone over the weekend when I turned 35 - my official scary age.  It brings on memories of this (Warning: Expletive in the scene so lower the volume if at work!):

Age 25 seems like forever ago.  A decade to be exact.  I took a quick peek at my 2003 photo album to see what the heck I was doing 10 years ago.  Here's what I found:

Lots of hanging out with friends and my sister at concert tailgates and bars.  Definitely fun.

Fast forward 10 years and this is where I am at now:

Not so scary. :)

The birthday weekend was fan-tab-ulous!  It all started on my Birthday Eve with dinner and cake at the Q house.  Between the ice cream cake and the awesome gifts, I felt like a very lucky girl.

The morning of my 35th birthday began with hugs and giggles from my little man who then showered me with tons of awesome gifts.  Not a bad bounty - thank you Bubs!!

After a morning nap, we packed ourselves up and headed to Old Town Alexandria to enjoy the gorgeous day and grab some lunch.  This has become a little tradition for us as we hit Old Town last year on my birthday.  The big difference is our little man.  Last year James snoozed the day away in his car seat:

This year, he was a bundle of energy as we dined at Pizzeria Paradiso.  This kid LOVES to sit in a high chair at a restaurant and eat.  He truly puts on a show!

After lunch, we strolled up and down King Street, browsing in the many adorable shops that line the street.  James managed the brick sidewalk like a champ!

 

 

The day ended in Founders Park where we checked out the duckies and boats. James even made a new special friend (don't tell Lucy!) and had a ball walking on the green grass.

 

 

 

 

All in all, it was a great birthday.  I'm not sure why I chose 35 to be my scary age, but with my boys and my Lucy at my side, things don't seem so scary afterall.