I think that out of all the rooms in this house the diningroom was the one room I truly despised! Why....you might ask....simply put, the colour! Since we are located on a shaded treed lot, I have been challenged to no end on choosing paint colours. Every house I have owned has always been sunny. My colour choices for inside my house has reflected that until now.
My very patient husband has actually been very kind on painting and repainting rooms when I realize that I can't live with the colour. Let me tell you, if you are the type of person who needs light to function to avoid the mid-winter blues, then you will understand my dilemma. I love colour, but within my home I prefer colours that are happy and airy or bold and happy! That way, when we are in the midst of a long winter and February drags on like it owns 50 days instead of 28 and the cold sears your bones you tend to appreciate walls that remind you of cheery summer days rather than your child's last bout with stomach flu.
This diningroom had paint on the walls the colour of newborn breastfed poops...(hey, not so bad because they don't smell!) but none the less, I don't need joyful reminders of those early days with my newborn babies. What stopped me from painting this room was the massive window that takes up the whole wall. It is a wooden window that has been well scratched up over the years and shows the wear from many cats and little boys with dinky cars.
Finally, I challenged myself to break down the work into managable bites. On day one, I taped the window. Then priming came next, then I decided to tear off all the trim because it was garbage, then I painted that window a total of 8 coats with three different paints. I started using what I thought was a very good primer. However, I forgot that wood bleeds and it wasn't really adequate for the job. Then I chose a Zinnser product but didn't care for the low sheen and finally I used another Zinnser product with a high gloss and hard wearing as I have a cat and a toddler.
The change to the room was amazing. What light that came into the room was somewhat absorbed by the wooden window. Now the sunlight bounces off the white trim and the room is so much brighter and cheerier. Then we moved onto the painting the ceiling, walls and replacing all the trim. I painted the glass doors and my husband replaced all the hinges with the dark burnished brass. We didn't replace the door handles as they are vintage glass knobs but I did replace the glass cupboard knobs with burnished bronze knobs.
I still need to paint the diningroom set to a creamy white and paint and decorate the inside of the glass cupboard....but for now, I am very happy!
Oh, and I have to mention some of the bargains in my diningroom. The dining set was free! My friend Martha gave it to me after I helped her with a move. The curtains cost me $30 total. Four sets of white panels at $6 each and the aqua blue florals cost $3 each...I guess no one wanted them! The diningroom light was $20 on a clearance table and the shades were free from my sister. The runner was another $3 and the dresser in the back where I store all my treasured linens and cutlery either passed down or collected at yard sales cost me another $10 at an amazing yard sale! Oh, and you can't see it, but there is a beautiful woven wicker man under the dining set that I also snagged at a yard sale for five bucks! I love a bargain and I believe that a limited budget demands you to be creative.
Anyone can buy a look...copy it verbatim, but the most fun and creativity comes from the challenge of creating a look that is uniquely your own yet fresh and modern.
Overall, the biggest expenses were the paint, the new trim...though even half of it came from a yard sale so it wasn't to bad and replacing all the electrical switches, heater, light dimmer and thermostat was actually the most expensive part...but well worth it!
My vintage glass door knobs!
Posts
