It's finally over.
HOT DIGGGITY DAMN !
I went to the bank and got the final cashiers check for the Moron and yes...OF COURSE WE WENT OVER BUDGET ! I fully expected to and can afford it so what the hell.
It's been interesting when I think about all of this .
When we first moved into the house , we hadn't been married very long. We were lucky enough that the stars lined up and we were able to buy the house from my SIL. Being a semi new bride I was hell bent to redecorate it ( nothing personal ) and so we did. Paint, wall paper, antique satin drapes , we did the whole number and it was fun doing this with a husband who actually took an interest ( at times too much ) in all of it. We still had the original oak paneling in the living room and on the lower half of the dining room walls but it was a start. After a while , I realized that I had in fact decorated it as if it were the sort of house that I grew up in...Yes...I imitated my mother . Down to a t . And it was okay but it wasn't us, it was dark and I felt like I was living in a cave. The peach and green ( it was late 80's after all ) had to go .
So we decided to revamp it after a few years.
The original paneling was solid oak and so we kept it . We painted the walls and all of the oak cabinets white and got slipcovers and cotton tab top yellow drapes. Light bright and beachy. The master bedroom was painted that peacock color that was really popular in the early 90's and I sponge painted the bathroom in complementary colors. We had by this time started collecting Mardi Gras masks so voila...the master bedroom motif began to resemble a New Orleans Brothel..or so I have heard it referred to as ...whatevs.
AND THE WHITE WALLS AND CABINET WERE A PAIN IN THE ASS TO KEEP CLEAN.
New carpet went in and it was okay for a while until we decided yet again that we needed to revamp after a few more years..
So having gone from wall paper to white walls well.....yeah....we were slowly finding out what we really wanted and what really worked for us .
This next time I went all out..sort of .
The sofa and my chair were replaced by 2 new pieces covered in micro suede. The sofa was and is now brown, my chair is a chili red. We painted the living room and dining room a soft yellow, found 2 Tiffany style oil bronze lamps and antique/Persian style area rugs....and loved it . Clearly we were on to something here.
We painted the kitchen a soft sage green and replaced the floor in the kitchen with faux slate in green/brown/gray pale..and it worked.
My grave mistake was picking out a taupe color for the 2 hallways that was more ..dingy mushroom. I hated it so much , I never re-hung any art of photos. The bathrooms remained the same as did all three bedrooms .
At this point , after a few more years , I knew what I wanted to do but between finances and Xena's condition , we decided to tough it out until she had journeyed to the gate. She was more important than the by now ruined carpet and our concerns were her medical care. Our baby went to the bridge on Presidents day.
So, this year after caring for her for 3 1/2 years, we took the plunge.
We had already done the roof, deck and driveway last October and as the year ended , we knew that it was our last Christmas with her , so we basically said f it . She was our focus . But...knowing that , we had begun to talk about what we wanted and were we REALLY going to do this ? The RIGHT WAY ?
Yes Ma'm and or Sir , we sure as hell were.
Bear in mind, that up until this point , my husband did all of the cosmetic changes and did a great job, he had worked with the Moron and is quite good at building stuff and the painting stuff and so on.
But....Mama wanted more...and had the money.
The kitchen is still green but the counters are now black granite as it the back splash rather than the faux butcher block Formica. The floor is still the same as it is only 4 years old. The door from the kitchen into the garage is a new metal , painted black and the door frame is stained red mahogany as is all of the kitchen baseboards .
Beside new hardwood floors through out the house save kitchen and bathrooms, all of the baseboards are all new stained mahogany wood. All of the interior doors and door frames are also new and stained mahogany wood.
All of the outlets are replaced throughout the house by oil rubbed bronze.
New light fixtures are up in the hallway and the master bedroom.
All of the interior save the master bedroom and bath are newly painted a shade of soft yellow or deeper tone depending on the location.
Both front and back door are repainted the same barn red.
Half walls in the master bathroom and faux soffet were removed, the master bathroom was gutted and redone. New paint, commode, vanity , lighting and floor , shower ( including new tile and door ) were installed.
The guest bathroom was also gutted except for the tub and the built in cabinet was resurfaced with new doors and stained in the red mahogany. The master bedroom and bath was painted a dusty purple and the linens /bedding are a dark smoky gray solid color.
All door handles , pulls , outlet covers and light switch plate covers throughout the entire house were replaced with the exception of the Master bedroom and bath which are brushed chrome.
New drapes for the 3 bedrooms and rods were installed.
The house is now exactly what I envisioned and wanted to have.
It's simple in a craftsman style color palate and for the first time, I truly LOVE my house. It took time, baby steps and mistakes to get to the point that we knew what suited us and our lives.
I can't quite believe it's over.
Oh no wait....there's a cashiers check in my purse.
Reality check..done.
I am out of the office next week , cleaning and trying to get my life back in order so I will be blogging from the Casa.
Have a great weekend.
Ciao,
Aunty Pol
