before and after photos: the living room and second floor

One room left on the first floor to share - the formal living room.  This room has been on the back burner because frankly, we have nothing to put into it.  The couple who sold the house offered to sell us their living room furniture, but we weren't in the market for hunter green couches and mauve wing chairs, so we politely declined.  One day, this room will house a baby grand piano, but until then it's holding the stuff we're donating.

The paneling/wainscoting is real wood.  And stained dark.  I had my dad's voice in the back of my mind saying, "Never paint over real wood," but I ignored it and went to town.  Two coats of primer took 5 hours.  Ugh.

I discovered in the process that the room was once painted maroon.  Can you imagine how dark it was with that dark wood?  The wall color is "Heaven on Earth" and the paneling is "Decorator White," both by Benjamin Moore.

I picked up this clock at Kirkland's with my sister, and these curtains were trouble to track down!  Both my mom and Memaw found them for me, each of their Pier 1's carrying only two panels each. 

On to the upstairs...Britton's bathroom.  Everything is the same as our old house, and one day soon we hope to rip out the vanity, flooring, toilet, and tub, since all are original and lacking any style.  Suffice it to say, I'm not doing much on this bathroom until we get it remodeled.  But it's twice the size of her old bathroom, so I'll take it!

The office - not much going on here.  We didn't paint it because my painting hand is crippled into a claw, and I refuse to put work into a room we don't use daily.  The curtains were a great find!  My sister had given me these beautiful crewel curtains ages ago, probably ten years or more ago.  I lost them along the way, but rediscovered them in unpacking!  

Master bedroom.  All the furniture is the same, but the curtains are new.  They look black in the picture, but they are actually a calming navy.  The ceiling fan is gold (that sound you hear is me gagging), but I don't know anything about electrical work so it's staying for now.  Here's the kicker - I did paint this room.  It's "Wheeling Neutral" by Benjamin Moore.  As I was painting, I noticed it wasn't much different than the beige already on the walls.  I figured it would darken as it dried.  It didn't.  I spent three hours painting the master bedroom a half shade darker than it was when we moved in!  And please ignore that the pictures above the bed (blow-ups of our wedding invitation) are too close together because they are hiding the 500 holes I put in the wall to get them level with each other.  Once that was accomplished, I was over it and left them as is.

Britton's room.  I wanted to paint it lavender, but she requested pink walls and purple curtains.  The paint is "Pink Ribbon" by Benjamin Moore.  Our original color, "Pink Peony," was just too light.  I worried the color would be too bright, but once furniture was moved in the paint color was softened.  The curtains are purple gingham by Tadpoles - only $24 per pair!

Here is where her bedroom gets real.  No Pottery Barn Kids photo spread or HGTV makeover - she refuses her beautiful quilt for her Dora blanket.  Oh well.  I was going to put her name letters above her bed, but in the unpacking I accidentally threw them away.  We have over 30 bags of trash downstairs waiting to be collected by the trash company, and there is no way I can tear each open to look for them.

Guest room - no painting the walls, and everything stayed the same.  Eventually I will update the bedding (it's a french ticking by Pottery Barn) but for now it works.

I won't show you our master bathroom, unless you really want to see the ivy stencil work over the bathtub.  I only wish I was joking!  It's white floors, white vanity, all white and sterile and not our style at all,  I see a claw foot tub in my future!