Phew! Never have I felt so grateful for a Grace Day -the extra day after a Bank Holiday that my work gives us off. We've spent the last three days working really hard to strip back our rather oppressive dining room, so we can start the fun part...decorating!!!
This means I've done zero sewing and it also has absolutely nothing to do with stitching, but I promised you guys I'd share progress on the house front after you showed such an interest in our living room renovations (in progress here and revealed here).
Our dining room faces the North/East and doesn't get much direct sunlight, so why the previous owner decided to wallpaper it such a dark colour is totally beyond me!?! The dark green made it feel oppressive and it also had some hideously yellow/sick-coloured accents. Just eeeeew!
So, we got busy on days one and two removing the shelves and wall lights, perforating the wallpaper, steaming and stripping it, sanding the walls, filling in any imperfections (note all the white patches on the walls) and sanding them down again, whitewashing the walls, removing the door all ready for professional stripping, and finally painting the ceiling and ceiling rose.
On day three we decided to be brave and see what lurked beneath the tired carpet and we weren't disappointed! We discovered a handsome set of floorboards, but not before having to rip out the carpet and underlay, prize off the gripper strips that were nailed to the entire perimeter of the room and wrestle with an excessive number of tacks which were holding down some random wires.
We're loving our blank canvas so far and have loads of ideas of how to decorate it in our much loved modern, yet retro aesthetic - you can check out my Pinterest board to see what we're digging!
So there you have it...we've finally got our decorating mojo back just seven months after moving in! Inevitably, this will mean a drop in my stitching productivity, but I do have a second Lilou Dress to show you as soon as I get my nasty rash thing under control (check it out here and here if you're brave enough!).
What's been keeping you busy lately?
9,500wds of uni assignments due by next Thursday are currently keeping me away from sewing. Nothing as exciting as house renovations. It's a dream of mine one day to own and do up an old house. Looking forward to seeing what you do with the dining room. Are you planning on keeping the shelving either side of the fire place? It such a great feature
ReplyDeleteThanks Kaitilyn, hope we don't disappoint! We plan on keeping the shelves on one side, but buying a nice piece of furniture for the other side...compromise! Did you get your uni assignments in on time?!?
DeleteI love seeing your renovations Marie, specially as your house looks so similar to mine! Our north facing dining room was painted a dark colour too (brown!) - what's wrong with people?! Can't wait to see it when it's finished. x
ReplyDeleteThanks so much Jane! Brown?!? I thought dark green was bad enough, but brown...really!?!
DeleteYour house has a lot of wonderful details! I just love it... can't wait to see the final results. We are in the process of redoing our dining room. I originally picked a much too dark colour... Must be a dining room thing ;)
ReplyDeleteHaha, maybe so! I've seriously loved seeing all the beautiful work you've put into your home too ;o)
DeleteOoh, it's going to be lovely, I can tell already! Wish I had a dining room.
ReplyDeleteHehe, thanks Katie!
DeleteWow, this is going to be so great! Dark wallpaper is a thing I just don't understand, but I guess it was supposed to look sort of refined and luxe. I much prefer the brighter look without it! I'm so excited for you guys- your house is going to be so amazing!
ReplyDeleteYeah, I guess it can be seen as luxurious etc...but I'm with you on preferring a brighter look ! Thanks missus!
DeleteRenos are such hard work but it feels great when one is done. I'm looking forward to seeing the finished room; your ideas look fantastic.
ReplyDeleteThanks! It really is hard work, you kind forget between rooms...but now we're realising just how big a job it is!
DeleteGood on you, Marie. I know works on the house are such hard work (we've been doing ours since moving into our new home in March, and it seems to be never ending some times) but they are incredibly rewarding. We removed the carpets in 2 rooms and had the floorboards sanded, and they came up a real treat. We've got a load bearing wall to take down next!! Best of luck and you will love the results. I can't wait to see it!
ReplyDeleteThanks Alice, sounds like you guys have your work cut out for you too! Good luck and I hope you share some progress photos too!
DeleteThis looks like really worthwhile job . You will so enjoy it especially having done if yourself . Do you know much about the history of your house ? It looks Victorian . I have an old Victorian in Melbourne Australia . We have restored it but have a lot more to do !!
ReplyDeleteWow, sounds like you've been busy...how wonderful! Ours is Victorian too...all I know if that it was built in 1904...should try and find out more really ;o)
DeleteBlimey! You're doing a cracking job. Can't wait to see the after!
ReplyDeleteThanks Amy!
DeleteYou have great taste, your house is going to be awesome!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much Erin, I hope so!
DeleteLooking great so far Marie, such a lot of space and light to play with. A great blank canvas to start on, we can't wait to see it come together. Keep us in the loop and if we can be any help... give Chris a nudge :p ^Harveys Furniture
ReplyDeleteThanks Chris! Totally admiring your Lagoona dining table/chair set (http://www.harveysfurniture.co.uk/products/dining-room/categories/dining-table-and-chair-sets/lagoona-dining-table-and-6-jaz-fabric-chairs-in-a-range-of-colours.aspx), but a fair bit out of our price range sadly :o(
DeleteHmmm, an excellent choice Marie! Let us have a word with the elves and see if they can find a discount code for you. ^Harveys Furniture
DeleteOooh, exciting!!!
DeleteALL styles go out of fashion. I recently saw an ad in a magazine where a woman was in a room that was literally ripped from 1969-73 complete with orange shag carpet, hanging bead doors and bean bag chairs! While that may give us a nostalgic warm fuzzy I don't know how long it will last. You can combine different elements successfully without going overboard. From what I've seen in fashion and decorating styles come back in some way every twenty years or so. thanks a lot! ~ Hannah G.
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