Basement: Before & During

Our basement is a respectable size and soaks up a decent amount of natural light considering it's below ground level.  However, the basement is in dire need of a makeover.  Here are some shots before we moved in.

Untouched knotty pine paneled walls +  a few coats of paint = instant gratification

SO much brighter!

 Just one coat of special wood  primer brightened the space.  Two  coats of paint down and, fingers crossed, one to go.  Please note, most of the paint application requires a brush which is very time consuming   

The color is Benjamin Moore "White Heron."  I apologize for the iPhone photos.  Here is a professional image of a foyer painted "White Heron."  The crisp, bright white, with gray undertone is exactly what I wanted.

 via House Beautiful

As evident from my photos, the basement houses the majority of the kids' toys.  A portion of the space is intended for a family/TV room use.  Once the ceiling and lights are replaced, the carpet is installed, and there is some sense of order, I will take some after photos.

Cheers!

Elizabeth

"The flowers that sleep by night, opened their gentle eyes and turned them to the day.  The light, creation's mind, was everywhere, and all things owned its power."  

~Charles Dickens, The Old Curiosity Shop

Master Work In Progess

Last fall I paid a visit to one of my favorite antique shops and found this 1940's dresser. Originally the plan was to lime the blonde wood, but I changes my mind.

Now the dresser (in our master bedroom) is painted in French Linen (Annie Sloan Chalk Paint), which beautifully compliments the original brass hardware.  

As you can see in the photo below, the walls need a "little" work. After hours of painstaking work, bits of the floral boarder still remain.  I have numerous wallpaper samples but I'm leaning towards  a whitish textured silk wall covering.  As we "speak," the window treatments are under construction.  

Our bedroom has a small walk-in closet, but additional storage was required.  Enter Ikea Pax wardrobes.  

We added hardware from Restoration Hardware.    

Vintage Knob

Vintage Pull

The complete Pax makeover blueprint includes crown and base moldings so the wardrobes appear built-in, i.e.

via

Furthermore, I plan to add antiqued mirrors to the doors, i.e. 

via

I'll make the call on fretwork overlays or no fretwork once the mirrors are installed. 

via

Did you notice the bench between the two wardrobes?  If not, here is another peek.

The caned bench is original to the house.  The current design scheme includes paint and new upholstery.

 This Thibaut fabric -Cambridge Woven in Gray

Not one room in my house feels complete.  I'm simply whittling down the list one small project at a time.  Stay tuned.  

Cheers!

Elizabeth

"If there is no struggle, there is no progress."   ~Frederick Douglass 

Slowly, but Surely

Last week I shared pictures of the demo. Here is the progress thus far. (The picture quality is less than desirable - Blackberry photos.)

We will complete the trim/molding once we settle in and after we select paint colors.  Here are some interior paint colors in consideration.  

Benjamin Moore Stone White for the kitchen walls.

Benjamin Moore "Super White" for the cabinets and trim.

Farrow and Ball's "Blackened" for ceiling paint

OR

Benjamin Moore "Patriotic White"

I purchased a sample pot of Benjamin Moore's "Fondant" to test on the living room walls.  It looks great, but delaying the decisions until the furniture is moved in and the floors are refinished.  "Calm," "White Opulence," "Sand Dollar," and "Pink Damask" (all Benjamin Moore) are the other hint-of pink colors in the running.  If the pale, blushy color does not work I will likely go with a "greige."

Vertical stripes in a foyer are classic.  I envision tone on tone white and gray stripes. (again, decision  postponed until move-in.) Here is the "short" list.

Benjamin Moore's "Owl Gray"

"Paper White"

"Revere Pewter"

"Edgecomb Gray"

"Winter Orchard"  (thanks BK :-)

"Horizon" 

"Elephant Tusk"

"Distant Gray"

"Winter White"

"White Dove"

"White Wisp"

If you have any words of wisdom please share.

Cheers!

Elizabeth

"White is not a mere absence of color; it is a shining and affirmative thing, as fierce as red, as definite as black. God paints in many colors; but He never paints so gorgeously, I had almost said so gaudily, as when He paints in white."   ~Gilbert K. Chesterton