When we bought this place, I really didn't expect to start changing everything, but the walls were so covered in toddler scribbles, and the carpets so filthy it seems like refreshing everything would be a good idea. Since we're a long way from move-in, due to the long wait for electricity, I figured I could get started on stuff that's easiest in a vacant house.
Here are a few shots of the interior, just as I was starting to paint the walls. The master bedroom, living and dining room are sheet rocked, but kitchen, bathrooms and spare bedrooms is that horrid vinyl-clad wallpaper-y stuff, and the cabinets are some bizarre plastic-paper-wood-grain stuff. Cheap junk which I will replace at a later date, but for now paint will have to do.
All the original light fixtures (except the dining room) are those crummy 60-watt ball-on-the-ceiling types- weak light and poorly placed. These will all go, some new and some from my stash.
The window treatments are mostly mini-blinds (all broken but one) and several different olive green/brown patterned valances.
I want the seaside blue/green/tropical effect without too much vividness, but I'm a little nervous of how this will turn out.
**I have to confess I have only rarely ventured away from white paint on walls in the 40 years I've been homemaking. White walls, brown furniture seems to have been my lot in life.
First I have to put up the trim that the movers took down when the house was split in half for transport. The wide piece that covers the split in the ceiling goes up easily enough (okay, it was a booger, but this is hindsight) but I simply cannot figure out how to reattach the crown moldings so they will fit as they originally did, since they somehow have to accommodate that wide piece in the middle of the ceiling. Anyway, I am baffled as to how they did it- I'll have to leave that to my left-brained husband.
After several days taping and mudding cracks and holes, I start painting in the master. One wall aqua and 3 in the lighter green.
Then on to the dining room- one wall aqua (where my very special wall decal will go) leaving the wall with the patio door white.
This picture shows one of my handmade sea-glass chandeliers hanging, but its not right for this space. I will find something else for this spot, especially since I want to use this photo angle for my product photos of the different chandeliers I create.
In the living room, I have all three walls in the lighter green, with the kitchen walls in the darker green. The accent wall in the living room is painted in the aqua. When I'm finished, it is astounding the difference that the light makes in the color of the rooms- you would swear that I used different colors in bedroom vs living room.
The kitchen walls are primered with Kilz water-based before painting- goes pretty quickly even though the walls are so cut up into different spaces.
But those cabinets! In spite of sanding, cleaning and priming with 2 coats of Killz, the paint doesn't want to adhere and the white acrylic enamel just will not cover. I finish with some old-fashioned alkyd enamel (which does cover) but I am afraid the paint is just going to scratch and peel under use.
Which means I'll probably be building new cabinet doors sooner rather than later, but for now- its painted.
I have painted the mopboards and the visible inside of open cupboards with the aqua paint; I think I'll paint the inside of the frosted-glass fronted ones with the aqua also.
Next up: I will wrap the breakfast bar and the cupboard facing the dining area with grass beach mats from Walmart, plus a fringe of raffia from Amazon for sort of a tropical tiki look.
I also need to rip out the dining room carpet and get started on the brown paper bag floor. Ugh, big job all done on my knees. Not looking forward to it.
