A few weeks ago, when Mr. B and I were on vacation, we had painter come in and work his magic on that awful charteruse/lime green in the downstairs foyer and upstairs hallway. You're probably thinking: "Who in their right mind leaves their house for two weeks to a painter?" We do. Because he's our neighbor directly across the street. Russ is just an all-around good guy.
It made sense to have him do all the work while we were gone. He didn't have to worry about cleaning up for us each night, and we didn't have to live in a worksite full of paint fumes. Double bonus that when Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee hit, Russ was able to keep an eye on the house for any shenanigans or trouble. Thankfully, this little beast weathered the storms just fine. I'd expect nothing less from a 120 year old house!
We wanted something simple and neutral, and in all honesty, we were so down to the wire with packing and prep for the trip we sort of forgot to pick colors. When in doubt, trust what's worked before: Accessible Beige by Sherwin Williams. (The same color as the office with the board and batten. Which BTW, 6 months later and I'm still obsessing over this room. I love it.) So yes, nothing earth-shattering. But after that green, we needed some respite and calm.
Here's the before and after:
Just looking at these before pictures gives me the heebie jeebies. And can you see the old kitchen in the bottom left corner of the before picture? Goodness knows whatever possessed us to attempt this project. Clearly, Mr. B. has some serious powers of persuasion (must be that accent!) because Seriously, we bought this house with green walls.
Forgive the "makeshift" decoration in the after photo. You know me well enough to know I've got my eye on a certain table/buffet/storage piece for this spot but it's out of my price range. I'm continuing to hunt around (and check PB each week for a clearance) so this works in the meantime.
Interestingly enough, that table is actually a "games table" (as Mr. B. calls it) which is great-grandfather made back in jolly ole England. The four triangles fold out to make a nifty little poker table. It's a special piece to have, but like I said, it's a temporary fix for the foyer. We'll find a more appropriate spot for the games table other than the foyer!
Oh, and the rotary phone? That was Walter's (the previous owner. We're on a first name basis.) It's still got the old landline number in his handwriting written on the top it.
We joked about this being the Christmas shot. Green + Red = Year round holiday goodness! I love the holidays as much as the next girl but there is such a thing as too much Christmas. I've lived to tell about it.
And finally, the upstairs landing between the 2nd and 3rd floors. Still need to replace that ridiculous light fixture but again, small wins here: the green in gone AND that awful 70's carpet is gone too. You can thank Mr. B. for that one. (And remember how I mentioned a trip to the ER last weekend too? You can thank the 70's carpet for that one.) Need window treatments and a little decoration and we're in business.
Russ also painted the master bedroom, but I'm not quite ready to reveal those pictures yet. The 70's carpet is still lurking around in there and it's not really an after until that stuff is gone. Forever.
