letting go of the past...

i'm still so sad that Domino didn't last. i have a stash of the mags that i can't seem to let go and i'm going to go cut them up now.

moving on!

weekend inspiration...

pattern---



soothing bedroom colors---



a potrack of some sort---



red---



a desk area---



splattered paint---



and KICK ASS sofas---



images via i suwannee, design*sponge, The Selby, the style files, domino, coco & kelley

the weekend of painting...

isn't it funny how you think you can finish your bedroom in a day or two? maybe in a normal renting situation one doesn't have to do all of the prep work i've had to do. i've been at the cottage for over a week now but i think i'm being impatient. all i have to finish up is the wall color, which is going to be the fun/easy part.

here are some pics of the progress-

closet doors...

the baseboards are done, FINALLY, without a drop on the carpet... patience pays off...
the bathroom walls are painted but they turned out to be a nightmare. more to come on that...

progress this weekend...

the past two days were very hectic. here's the run-down-

1. my parents helped both days. they've been homeowners for their entire adult lives and every inch of advice they give is gold!

2. the two key word pairs of the weekend: elbow grease and PREP WORK.

3. we decided to start with the bedroom and bathroom. i originally wanted to do the kitchen but that can wait until my two most functional rooms are complete.

4. Henry and i are officially moved in! he is surprisingly cozy and relaxed as opposed to how i thought he would react, still being a puppy/momma's boy and all.

5. i realized how much stuff i don't have (i.e. iron, ironing board, dishes, furniture, appliances, cleaning supplies, painting supplies....agh!).

6. what i do have a lot of: art supplies, books, teacups and ideas. teacups... i don't even drink tea.

7. Mom was in the bathroom for two days straight.

8. the cottage is FILTHY. it hasn't been thoroughly cleaned in what seems like years. all of the past tenants were obvious smokers. everything in the bathroom was (key word, was, thanks Mom) yellow, which means they smoked in... the... bathroom. GROSS.

the nightmarish mirror is sold and gone!

and this is what it was hiding. oh the horror...Henry getting nice and comfy... Mom: bathroom renovator, thorough cleaner, die hard BoSox fan...stripping the wallpaper... she also brought a prepared dinner: beans and hot dogs! the three of us slugged some well-earned beers...started stripping the basket border in the kitchen...and bought paint! the cream and light green is for the kitchen and hallway, the dark olive green is for my bedroom. yes, i finally decided on a color and we're getting married...sexiest wall color........ever. i think the reason i love it so is because to some degree i've always had a feminine-looking bedroom color. the dark masculinity of Olive Leaf is strangely empowering, not to mention that when the whole room is done it's going to be striking.

Ikea pendants...

i want to replace the nasty brass chandelier, but with which Ikea pendant?
Leran... Foto...

or my favorite, Kulla...

what to do...

unfortunately these pictures don't do the colors justice but i thought they were fun to look at nonetheless. i've decided on the kitchen colors. i'm going for Ralph Lauren's Lafayette with Behr's Beach White.

for the living room I was originally going for this:
excuse the awful scan, i took it from my inspiration book. isn't that color nice with the white, green, mirrors and touches of blue? i thought it would be perfect but there is a lot of white in that room (damn rich people with their floor-to-ceiling windows) so that wouldn't work. i always like gray and i'm pretty sure i can make it work so i'm painting the living room Natural Grey from Ralph Lauren.
hm, the scanner washed this picture out so i guess you're not going to see the real colors until i actually paint!

and no, i'm not going to paint my bedroom that plum color. i have no idea what i'm going to paint my room and i have to decide by Sunday. yikes. i would paint my entire room with my favorite color (see "Accent Wall" above) but i'm pretty sure the landlady wouldn't be impressed. sadness.

in case you haven't noticed i love dark colors in my bedroom.

any suggestions?

first glimpse of Glenwood, inside, part three...

the hallway to the backyard...

another nice touch, shutters on the bathroom window...OH MY GOD... that wallpaper... the floors are a tricky color but that double dry sink has to go...oh no...euw... oh, oh no...NO...NOOO...more storage galore...scratched, what a bummer...

the attic! i could only go up a few steps before i got really freaked out...

first glimpse of Glenwood, inside, part deux...

this picture captures the cupboard colors the best...

hate the border, love the wainscoating and floor...yes, that is brick painted to look like brick... the mysterious water-heater box...original sink... thanks to Mom, those nasty stains are barely visible...the closet between the bedrooms...storage galore...old lady curtains everywhere...this is one of my favorite things about the house: the hardware on my bedroom doors...the guest bedroom...