When 97% Gets Knocked on It's Butt
I am the Queen of 97%. I've always been the Queen of 97%. The proof is everywhere. Alexis' chair? 97% reupholstered. The curtains for the family room and kitchen? 97% done. The front yard landscaping? 97% done.
And then there is our dining room.
In theory, it's more than 97% done. All that is left is to finish sewing two curtains. It'll take maybe two hours. Rather than just finishing them, I'll probably spend a few more months procrastinating, but that's just because it's so much more fun to think about what you need to do rather than just getting it done.
Despite my expert procrastination skills, I thought the dining room was going to be the first room completely finished. Just for the record, this is what it started out looking like:
Of course, that photo conveniently doesn't show the giant hole in one wall, but whatever. The point is that the dining room used to be contractor primer white accented by a shade of gray that can best be described as the exact color of the dead mouse I found in my pajama drawer when I was six.
The hole and the dead mouse are now gone. Like I said, all that's left is to sew a couple of curtains. See:
Almost done.
Or so I thought. Kind of.
You see, something has been bugging me in there. I couldn't put my finger on it, but there was something about the whole room that I didn't quite love.
And then I got the email from Short Brush Stroke Painting making a donation to Christmas Crazy. (Psst. . . Have you donated yet? Because you should.) A little clicky click and it came to me.
AGGLE FLAGGLE KLABABBLE.
It's the paint.
*INSERT MORE NOT-CUSS WORDS THAT ARE CUSS WORDS.*
I can't utter the words out loud because that would result in Mr. Husband getting acquitted for homicide because JUSTIFIED. Painting that room SUCKED ROTTEN DINOSAUR EGGS. The wall to the right of those photos is two stories tall and that paint color ends up wrapping all through the loft and all the way down the hall. It's a lot of paint.
That I hate.
Like, really. I hate that paint. I picked it. I still hate it. Why did I pick a neutral color? I don't do neutral. At all.
Gah.
Mr. Husband, I'm not saying we should repaint that room. I'm saying it's going to bother me forever and ever and ever and each time I walk in there I'm going to cuss under my breath because I want it to look more like this:
(Image totally ripped off from Short Brush Stroke's site)
And if the rest if you don't hear from me for a while, it's because I'm in hiding from a husband who probably still has blisters from painting that room the first time.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Reader Comments (36)
Poor Mr. Husband. I should give him Hubby's phone number so they can commiserate. Hubby much prefers neutral walls and I had the nerve to make him paint some sage accents in the living room. After he'd already painted it all eggshell white. Oh well, blisters heal. heh heh heh
All I can say is, be glad you don't have paneling. Because THAT'S what we're working with.
I am allll about color too. Paint really does make a big difference. Love your hardwood floors! So gorgeous.
The room is rather bland. You need a nice LARGE Persian rug and some paintings to hang on the walls.
Knufflebunny. Nice.
Ohhh, Flea may be onto something! Try here: http://www.homedecoratorsoutlet.com/ for big rugs, WAY cheap. Worth trying before you repaint, no?
Love the Knuffle Bunny reference.
Y'all, rugs are a OUT. A certain fuzzy puppy seems to think rugs = pee pads. He destroyed two at our old place and I'm not about to try that again anytime soon because GROOOOSSSSSS.
Also, Knuffle Bunny is da bomb.
I can see that you prefer warmer colors, so I can't wait to see what you do with your dining room. We went too warm in the living room, and now that we have turned one home improvement project into virtually dozens, we are repainting our color a bit lighter to go with the new floors... And the new fireplace... and the new curtains. OY! Make it stop!!
bet you short brush stroke painting will give you a fantastic deal on painting your dining room exactly how you want it.
:)
This is why every room in our house is still white. Every time we paint a room, we end up hating the color. It is not good to hate rooms in your home.
The room is beautiful, even if you don't like the color. You've done a fantastic job decorating!
We are the same about rugs. Our cat thinks that rugs = litter box. Luckily not the carpeting, just the rugs we put down on hard floors. Even the bathroom mats. I miss standing on something soft in front of the sinks...
Up until last summer (and after almost wretching his arm out of the socket) I finally got to paint the downstairs of my home. I couldn't live with white walls any longer. Albeit it's not as warm as I would of liked the colors, but it's in various shades of tan. The plan is let him get used to color and without warning. I'll repaint a few shades darker and warmer. Give it time and when he least expects it bring it up. (Hugs)Indigo
If it makes you feel any better, the interior of my house is painted the same shade of computer keyboard beige. We're talking the baseboards and everything. The previous owners even painted over some of the cherry wood and 1920s brass fixtures. And, to make things worse, the only room in the house that is really different is the bathroom, which has powder blue tile and wallpaper with pink roses on it. So count your blessings with that wall -- it could be much, much worse.
I have an idea: how about you and Mr. Husband make it your Christmas present to each other to pay and have a pro painter come in and do it for you?
The curtains are toooo Eddie Bauer....
@Anonymous--That might be because it's an Eddie Bauer fabric. No lie. They aren't going anywhere, though, because they are GORGEOUS in person. In photos? Notsomuch.
LOVE the chandelier! And the cute little puppy butt!:D
Some day I should post pictures of my house. I am the queen of the other 3%. Yep, I get nothing done. I don't know how to decorate so I don't. I hate the wallpaper in my kitchen, but I don't know what color to make it. I have wallpaper in the upstairs hallway that's peeling off and still don't fix it. The only rooms I did were the girls when we moved in 7 years ago. And they both need to be redone. I hate the way my house is decorated. I have ideas, and thoughts but no follow through.
Just today, Mr. Bruises stated that he wanted to paint. Soon. We have a similar situation to yours, painting living room, kitchen or dining room results in paintin all including the hallway, pretty much the entire ceiling of our house. Of course, I told him hell to the no. I gave the excuse that it's cold out and we can't ventilate and if we do, the cold air will keep the paint from drying.
Oooh! Oooh! I'll do it! And then The Husband will realize how much I suck at painting and he will take over. And he won't be able to complain because it was his choice. Of course, he'll still *try* to complain, but we can be all, "Shhht! You *wanted* to do it. We were doing just fine!" And then his head might explode, but we'll get a drop sheet for that.
I'd kill to be at 97%; I keep basically managing to get un-overwhelmed long enough to do "one thing" maybe twice a week, then going back to not being able to care.
@Shadow--97% of EVERYTHING is pretty annoying. There are nearly finished projects in every single room. I prefer to start something new than wrap one of them up. Whoops.
The room is gorgeous. Really.
And I'd love to be at 97%. I'm more like the queen of 67%.
dude, i'd *LOVE* 97% ... the problem is in my house? it's more like 57%.
i hate home-improvement projects.
I hate painting. I nearly killed myself painting Braden's nursery. It turns out paint fumes are toxic. You are wise to avoid asking the mister to repaint.
Have you thought about just painting the wall under the chair rail?
@Andrew--I think that is going to be step 1. The problem (there is always a problem) is that the chair rail randomly ends on two walls. Seriously. Just ends. The previous owners just drew a line straight down from where the chair rail ended, but I think I'm going to finish the chair rail out instead. More work, FTW!
I feel like everything in my like is more like 77% lately!
But good job, it rocks!
Find another room for those curtains, no matter what....they do not match the furniture, the furniture is fancy and the curtains are casual.
Trust me, I can't breath as long as you have those curtains in that room!
I know exactly what you mean. We have tons of projects here that have been completed 97%. For example my husband put in a new garage door opener and the clicker pad to open it is all hooked up, but duck tapped to the wall until it can get property mounted. Also, we have a section in our family room that is still waiting for me to stain the small piece of quarter round that needs put down by the doors to outside. Lastly, the shear curtains in our bedroom are up, but the bottom seam has yet to be sewn. It is still pinned waiting to be sewn. I really should make a list of what still needs completely done instead of having things 97% done. Maybe tomorrow...or maybe next month.
Listen I'm turning blue here, ditch the curtains!
@Anonymous--The good news is that it's impossible to kill yourself by holding your breath. The bad news it that you are going to pass out any second now. The curtains are staying! Sorry! (Well, half the curtains are staying. Heaven forbid I take the time to sew the seams on the other two.)
Just fell over.............
Post me another picture after you paint the walls again and maybe I will eat my words...
@Anonymous--You have a deal.
Because he's a dork . . . er. . . I mean awesome, a friend mocked up what it will look like if I ever make those other two curtains. http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l10/michfull/michfull2/diningroom.jpg
Totally confirms that Roman shades will be replacing the crappy blinds that are there now.