All I can say is “UGH” to the way it looked before! When I moved in, all white walls, white-ish furniture, and one tan wall.
When I first met my husband, after seeing his house, I ran away for about 4 or 5 months. He traveled a lot for work, and the house seemed so cold and sterile that it appeared to be a home that nobody really lived in. I assumed he had a wife and family in another state! Even the pantry was so organized, that I got sort of freaked out because it reminded me of the Julia Roberts “Sleeping With the Enemy” movie.
While I love to be organized, it doesn’t freak me out if things get a bit out of whack, and I am able to prioritize and let things go. If getting to work on time, means I can’t make the bed one morning or get the clothes out of the dryer and put them up, then so be it. My universe will not spin out of control. So there are differences between myself and the man I married.
Ok, but back to the house. It was just white and simple and not one thing was on the wall, and that’s the sort of thing that kills my soul! Here’s the “before” shot …
…and as you can tell, I’ve already added a few wall accessories, which had to be done delicately due to the fact that my husband thought his world was perfect already the way it was…blank, empty and without a soul. There was some good architecture, but it wasn’t being enhanced with paint, so one wall or archway blended into the next.
Now, the tiny entry way to the front door is accented with the same color as the guest bathroom and the paint contrast helped to enhance the archway as well.
I prefer to be surrounded by things I love, colors, prints…things that are an extension of me, as opposed to being surrounded by nothing stimulating.
It’s not all about looks either. There is a photo from the 1940’s of my Granny standing in front of a old classic car, an old metal lantern that had belonged to my mom as a little girl, and a lot of books that were gifts, and well, more crystal.
This is a fabulous piece that I love, because it was from the house I grew up in. It has great detail as well as storage!
My challenges were trying to make a home my own, yet keep it a little manly, for him. I have coined this look “Latin Goth” due to a lot of crosses and iron, mixed with darker hues and drama! (Ken is Latin and he supplies the drama!)
(Living Room Re-Vamp…to be continued)
-September 12, 2012.
–SDS
