I Blame It On His Color-Blindness
So, yeah. If you’ve been around much this week you’ve noticed a lack of depth in the posting department. That sentence makes me chuckle because it suggests there is some inherent weightiness on a normal basis.
I suppose that depends upon what type of load we have placed upon the scales.
Sorry. I’m being gross. Consider that a prelude to the baby poop I’ll be telling you about in a sec. {Wait! Come Back! It’s not what you think!}
Don’t you wonder what in the world that has to do with my current kitchen-freshening project?
Yes, I am terming it a ‘freshening’ because technically we aren’t remodeling anything. I’m changing paint and curtains and even though that sounds somewhat simple, please keep in mind I removed wallpaper border that came off in pieces that ranged in size from a dime to a quarter. This is the part where you will want to give me awesome tips on stubborn wallpaper removal that will make me wonder why oh why did I not ask you for your brilliance last week? {p.s. I used DIF and a Paper Tiger. However, the problem came from the walls not being primed all the way to the ceiling since border would cover the top portion of the wall. SO, the part that was so awful to remove was the part that was on straight sheet rock. Yay me, I didn’t tear anything up! I was gentle, gentle church building committee! }
I think we’ve pretty well established I make Luke nervous when I start tearing the house apart. In order to keep things relatively calm, I finished the dining half of the kitchen first and have yet to complete the other. It may or may not get completed in the next few days. I’m praying my impulsive, ADHD, OCD’ness will kick in soon but as of right now, I’m pretty much gellin‘ even though there are two separate worlds going on in the heart of my home. There may be some spiritual implication in that. I’ll think about it tomorrow.
In the meantime, let me show you before:
These are the purple walls from before along with the border. I have nothing against purple if it’s on a great handbag – but as for the walls? It was lovely in its day but it’s time for a change. So, it is with great joy I present…olive green.
According to Luke, olive green would be the subjective name of the color I chose. He prefers ‘baby poop’. I’m not terribly troubled considering I have to match his greens and grays since he’s totally unable to register those colors. Now if you tell me my walls look like baby poop, I will officially curl into a fetal position for a few days before I drag myself to Lowe’s to choose a nice, safe shade of beige.
Here’s the new stuff. Ignore the hideous vinyl table cloth. Just trying to protect a wood table from sloppy children and their drink rings. Also know that my curiosity cabinet is looking for a new home somewhere in my house. It will probably end up living in the family room but I don’t want to make that move until after Christmas so we’ll have room for the tree. We also intend on changing out the light fixture to something not so gold and putting in a fresh plantation blind. Instead of aaallllll that, please turn your attention to my yummy curtains. This lighting is destroying the fact they have the same shade of green as the walls. If you don’t believe me, just ask the poor paint guy who happened to be on duty the day I went to color match. It’s perfection – trust us. It only took 2 short hours and 4 gallons of failure to guarantee it.
If y’all want a deal on kinda sorta olive green paint, I can totally hook you up.
Also, these are also the chairs I’m considering painting black. What do y’all think? Would you do it? I really don’t want the kitchen to look too dark but it really is a large room and has lots of great light so I think it can handle richer colors without looking too dungeon-y.
I’m liking the changes so far but I’m still not totally in love. I need something to hang in one spot that will pull the cinnamons/golds from the curtains. I also can’t decide whether I want to hang a large clock or a mirror over a side table. So, obviously, this is still very much a work in progress. Or as it is currently, a work in pause.
So now you know what I’ve been up to. Anybody else ripping their house apart in prep for the holidays? I’d love to hear about your projects! And please, if you have ideas for my kitchen, feel free to weigh in.
UPDATE: For those of you who are asking, I got my curtains at Lowe’s. BUT, I’ve just discovered the identical ones at my favorite Green Walmart packaged as Better Homes and Gardens. (Online they are packaged as Springmaid.) There are also a couple different color schemes if you aren’t crazy about mine. Also look at Target. They have some that are almost identical but the colors aren’t quite as deep and there is a little more sheen to the fabric. Here is a neutral color scheme that is pretty.
I am liking what I see so far. I want to come by and see the half and half look tho. Lol. I like the color and the curtains.
Love Ya,
Tammy
I LOVE the color and the curtains. I would paint the chairs black so they tie in with the black iron curtain rods. Very nice…can’t wait to see what else you do.
Okay, here’s my two cents worth.
I really like the curtains; I get upset when lighting distorts true color, don’t you?
I would do black chairs. I read in some decorating book somewhere, that every room should have a touch of black. It adds substance to the room and causes other colors to ‘pop’.
I say go with a mirror. It will open up the room and reflect color and movement in the room. A clock might make people rush and the family dinner time should be savored.
The walls and curtains are gorgeous! A definite improvement over the “before” and well worth all your trips to the home improvement store. :)
Looks good to me. If that is baby poop then your child needs to be seen by a doctor right away. The idea of black charis woul dbe good but without really good lighting will make the room look small and dark. you could strip and stain them a more cinnamon/gold like the curtains. Tips on wallpaper: fabric softener in a spray bottle or DIF a wall paper stripper. They both work best if you get a wallpaper “scorer” and score the paper and then apply. The absolute best is find a friend with a steamer it is a GOD send. They don’t cost much if you have lots of wallpaper to remove. The house looks great!!!
“This is the part where you will want to give me awesome tips on stubborn wallpaper removal that will make me wonder why oh why did I not ask you for your brilliance last week?”
A steamer. I used a shark steamer when I took down the wallpaper (that had been painted over! ick!) in our kitchen – http://www.yuriar.com/wp/?p=609
The curtains are cute though!
Wow what a huge difference a change in color makes. Now don’t get too hard on the color purple – looks like the same shade of my daughters bedroom. As for the nasty, “I shall not be removed” wallpaper – I found scoring it first and even using a wallpaper steamer works like magic. Love the shade of green. -Laurie
I think it looks great. I agree with the black chairs. I got this stuff at wall mart in the paint dept. for wall paper removal. It is a spray gel stuff, and it is GREAT. It took all the old boarder off in like 5 min. minimal scrapping. I was in LOVE!!
It is over by the paper scrapers across from the paint swatches.
Looks great!! Good job!
Michealle
Great new look! Can’t wait to see the finished product!
I love the walls, they really add depth to the room. As for the chairs, I would leave them or go with a cinnamon color. Black is hot right now, but you may not like it after awhile. Just my opinion.
I use DIF liquid, pour it into a bucket of hot water, use a sponge and gloves and I soak the wall paper with it. Let it sit 10-20 minutes and it peels right off for me.
We just tore our kitchen sink apart (check my blog for gross!), are working on painting the stairwell and hopefully getting a wall up in the basement all before Christmas!
Falalalalalalalala!
Hi Lisa,
This is cracking me up because when we moved into our house last April, EVERY SINGLE ROOM was painted this same olive green…. well except for two – one of the bedrooms was the brightest yellow you can imagine, and the living room was a rust/pumpkin color. And all the walls had holes beat in them, So we’ve painted the entire house except for the stairwell because I haven’t figured out how to cobble together a scaffold that will get me up there.
The olive green looks nice here though, and I LOVE your curtains. Where did you get them???
I may be the odd one out here but I wouldn’t paint the chairs black – I think it will make your dining room too dark and murky….
ADrienne
I am so loving that color green right now! I’ve got a big old fluffly suede chair and ottoman that color in my living and room and completely love it! And that particular color goes perfectly with your curtains. I’ve never removed wallpaper, so I can’t help you there; however, when you mentioned painting your chairs my first thought was ‘uh oh’. I think black would look great, but I have found that painted furniture is so hard to keep looking fresh. Especially going from a light color to a dark. Every little knick shows and kids are going to be kids around it. I would re-stain in a darker color OR they also have the wax stuff (I’m sorry I can’t think of what it’s called right now) that comes in many, many different colors that you can use that will change the color. I’ve seen some that are very close to black. I would just hate for you to go to all of that trouble to only regret it later.
Just my two cents! ha!
Rebecca
I love it! I would definitely paint the chairs. Consider chocolate brown rather than black; a dark color will be a nice contrast but chocolate will be warmer than black which might be a bit stark. And a seagrass rug over the tile!!! They’re super cheap. Or
this chocolate striped rug. or this mountain grass rug on sale.
It looks great and you make me tired to think of doing all that with all the rest of the stuff you do.
I’m soooo not a decorator. I do like the idea one of the commenters had about the cinnamon or rust stained chairs. Black seems a little stark.
My two cents:
Both my brother and my aunt are (official) interior decoraters/designers. I tell you, they swear by painting things black and it always looks amazing. Go for it, girl.
Looks just like Olive Green to me!
Ok. I’m just gonna say it. Mark a day on your calendar and come to my house. It is a sad little house with all white walls because it’s owner gets all confused when confronted with 20 different versions of the same color. I mean it. Go. Now.
It looks great!! I love the color and the curtains. Can’t wait to see the finished product!
The paint is beautiful. Before you paint the chairs go into your dining room at different times of the day and look at it. We painted a livingroom this same color and depending on what time of the day you were in the room, and where the sun was, the color changed slighty and was just awesome. We thought black too for chairs, but with the walls seeming to be lighter and darker at different times of the day, we decided to stick with the natural wood and it just set the room off.
If you need black in the room leave the cabinet and place some dark pieces in it.
So whe will you be able to come do my house?
Sallye
I think it looks wonderful!
Looks great! Where were you when I was planning color schemes for my house? LOL
BTW, Lowes finally called Thursday. I wasn’t home. They didn’t leave a message. I’m not giving up yet!
Girl, you are working hard before the holidays!! I think I did our last painting/redecorating project in the summer because I’m usually too maxed out with all the other preparations surrounding the holidays! I love your walls and curtains! I tried a sage green one time and it was the most horrible green I’ve ever seen. Choosing paint is a challenging task, so I commend you for sticking with it!! My new favorite color is black and we have accent decorations in our dining and kitchen of black and light gold. So, I’m biased in telling you to do it- just paint the chairs black! Whatever you decide, I’m sure it will turn out beautiful!
I love the green! It is definitely not the color of baby poop! If you had painted the room mustard yellow, that would have been the color of baby poop! The curtains look great!
I am LOVIN the green color!!! So elegant!
Looks great!
I haven’t read all the comments, so someone else may have suggested this, too.
Paint the chairs AND table black BUT leave the entire table TOP and chair SEATS the as they are (I can’t see the table top or chair seats in the picture.) This is a very nice look that blends the wood and paint as well as blend the chairs and table together.
I like the idea of a mirror b/c it will pick up the colors in the room and also make it feel larger. A clock in the dining room might make your guests feel that they are being “timed” :)
Good luck. You have good taste so whatever you do, I’m sure it will look great!
I love the curtains! The walls look good too and I definitely wasn’t thinking of baby poop when I saw them. I’d paint the chairs black, but then I paint everything. You’re doing a great job. Keep up the good work.
Love the room! You’re doign a great job! I personally wouldn’t paint the chairs black, but you have to go with what feels right for your home.
And LOL at the 4 failed gallons… I have quite a few different colors in my basement for the same kind of reasons.
I’m not tearing my house apart yet , even though I want to repaint the living room so badly that it’s driving me batty!! We have a big open house for Christmas (what ministry family living in a parsonage doesn’t? ) and we really need to freshen up the paint, but Spouse says “NO!!!!!” Exclamation points included. I’m hoping he changes his mind in the spring.
Way better. Yes, black chairs.
Now you need a beautiful rug. Beautiful rugs are the joy of life. I mean, after Jesus and family and all that.
ooo, yeah, deep red chairs might be really neat.
Do you know about Ballard? I can't afford a thing in their catalog but it is a great place to get ideas
http://www.ballarddesigns.com/Furniture/Chairs/Dining-Chairs/Set-of-2-Harrison-Side-Chairs/p/7913?path=1%2C2%2C1443%2C1475%2C1683&iProductID=7913
same with Horchow
http://www.horchow.com/
Try a mixture of Downey and water in a spray bottle. Saturate the border, let soak, then peel.
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How fun to see your house!
It’s olive. Definitely.
The room looks marvelous! I would go black on the chairs (I’m thinking about doing likewise in my kitchen.) I really thought you made the curtains–they’re just perfect.
I love your color scheme.
I think it looks great! I’m with linda (mocha with linda), you make me tired. How do you do it? You’re amazing!
Blessings,
Joy
I love it! My home is also decorated in these rich fall colors.
When I first saw the after picture, I automatically thought, “OOOh, red chairs would look good in there.” So, I would go with a cinnamon color on the chairs if it were my room. However, I would also keep a small can of that color around for touch ups. Painted furniture requires a bit more maintenance.
Your dining room looks great! I love olive green, I have it in my house! as for the chairs, not an expert on that, but I do like the oak look with your colors.
Have Fun!
I can’t believe I just clicked on here and saw those curtains. I JUST hung those in my living room this afternoon (got mine at Wal-Mart!). Weird, isn’t it.
I love the green. And, black on the chairs would be gorgeous!
I think black would look great on the chairs! The wall color and curtains look great too! When I was painting my bedroom the chocolate brown, I stood there for a long time trying to decide if it looked like diarhea or not. (it kinda did while the paint was wet!) But I still love it 3 years later!
p.s…if you have more wallpaper to tackle, I have a steamer!
Do you hire out?