Sunday, June 12, 2011
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Dining Room Before and after pictures. The red walls and "crystal" chandelier are the way the house looked when we were looking at houses. Those are the pictures from the original listing. For six months we used the room for my dad's room while their apartment was being built. I think dad liked the fancy chandelier and the view of the front yard. I liked the color, but not the white on the bottom. Also, we had only one set of dining room furniture - the 1969 Ethan Allen Olde Tavern dining room set that was my Aunt Joan and Uncle Al's. I spent many a birthday, Easter dinner, etc. at that table (or the kids' table)! But, really, the colonial style is not one you see often any more. I didn't want to get rid of this furniture for two reasons: one, it would kill my mom; and two, it is very practical. The table extends into a huge table and the buffet/hutch has a lot of storage. In the old house, I was going for a kind of 1940's farmhouse vibe in the kitchen, and the furniture worked. Here, I wanted a Mexican vibe. When I say vibe, I mean I don't want it to look like you stepped into a place or time, but that you have a certain feeling or flavor about the room. But, I suck at interior design. I figured I would try - there is a first time for everything!
So I painted first. The colors are Frosted Jade and Brown Teepee from Behr at Home Depot. The Frosted Jade is the paint and primer in one, and it only took one can to go over that red - two coats. Amazing! I bought that paint when we moved in and intended to use it someplace else. Well, I wanted to mind my budget, so I used the paint we had in this case, and it came out beautiful. On the chip it seemed a little more washed out, but the result is better than what I expected. The brown teepee is what I was using on the walls in the upstairs hallway, the stairs, and the entrance, so there is some flow (I watch too much HGTV!)
I had saved those sarapes on the walls for a few years to use somewhere. We got them out of one of Danny's dumpsters when he was hauling. He had a job once to clean out a woman's storage and home after she died, and I found lots of treasures there. I also have some written proof of the age and place where these originated - they are 1940 or 50's vintage saltillo sarapes from Arizona. One is wool, and one is a wool blend. I bought wrought iron towel bars on e-bay to display them.
The Last Supper print came from a house Danny wanted to buy. It was an old, abandoned house in a bad part of town, and the man who lived there became a ward of the state and was forced into a nursing home. The city wouldn't sell us the house, but DJ took a memento.
Lastly, the chandelier - what a bargain! I bought that on e-bay, too. I love it! But it is an outdoor chandelier, and only 20 volt. The listing said it came with a transformer, but it was not in the package that came straight from the manufacturer. So I let the seller know, and the manufacturer called me a few days later to tell me all had been shipped. Still, it could not be installed directly into the ceiling, which is why we have that chain. Oh well!
I am still waiting on the new knobs for the buffet - talavera knobs from Mexico.
I think it looks great! on to the next room...
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