You may recall our fugly foyer, the unimpressive space that first welcomed us home in Spring 2008…
… and the stairwell, all caked in layers of dull, cracking paint…
… and how I heat-gunned and chemical’ed it until it was all a dried-up-boogery mess…
… and how I scraped and sanded it all down until my fingers were raw,
… and how Dylan spent Snowpocalypse 2010 constructing wainscoting…
… and a window seat…
… and how we cashed in seven years’ worth of saving from our spare change jar…
… to afford new ceiling tiles.
Oh, and did I mention that when I pulled all that disgusting, cat-pee-soaked carpet off the steps, I found a layer of linoleum, a la 1960s apartment store??!!! And how melting away that stubborn-as-hell adhesive nearly drove poor Dylan over the edge??!!! Blarg!!!!!!
Ahem. Well. Since Dylan finished his spring-semester teaching load, he’s been toiling nonstop to finish the room. It’s been magical; each day at the office, I’ve gotten iPhone pictures of his triumphs…
… and his bloody messes. (“Um. Sweetie. Do you think it’s, I dunno, maybe a little too cherry-ish?”)
He’s primed and painted and papered. He’s sweated and stained and slaved. And now….
Wait for it…
Wait for it…
Wait…
For…
It…
…
…
…
…
TA-DA!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I know, I know, I know. It’s the most beautiful room I’ve ever seen. It’s so beautiful I want to lick the black velvet right off the damask wallpaper.
My husband is the coolest husband in the history of all husbands everywhere.
It still needs a new light fixture, a window-seat cushion, vent covers, a rug, blah blah blah. But dooooooood. Can you believe this? I keep expecting some fancy-pants doorman to tap me on the shoulder and tell me to move along. This place can’t possibly belong to tramps like us.
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Un-friggin-believable!!!!!!! What an outstanding transformation!! I love the wainscotting and the bold wallpaper. Now THAT is a grand entrance! Great job.
Gorgeousness!
I feel your pain on the wood stripping. I spent a lot of time on my own (not to mention the inhalation of god knows how much lead paint). It looks beautiful. So jealous of that window seat.
WOW! All your blood, sweat and tears have paid off tenfold. That is an amazing transformation. Isn’t it great when you feel unworthy to live in your own house?
Hooooolllllllyyyyy moooolllllllyyyyy. That looks absolutely stunning. Also, I just claimed the window seat.
OMG–this is fricken GORGEOUS!!!! The wallpaper, the window seat (The Window Seat), the piano placement, the ceiling, the view into the turquoise and the lime rooms, the paint job. WHOOSH!
Insanely awesome!!
WOWoWOWoWOW — that’s one snazzy entrance! You two are amazing!
Oh.my.GAWWWWD! That is outstanding!!!! I love the wallpaper, the molding, ceiling, floors, everything. It’s magnificent! And what a perfect place for a piano. Drool.
What went through my head was: Oh. My. God! But Carrie already said that. Even knowing how amazing the transformation of a space can be, I still think this is just effing AMAZING. Awesome job!
Wow! That is one amazing looking room. I’m just stunned at the difference. Gorgeous!
My exact words when I saw the finished room were “Holy crap!” And I mean that in a good way. That is amazing!
Lord ha’ mercy! I have got to get down there and see this!
Query: At what point during the stripping operation did you decide the staircase wanted mostly repainted? I’m not sure I would have had the nerve. Though, listen to me, I’m thinking of repainting my front room trim once it’s all stripped, to keep that space fresh and garden-y.
Brilliant work on the wainscoting and bench. And everything else. O yes o yes o yes.
My jaw dropped open when I saw the after. All the hard work paid off – stunning!
Query: At what point during the stripping operation did you decide the staircase wanted mostly repainted? I’m not sure I would have had the nerve. Though, listen to me, I’m thinking of repainting my front room trim once it’s all stripped, to keep that space fresh and garden-y.
+1
Stunning! Great job.
Tres. Chic.