Change of Plans! And lovely Inspiration Photos...

Before you begin...know that this is a long, wordy post. There are lots of pretty pictures to go with it, though!

Not so very long ago, I posted a little info about my plan for redoing my home COMPLETELY.

I was and still am very much in the mood to make major changes to my current look. It was a very frugal and practical approach - using things I already have and love.

What I have:  I have variety of richly colored items - reds, greens, golds and blacks mostly. Most rooms had variations of these colors. I have medium colored original oak flooring - it's not pristine. It has "character."

What I desire: I really admire a neutral, mostly white, eclectic/industrial, textural environment. I love old and new, primitive and polished all together in a traditional but creatively quirky space.

I love Scandinavian design like these spaces at Vita Verandan:

Here's the BEFORE in a nutshell:

Living Room - light beige/yellow walls, red sofa, black side tables, green chest and book case, black/red/green/gold floral fabric side chairs and cornice boards.

Dining Room - light beige/yellow walls, white hutch and table, red chairs with the same black floral fabric covered cushions. Black, Red & Green mix & match dishes in the hutch. Red books & decorative items.

Kitchen - chartreuse walls, distressed white cabinetry, green floor, red backsplash (paint), red door to garage. Off white counters and appliances.

Bathroom - light beige/yellow walls, white and off white tile and floor tile. White cabinet. Chartreuse graphic floral shower curtain with coordinating towels.

Daughter's Room - dark tan walls with gold metallilc wash, black iron bed, black and wicker corner shelf, black iron side table with green trim, white chest of drawers.

Son's Room - tobacco brown/green walls, camel, red, green cafe curtain and comforter, wood chest of drawers, dark green primitive cabinet, red primitive armchair

My Room - medium neutral green walls, white painted furniture.

My bathroom - totally original old wallpaper & fixtures that need to be replaced.

Den - wood knotty pine paneling - natural unpainted. Ceiling is also wood. Windows have wood shutters. It's dark and works ok as a media room for now. Some people love it, but I'd love to paint it. Greenish-gray sofa and love seat, computer desk, primitive wood coffee table and trunk used as a side table. Book shelves with all kinds and colors of books.

Just how does one make a long-desired switch from a richly colored home to a light neutral home? 
My plan was to sort of phase it in.

Overall Goals: 

Simplify - pare down a bit, keeping only things I love and that have sentimental value.

Refresh - Change it up - move furnishings and accessories to new places to creat a whole new look.

Lighten Up - paint all walls lighter neutral colors. Keep the shiny white trim. Move toward a mostly white and neutral palette. Use colored accessories - keeping all one color per room.

Here are a few examples of my inspiration from For the Love of a House:

Phase #1 plan: Use existing furnishings and refresh as needed with paint.

Living Room - (green room) Use den sofa and love seat to replace the red sofa the dog ate.  Use green things - artwork, pottery, books, etc. I have a lovely patchwork velvet throw with a variety of greens. Use existing black furniture pieces along with some existing green pieces in the mix. I'd paint my shiny red, dog-scratched front door shiny black - inside and out.

Dining Room - (white with green accents) Change chairs and dishes in hutch to all whites. (Done and done.)

Kitchen - (white with black) Change chartreuse walls to neutral. Put new neutral flooring down.  

Bathroom - (whites) paint walls off white, get new white shower curtain, window curtain, rug and towels. 

Daughter's Room - (off white with black and brown) paint off white walls, keep black iron bed, black and wicker corner shelf, use new white chest of drawers, use some black small tables.

Son's Room - paint off white and turn it into a studio when he moves. Keep a twin bed as a daybed. Bring in work tables and shelving. Use lots of color in artwork and accessories. Keep it fun!

My Room - paint walls taupe, use white painted furniture, along with some dark woods. (It has been painted, and just needs a few things done.)

My bathroom - go all white here. do cosmetic updates until it can be redone. 

Den - (red room) Paint knotty pine paneling light taupe. Keep ceiling wood. Paint trim and shutters. Use twin bed as day bed. Use a variety of patterns with all shades of red. Keep primitive wood coffee table and trunk used as a side table. Book shelves with all red books and accessories.

Change of Plans!

At Thanksgiving, I got a little taste of what my multi-green living room could look like. I brought out fabric - long green tablecloths (I'd bought them on sale thinking I'd make a duvet for my bedroom.) I draped the red sofa in them. I moved some of my green furniture into the room, and put out some of the green objets d'art and books.

I hated it. Even though the room was nowhere near the finished version of the space I envisioned, it was enough to let me know I didn't want that much green in my room! It felt oppressive and dark - not at all the look I was hoping for.

Remember the chair I painted John Deere Green? As much as I like the color, I think it's going to go neutral. Or I might sell it and get something else.

I will also paint a primitive cabinet with original dark green paint. It's going white - like this one from Villa Barnes:

I will still use my decorative items, all shades of green, but  they will be used with very light neutral furnishings instead of blacks and greens.

In the scheme of things, I'm going on a much straighter path to what I want. Except for the sofa, I still have pretty much everything I need. What's a little more white paint to get the look you like? (It's a good thing I enjoy painting!)

The other room plans are still pretty much the same - it's just the amounts of green in the living room I plan to change. So, I may keep the sofas in the den, find a new one and make a canvas slip cover for it. I'll keep you posted!

Word for the Day:

Romans 13:12

The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.

Here's to light in all its forms! May you live in the light and all that is in it.

-Revi

Linking with:

Wednesday

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Thursday
http://bec4-beyondthepicketfence.blogspot.com/ Under $100 Link Party
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Saturday

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Sunday

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Monday

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Tuesday

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