As I confessed on Wednesday, I have picked up nary a paintbrush or hammer in the past week. The Hubs has breathed a little easier knowing he can come home without walking into a “guess what’s different in this room!” game (guess which one loves that game and which one hates it! Here’s a hint: I’m the one that loves it). All may be quiet on the home front, but in my brain, a frenzy of activity is brewing. I know I mentioned that there are some projects in store for while The Hubs is away, starting mid-next week. Unfortunately, my non-contractor, non-carpenter, anti-DIY husband has vetoed one of my more major plans, and for once I agree with him. So, for the time being, our ceiling is going to stay a nasty popcorn white, instead of being transformed into an edgy, industrial, rustic plywood & beamed piece of modern art. And I am le sad.
Rather than feel too sorry for myself, I’m also a teensy bit relieved. Of course I’d love to knock it off my list without enduring a single masculine pout or trudging sigh over a Saturday morning “honey-do list” – but I think I’ll actually need his help on this one. I’ll probably also need the help of an additional 2-3 strapping young men (don’t we all!). But anyways. Before I completely derail myself on that thought (and wasn’t it a nice one?), here are some of the pictures that are going to be fueling my springtime home update:
Project 1: Paint the living room grey
From Coastal Living
From a dwellingsdesign blog post
From a hirshfields blog post
From the same location as above
From designwali.com
Painting the living room will give me the perfect opportunity to patch all the holes from my pre-command strip picture hanging adventures. I’m also going to move the wall-mounted lamp to a different room and install some brass picture lighting from Lowe’s instead. This also leads straight into my next project, which is to-
Project 2: Re-think the gallery wall (one word: gold)
Photo from jennandtay.blogspot.com
Photo from designpardeux.com
Photo from Cove & Grey
Same photo source as directly above
This last project is the only one that I’ll need help/supervision on, and and for that I’m planning to invite one/a few of my younger sisters over. They’re great fun to be around, and work without complaining as long as I keep them plied with cheezits and wine (they’re underage, so… lemonade? Tea? What are all the kids drinking these days?). As an added bonus, when I turn on a Pixar DVD for background noise and subsequently recite every single line of Finding Nemo or The Incredibles, instead of looking at me as if I’ve grown a second head (*cough* Mark *cough*), they obligingly join in. Sister power! This last project is also the most expensive, because I am taking down our hugely hideous/cracked/broken turntable/unevenly heating above-range microwave and buying a $59 .9 cubic foot (think tiny) microwave to stash on one of the pantry shelves. It’s the most brilliant idea ever. Now if I could just figure out how to get an outlet plug into the pantry…
Project 3: Take down my upper cabinets and add open shelving
Erika of Urban Grace designed this kitchen
This is the one I will most closely base my concept off of. I’m really drawn to the simple industrial metal shelf brackets! Plus, we have the same beadboard walls and dark countertops. Twinsies! Photo from purestylehome.blogspot.com
Same source as photo directly above
Photo from newlyweddiaries.blogspot.com
I’m planning to buy lumber at Lowe’s, bring my measurements and have it cut to size in the store. Then I’ll weather & stain the wood in the garage while trying not to freeze to death. Beauty is pain! Har har. Photo from Laguna Homes
Photo from kitchenbuilding.com
There you have it! All of my nefarious plans for the upcoming weeks. My thought is to hang a gold-framed picture above the stove and also install a picture light above it in order to tie the living room & kitchen together, if you were curious. I’m going to have to carefully time my projects since a couple of them involve drying time (painting the frames gold, staining the shelf boards). Whenever I mess up my scheduling I start to panic towards the end of my projects (case in point, dinging the finish on my newly-painted refrigerator because I decided to put the top cabinet up before it was fully cured). I usually spend the last two hours before The Hubs is expected home frantically running around gathering up DIY project accoutrements and stashing them in random places. Once I hid a level in my sock drawer at the last minute and promptly forgot it was there. It kept my socks company for an entire week until I realized it was missing. Anyway, this time will be better. If you’re reading my post, baby? Don’t worry, I got this!
xo,
Cozy Crooked Cottage 
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