03 April 08
Let's redecorate with the Huffencoopers
We asked our friend Annie Hollenbeck (available for hire, I might add) to begin our house-wide redecorating project in our dining room. She asked us some questions, she looked around and a few weeks later, she gave us this mock-up of the room that has been so hard for us to get right, or even close to how we want it. And look at what she did. This is the perfect blend of kitcsch, modern, and antique. In other words, it is the perfect blend of us.
Here is what she suggests:
Take the chair rail and turn it into a picture rail (easily the most expensive part of the project, but we may be able to use the rail we currently have.)
Paint under the rail one of the oranges. (I love these rich intense colors.)
Paint above the rail the natural color.
Create drapes using the pattern below the rail and natural cotton above it. We’ll hang the curtain rods against the ceiling so it really ties together that end of the room.
Strip down the buffet. The varnish on the built-in is kinda shot and its in crappy condition.
Strip down our table, which used to be a door and then revarnish it to match the new chairs we purchased. Fill in the recesses with a clear fill-in to make the top of the table flat. We’ll also change the legs to make it more stable.
Purchase Flor tiles from Design Within Reach to create a rug under the dining table. The good thing about these tiles is that they come in sections and are easily removable. This is good because we’re messy so the rug will be easy to clean. It’s also good because we have cats. If they run a tile, we replace that tile.
The modern light fixture. I love this. I’ve looked at hundreds of lighting fixtures and imagined them in the room, but this seemed so simple that I never gave it a second thought. And once I saw it on here, I was about ready to smack my forehead and say “Of course!”
The chairs we’ve already purchased. They’re similar to the white chair in shape, but they have a taller back. They’re made of bent wood in an oaky finish. It works with the floors and is pretty close to the color of the table. I think a tinted varnish or stain will help get the color even more correct.
The khakhi color chip is the color of our kitchen. Annie suggests painting our entry way this color to tie the kitchen into the rest of the place. The green chips are colors for the living room.
I’m excited to get started. We need a couple of really warm days so we can work on the table. I need to research what is involved in turning the chair rail into a picture rail. And we need to figure out a way to strip down the buffet in an eco-safe way because we’ll likely end up doing it inside cause that piece is fracking huge.
So there is a lot of work, but I think I have an idea about the fabric for the drapes which I’ll make. And painting will take a few hours on a Saturday and a few more on a Sunday.
One major outstanding question regards the window frame and the ceiling moulding. Do we strip those down to their natural finish? It would look great, but boy howdy! would that be a lot of work. And if we don’t strip it, we need to repaint then. And that’s enough work that maybe we should just strip?
No matter what we end up doing, I’m almost positive that Annie is going to slowly make each room of our place come together.
Comments
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Cool — just like on the Tee-vee! I can’t wait to see the finished room.
— amyc on Apr 4, 08:04 am
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We have been using a soy gel stripper and have really liked it. Go to franmar.com and click paint removal. It’s non toxic and works really well. Sometimes we have to leave it on for a long time but it gets there eventually.
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By the way, that dining room design is beautiful!
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