Entry Hall Reveal!

 

This last week has been a whirlwind of activity for us.

The entry hall is almost complete, a few finishing touches and it is done. I am beyond happy with the results and it has surpassed my expectations.

Before we ever moved into our new home the entry hall was one of the first areas I wanted to address. 

The  entry to your home is so important, it is the greeting your guest will see first so it should be welcoming, and an introduction to what they are about to see and experience in your home.

It is always hard to leave your vision in someone else's hands, but I truly found a wonderful contractor that listened and understood the look I wanted. 

This is how our entry started out.....

 It is a small space measuring 53 X 93in. Luckily we have a little window in the door so we get some light otherwise it would be like a dark closet and this girl has to have light. If I don't have natural light I will provide the area with artificial light.

Here is the space as the carpenter is doing his thing!!

I knew exactly what I wanted so we taped out the design for the contractor to see. Proportions were and ARE so important and I knew I had to get this right.....

We have 10ft ceilings and the plan was to panel the entire wall from floor to ceiling. 

Every single wall has a paneled treatment. My poor husband hung that picture 4 different times until we had it right. Remember proportions have to be right.

You can see in this picture that the panels are starting to go up. With each step I became more and more excited.

All the doorways were wrapped and cased. The rounded edging that is used in this home is perfectly lovely, but this girl loves molding, and the finished look it gives to a room.

With every piece of molding that was applied my vision became a reality........

Even the smallest slice of wall was addressed. I wasn't sure this would look right since it is so small and I am all about proportions, however my contractor reassured me it would look good and by this time I trusted his judgement. Now this is one of my favorite parts!!

This is the opening that leads into the hallway for the guest room. It is kind of like it's own little wing.

This picture shows our ceiling. Now this is where the design plan changed drastically. 

Originally I wanted a tongue and groove ceiling with a very small pencil thin black trim next to the crown on the ceiling side. 

However, I literally woke up one morning and realized that the paneled walls had a much more formal look and the grooved ceiling was too casual so I opted out for a framed ceiling like we had in our previous home. 

You will notice no black trim either. I let the contractor and my hubby talk me out of it. They did not quite see my vision on this point, however that is going to change in the very near future.

Now it is all painted and dry so the electrician can come in and install the lighting. 

This is where I get nervous. Seriously like dentist chair nervous. You see he was going to cut two holes for sconces and one in the middle for a receptacle to plug in the portrait lighting.

I literally go out of the room when they do this. I keep telling myself it is all fixable if something happens, but it still makes me a nervous wreck.

The hole drilling and the wiring were all very successful and we now have light!!!

There will be some adjustments made on the lighting, such as the portrait lighting is way to bright so we have to get different wattage for that and the sconces need white shades, but I am also going to try black shades on them as well.

There is going to be a slab mirror installed behind the oil painting to further open up the space.  You can see in this picture the sconce shades are a soft cream, which I like the contrast very much. However with the overhead lighting I chose I need white or black.

I was so excited when the over head light fixture went up. I have had this on my radar for 3-4 years now so this was kind of a dream come true. I love it's crispness with the black trim and  the soft curves in the scallops.

Can you see now why I want to add a small pencil size black trim on the ceiling!? I can totally see it now that the picture is almost complete. 

I think in this picture you can see why I also need to change out the sconce shades to white or black, I am also going to try white with black trim as well.

Here are some pictures I took this over cast rainy morning.  I love the soft glow in the room now. To say I am pleased is truly an understatement.

We also did crown molding throughout the living area and wrapped all door openings and the TV niche. I will show you that later. It totally enhanced the look of our home and we are both pleased as we can be.

Still a few more details to add, but for now I am just going to enjoy walking into my entry hall that is all aglow!!

 

 

A Heart To Heart With Kathysue!!

This post is going to be a heart to heart. There won't be any decorating ideas or inspiration, just a real honest post about how I have been feeling lately. Grab a cup of coffee, relax and read on........

I feel as if I am going through an awkward stage. You know the stage when you feel like nothing in your closet fits or looks good on you. 

The disappointment in yourself because you did not lose the weight you thought you would lose by some miraculous happening, since you never exercised or went on a diet.

When you feel like your hair is no longer the right style, but are way too afraid to make a drastic change. 

The older women looking back at you from the mirror no longer resembles the gal that is pictured in your head.

This is a very awkward stage! Kind of like puberty right before you blossom into a beautiful young lady, but in reverse!!

Now I like to think I am a pretty positive gal, and I truly am, most of the time, but the past couple of weeks these feelings have been my reality. 

I decided to write about it to help me sort through it. I figured I am probably not alone in the way that I am feeling.

I am also very realistic, so I try looking at my past history to figure out what I will most likely do within reason. My past shows I won't do anything too drastic so I have to approach it all realistically.

 Yes! To top it all off I am a Libra and YES I require balance and peace in my life.

When I start to feel unbalanced I look inside to see which areas feel off kilter.

 Body, Soul and Mind

I have found it is usually because one or more areas of my life have taken over, or has been left behind.

We all need to feed our body, soul and mind so that is where I am starting.

 

Since we are about to change into  a different season, Spring, I figured I better start by being ruthless about what clothing pieces actually fit comfortably for Spring and only have those things hanging in my closet.

Let's face it there is nothing more disheartening than trying on 5 different items of clothing that don't fit properly right before you have to be ready to go out.

So I figured it is time to put away the things that ALMOST fit but not quite. Then I can evaluate what I truly have and can wear now. This will me seewhat gaps I have in my wardrobe.

I have to admit I have been feeling a little frumpy lately. Winter months will do that to you.

The other thing I am going to start doing is doing what I call a Kathy Perdue makeup, a little blush and lipstick, even if I am inside the house, Oh and curl my eyelashes. 

I don't like wearing makeup on my face unless we are going out for something special but without any makeup I look a little sickly, if you know what I mean.

I will say I am happy with the condition of my skin, minus the wrinkles which are a given at this age. My skin texture is still pretty good. I can thank the gene pool for that.

Probably one of the worst things I have done to myself lately is telling myself negative things about myself, just because I am not looking or feeling how I want to right now. That is counter productive so those negative thoughts are going to stop and in their place I will do something constructive and positive throughout my day.

The weather has finally settled into a lovely Spring weather pattern so a daily walk will be good for body, soul and mind.

There are always things we can do to make our lives better and more comfortable for the way we live. Just look inside and try your hardest to stay positive. 

 

 

Changes Are Happening Around Our New House!

This past week the kitchen back splash was completed. The original order for the handmade tile that I waited over 6 weeks for came in wrong, so there was more waiting. I chose the same tile we had used in our previous home. It is classic and has a beautiful glaze that almost seems iridescent in certain lighting.

 BEFORE finished back splash...

   This was taken right after the grout was finished.

 AFTER! TA-DA........

To say we love it is an understatement. This one project made our new house feel even more like HOME!!

 Now for other news around our home...

The construction has begun in our house!! All  the door openings in main living area are being wrapped and door facing will be added. 

There will also be crown molding added to the living area and small hallways. To say we are excited is an understatement.

For those of you who have been reading my blog for awhile you know I am a planner and I like to share my thinking process with you in order to maybe teach you how to look at your own homes differently.

I have been doing a lot of thinking lately, and the one saying I try to abide by keeps coming up in my head.

"When in doubt, DON'T."

There is one element I have gone back and forth on in my head, it is a small detail, but it could make or break the overall design for the molding.

Before we ever moved into our new home I thought the fireplace wall was my nemesis. As it turns out, it has worked out beautifully, and has not been the problem child I thought it would be.

All along I wanted to wrap the niche surround with molding just like it was a door in order to give it a bit more importance. 

I also had plans of putting one large molding frame on the back wall that would follow the lines of the niche. 

The little hallway back wall would have the same treatment. Very much like what is above the fireplace surrounding the mirror.

Now that it is time to do it, I am having second thoughts! REMEMBER> "When In Doubt, DON'T!"

I made a decision and I am going to have the carpenter finish all the openings, and the crown,  then I will address these two walls. 

For some reason it all of the sudden started feeling like too many lines in my minds eye, sooooooo. When in Doubt, DON'T!

If I feel it needs something more, we will add the framing after everything else has been addressed.

Remember...  

Design plans are a wheel in motion and you can stop them or make them proceed, just do it at the right time, better before than after something has gone up. You are the one that has to live with it, so be happy with your results by planning things out and be willing to undo the design when you have doubts.

Here are the very beginnings of the entry door frames...

All the door frames are 3 1/2 in. casings.

I can already envision how it is going to look even in its raw state. I am so excited!!

In the background you can see the little wooden lamp on the mirrored table. I finally found the box that it was packed in and my hubby got it out for me to play with.

I got the little bunny print on Etsy and it holds a special memory for our family. 

The little black and white specked bunny looks just like a pet we had. His name was Domino and he was a very special bunny. My son found him in the park behind our house. We guessed his age to be about 6months old.

Right out of the gate Domino was user friendly. Bunnies either are or they are NOT.

 via

We could hold him like a baby, he could stay in the house and he actually taught himself to be let out when he needed to go out. He was house trained all on his own. 

He ran freely in our backyard and every morning when he heard the water running to make coffee he would hop quickly to the back door for his morning treat. He was so special to us all.

Now back to the mirrored tables vignette...

I knew it looked perfectly fine, but something bothered me about it. I was not quite sure what. Maybe too cutesy, sweet, contrived??? Too many small pieces not saying enough.

Then it came to me!!

Add a black lampshade like I did in the great room, on the white lamp...

Having the shades match made more sense to me and would keep the eye flowing instead of stopping.

The black lampshade would ground all of the mirrored finishes in this area, as well.

So I did a switcher-roo .......

 I like the look and feel of the black with the texture of the natural wood and the shine of the mirror.

I tried some books under the picture but it felt like too much to me. I think I need different books to do that. 

I have a feeling this little area will always be in process!

So there you have it! Things will really be on the move this week with all the molding so I will keep you all posted!!