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Design Dilemma
nancy_switzler

Craftsman Living Room/Dining Room Help

13 years ago
This post replaces my request for suggestions in hiring a designer. Through that post we were able to find an architect who helped us with a master plan and we'll be submitting plans to replace and enclosed patio (sun room) with an addition. Then we'll tackle the kitchen and other bath.

Meanwhile, my personal project is in my favorite part of the house. As stated in my original post I have decided broadly on my course of action, in the following order.
1. Paint the ceiling (this wasn't on my original list but upon realizing the the ceiling is now kind of pink I thought this should be painted).
2. Remove shutters and refinish wood (this is a big project!)
3. Either remove wallpaper and paint or decide to be happy with it.
4. Remove carpet and refinish the wood floors underneath.
5. Then... see about furniture...

I am thankful for all the advice received so far and hope to be able to provide updates (and get more help as we move along).
Featured Answer
  • PRO
    13 years ago
    I'm not at all familiar with Dun Edwards paint. I don't believe we have them on the East Coast. I know the quality of Benjamin Moore paint - it's top notch. Benjamin Moore's Aura paint looks different on the wall than most other paints - deeper, richer color, due to the color lock technology used (each drop of colorant is encapsulated with Aura and Natura - the zero VOC - volatile organic compound- Benjamin Moore paint. So at a molecular level you are looking at the color through more layers. All of the Ben Moore paints are low V.O.C.s. And they have over 3000 colors, so if you are looking for a color, it should be there. Benjamin Moore knows that they are in the business of color, not paint. You buy paint to obtain the color. )
    But which ever paint you use, you should select the colors from that company's paint chips rather than trusting that a machine can "match" a color from another company. They have yet to create a machine that can see as well as the human eye. \
    I've never seen a green which wood doesn't love, so green is always a good choice with your wood.

    Comments (269)

    • 12 years ago
      It looks beautiful!
    • 12 years ago
      A bit of before and after. The bright spotlight is kind of blowing out the color and I will take new photos tomorrow, but the walls were painted and it is wonderful. Now to put things back and to decorate.

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    • PRO
      12 years ago
      Looks very inviting, Nancy! is this the same color as the inglenooK?
    • PRO
      12 years ago
      All of your woodwork looks great too! Your effort really shows.
    • 12 years ago
      The walls are the same color as the inglenook. They just look lighter because of the spotlight. I'm going to try and take better pictures today to show a better sense of the color. The room is so much lighter with this wood and wall color. I'm ready to start on the dining room but have to wait a couple weeks. That's because we are on the home tour on the 28th as a Restoration in Progress. This weekend I have to put things back and clean
    • 11 years ago
      Living room is put back together. We uncovered the floors but need to have them refinished when the dining room is done, which I'll be starting on this weekend. Here are photos of the "finished" look... We are working with a decorator so there will be more changes. Meanwhile I'm pretty happy with my work. Thanks to everyone who's given tips and encouragement.
    • 11 years ago
      You have a beautiful home. Thank you for sharing your renos with us.
    • 11 years ago
      Thank you lepstein. Its been fun (mostly) to do these renovations. Today the grass cloth and shutters were taken down in the dining room and the difference is amazing! Now I get to do the hard part and start stripping the wood.
    • 11 years ago
      So we started on the dining room today. It's amazing how much light we have without the shutters and grasscloth. But I'm most excited about the discovery under the wallpaper... A plate rail.
    • 11 years ago
      I just sat and read this journey tonight. Amazing and I admire you soooo much for doing all of this labor of love.
    • 11 years ago
      Thanks lepstein and abbyjean. This has been a lot of work but what's finished looks so nice I'm motivated to keep going. Tired! But motivated.
    • PRO
      11 years ago
      Nancy - I'm trying to see what you are showing us concerning the discovery under the wallpaper. There was another piece of wood there? or just a shelf? It's difficult to understand the photo, even though I see dark and light from where the wallpaper was.
    • 11 years ago
      Hi Linda, the wall has stain on it so it can look confusing. The first photos shows the wall at an angle. The paneling covers the bottom half of the wall and grass cloth is on the top half. Today, when removing the grass cloth, we discovered that there was wallpaper covered by paint and then the grass cloth was on top. While scraping this off we discovered more wood which seems to correlate with a board and batten wainscoting. So the dark brown is the wood, the white on both sides is the painted wallpaper, and the wall is yellowish with a brown stain. Hopefully that makes sense. I'll have to find some more trim molding to finish it off but I like the idea of a plate rail.
    • 11 years ago
      Hi Nancy, I like the paint colors on the exterior of your home! Could you share what they are?
    • 11 years ago
      @honeybeem. I'm sorry but the exterior was painted before we moved here and there are no saved cans so we don't know the color.
    • PRO
      11 years ago
      Hi, Nancy - sorry I haven't checked in in a while. The explanation was interesting about the wall. Have you already had your home tour or is that still pending?
    • 11 years ago
      Hi Linda, we had the home tour at the end of September. We weren't home for it but were told that almost 500 people toured. We went and saw the other houses on the tour. It was a fun day. Meanwhile I'm hard at work in the dining room. Recently I successfully unstuck the dining room windows. They had been sealed shut, sash cords cut with holes plugged ( thankfully they didn't plug the whole track), painted shut on outside, with some extra molding added on outside. But now they work! I still need to strip, stain, and finish the wood, but it was pretty gratifying to accomplish this repair.
    • PRO
      11 years ago
      Wonderful! You have so many days with nice weather there, it must be exciting to know that you will be able to open the windows.
    • PRO
      11 years ago
      This too, HOUZZ is an old post!
    • PRO
      11 years ago
      But an ongoing project. I'm interested in the progress....
    • 11 years ago
      @Linda. It is wonderful having windows that open! We are having some screens installed tomorrow and then I'll be able to work on each sash without fear of bugs flying in. The other day we had a dragon fly visit while we were working. THAT was a bit distracting.

      Thanks for all your support on this long project. I'm starting to see light at the end of the tunnel. And thanks for helping me to choose the paint color, it looks awesome and we get lots of good comments whenever anyone visits.


      @Interior Affairs. This post has indeed been going for more than a year. In all that time, I've been posting updates and getting advice. I was not aware that there was a time limit as to how long a thread could stay active. My advice to you is that if you don't like the thread just don't look at it. But don't post a comment with an exclamation point about the "old thread". Maybe if you'd read it you would have seen that it is regularly updated.
    • 11 years ago
      After 18 months of working in my spare time (and in between other parts of the project) I'm pleased to say that I have finally finished stripping the wood! This is a major milestone and one for which I've been saving a bottle of my favorite wine. Cheers!

      We also had some missing trim milled and installed. Next stop is sanding, staining, finishing.
    • PRO
      11 years ago
      Wow! Lot's of hard work - you deserve a reward!
    • PRO
      11 years ago
      Looking great, Nancy. That long wall in the bottom photo is in the dining room?
    • 11 years ago
      Thanks Kathryn, the glass of wine was nice. The rest is pretty easy but still a bit time consuming.
    • 11 years ago
      Linda, that is the dining room with new plate rail and battens
    • 11 years ago
      I think that I mentioned before that we are doing an addition. I wanted to have my project completed before the addition started but all the funding was lined up and we started December 18. Then I was hoping to finish me project before the addition. Now I'm trying to at least finish at close to the same time but realistically my contractors are working faster than me. Anyway, it is all pretty exciting. Here are a few photos of the addition in progress.
    • PRO
      11 years ago
      How wonderful, Nancy! I remember you discussing this part of your plan. This will make the family room much more usable. Is the kitchen also a part of this phase, or is that a future project?
    • PRO
      11 years ago
      Whoa Nancy! The contractor is smokin' hot, moving along very well! Just six weeks in and the roof is already on, great!! : )
    • 11 years ago
      Linda, the kitchen will be a future project although I'm thinking of doing it in three phases to make it more economically viable.

      Steve, they are indeed moving quickly and at this pace they will finish before I'm done with my big wood refinishing project. This is good and bad as I really want to be done with my work!
    • 11 years ago

      After 19 months I'm finished staining. Maybe I'll be ready for some before/after photos in April


    • 11 years ago

      You are amazing and so is this home! I can hardly wait for the pics!!!

      And hopefully you had another bottle of wine to celebrate!!!

    • 11 years ago

      Hi abbyjean, I do have a bottle of my favorite wine that I've been saving for the finish!

    • 11 years ago

      I cannot imagine how happy and excited you have to be feeling! And how your body must ache from doing all of this for sooooo long!

    • 11 years ago

      Yes! I am excited and sore! As soon as I'm done applying the finish (which hopefully won't take too long) we'll paint... we have someone scheduled to come in a couple of weeks to refinish the floors. After he's done we kind of get to move in again. Then the decorating will start...and maybe that will need a new thread! Meanwhile our addition is almost completed as well. So both the front and the back of the house will be done at about the same time.

    • 11 years ago

      It is all working out and I think having the addition completed together will be perfect. Of course, I have not had to live through all of this, either. IF you do another thread, please post another link here. I am just so darn excited to see the space all set up and lived in.

    • PRO
      11 years ago
      I'm sure you are looking forward to enjoying the fruits of your labors!
    • 11 years ago

      Update: the floor was refinished this week. We can walk on it now but need to wait another day (and dust thoroughly) before putting the furniture back. I need to put two more coats of finish on the buffet. Painter is coming Tuesday and shoe trim will hopefully be installed while we are on vacation. Then we can put the furniture back and slowly start decorating.

    • 11 years ago

      I just spent a little while reading this thread and oh my gosh, what a labor of love! You have done a beautiful job and should be very proud. I am very anxious to see your finished product, too! Your floors look great. Congrats!

    • PRO
      11 years ago

      Nancy, what a gorgeous end result you have achieved with the floors redone as well. So much better than the carpet which was there! Your vision is nearly in place!


    • PRO
      11 years ago

      Nancy & Scott, Fantastic! The floors look innnncredible! Cheers, SCR

    • 11 years ago

      https://www.etsy.com/shop/TusePashmina?ref=search_shop_redirect

      Decorative handmade rugs

    • PRO
      10 years ago

      Nancy - did you start a new thread? Any updates?

    • 10 years ago

      Hi Linda, I did finish my project last May. I still need to purchase furniture and rugs and stuff but need to wait until we have some money for all of that! We also finished our addition and it looks great. I'll post some photos for you. Next up will be the kitchen and then the inside will be all done! Well...except for the furniture.

      This is me having a celebratory glass of wine the day I finished my wood project.

      This art is only there until I find something better (and more colorful) but you can see some of the wood.

      One of my little dogs checking out the Christmas activity. Apparently I haven't taken too many photos once I was done. Which is amazing as I have so many in progress photos. I'll post the addition separately

    • 10 years ago

      And... our addition is complete!

      outside shot

      Here are a couple of bathroom shots. I don't have nay of the den, closet, laundry room or of the shower in the bathroom. I must have run our of picture taking energy! Let me know if you'd like to see more.

    • PRO
      10 years ago

      I'm certainly enjoying seeing the results, given that I visited you and saw the "before". Thank you. Still following! And by the way, the best homes look as if they evolved over time, so if they actually do, that's always OK.


    • 10 years ago
      I have followed along whenever I've noticed one of your updates, and just want to say beautiful job on the woodwork, and I absolutely love the bathroom!
    • 10 years ago

      Thank you soooo much for sharing your home with us once again. TRULY beautiful and I really admire the time and effort you put in to this huge project.

    • PRO
      10 years ago

      Nancy, looks fantastic! Cheers, SCR

    • 10 years ago

      Southern California is lucky to have historic homes and people like you who love them! Congrats from San Diego!

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