celebrating 100 years

It's been some time since I've posted anything here. You could say I've been up to my elbows in paint, literally, for several months now. You see, 2010 marks the 100th birthday of our Seattle home and we plan to host a little end-of-summer bash to celebrate.

Knowing this was in the works I started to panic last December when I imagined guests touring our home in it's current condition. For the three years we've lived here, we've endured a green kitchen with crooked faux-marble linoleum flooring, a living/dining room boasting impostor wainscoting, and brass shower enclosures...all thanks to a mid-80s remodel. Something had to be done and fast!

Here are some "before" photos (please excuse my amateur photography skills):



January arrived and I drug out the tools to remove the hideous chair rail around the living room and dining room and putty the remains. After countless hours of puttying, sanding, and caulking, the main level of the home was now ready for paint (Benjamin Moore, of course!).

I knew that I wanted to repeat the color palette from the bungalow-style home my husband and I built seven years ago on the prairies of Colorado (photos coming soon). I'm really pleased with the outcome and relieved to be switching gears to furnishing the place with period lighting, reproduction push-button switches, organic textiles, antiques, and salvaged furniture in need of a little TLC. I can't wait to pepper in some of my own design aesthetic along the way...I have an affinity for all things farmhouse, French, Mexican and of course, sustainable.

I began this project knowing I wouldn't be able to restore all of our home's 1910 style and charm before the summertime bash, but what mattered most to me was that I was happy and passionate about something again.

I'll leave you with a few "after" photos:




Cheers,
Mandy