From Blah to Ta-dah

I have been negligent of my blog in the past few weeks, because I was helping a daughter and her husband move.  It takes time to make a home your own--time to paint, time to replace fixtures, and time to "guild the lily".  However, I can't think of a more pleasant pastime than taking empty rooms and filling them to reflect the home owners' personalities.  Layered details

take a vacated house from blah to ta-dah.

Knowing changes will never get made if you don't refurbish when you first move, Anna and Marcus aggressively tackled their to-do list.  Every room was repainted.  Off-white walls now feature Benjamin Moore full-spectrum paint colors.  I can't say enough positive about this line of paint. Because the paint (even flat) is of such high quality, the walls are totally scrubbable. Best of all, the colors are amazingly reflective of light.  Anna's and Marcus' favorite color is "Museum Piece" halved with white.  The resulting color is a soft, light, perfect gray.

Light fixtures in the house were a bit too country for Anna's taste. Replacing them with fixtures from Circa lighting was like adding designer jewelry to a plain dress.

The biggest transformation was given to the main bathroom.  It went from pink to soft white and gray.  The hexagons on the floor are Calcutta Gold marble and the walls are matte white subway tile. Fixtures were updated in two bathrooms, as well.

After the shell of each room was personalized, Anna and Marcus brought in all their earthly possessions. Their belongings from a temporary apartment and a storage bin were reassembled.  Then we began to put the jigsaw puzzle together.  This was no small feat because the proportions of this home are entirely different than their previous homes.  Where their New York condo had twelve foot ceilings, these are eight foot.  Where their last abode had one main living space, this home has a separate kitchen, dining room, living room, study, and sunroom.  Many pieces of furniture were moved, rearranged, and repositioned several times before they found a resting place.  (Aren't you glad your husband wasn't the one hefting?)

Finally, some drapes were shortened, others remade, others newly fabricated before they were hung.

Lastly, pictures found their homes on walls and tablescapes were arranged.

I think the final product is charming.  In the next few posts, I will take you on a room by room tour.