Well, it's been a while since I blogged. The group fitness instruction has taken up so much of the little bit of "me" time that I have that there hasn't been time to sit and write. I've been yearning to get back to it and share some of the projects we have done on our house.
So we bought a home that could be a forever home.. Big enough and with room to grow. We love our house. For me.. It was a bigger decision than just buying a house. It was recommitting myself to Brian and my family and letting go of my insistence on moving closer to my family for the time being.. It was realizing that letting go of what I thought "should be" and embracing "what is" can lead to true fulfillment and peace. So, this house has my love for many reasons beyond it physical walls. Plus, Brian was reluctant about the move but now admits that he has fallen for the house too bc it's pretty and bc we are really growing as a family here.
So, I'd like to share our staircase transformation. The staircase was the first thing you see when you walk in. It was a beautiful solid oak wood but all that dull oak color. I wanted it to pop! People said no no don't paint the wood but I pushed through the voices and did what I knew what best decision.. Paint it. Here it was before:
The staining on the rail had started, but otherwise, you can see how the staircase just was blah and blended in. I knew I wanted to paint the spindles white.. I had a hard time deciding whether to paint the rail white or black or stain it. I decided on a darker stain because you can always paint over a stain but it's hard to sand it back to the wood after a paint job. The black paint on the rail also seemed a little modern to me. I love how it turned out, but still wonder if the rail would look great white. All the different wood tones don't really bother me. Im over matchy matchy:) here it is:
This cost $500 to paint. What a bang for our buck.. Such a change!!
We also stained the mantle in the entry room. It got the same dark stain as the railing. It looks much improved but I've thought about painting it black to bring out the iron detail in our awesome 115 year old fireplace.
Some of these furnishings in the before pics are from the prior owner. Here it is after. Subtle change but much needed.