The Gray Day

Each day for the last four years when I have walked into the house from the garage, I have passed these amazing gray shutters leaning against a stack of plastic bins.  I'd glance at them and think, "what will I do with you?" and each day they would say to me, "don't sell us, we can be something you'd love".

So the day finally came when I decided to act on that conversation.

I have been having that want-to-do-something-different 

feeling since New Years,

and I thought I'd try them in the Entry above my white console.

You see, I've had this issue with gray and tan.

I wasn't sure that they would work together,

 but I thought I'd give it a shot.

I think I like them together...

The white helps balance them out.

I moved my round white mirror to the other wall.

I'll see how long this stays like this,

but for now...it's satisfied my urge to make a change.

What kind of changes have you made since New Years?

joining in on these great parties! 

Coastal Charm

A Stroll Thru Life

Savvy Southern Style

Very Merry Vintage Style

My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

Primp

Knick of Time Interiors

Faded Charm

Ivy and Elephants

No Minimalist Here

LaurieAnnas

Miss Mustard Seed

Funky Junk Interiors

Refresh your Room at Jennifer Rizzo

Funky Junk Interiors

xoxo,

Room by Room; My New Living Room

Today is the second installment of

Room by Room over at Cottage and Vine.

So I grabbed my camera and shot a few photos

from my Living Room.

If you've been with me for awhile you'll know that I've finished

the big job of painting out most of my furniture to white,

the latest being my massive, still hanging, chandy.

It was a huge job and I'm still tweaking,

but I'm beyond happy with how it is turning out.

Comfortable yet elegant,

with a Frenchy flair.

To make the transition I had to paint about 15 pieces of furniture

and countless small changes.

This all started back over the July 4th weekend,

and I've worked pretty much non-stop since then.

If you're new to my blog, I hope you'll follow along

as I'm starting to decorate for Fall.

and come join in for my weekly link party,

Vintage Inspiration Friday

Roomspiration, A View Along the Way

click below

also linking to Kim's WOW us Wednesday

Hope you're off to a great start of the week,

xoxo,

Holdouts

I knew when I took out the paint

and made the first swipe on my coffee table,

that I had a road in front of me

that would take a while to cover.

That was back over the July 4th weekend

and I think I've painted over 14 pieces of furniture

big and small...

plus one huge chandelier.

And countless other changes were made

to get my Living Room to the place it is now.

Then there were these "holdouts".

The two black pieces that were in my bedroom hallway.

I couldn't put it off any longer,

It was a dark reminder of how far I'd come.

I looked for a photo of this hallway with the two black pieces,

but couldn't find one.

So here is how it looks now.

much happier, lighter and brighter!

This lampshade is driving me crazy in this photo,

but it's not wonky in the rest of the photos

so I guess it's just the angle I was shooting from.

This is looking the other direction, toward the kitchen and Dining Room

Here's that blasted shade again,

I'm on the lookout for something lighter now.

I've had this wonderful "Our Father" print for awhile,

just waiting for the right spot.

Fragile and stained,

even more precious.

These are just cheap pieces from Hobby Lobby

purchased when we first moved in.

Something to set a lamp on in the dark hallway.

My vintage tapestry from Belgium circa 1930s.

I still have a few mirrors to hang here

that I think will help reflect the light.

and yesterday I gave an old laundry basket

the French touch paint technique,

much like I did the chandy.

First gray, then black, then almond...

dry brushing and blending as you go.

I'll be linking up with these great parties:

links on buttons on sidebar

Also, wanting to pay homage to those whose lives were taken

and those whose lives were shaken, on September 11, 2001.

For a season we all looked to God,

may we never forget...

much love,