Posted By FarmerJ on April 2, 2010

I cannot believe it’s been three weeks since I last posted, but the dates on the calendar do not lie.  If you’re wondering what I’ve been up to ~ well, let me just tell you.  I could tolerate the peach tinted paint no more!  I’ve given the Farmstead kitchen and living room a fresh look.  To phrase it simply, I love it!  Darling Husbie does, too, despite his early reluctance when I mentioned the ‘p’ word [paint].

I’ve been wanting to paint since we moved into this house.  The old paint was in the tan family, but had a prominent peach-ish tint to it.  I guess you can say it grew on me ~ like a wart.  Blech.  Darling Husbie kept telling me he liked the ‘tan’ color and didn’t want to stray from it.  “It’s not peach, it’s tan.”  No, Lovie.  It’s peach.

Well, we were in Menard’s one wintry day, probably on a pantry building supply mission, and I happened upon a section of artwork and pictures.  Darling Husbie was busy picking out yet some more replacement power tools ~ saws, or something ~ so I ceased the opportunity to peruse this ‘girly’ section of Menard’s.  I became attached to four pieces.  I just knew they had a place in the barn house.  I just didn’t know exactly where at that point.  Husbie, spoiling me as he does, didn’t blink an eye at placing the artwork on the lumber cart we’d already managed to fill.

Fast forward two or three weeks to another cold, dreary, windy, misty wintry Nebraska Saturday morning.  After making sure Husbie had a couple of delicious cups of coffee in him, I quietly set about my ‘plan.’  I’d gathered my twenty-seven booklets of paint swatches and spread them out on the office floor.  Right behind Husbie, who was innocently minding his own business reading emails, news columns, tractor and 4 x 4 forums ~ and, truth be told, was probably quietly clicking on the ‘Add to Cart’ button ordering more cool tools for his new CNC mill/lathe machine.

Before too long, I had managed to engage that Darling Husbie of mine and before I he knew it, I had him sitting in the recliner in the living room with an array of paint swatches in his hands!  Sure, I could have easily just picked out what I wanted and called it good.  But, I really wanted Husbie’s input because I wanted him to be happy with the results, too.

We had some discussion, some clarification of where kitchen walls ended and living room walls began, and some repositioning of ourselves in the room ~ and then Darling Husbie chose the colors…one main color (Linen) and two accenting colors (Tea Green and Designer White).  And, he used my new artwork and pictures in the process!  I love that man!  Once that chore act of love was finished, and I had my shopping list complete, we set off to Home Depot.  I was beyond thrilled.

It was Tuesday before life allowed me to get started on my new project.  I’ll readily admit I was a little intimidated because I don’t do heights.  I’m happy on the ground.  The highest peak on the wall opposite the gambrel wall in the photo above is 14′.  That’s about 8′ higher than my comfort level.  I knew that was the wall I needed to get done first.  All I can remember is having the wall finished by the time Husbie got home from work, and spending way too much time outside my element.

Because of the challenges of painting a room you’re living in and not being able to press the ‘Pause’ button on life, I managed to complete one wall per day.  But, there were some days I had to skip painting altogether because of more important things ~ like the quilt show, and such.  Let me just say that if the superstition about walking under a ladder is true, then I’m in serious trouble.  There’s only so much room available when you have a 12′ ladder sprawled upright, along with the 6′ ladder, couch sections and dining room tables pushed into the center of the room and all the other miscellaneous accoutrements that one needs when painting lined up on the kitchen floor.

By Tuesday of the following week, though, I had managed to complete all of the painting except for one little corner in the kitchen where it was downright impossible for me to safely reach that beloved 14′ peak over the cupboard.  Darling Husbie finished that part for me.  It’s amazing what that extra foot in height can allow you to do!

I’ll spare you some of the gory details, like not being able to reach that same peak where the chimney meets it and resorting to standing on my three-foot step stool…on top of the counter.  That one had my palms sweating.  Um, yeah.  Don’t try that at home.

So, I’ll share some photos instead!  [You can click on the photos to make them larger if you want to see more detail.] I don’t have any ‘before’ photos, but just imagine everything all one color ~ that peachy tan.  Oh!  Darling Husbie did finally see just how peachy it was once I had that first huge wall done.  Yay!

The photo above is standing at the edge of where the kitchen floor meets the living room floor and looking southwest.  The living room walls are done in Linen and the gambrel ‘push out’, for lack of knowing what else to call it, is done in the Designer White.  The design is absolutely weird enough ~ the peak of the gambrel doesn’t meet the main peak of the ceiling ~ that it deserves to have attention drawn to it.  Otherwise, it looks like an architect’s bad hair day.  [The guy we bought this house from built it.  He is a local building contractor.  He's incorporated some really neat features in this barn style house, and others that just make you scratch your head and think...hmmmmm.]  The grouping of pictures on the west wall is what started this makeover.  Stay tuned ~ there is a slight change to that coming up.

This is a shot of the kitchen when standing in front of the entertainment center ~ Husbie’s widescreen TV, surround sound, DVDR, etc.  We decided to just ‘accent’ the kitchen by using the Tea Green only on the section above the cupboards.  Linen is used on the portion facing the door.  The door, by the way, is the entrance to the stairwell which leads downstairs to the front door and what we refer to as the front entry room.

What is most amazing to us about this is how the green has just completely transformed the kitchen.  It feels like it is its own room now rather than just a run-on into the living room.  The way the color has brought out the detail and color in the cabinetry is unbelievable.  We both really, really like it!  And, it only took the observant 18-year old boy four days to ask if this room has always been green.  [Smacks forehead.  Oy!]

A couple possible points of interest: before you wonder how long it’s been since I’ve cleaned my kitchen floor ~ I promise you it’s clean…see the reflection of the refrigerator? ~ remember that this is a barn house and it’s been made to look rustic.  The hardwood floor is meant to look rough.  Honestly, I have a love/hate relationship with it.  And that light hanging down from the ceiling in the middle of nowhere?  Husbie has added taking that down to his Honey-Do list.  The former owners had their [very small] dining table placed underneath it.  Husbie raised it as soon as his tools arrived from Arizona.  Even I, in all my shortness, felt like I had to duck underneath it, they had it hung so low.

Here’s another view of the kitchen area taken from further back in the living room.  See the counter that juts out from the wall between the kitchen and living room?  That wall is actually the chimney wall for the wood burning stove in the front entry room downstairs.  That is the counter I placed my three-step foot stool on top of and stood on my tippy-toes to reach the point by the ceiling.  The counter is only as wide as the chimney wall.   If our Battalion Safety Officer read this, he’d be calling me with a firm scolding right about now.  Sorry, Mr. J!

Here is the little grouping of artwork redone.  The pieces are spread out a little more, and I added the sconces I found in my favorite store a couple of days ago.  My bestest buddy in Arizona helped me figure out the spacing and whatnot.  Home decor is not my specialty.  Give me a chore outside any day.  I like it a lot better, as it seems to utilize the wall space more effectively and creates a more interesting focal point.  Darling Husbie has not seen this yet, as he’s been TDY this week, so the final verdict is still out.

This is the picture and sconces I also found in my favorite store a couple of days ago.  [We desperately needed something to replace the two desert scene paintings hung there previously!]  This is the big wall I started with that houses Husbie’s TV and  the recliner.  I apologize for the poor photo quality, but I took it earlier this morning pre-coffee, and the lighting wasn’t too great yet, either.  It’s hard to tell in the photo, but the mat board is the exact color of the Tea Green walls in the kitchen and the floral design in the picture is a rich chocolate brown.  I wasn’t too hot about the frame when I purchased it, and it had some slight damage to it ~ some scuff marks and a little ding.  I ended up getting a discount on it, brought it home, promptly disassembled it and spray painted it with my beloved bronze hammered metal paint.  It turned out fabulously, and couldn’t match the ironwork in the sconces more if I’d tried!

Last but not least ~ and, perhaps even my favorite now ~ is our new orange flower.  This treasure was snatched up at my favorite store along with the others two days ago.  All the other colors, the tans, the browns, the greens, the creams, are all so calming and soothing.  We needed something to ‘pop!’  I think this does it elegantly!  This is hung on the infamous chimney wall.  And, to make it even better?  A few days prior, I’d found a box of potpourri on clearance at JoAnn’s while doing some therapy to recover from my boo-boo-lip-ness as a result of sending Husbie off TDY.  Can you believe it had one orange flower in the mix along with the greens?  Perfect score!

So, that’s it in a Brazilian nut shell.  [I was trying to think of a long nut, since I've been so long-winded.]  That’s what I’ve been up to these past three weeks.  Painting, decorating and redecorating.  Along with starting seeds, sewing quilt squares and riding herd on the canines and feline.  Oh, and trying to persuade one persistent little snakie that he needs to stay outdoors, not curl up behind the tire of Dinkie-Doo in the garage.

Now that you have a glimpse of our kitchen and living room, you can better visualize me fluttering about when I have times when One Good Mess Deserves Another and the chicken says Cock-a-Doodle Ruh-Roh!  And, how can I ever forget the time when He’s Lookin’ At Me?!

There’s more projects to come in the near future, so I hope you’ll stay tuned.  In order to finish off the living room, I want to sand and refinish the little table in front of the couch.  I want to paint the floor lamp and table lamp so they match ~ they will be done in the beloved bronze hammered metal to match the other ironwork on the sconces and clock.  The same two said lamps will also receive new matching shades, once I relocate the pattern.  I’ll be sewing the fabric and making the shades.  And, I want to paint the two tall floor candle holders so they match all the other ironwork, as well.  A few little projects, and lots of re-purposing.  I love it!

From our cozy barn house to yours, we wish each of you many blessings during this Holy season.  ♥

Categories: OSB Palace Projects
Tags: