In the winter when the days are dark and short, the first thing I do when I come downstairs is turn on all the lights. And they pretty much stay on all day, even after the sun comes up. Okay, I'm probably using a little extra electricity. Not the most environmentally friendly I suppose. But then again, I'd rather pay for a little extra electricity than pay for anti-depressants, which I'm pretty sure I'd need if I didn't have the lights on. And technically, I'm saving energy cause if it's a sunny day in the winter, I have enough windows to warm the house up, that I can let the fire go out until the evening. So there.
And I'm bringing my love for light into my "decorating/interior design". I say that very loosely cause I'm not good at decorating. I'm not one of those people who can do magic with some curtains, a few throw pillows and some pinecones. But I have a need to have things fairly organized and uncluttered around me. I am not, BY FAR, the perfect housekeeper, but I just can't have a bunch of clutter and stuff laying around for any length time. I was like that when I went to school....couldn't do my homework until my room was clean.
So I've lightened up my upstairs hallway, which you all may recall was a dark dungeon before. Well, my next project is to "bring the light" to the foyer/entrance! This will involve putting white wood panel on the walls and painting the staircase white. I am soooooo anxious to start. But I need some help from dear hubby first. We have an open staircase (there is an opening above each step) which drives me around the bend!! It gets sooo dirty under the stairs where I have a couple of dressers for hats, mittens, sweaters etc... All this dirt piles up on top of the dressers and the floor underneath. So I need Sindre to put on his carpenters hat and figure out how to close the steps in. THEN I can get started with the sanding and painting and making it all pretty. Sindre is swamped at work right now so we won't be able to start for a little while yet. Poor guy. If he only knew....(that I'm also planning to rip out the closet and buy new floor tiles, ssshhhh!)
Here's what it looks like now:
This picture is to show you the missing floor trims after living 7 years in this house. And the patch we didn't paint on the chimney?!? Why didn't we paint it? And the vase is not doing a very good job of hiding it either. Lol!
And this is my inspiration!!
On second thought, I don't think I can wait....maybe open stairs aren't that bad. Onwards Project Bring The Light!!!!
Oh wow Alicia! I thing it will look beautiful! How did you do that? Did you use some sort of virtual site to allow you to put the white panel into your existing entrance so you can see what it looks like? Very cool! And by the way, did I ever mention that we're a lot alike? I love the light too! I almost laughed when you said the first thing you do is turn on all the lights! I do the same! And you know I have lots of windows which helps to heat my house too! LOL! Yeah, dark, gloomy, rainy days just send me for a loop! I need the light! I think this is a great blog! Can't wait to see the finished project!
ReplyDeleteAfter reading your entry today I'm pretty sure I'm part bat. :) When the room is dimly lit & cozy it makes me feel, I don't know, nestled. I do love the sun shining in but when the sun gets low in the sky & the shadows start to become longer it makes me feel more like me. Filtered light makes me happier than bright. :)
ReplyDeleteIsn't it great how looking at pictures can inspire you in your own home? That helped me so much with my kitchen reno.
I love the plans you have for your entry way. It would have Kevin written all over it if it was here! Kevin & the dog. White is not our friend! haha
Looking forward to the pictures of your progress! :)
Crystal, it's just a picture that I found on another blog. But it's pretty much got the same layout as my entry. I would be thrilled if mine ended up looking even close to that picture. We ARE a lot a like! I hate gloomy, dark days too. Then I definitely have all the lights on and probably some candles too!
ReplyDeleteKim, hehe, part bat! Actually when the evening comes, I prefer to turn off all the overhead lights and just have lamps. But I have to have an overhead light on if I'm knitting in the evening. Which is pretty much every evening. So the lights over the couch are always on. And I'm pretty sure the entry is going to have Emilie, Madelen and Rebecca all over it too but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. ;)
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