One Wall Makeover

If you remember, I painted a few pieces of furniture for my bedroom.  If you don't remember you can check here and here.  Then things came to a standstill for several months.  But, now, out of the rut and moving forward.

The ceiling fan in my bedroom is being switched out for this chandelier that I purchased at St. Vincent de Paul for $20.

As you probably guessed, it had to be painted first.

Can you find it in this greenscape?

I spray painted it with Montana paint.  They call the color Malaria.  I know there is some psychology in naming colors, but this one escapes me.

I used the original candle covers and sprayed them black.

After a long wait in the studio, the chandelier has been installed. (It replaces a very dated ceiling fan.)

Another part of the bedroom makeover was to remove the mantel.

I know it's beautiful, but I have lived with it for 36 years and I really wanted my bed on this wall.  I also was tired of working with the blue tiles.  I know they are gorgeous.  That's why I kept them for so long.

I put the mantel on Craig's list three different times before I sold it.  Then it stayed like this for a few months until my brother could work me into his schedule.

I sold the summer cover with the mantel.

This is what I found behind the cover.  There was a pile of little twigs, finely ground mortar, soot, and a few broken bricks.  This was a not so fun clean-up.

I don't have pictures of the tile coming down but much of it was saved intact.  If you look closely you can see the bricks were laid in an arch over the opening.

The gas pipe also had to be removed.

Adding to the mess was a lot of junk under the hearth tiles.  That all had to be cleared before framing and new flooring could be laid.

This was the beginning of the closing up process.  It took several skim coats to get the flue wall looking good.  This is the point where the memory card in my camera decided to get a little squirrely. Of course, I didn't know this until I tried to download the pictures.  I tried on two computers and even took the card to Walgreens to see if their computer could pull them up.  No luck.  So those shots are lost forever.

The replacement boards are oak but not quarter sawn oak. They are also a quarter inch wider than the original flooring.  The stain looks a little more red than the original floor but when you see it in person it blends very well. (Actually it will be under the bed so it won't be seen.)

Naturally, I did not have any of the wall paint left.  I remember cleaning out the sides and bottom of the can to eek out enough to do touch ups when the baseboards went up a few years ago.  Like a numb skull I did not save the can or write down the color.  When will I learn?  Always in a hurry to move on to the next project and willing to deal with the consequences later.  It took me several trips to the paint store and three quarts of paint to get it "close enough."  Not only the color, but the sheen was important.  I might add that the brand of paint is critical too.  Eggshell in one brand is different from another brand's eggshell.

Baseboards had to be added.  I used two stains to get a close match to the rest of the room. (Provincial from Dutch Masters and Dark Mahogany from Zar.    There is a very weird effect showing up on the walls.  I have no idea why they are blotchy looking.  Seriously, they do not look like this.  Must be my brother's aura showing up on the camera.  He has good vibes so I wouldn't be surprised.

Next came some serious dusting and vacuuming.  Then the furniture went back into place. But, there is one more thing that needs to be done.  Last winter I made a wild purchase.  I bought it thinking I would use it in a commercial space that belongs to a friend.  In the end, I decided to keep it for myself.  It has been stuck behind a piece of furniture for eight months waiting for this day.  Yikes! I'm still not sure it is going to work in here.

My plan is to hang it above the bed on the now empty flue wall.  Check back next week.  It should be hung by then.  I also need to jazz up the bedding, but I really want to see how the large wall art looks first.  I just ordered some blind samples as well.  The wands are broken on my current blinds so new ones will be fantastic.