On My Mind

I had different plans for today’s post, wanting to show you Caroline Gidiere’s fabulous Mountain Brook, Alabama, home that everyone’s been talking about, featured in Veranda’s colorful Spring issue. But instead, I got sidetracked and hung up on my own myriad of thoughts about our own home renovation and decided to share with you what’s been on my mind lately. Writing this blog always helps clear my head and I’ve included a few images found on Pinterest that best reflect the mood & feel I’m after with our little cottage.

If you’ve been following Café Design for any length of time, you may know that my husband and I recently purchased our first home in a small New England town and have been enjoying fixing it up ever since. We’ve done some of the work ourselves and we’ve also hired help with the more difficult jobs like electrical and carpentry. And although we’ve progressed quite a bit, lately we’ve been at a stand-still in part because I am having a hard time deciding on things, in part because our trusted contractor has had a busy time with other jobs. His business is picking up and we couldn’t be happier for him and his family but it also means we need to find alternative ways to get things done. Not an easy thing to do in a small town like ours but we’re getting there.

One thing that always gets me out of trouble and gives structure to my days is making a list. Or many. And in the case of our home renovation, my lists multiply in my sleep, I swear.  Anyway, lately I’ve been thinking a lot about the amount of work, coordinating trades and detail that go into having a “finished” room and I put together a scary list of things we need to make happen to get our living room “done”. Right after we moved in I got carried away and started fantasizing about all the pretty textiles I was going to use but the truth is we’re a looong way from that stage. The reality is that getting a few pretty fabrics and pillows will not create character where the room has none and I have learned that the hard way. An awesome paint job, beautifully refinished floors, built-ins and nice woodwork on the other hand will. 

Because we want to live in this house medium to long term, I don’t want to rush into cheap fixes and band-aids. Instead, I’m doing my best to carefully plan each step, look at different scenarios, and keep costs as manageable as possible. Just to give you an idea, here’s a sneak peek of my living room design list:

The Living Room Design Schedule

Ceiling: Paint (done, yay!) + Beams installed every 18” . I feel that our living room has OK proportions but adding ceiling beams will visually widen the room and add a bit of architectural interest. Status: ceiling paint done, beams primed & painted & ready for install

Walls: leave as is right now, must be open in the spring for extra insulation so makes no sense to do anything. Still some time left to decide between vertical wood paneling or wallpaper. Vertical paneling may have been overused over the last couple of years but it adds instant charm and a rustic vibe. Very appropriate for our little cottage. Wallpaper – love it but may be a bit expensive. This scenario also means I need to find a good wallpaper hanger in the area, not an easy task since no one I know has had wallpapering done recently. Status: planing & number-crunching stage

Molding: Switching out baseboards, adding crown at the same time with the beams. Status: pending 

Flooring: Yellow-orange hardwood, worn in places. Absolutely needs refinishing (sanding back to its natural state and sealing with a clear, matte polyurethane coat). Status: Needs to be done this summer. If we decide to go with wallpaper, it needs to be done prior to wallpaper installation 

Fireplace:  Mantel : Option 1 – Find an antique/salvaged mantel that fits the proportions of our firebox (so far no luck ) | Option 2 – have one custom made (ouch for the budget, so so spensive!! | Option 3 – trim out as best as possible the one we have  (which is probably what we’ll end up doing anyway – tomorrow we’re heading to Home Depot to get more power tools 🙂

The brick & slate surround  – broken and stained. Maybe cover with heat resistant paint in black? If not, repoint. Get a quote from a local mason asap as it will affect plans for the mantel.

Windows: Restore the windows – peeling paint on the exterior, window panes need reglazing. Must happen early summer. Can we DIY it?  On the topic of windows, see if you can add two small square windows on either side of the fireplace? To be decided – can be done further down the road with less strain on le budget. 

Once the shell is finished, then come the furniture & accessories but for best results I think it’s a good idea to start gathering the items early on. Some of these things we already have but most of the items are still out there, calling my name 🙂

Shopping list: 

Sofa (buy new vs recovering an antique settee?) 

Sofa Fabric 

Sofa Upholstery – Get upholsterer quote 

Pair of armchairs by the fireplace (we have those, the best Craigslist find of last year! Yay!)

Coffee table / ottoman (got it!) – to be reupholstered in a camel silk velvet. 

Two drinks tables / side tables / garden stools? 

Flat weave rug layered on the natural fiber (stripe or other geometric)

Secretary hutch (dream piece, yet to be found) – We need every inch of workspace and storage we can get and a piece that has both a writing surface and storage would be perfect for home office work. I’d like a tall piece that could break up the height monotony of sofa, chairs & tables in the room.

Room darkening double curtain rod for the large bank of windows. Too much sunlight filtering through the South-facing windows – especially difficult during hot summer days. Because of the smaller size of the four window sections, individual shades would be too busy and a single shade too large so I need to layer a sheer with a patterned drapery. 

Pillows: a pair (16” x16”) and a lumbar for the sofa + a pair of small lumbars for the armchairs 

Pillow inserts 

Throw Blankets 

Art – botanical prints + frames (found two great local framers to work with)

Topiaries, live plants (hope to keep the ones I have alive and add some new ones to my collection), one-of-a-kinds (trays, pottery, baskets etc. )

In an ideal world and with an ideal budget we’d be touching all of these more or less in the manner described but because we’re trying to mind the finances, we’ll pick and choose the most important things on the list.

Thank you so much for sticking with me to the end of this, perhaps boring, way too personal post. The only reason I chose to share this with you is because I know many of you decorators can relate to someone else’s thought processes and also to give others an idea of what goes into designing and layering a room. Notice how I left the costs out (on purpose) as an act of kindness toward husbands (especially mine) that may make the unwise decision to read this post!! 🙂 And to think that this is only the living room! Waaa-waaa-waaa…

But enough about me. I’m curious to know what’s on your decorating list right now? A fresh coat of paint? Perhaps a new sofa? New throw pillows? Feel free to share in the comment section below!! Have a great weekend! P.S: Images via Pinterest