The Fixer Upper House and Garden

Hillary and Me

It's crunch time for Hillary and me. While she travels the country trying to get you to vote for her, I'm finalizing the details on my house. If she blows it this week, she'll probably never make it back to the White House. If I don't get the aesthetics right, I could blow the whole renovation project. Oh HIllary, I know just how you feel! To work so hard and come this far ...

I think I have a better chance of succeeding in my endeavor than she has in hers. A few days ago I visited the granite yard to lay out templates for my countertops. It took an hour to drive there, and while dodging potholes more treacherous than any news leak, I fretted about the slabs of Costa Esmerelda that I picked out for my kitchen 2 weeks ago. Would I hate them and be filled with regret? Fortunately, it was love at second site, and thank goodness for that! (Here's a goofy picture of me in front of one of my granite slabs.) The counters are getting installed this week, and I can hardly wait.

Later I met with a "paint consultant" at my house to go over options for the first floor. I'd been in an absolute frenzy about wall colors after receiving conflicting advice from my many trusted advisors; at one point I was testing 21 Benjamin Moore colors in one room (you try picking out the paint for every single centimeter of your house! It's overwhelming!). But I'm at peace now; I'm feeling fine! With help from Dee, a consultant at the J.C. Licht paint store where my painter Derrick gets his paint, I've settled on HC-114 for the kitchen, mudroom, butler's pantry and powder room; HC 35 for the family room; HC-45 for the living room and foyer, and 2080-10--a cheery paint called Raspberry Truffle--for the dining room. Expect lattes and a home-made dessert if you come for a visit...

Meanwhile, work progresses at the house. Leon the tile guy is back this week, finishing up bathrooms and such before embarking on the all-important fireplace surround. Painters Mike and Andy put the first coats on the 2nd floor and basement rooms last week and now are prepping and painting the first floor. The kitchen's beadboard ceiling has been painted (the photo at left shows the painter, Derrick, testing various ceiling colors.) Carpenters Sebastian and Matt have completed the fireplace mantel, mudroom cubbies and the cozy window nook---applause is welcomed and accepted! Also: Husband ordered all appliances. Miguel sketched the layout for the laundry room ...  And after juggling the opinions of a half-a-dozen tradesmen on the proper stain for the hardwood floors, I've finally decided to go with a light-brown color called Early American, per Miguel's suggestion.

So many trusted advisors...so many opposing opinions. Yes Hillary, I think I know how you feel.

Here are a few pictures of the stones I picked out for various counters. This first photo is Costa Esmerelda granite, for the kitchen. I love the greenish-blue colors and the subtle white veins that appear throughout. The computer doesn't do it justice:

The next photo is of the green soapstone that I'm using in the "butler's pantry"; I'm also using this for the raised hearth in the family room. It's not a very clear picture, unfortunately:

And below, behold a slab of quartz for the kids bathroom. It's more sparkly in real life:

Everyday Matters

I'm looking forward to being reunited with my everyday china. It's an embossed, all-white Wedgewood pattern that I still love as much as Husband, chips and all.

It's early to be thinking about moving back and unpacking. M reminds me that I've been saying we'll be back "in three weeks" for the last six weeks. But even though the end date fluctuates with the weather, we can't help imagining where we're going to put the beds, and who is going to get which cubby in the mudroom, and where will the dog bowls go?

As wonderful as it is to think about living in The Fixer Upper House once it's all fixed up, these thoughts cause me some anxiety: I'm not sure what we'll find in the storage lockers that we stuffed after last summer's flood. I know the china survived, because the boxes it was stored in did not. Several hours after the flood, I unraveled every plate and saucer from mud-soaked wrappings, then I dried and repacked them snugly in brand-new boxes.

I suppose that's why I let myself think about the china: I know it won't be moldy. About everything else, I'm just not sure. We got rid of most of the books, linens, stuffed toys and clothing--every cloth or paper-thing that got wet, along with a lot of other stuff (as shown at left).  But given what zombies we were by the end of that day, I can't be sure that everything that went into storage was dry. In fact, I remember feeling queasy when I locked the last locker that night.  My thought? "Ew, mold."

If anything that went into storage was even just a tad muddy... Ew. I don't want to be there when the lockers are opened up. But I will be, of course, because I'm the shepherdess of the stuff.

I just hope the movers don't break my china.

Purple Rain (Shower)?

When we were engaged, Husband gave me carte blanche on the bridal registry. He didn't care about china, linens and silverware---this is a man who'd rather use paper plates than run the dishwasher every day. So instead of dragging him to Crate & Barrel, I took my friend Therese.

Therese is stylish in a way that's timeless while also being very now. I needed her counsel when I was picking out cereal bowls 15 years ago as much as I need her now that I'm picking out paint colors for my entire house. But Therese is far away, Husband has punted ... and I'm on deadline with the painters!

I do have some ideas, and I've so appreciated e-mails about favorite colors from friends and blog-readers (Thanks, guys!). I also have several other things going for me: SIL is painting her house and freely sharing advice from her decorator; daughters 2 and 3 are settled on their colors; and my new friend Sue is a designer who knows how to "read" paint.

So far, I've got one yellow bedroom, one lavender bedroom and a kids' bathroom that's going to be Italian Ice Green. Per SIL's suggestion, the hallways on both floors are going to be OC-5 Maritime White (a tad lighter than a non-fat/no-foam/half-caf latte from Starbucks). The basement stairway, hallway and "media room" will be the same, so the house's core will be a calming, neutral color that should  stabilize it from looking like a Jolly Rancher's factory. I'm searching for a slightly darker version of OC-5 for the family room (Louisa--I'm trying HC-39, but it seems a bit yellowy in my dark family room).

I'm testing a very bold color on the plaster walls of the small and sunny foyer---AF 650 in satin, which is like a shiny, ripe eggplant. I think this will frame the curvey windows and doors nicely; who knows: maybe it'll make me want to cook Italian more. I'm considering Maple Leaf Red for the dining room; a sagey green from the affinity line, AF 435, for the living room, and another light green with slightly more blue tones for the kitchen--Af 465.

The hardest rooms have been the master bedroom, master bath, and my teen's room. We've tested a whole spectrum of colors on her walls...melon, gray, yellow, green, sage, purple. So far, the one she likes best is the color I'm thinking about for the kitchen, AF 465. It could work.

But what to do about the room I share with He who likes paper plates so much?  The bathroom has cararra marble with a dark stained vanity and white tub and toilet. I've tested four colors (greys, greens and mauvish purple) and nothing, so far, appeals. The bedroom is vexing, too. It's a sunny room with a vaulted ceiling--the coolest bedroom ever--and I can't shake the notion that it should be purple, silver and cream. What?! This isn't Husband? He gave me carte blanche ...

Green With Uncertainty!

Is it possible to pick a paint color from this photo? It's for the kids bathroom, in which the vanities are  white inset cabinets; countertops are white quartz imbedded with silver sparkles; and wall tiles are white 3x6 subways with a band of luminiscent green-glass mosaics, as shown below. The first shipment of mosaic tiles was defective, so the tile installation is on hold...but the painters are at the house and standing at the ready! (By the way...no, this is not a vintage bathroom! The kids practically cried when I told them I was going to do their bathroom in all whites, so I changed direction. They've been through enough with their mother's mid-life crisis house's renovation!)

Ready Or Not!

Given how long it took me to choose a counter, is it any wonder I'm losing sleep over paint colors?

I'm presently surrounded by dozens of Benjamin Moore color wheels and brochures; it's like pulling an all-nighter during finals! Last week, my decorator Jean and I picked out several B-M-Affinity paints, but the cabinets were covered in cardboard; we had no fireplace tiles; and I had yet to chose a counter. Tonight, these colors seem too dark; too thick, even. Also, my painter says you can get the same colors for less $$ in Benjamin Moore's regular lineup. ... What to do?

Ready or not, tomorrow the painters are going to test some colors. I've picked out a few safe bets: "white dove" for all the trim; "maritime white" for the hallways; and "pomegranite" for the dining room (I like red). For much of the rest of house, I'm leaning toward "soft-whites," such as B-M's "dreamy cloud" for the master bedroom and "swiss coffee" for the kitchen and family room. But I'm really shooting in the dark on these whites, and I wonder if the snowy weather has affected my color palette?

Here's a photo M shot today of a stream near our house ... as we were slowly bumping down an icy road beside it:

Winter Daze

Today's snow is wetter than a dog's nose after a good sneeze. Here are some photos:

The house this afternoon (we're going to replace the shutters and I'm thinking 'hunter-green'):

Near the lake:

T and friend making a snow dog:

Built Ins

The silver lining to this grey day is that the carpenters have been working on the built-ins, which look great. Here are some photos of these works in progress:

The window nook:

The mudroom bench and cubbies (note the Dutch door):

Closeup of detail beneath mudroom bench:

It's really nice to see these French doors in action again. Husband extracted them from his great-grandfather's house in central Ohio shortly before the house was leveled and turned into a parking lot. We've been storing the doors in our basement(s) for 15 years.

Ah, Leap Year

When I cook corned beef in a bath of Guinness and water, I cover a big pot with tin foil to trap steam beneath the lid. Today it feels like tin foil is lining the edge of the sky, trapping fog at eye level.

Everything is grey: my skin, my yellow dogs, my once-white coat. Cars that should be white are grey. Cars that should be blue are grey. All houses are grey. My 10-year-old says her school would look like a jail if it was surrounded by barbed wire. She's right.

Tonight we're expected to get 10 inches of snow. And so tonight, while my family is watching "American Idol," the outer world will again become swaddled in loveliness. And then, while we're sleeping, it will rain. Grey, tin-foil rain will melt the snow into a slush that looks like froth in a pot of boiling meat.

Why must February have 29 days this year?

Snow Day?

If schools are closed due to snow on a day when there is no school due to parent-teacher conferences...is it really a bonus day off? I'll leave that for you to ponder. Here are some pics of this morning's snowfall. Milo:

Allie:

Girls drying Milo off: