I have not been to a boot fair or any kind of fair for several weeks and why? Well, because apart from going away on holiday recently, our spare time has been spent working on the house. Yes, it is still ongoing! There is so much to be done (the entire house & garden) and with just Alan and I doing the work it's taking longer than we would like but it is gradually & slowly advancing.
Due to a 'happy' accident in our lounge, the carpet has gone and next week we begin the task of painting the floorboards white. The walls, tongue & groove and all wood work will also be painted. Above the fireplace will be wallpapered.
Miss P has already said: " I hope it's not all going to be white! Can we have purple floorboards?" At that point you can already imagine my face, purple...eeek!
We began some of the work at the weekend. Here is a sneak peek.
Work in progress...
This room (the lounge) was redecorated about 10 or 12 years ago before I moved in. When I moved in, which was about 5 years ago. I didn't make any changes as it was not necessary then. Over the past year we have started making various changes and have begun the process of redecorating the whole house. (I have really enjoyed choosing the colour scheme, fabrics, furniture, finishing touches etc... for each room, don't we all ladies!)
We have just emptied a dresser in the lounge, the contents of which is in the carrier bags which I am in the process of sorting out. At the weekend, we replaced the dresser with a bookcase as we desperately needed storage for our books, most of them being mine...
We have thrown out an armchair & temporarily replaced it with the pine settle shown in the picture, this used to be on the landing. Eventually, we will be getting a new armchair and sofa.
I absolutely love these curtains. Petronella by Liberty
The sofa, with plenty of cushions, you can never have too many!
My first crochet purchase (before I could crochet)
Lamp & bookcase next to the sofa.
Ooh I had fun arranging the books and decorative things in the bookcase!
Close up of one of the shelves in the bookcase.
Painting by Phillipa Stanton (5FT INF). I love the mix of oil paint and 1950's newspaper cuttings used to make this painting.
The evenings are cosy in the lounge
This barrel belonged to my Belgian Grandmother, I use it as a side table.
Will keep you posted on progress. Alan is taking some time off next week so we should get quite a bit done then.
To anyone who has painted their wooden floorboards and has cats & children: Do you have any useful advice & tips on how to get the job done well please?
Thank you
A bientôt!
Isabelle x
24 comments:
Gosh Isabelle I do admire you for doing all the work yourselves. Imagine how satisfying when you sit back with a glass of vino in hand enjoying the fruits of your labour. It is going to be really lovely! thanks for sharing it with us, Sarah x :)
Good morning Isabelle! Your lounge is going to be beautiful! How fun to be re-decorating! I love your grandmother's old barrel and also that very interesting painting with the newsprint! Have fun with the rest of the project and keep us informed of the progress! It is easy for us to just sit and watch all yours and Alan's hard work! We will cheer you on! Take care, Laura
I LOVE your lamp!
Victoria x
Hello!
Thank you for comint to visit me!
I'm liking your blog very much....I'm popping out thrifting now...but I'll be back later....:>)
To enjoy more of it, with a cup of tea and cake!
xxx
Oh, do keep us posted of your wonderful changes. I'm so jealous that you'll have white floorboards - it's sort of been a dream of mine to have them, because I love them so much.
You have some lovely things - the curtain fabric is fantastic! I'm really looking forward to seeing the finshed 'look'!
What lovely things.
Hi Isabelle,
We've painted the upstairs floorboards and stairs at our holiday cottage white....they look great when they're first done but be prepared....they already need re-doing in some places (bear in mind they were only painted with 4 coats a few months ago)!! They show EVERY bit of fluff/hair and especially dirt. We have oak floorboards at home and I thought they were bad enough!! Still hasn't put me off keeping them though, I'll just have to keep cleaning almost daily and touching them up!
Whatever you do, make sure you attack the job on a sunny day when all doors and windows can be open as the fumes are TERRIBLE.....they actually made us all feel quite ill. In the end we'd do a coat just before leaving the cottage for a week so fumes would die down before the next week-ends visit.
Gosh...if all that hasn't put you off!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Just would rather you were prepared....sorry! Look FAB but quite a lot of work to keep looking great.
Thanks for the advice Summer Blue, greatly appreciated! Will still go ahead as I feel the results will be worth it.
Isabelle x
I like the way you have stood te fahion book up so you can see the goregous cover illustration.
Good luck with all the work!
Lisa x
Hi Isabelle!
I've always loved the LA Petronella design!
I wish that I had floorboards too..they look great painted.I'm sure you'll make a really good job of yours!
;-)
No tip, sorry, but can't wait to see it done!
Hugs, and enjoy your makeover!
Monicax.
Hi Isabelle,
I've just found your blog and I really love that I found another crochet enthusiastic like me. I hope you had lots of fun redecorating your house.
Take Care. x
Wow, its all go at your home... and that is exactly what it is a fabulous cosy homely home... I can't wait to see the end result...
x Alex
It's looking great I love those cream wood paneled walls.
Adele
Work in progress is looking good! Thanks for your comments on my blog, lovely childhood memories... it is tough to decide whether to "go back" although I still enjoy driving along the road where i spent most of my childhood!
Lizzie x
PS Good luck with the floorboards.. one tip... Do lock out the cat so it cannot run over the wet paint like mine did!!!!!!
Hello Isabelle, for a work in progress your room looks pretty good already! It will be lovely when it's all done. We are just about to tongue and groove too, so I may have to ask you for some tips.
Bertie x
Hi Isabelle
I love the barrel side table and your curtains. I have painted floorboards in two bedrooms. I wanted to use F & B's floor paint but at £75 for 5 litres thought I would try a cheaper option (don't know if this was false economy). I used International Interior Floor Paint in Lace in our bedroom and International Floor Paint in Polar White in my son's (20 yrs old) room. The latter is definitely better as our room took several coats whereas my son's only needed two and his has lasted much better. I don't have cats or 'children' so don't know how it would stand up to use by these.
Ruth x
Looking great!
You may want to check out my blog... I have put an award on there for you!
Laura x
Your home looks so cosy!
I have white floor boards, a cat and a child and feel it is DEFINATELY worth it...however, they do get mucked up a bit by general living, and I get very conscious of it, but when people come round they always say what lovely white floor boards! My tip is to do it first with a good hard-wearing paint, but then you can touch them up annually with something cheaper...wear and tear kind of looks nice though. Also, thanks so much for giving the painting I did such a lovely home!
x Philippa
Hi Isabelle,
Thanks for stopping by!! I like how your lounge is coming along. Is a lounge sort of like a living room or family room here in the U.S. Not sure...
I love the idea of white floorboards. I'm not sure but I would think there would be some sort of polyurethane sealer to put on after the paint as a protective coating. It helps with scratches and nicks. On stained wood floors we sometimes use 2-3 coats... It stinks to high heaven so you may want to do it while the weather is warm and you can crack a window!
I love how the shelves look and the old barrel of your grandmother's is a wonderful sidetable!!
Can't wait to see more of the lounge. Oh yes, I love the fabric!!
xoxo
Jane
Hi Isabelle, just found your blog, you have a beautiful home and I am looking forward to seeing the progress. I am also making a crocheted blanket in lilac,cerise and navy blue, and will post pictures soon.(it won't be finished for a while, lots of other projects to be getting on with). We camped just outside Frome earlier this holidays at Buckland Dinham, got wet ;-)) Didn't know there was a wool shop, would have made my way there if I'd known. My wish list is also a VW camper, I would love a red and cream one.
Sue x
Hello Isabelle! I am just discovering your blog and I really like it. I stopped at this message in particular because of the barrel. I am a Belgian and used to live not too far from Liege, so it was nice to see your photograph. Looking forward to reading more of your blog.
Isabelle
"Happy Decorating to you!"
I know you'll have lots of fun!
Niki x
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