SUBURBAN * POP

Things are nearing completion and it feels darn good. The 70’s green floral wallpaper has been removed on one wall and replaced with grasscloth on the other, the putty walls and ceiling have been painted white, and I settled on the wood clock, nailing a second hole into the wall. Although it looks quite similar to the old room in tone, there is a vast and noticeable improvement in person. The space is fresher, brighter, but full of coziness. The old version had its moments, but now it feels much more “me”, if that makes sense? We haven’t given this room a ton of use; the weight of the to-do list was a major deterrent and so was the immature eating skills of the youngest members of our family. But I can see many dining room family dinners happening in my near future!A quick recap of this room:

• Remove carpet
• Swap out old light for saucer light
• Paint door trim
• Remove wallpaper
• Paint ceilings and walls
• Hang new wallpaper
• Frame out pass through
• Put some fancy wood work in the pass thru
• Re-install the railing (or make a custom divider?)
• Finish step down
• Make a wood box for the curtains (Changed my mind)
• Finish wood floors (under credenza)
• Install baseboards
• Paint the pocket doors

The hole in wall is finally being framed out today, so maybe I’ll have some progress on that soon. In the meantime, it already looks 100 times better without the ragged wallpaper around it. And can we talk about the luxury of not having wallpaper just randomly stop in the middle of the wall? Does this mean what I think it means…I’m no longer on the losing side of life?! I have no idea what to put over here, hence the current jumble. I think I’ll be able to better sort it out when the screen is done.I was hoping that the old curtains would still work with the white walls (the fabric used to match the wall paint PERFECTLY) and I think they do. I love the pinch pleats and the nubby old fabric so I’m super glad to not have to spend money on new ones. I was thinking of putting a wood box over the rod, but the fresh walls made the brass look so much better and less dated. These rods are hollow at the ends and need finials and, after looking all over for something brassy and fun with no luck, I had to DIY it. I rigged up these finials out of broken vintage Christmas light covers and I am digging them! They looked really terrible in the old version of the room, which is why I thought I’d need a wood frame up there, but this room is now clean enough for this bit of medieval looking wackiness. It is quite monochromatic in here compared to the rest of the house. Although I LOVE color, I have a soft spot for quiet wood toned, textured rooms too. I really debated what color to put on this wall and am so happy with this choice. I’m sure I would have said this about any of them, but this was the right choice. How do I know? Because it works with my dishes! I’m a giant nut and love to think about whether a room will match my dishes (that’s a side effect of pottery addiction, FYI). So, of course, I had to totally be weird and try ’em out (all 3 sets, another unfortunate side effect). It’s like a party!! But my favorite kind…with no people.
Plus, look how cute it is with its colorful neighbors! Room transitions/how rooms interact with one another is super exciting to me (further proof of nuttiness).
I probably mentioned this in previous posts, but I’ll do it again. Table and buffet are vintage Heywood Wakefield. Nelson saucer light is from Modernica. Woven chairs are Ikea. Clock is vintage Seth Thomas. Curtains, as mentioned, are original to house.
So there you have it! I’m coming back next time with the other side (family room). Until then, happy trails to YOU!