Today we are working on getting our friend Jeanette's house up for sale. This means prepping old walls, sanding, painting, and wallcovering, buying and installing new light fixtures, sewing new curtains, installing carpet, and hauling old stuff to the dump.
The design style I decided to go for is Hobbit French Country with a touch of sparkle, which is perfect for the Crown Hill section of Seattle.
It is a challenge to do a renovation with the family living there, but it is possible. This is a moving experience. As we complete one room we move someone into it and out of another. Then do that room and so on.
There are two small bedrooms about 6 ft tall connected via a short walkway framed by a long handmade closet and a recently installed bathroom. The feel is Cape Cod cottage, but the look isn’t - so that is where we are going!
I started with the north room and completed painting it a warm yellow cream, with ultra white trim, moving her son from his into that completed room, having him store his stuff under the eves in a small closet. The doors to both rooms will be replaced and all new lighting fixtures will be installed, as the walls are being painted.
The old wallpaper currently on the walls is cracked, overpainted several times, and badly patched, so we are installing a highly textured wallpaper that resembles turn of the century tin ceilings.
The paperhanger called the afternoon and made an appointment to see the hallway to be papered to make an estimate. She tells me she doesn't need my help but she hasn't seen it yet! Julie is madly packing everything away in boxes, holding out one suitcase for Jeanette's clothes.
We spackled so much that we used an entire bucket of the stuff - note to self - get more!
In exchange for the use of a truck I drove my neighbor to the Court for his DWI ticket. I reminded him from my heart that my sister died as a result of a drunk driver. He said he was taking responsibility for his actions, always a good place to begin.
Right now I am waiting for my friends from Mexico to arrive in their "new to them" Range Rover, so we can take a few things over for staging the house to sell. We are also attempting to give them some beautiful tables, including a cherry wood table with a traditional Italian balustrade style support and an extra leaf, chests of drawers, clothes, corner curio cabinets, and children's toys.
Much of these things would be useful and beautiful in the proper setting but just about any thing is too much in the house when you are trying to remodel.
The upstairs bedrooms each have a twin bed each and a chest of drawers. The small room has matching very modern arts and crafts solid honey oak bed frame and chest, set off with "Down East" distressed white trimmed mirror, trash bin, and Lane furniture brand bedroom side table (painted off white for the Shabby Chic style, and lightly distressed).
The fabric style is modern, clean, bright yellow small checks and patchwork with transparent chiffon overlay on the patchwork comforter and quilt. Jeanette is going to be hand sewing the curtains for the room, a lovely yellow and orange transparent floral embroidery with a cream backing, of fabric that just seems to float with the light.
We will add a small cream colored frame in the same downeast style for that room, with the art yet to be determined. The light fixture will be a two bulb glass and frosted glass cast with small curves over a brass ring support, nestled right at the top of the ceiling. The turn of the century "tin ceiling" wallpaper we are using to conceal the old cracked wallpaper is the thing I am most enthusiastic about, coupled with the small ornate chandelier, it is a French Country style with lots of white and gold glass crystals, and some sweet glass balls.
One of my bestest friends told me she hated some of the decorations I used on her house when I staged it, but she had to admit - the decorations immediately sold the place! So now there are no complaints when I say take out the old overhead ceiling fan and replace it with a hand blown light fixture.
They know the decisions I making will elicit the best impression possible, so that the visual matches the feeling of the house, and thus they will make her money!!!
Ariel is here - time to pack up a lamp and a tall plain wood storage container for the kitchen.
Renovation
Seattle
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