Entering the bonus zone

 This has been a remarkable project and has left me slightly breathless in spite of the bonuses.

I had originally planned for the winter decorating plan to include only some prep work for spring work parties.  The down hall, the stairway and the up hall are all connected so I thought I'd just start with the entrance wallpaper.

My grandson (a bonus) came to help remove the wallpaper from the hallway.  Gosh it was old and removing it revealed how dingy it had made the entrance in spite of being a very light and subtle stripe.   It felt great to have that done.  Josh screwed the coat rack boards and we hung the coats back up.  I was evaluating all the old nail holes when the Rooster asked why we'd put the coat hooks back when we weren't done.  I went to sleep thinking about that. Yah, why???

 The hall ceiling breaks at the bottom stair landing. (a bonus)  The old sponging technique on those tall stair walls is very neutral ( a bonus) so only doing the actual hall is feasible.   I have so many nail holes in the main wall it is embarrassing  to have them visible even for a few months.  :(

So the youngest grandaughter  (smaller bonus) and I got primer and paint samples.  We also scored a small chandelier in the discount section!  (BONUS)  onward!  The old light will be a better fit in the upstairs hallway and I have always coveted a chandelier, even a wee one!

Painting this door has so changed things and painting all those inserts was worth ever dribble! (bonus)

I have to spray paint the register.  The Rooster needs daylight to affix the chandy so that will have to wait for the weekend.  It is also probably a good idea to let the paint cure a bit and frankly I am so enjoying the clean emptiness.   oye- look at that stair railing!  I need to clean it as well!  These jobs just lead from one thing to the next and the next and the...

Now to keep trying to keep things KISS and not clutter everything up...


Part two next week when I decide what I will actually have in this welcome room.   Besides, I need to make Valentines!  ;^)  little bonuses!

Styling

I like aqua.  I just don't want aqua to be more than an accent.

The front hallway, which is our only entrance, needs to carry the colours of the rooms downstairs.  On a meander through Canadian Tire I spotted this rug.  Bigger than I envisioned but the price was right.  hmm  The Rooster was also meandering and meandered by.  We consulted.  He felt it was kinda dark but I asked him what colour did he bring in on his work boots!!! ;^)    So we wrestled it into the car with the understanding we could bring it back.  ???
 I like!   It adds an up to date touch to the old time feel of the house.  It has lots of the colours I am leaning towards and already have happening. It also brings in my accent in kind of a bolder way which works in the entrance.

It is very much my new found style!  I luv the asymmetrical aspect of the pattern and the stylized leaves and flowers.

I'm looking forward to styling the front hall and exploring my design style.  I'm also hoping the Rooster steps on the dark parts!

Next...

I have admired this stool from Canadian Tire for over a year. They have been on sale but I still felt they were beyond my budget. Well, they went to 70 percent off. Yes! I got one. Then I thought, "one is good; two is better!" So I got another. 8>) This week I was there and couldn't resist a long picture canvas and a can of taupe spray paint to do the skinny table that no longer works in my bedroom but works perfect in the entrance hall with those two stools under it. I just need to change its colour. But now I think I need to make the table darker. Too much contrast between the table and the stools. The rug will be a dark one with a navy border and I'm thinking, hmmmm... What if I chose navy? It'll still work with the green walls I'm planning for the hallway. The new picture has some dark shading as well.

These aqua glass picture frames were going to be part of the wall of pictures but they don't hang and I'm afraid they are too heavy for my picture hanging skills so I used what other pictures I had.

I'll be looking for a few more things to add to this wall as it needs some tweaking.

I'm learning that you can't always have what you want and sometimes the objects you pick dictate an even more creative way! Navy, who'd a thought?

I'm off to see if the local hardware store has spray paint.