Curtain rods were hung. And all the land rejoiced...
The hardware is all from Restoration Hardware - the Dakota Chestnut collection. There was a pretty decent sale (!) a couple of weeks ago on hardware.
The color is slightly misleading on the website - it looks slightly lighter in person, but the pieces are all very solid, and have a nice distressed finish. And we really love it.
I originally wanted one long rod over the entire length of the above wall. Too bad RH hardware only comes in a maximum length of 126". What the eff?? We needed around 140-145" to get the right look. This is absolutely puzzling considering the insanely large scale of nearly every single item at Restoration.
I searched a few places for longer rods. I was almost going to combine JCPenney rods with RH brackets and finials. But everything came in a different width. It was a jumbled mess in my mind for a month or so. In the name of sanity and better hardware I settled on two rods over that section.
The single window is getting two curtain panels. Now I need more hook thingies. And tie-back thingies. The RH hole is not an easy one to climb out of.
Installing the rods - was not the most pleasant experience. I tried to hang the rods myself with the anchors provided by Restoration. Not happening. The anchors shot straight through the back of the plaster into the wall cavity. Lots of cussing ensued.
Cheap anchors + plaster walls = patching + no curtains
John called Will, who came with Sonya to the rescue with a fancy anchor set. And they worked on getting all six brackets up. And voila!
Now we have one small matter to attend to - the curtains.
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Wherein I obsess about all I couldn't accomplish in the past few months...
Remember way back a few months ago, I set all these crazy goals with the hopes that everything would be done by this spring (as in 3 days from today)?
Well, this is where we stand:
1) Closet Messes:
Coat closet: X Toss old coats X Buy new hangers __ Paint inside closet, inside door, etc __ Buy new baskets and organize hats, gloves, etc __ Buy new shoe rack or boot tray for winter boots
Linen closet: __ Toss old products __ Buy new baskets __ Organize new baskets __ Paint inside closet
Score: 2/9
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2) Finish Living Room:
X Paint bookshelf and mantle X Paint staircase wall X Hire someone to paint stairwell wall X Stain banister __ Polyurethane banister __ Finish painting posts (after poly dries) __ Paint stair risers __ Hire someone to refinish stair treads __ Someday install a runner
Score: 4/9
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3) Lighting:
__ New sconce in vestibule __ New light on porch __ New dining room chandelier __ New living room sconces __ New upstairs hallway light
Score: 0/4
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4) Window Treatments:
__ Dining room drapes X Sunroom/office shades front wall __ Sunroom/office shades side walls (on backorder)
6) Future projects (to do in case I have extra time this winter - HA!) __ Paint the third bedroom __ Tree and shrubbery removal X New car (yes!) __ New driveway
Score: 1/5
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Final score: 8/35 - I lose!
In actuality I was able to accomplish a couple of major time-sucking projects - like the living room side of the staircase and the built-in shelves. Each project took about a week to complete, including long hours on the weekend.
On the flip side, we would have put some more money into new furniture, lighting, etc if it wasn't for this little beauty instead: It's all about balance. And having fun. And having some lazy weekends.
And we have one more thing to add to the list... All the snow and ice we had this winter did a number on our front stairs. Of course we want to start thinking about curb appeal. We don't want to be known as the messy neighbors on the block (at this moment there is actually a rubber tire on our curb waiting to be picked up - so it may be a little late for that). But between the scraggly trees and driveway and now this, we certainly have our work cut out for us.
The good news is, I'm setting a new goal this spring to keep on plugging away at as much of the list as possible. Will check back in this June.
I've been researching lighting options for the dining room and pulled out my favorites from Circa Lighting here:
The thing is... after looking at these for the amount of time it took me to put this post together, I'm already sick of them. That isn't good, right?
I'm realizing that maybe the candle bulbs and little shades just aren't my thing.
Here are some of my neurotic thoughts: - They remind me of Scarlett Johansson's chandeliers. - Are candle bulbs boring and tedious? - The "Vendome" and "Reed" are kind of country kitchen. That isn't the look we're going for here. - The "Mykonos" is too much of the Mediterranean style. Also not the look we are going for. - The "Venetian" looks and sounds like a Home Depot fixture. (Is that snotty?) - The "Double Twist" is wacky and starting to remind me of Miss Havisham. - The "Bryant" is not bothering me at the moment. But not exactly wooing me either.
We also: NEED CURTAINS. Top of the list right now.
The picture is mildly deceiving. There are still quite a few steps left in the process. The entire face of the wall is done. But all of the posts need more coats of paint. And the banister still needs to be patched, sanded, stained, and polyurethaned. Then I need to work on the steps themselves, or hire someone else to deal with them.
It is kind of a relief to be this far along, because it's something I have gotten a little obsessive about (as the staircase is visible from the couch, and my eye always rests on things that bother me). I did want to finish completely before posting photos, but I became anxious.
My niece Donna is expecting a little girl this summer. She wants a pink nursery and because I can't mind my own business, I started looking through my images to find her girly inspirational nursery photos. Aren't these sweet?
Soft ballet pink with yellow accents
Pink and white
Soft neutral walls with pink accents and brown and pink bedding (Donna, this reminds me of the bedding you chose!)
The hardware is all from Restoration Hardware - the Dakota Chestnut collection. There was a pretty decent sale (!) a couple of weeks ago on hardware.
I originally wanted one long rod over the entire length of the above wall. Too bad RH hardware only comes in a maximum length of 126". What the eff?? We needed around 140-145" to get the right look. This is absolutely puzzling considering the insanely large scale of nearly every single item at Restoration.
The single window is getting two curtain panels. Now I need more hook thingies. And tie-back thingies. The RH hole is not an easy one to climb out of.
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