Putty and Paint Make Her What She Ain't

There was a bit of a lull in visible (morale boosting) activity at the nest this fall. We had to do a lot of waiting on other projects while electricians completely replaced The Nest's nervous system. Stay tuned for details on that huge project, scheduled to be complete this week (cross your fingers please!) But now that the electrical update is in its final stages, we could get to work on some interior cosmetic updates.

After spending months living in a construction site, I was more than eager to beautify at least one space in the house. We started with the living room. 

I had a blast visioning color schemes and details with my friend Liz Martin of www.thecharlestonweekender.com. She is a design coach with a knack for combining fresh modern decor ideas within people's true style. We had Pinterest and polyvore boards going back and forth and the ideas started to really gel! 

Most of the furiture has been with me for many years. And almost none of it was purchased new! The couch has been moving with me since my clinical fellowship year in Detroit (where I purchased it from a friend who herself got it on Craigslist!) The rocking chair was a curbside find, just needed a bit of woods lie and love (thanks Bill!). The white mid century modern chair belonged to my parents and was a fixture in the home where I grew up! Really the only new purchase was the rug ("it really tied the room together"). 

Slowly the details of the room started falling into place. Liz sent me this color scheme pin which I loved! (Yes, a common nickname for me among some pals is "Frienda," originally coined by Clark and Aimee!)

Finally it was time to start patching and painting! Apparently, a saying in the business is: "Putty and Paint Make Her What She Ain't." Well, I'll tell ya. It's true!... But it's also a lot of work!

First Bill patched the large holes from the electricians work with One Strike Ready Patch and joint compound. Then he taught me how to patch the gaps in the trim with caulking. We "spooged" Alex quick dry caulking in the cracks and then had to use a finger to smooth and sculpt the material to the contours of the 100 year old trim and molding. Then I used white semi-gloss to paint all the trim. This took hours and hours, but somehow eventually it was done... And then I had to do a second coat! Finally I hobbled to bed. Tired but satisfied. The next day I was sore and stiff, but excited to see my work in the daylight. Well, daylight is an unforgiving lady and I could see all the streaks and thin spots that were invisible the night before. Bill and my friend Sophie (and her doggie Ruby) helped me finish off with a third coat. And assured me I'd get better with practice. 

Choosing the color was no small feat. My mom gave me this booklet of Benjamin Moore colors that she used when they built their home about 10 years ago. I've been shopping the hues for weeks! 

I finally narrowed it down to a few different shades of blue. I bought sample sizes of the paint ($7 each and totally worth it) and excitedly swiped them on the wall. But "oh no!" Not right at all. Sort of a repeat performance from my "Cookie Monster blue" front porch. The colors look so different on the wall. I went back to the store and had the guy make me a special blend, 25% Woodlawn Blue and 75% white. Bill, Sophie, and I spent the rest of the afternoon cutting the paint to the edges of the trim and rolling out the walls. 

Then, it was time for the main event. I remember the day when Bill told me that I could paint the radiators "any color I want." What??? ANY color?? Well, then, I'm painting it gold, obviously. 

But first I had to peel and brush and chip away 100 years of dust. Lovely. 

Sophie and I used oil based paint and disposable brushes and rollers to paint every nook and cranny. And I couldn't be more thrilled with the outcome! (It did take about 5 days for the smell to dissipate, complicated by the fact that we caulked the windows shut a while back to keep heat in, which also keeps paint fumes in apparently). 

Then Bill built me these custom window sills as a special place for some of my darling house plants. 

And we hung a hook for my spider plant. This plant was a "fly the nest" gift from my mom when I moved into my first apartment in college over 10 years ago!

I arranged a collage wall over the couch which includes some of my own original photographs, some art I've collected including a piece done by my mentor Dr. Nancy Helm-Estabrooks, and some prints from a 1926 National Geographic that we found in the attic! 

The very last thing was to install the custom blinds I ordered. Being on the top floor has its perks, it feels like we live in a tree house! But it also feels like "The Bill and Brenda Show" for the neighbors each night. The blinds arrived on Tuesday and I couldn't wait another minute to put them up. I measured and drilled pilot holes, then screwed in the brackets. The blinds snapped in and voila! The room is complete!

Not an easy task, and we are only just beginning, but oh my is it all worth it! Nothing like the feeling of relaxing on the couch in our new living space and looking around at our own handiwork! 

Blessed!