The First Finished Room- A Hallway

Have been away for a while and now will be back to regular blogging.

We have been discussing before and after, rethinking rooms, and adding to a room to make it dual purpose.

Here is the project that I have just finished with the help of my middle daughter Vicki.

Here is the before pictures of the hallway:

 

 

 

Here is it painted white, as it was a light gold type color, then I panted it plain white.  Next it was striped 3" apart, see below.  I used 1" wide blue painter's tape, marked of the lines, using a level to make sure the lines are straight.  It takes a lot of patience to do the striping.  If you have no time, wait until you do.  Or I you don't care do a little at a time.  When finished you are ready to stripe your walls with whatever color you want.  I chose light blue.

 

 

Here is the finished hall:

 

 

Now with the pictures:

 

 

 

It is long lasting and all I have to do now is change pictures if that is what I want.  One room DONE!!!!

 

This whole look is no more than paint.  I am sure that you have pictures around in different rooms that you can use.  I move paintings all the time.  I can paint whatever I want, change colors, move them from my studio, or teach something I want to hang in my house.  Some paintings, I paint just for shows.

 

You might consider taking a series of painting classes and learn to paint yourself!  Visit my art blog, www.nancysadowskisfineart.blogspot.com.

 

Tomorrow back to some collections.

Bits of before and after

I've been talking before and after areas.  I showed you some before pictures of a hall in my house that I am dong.
To refresh your memory:

This was the old ceiling fixture.

This is one wall of the hall.

 

This is another wall!

 

 

This is he third wall.  As you can see the walls are pale gold in color, and the ceiling is white.

The lighting is recessed.  I want it to look fresh and new.  The first thing is to paint the walls  all white.  It has to set for a few days because I want to stripe it pale blue.  So I need to tape in the stripes. 

 

Here is the new fixture:

 

 

We had to add a ceiling molding to the light so it could cover the hole.  It is much more traditional with a hint of the gilded age.

 

Tomorrow, white walls.  I want you to know that I used the same white paint I used in the pool bath because of the wash ability.  In the pool bath because there is only one door and it is glass with a blind, and lavender tile, (not my choice), the walls look pink.

 

 

See the color, it is reflected from the floor..  Tomorrow, white, white walls, as the woodwork and the tile are white.

Always remember color reflection!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

 

Jumping around again

I think I will jump around a little bit today.

I still want to include more on bathrooms, but would also like to include foyers, hallways and entrances.

Most bathrooms enter off of a hallway, or out of  bedroom, or in the case of a Jack and Jill bathroom, will have a least 2 entrances.  So you want your hallway to look nice, as it is an entrance to all rooms, guests included.  Have you ever gone somewhere to stay or visit,  entered a room you were to use and thought OH NO!!  I have.  That is one reason, before we check into a hotel or motel, we ask to see the room.  I guess it is because I am a neat freak to an extent. 

I have seen hallways used as photo galleries, full of family photos, very interesting.  Places for collections or items from traveling.  A place for hanging tapestries, even beautiful Persian prayer rugs, or original picture galleries.  What ever you use on the walls of a hallway, make it interesting.  I used to have a 60' hallway.  It had 7 doorways leading off from it.  Back in the early 70' wallpaper was quite a rage.  I choose  a floral stripe for the bottom and a white vinyl or the top and added a chair rail.   It immediately made the hall look shorter.  Having the white top, I was able to hang whatever I wanted on it.  At that time, shag carpet was very in.  I chose a horizontal striped carpet of many colors that really looked great and took the toil of 6 children, running up ad down it.  It was  happy hall.  And best of all because of the colors, it never showed finger prints.  That is why today there are so many washable paints because of all the fingerprints.

My next house was 2 stories and had an upstairs hall and landing.  Again, I hung my paintings and a mirror, typical of the time with a chest under it. I also became fond of copper covered enamel pieces, by Bovano.  I still have them.  Now they are scattered about the house.  Actually there is one in the picture of the pool bath, a waterlily and 2 lily pads next to the sink, above the commode.

I look for timeless things, not fad things.  My big thing is "IF I LOVE IT, BUY IT!", I have told you this before.

My husband is the one that started that.  If we were traveling, and I saw something, I say "I really like that" and then put it back.  I always seem to regret things I never bought.  So now I buy. 

As you follow my blog, you will see all the things I have picked up and used in many ways.

I love beautiful light fixtures in a hall.  Especially crystal.  I love how light hits the prisms, and throws color everywhere.  It they are on a dimmer switch, it is ever so romantic.  I showed you the ones we just put up.  I also showed you the one above the tub in the master bath. I had to order more crystals as we realized that 14 were missing.  I can also add small shade to it for another look.  I can buy small shades at Ballard Designs.  they come in many colors and designs.  Perfect for a change and not to expensive for a different look.  I have used those little shades on old brass fixtures, wrought iron fixtures, and ones that have what I call naked candles.

One more thing in todays blog, hand cut crystal, Waterford, or others, on a window sill, throw such prisms in a room, it make it look so wonderful.  I love that effect.  Actually, I have a lot of cut glass things that were handed down from my family.

Look at you hallways differently today.  Do they talk to you?  Tell tales? Show off a collection? Are the pretty?  Are they dark? Tell me what they are like!!!!!!!!!!!!

A starting point!

"Painting is poetry that is seen rather than felt.  Poetry is painting that is felt rather than seen" by, Leonardo da Vinci.

How true that is.  Feeling is what we want to have when we walk into a room.  Sometimes it is love, comfort, uneasiness or so calming.  What do you want to feel?  What do you want to see?

First do before and after shots of the area or room you want to do.  Here is a before shot of the ceilings, in both hallways.  Plain old canister lights.

The first one is the canister light that was in the hallway.  The bottom is the chandelier that is being hung today as a matter of fact.  See the plastic round that was used to cover up the larger hole.  I have another hall, that also has the canister light and right now, it looks like this:

Tomorrow, I will show you what it looks like.  Then I will take you step by step to change a hallway.  Both of the fixtures belonged to my mother, and when she died and I rented the house, I took out the fixtures I wanted.  They are quite old and there is nothing that comes close to the look for me today plus the sentimentality.

This is the actual seeing of a project. Visual!!!!!!!   I even take pictures of new home construction for my clients if needed.

Most of the time hallways are just non-descript.  I think every room should have character.  I am starting with the lighting as I have my son-in-law here doing the work.  Yeah for me.

Every room needs a focal point or a center on interest, or something interesting that makes you feel wanted there.  This particular hall has 4 doors leading off of it, and it is 42" wide by 9.25 ' long.  Not very large, but it is seen from all 4 rooms.  Especially from the family room and the kitchen, so I really want it to blend without being garish.

Painting the walls a white, and striping them in blue, then of course all the art I can fit in, will give it a natural beauty.  It is a great starting place for this wing of the house as it is the guest area.  It is also the area that I am re-organizing as well.  So that you can get a feeling as to how a designer or decorator works, this is the beginning.

I choose a white, a softer white, to use as my base coat.  I will paint the ceiling the same white. I will then mask off the stripes and paint in the blue.  The walls may take two coats as they are a gold kind of color now and it can show through.  I will do the stripes next, seeing if I need two coats.  The woodwork will be white, semi gloss.  I will take you through different rooms to show you how to put them back together, also with organization.

Choose a starting point.  Take your pictures and save them for future reference!!!!!!!!!!!!!