We haven’t loved all our…

We haven't loved all our paint color choices. Almost all, but not quite. This one we're actually changing after the first coat -- in the front foyer, we'd picked F&B's Blackened. This sounded very promising, "Historically made with the addition of 'lamp black', a pigment made by collecting the residue from burnt lamp oil." On the sample sheet we painted out, it seemed pretty cool, almost a silver-white. But on the walls, it just looks boring and a bit dingy. Argh. (Side note: I like the way the geometry of that Indian ox cart-back bench plays against the geometry of the stair rail. There are many right angles (and other angles) in our house. Helps to keep it feeling clean and not fussy-Victorian. I will resist the urge to put a lace doily on anything, or a fringed skirt. Although well-done lace is gorgeous from a textile POV.)

There's also too much contrast between the foyer and the hall, I think. We're actually repainting the foyer today (well, the painters are) with F&B's Plummett, something of a leap of faith, since I haven't even painted it on a board. "A lighter version of Down Pipe, imitating lead. Appropriate for interior as well as exterior use as often in Gothic architecture." A plummet is a lead weight, used in fishing, among other things. We have Down Pipe in the connecting hall (as you can see above), so I'm hoping that it'll transition well and have a bit more weight and presence than Blackened did. We have a Chinese Blue ceiling in the foyer too, so hopefully they'll all work together. And work with the curtain I sewed yesterday, which I purely love. Peacocks!

That's Vintage Plumes by DwellStudio for Robert Allen, in Jade. 55% linen, 45% cotton, which gives it a wonderful heavy drape; it hangs well and feels good in your hands when you pull it back. About $50/yard, which is insanely expensive as fabric goes, but luckily, I only needed exactly one yard to make this curtain, which screens off the coat / vacuum closet from the hall. I just hemmed it once all around, and then folded the top over to make a rod pocket. That's about as easy as sewing gets -- it would have taken twenty minutes if I hadn't run out of thread partway through. But eventually, I managed to pick up more thread and finish it. Threw it on a tension rod and voila!

I'd originally thought to mount it in the doorframe itself, but the rod was too long for that. And actually, I think this is better -- it highlights the beauty of the trim, and the trim acts as a frame for the fabric, as if it were a painting. We decided to do a curtain there instead of a door because it's a narrow space and it seemed like it might be awkward to be opening a door there to put away coats, especially in a party situation with lots of people around. Fingers crossed that this will work well.

That peacock has some attitude! :-)

More to-do:

  • Home Depot: lights, shower curtain rod, lightbulbs, guest bath faucet -- DONE
  • 11:00 - meet with zinc guy -- DONE
  • 12:30 - meet with Manny re: fence -- DONE
  • buy guest towels -- DONE
  • buy microwave -- DONE
  • buy washer / dryer (Samsung red) -- DONE
  • finish grading 474 -- DONE
  • submit final grades -- DONE (with 37 minutes to spare -- let's not cut it that close again, okay?)
  • exchange baby gates for ones that work -- DONE
  • get groceries to cook snacks (vegan, savory) for meeting -- Kev DOING

    Wednesday:

  • unpack and clear kitchen
  • get & write another set of party invites if we can't find originals
  • install gates

  • kids at home
  • deal with backlogged e-mails
  • work on web page for department
  • order food for department meeting
  • drop off party invites at school (urgent!)
  • call to have dishwasher fixed
  • make decisions on all shelving / wood-working
  • queen headboard, sofa, and chair, washer and dryer delivered
  • unpack whatever's left on first floor
  • borrow air mattress from Lori?
  • catalog guest bedding -- buy what's missing for two sets of guests
  • finish prepping for parents' arrival -- what else? afternoon:

  • pick up roses at Gethsemane
  • swing by Nadeau, check out screen for playroom, mirror for powder room
  • Land of Nod ball / stuffed animal storage?

    Thursday:

  • cook snacks for meeting
  • all-day department meeting
  • parents arrive around 10

    Friday:

  • cook for party
  • get party supplies / goody bags
  • take kids to zoo with parents
  • Sharmi arrives around 7

    Saturday:

  • Mirna and Gian arrive early
  • clean and decorate
  • party!
  • Ryan arrives late

4 thoughts on “We haven’t loved all our…”

  1. I like Sears for things like microwaves. I suppose it is because I have had mostly good experiences with their parts and repair services.

  2. I have an air mattress you can borrow, but I may not be the most convenient friend to get stuff from. Let me know.

  3. Mary Anne Mohanraj

    Thanks, Eleanor! David, we checked out Sears yesterday; going to try the washer/dryer at somewhere else today, just to look. But may end up buying for Sears anyway…

    Lori, that would be great! I’m actually going up to Gethsemane tomorrow afternoon (Wed) to pick up some roses; are you free to meet for lunch and air mattress transfer? (Is it a full or queen-size mattress?)

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