Little House Process

{click post title to view all photos} Dark trim, faded and dated wall colors, layers of dust... it all has that curiosity-inspiring feel of an antique store. It's wonderful to poke around and discover all the little corners of a place like that. When it comes to a space to live in, though, that isn't the feel I want. Trim primed and waiting for paint, coats of fresh color brightening up the walls and spring air blowing through my second-story windows are transforming this little house. It's charming. It's delightful. It's so surreal that this isn't just my project, my chance to call all the design shots, but that it is my home . Don't you just ADORE the vanity painted blue?! Now, maybe it's just me, but the 50's style light fixtures, the sloping ceilings, the blue and white paint and dark, original doors all make me think of Disney's Cinderella . A practical, grown-up version of that fairytale everywhere...

{click post title to view all photos} North West angle of the Back Yard North East angle South East angle of the Back of the Little House East angle of the West side of the Little House + Garage South angle, West side of the Little House East angle, West side North angle, West side South Side // Front Yard East side of the yard

{click the post title to see all photos} Prep work -- skim coating, sanding, wiping down dust, priming, painting ceilings -- isn't very hard but it sure is dull. It is all necessary to prepare the spaces for the finishing work, the fun stuff like wall color, and that is about all that redeems the energy and time spent on doing it. That, and shaken iced tea from Starbucks, of course. Working in all that dust, applying coat after coat of primer, sweating and getting really sore... but it really all does pay off when you roll that first coat of color onto the walls.