Saturday, 7 February 2015

Back to the decorating, in appreciation of white.



Back to the Decorating.

Every time I get the decorating gear out, I say I’m too old for this, it’s the last time, etc etc.  But here we go again, out comes the step ladder, the brushes, the buckets and all the paraphernalia associated with decorating. I tend to ask my daughters for B&Q vouchers for my Christmas and birthday. There is really nothing wrong with my hall. It has reasonably new pale green wallpaper with a tiny white flower and its all in fairly good condition. It looks OK, nothing too ‘in your face’, its low key and perfectly acceptable. 


It’s just that compared to my stairs which were finished after the hall, I don’t like it. My stairway is papered in embossed paper and painted white. It has made my stairway so light and bright I love it. Now I want to paint as many walls as possible nice, light, bright, white.  My kitchen and bathroom are both half tiled and half papered in thick paper painted white. It makes maintenance so much easier. On the stairs the white walls are a perfect backdrop to my paintings. 


White walls are so easily maintained, I just keep a pot of white paint and go over the dirty bits. Or in my case, go over the bits of wall I have splashed and splattered with bright acrylic paint while working on my paintings.   If you paint your walls any other colour, even a neutral colour like magnolia, you can never get exactly the same shade and end up having to do the whole thing all over again just for the sake of a couple of marks. So…the plan was; get the vouchers for Christmas, go buy the same embossed paper as I used on the stairs and then buy a couple of pots of cheap white emulsion paint and away we go. I’ve had the vouchers since Christmas and only now do I have the new paint and paper sitting at the top of my stairs. I’m talking myself into making a start. I’m very enthusiastic about seeing the end result, just not so enthusiastic about the work involved between now and then. So, ok, ……….here we go……….its a small space and, as decorating goes, a simple task, my aim is to be finished before this time next week.

10 comments:

  1. do take good care with all of those stairs, Loretta!

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    1. Thank you Deb, I am always very careful these days, not as agile as I used to be. :-) I did the stairs last year, this year its the small hallway at the top of the stairs I'm doing so it should be easier.

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  2. I know the feeling of not wanting to start. I had new windows put in my cottage last year and now have to decorate the whole place as a consequence. Guest bedroom done and this week I've just finished my bathroom ...... but still so much to do!!!

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    1. oh that feeling..... I've had a good day today, been out taking photos with a friend. Just off to bed now and then.........first thing tomorrow I start....

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  3. White is the only colour that I'd ever consider painting my walls, because my flat is very very small. I also like furniture which is light in colour and weight. Mahogany or other dark-coloured heavy furniture is popular here, but they just make the room look smaller. Good luck with your project.

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    1. I've only recently began to appreciate the wonders of white. But I do think, once you start using white, you want it to carry on in every room. Especially if, as you say, your rooms tend to be small and lacking light. I now have my stairs totally white, bathroom and kitchen black and white tiles and white walls, bedroom three walls white and one feature wall with big pink flowers and hall way soon to be white. The other two rooms are in pale plain colours. If I ever decorate those other two rooms they will go....yep you guessed it....WHITE. :-)

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  4. I am sure it all will be beautiful. I really love what you did with the stairs. and your right white is so easy to take care of as long as it is just white white with nothing else hiding in it. You know how they can do that. Good luck kiddo

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    1. Thanks Susan.........yes I am very pleased with the stairs, you can't imagine how much the white paint has brought light and space into that area. The plan is, up and at it first thing in the morning :-)

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  5. Like Susan I am loving your paintings on that wall-gives you lots of space. I have so much to do too-waiting for spring and summer to get tackle the ceiling in the bathroom-so not looking forward to that-as it needs texture first. I have learned now to not over do it-just a few hours a day and that's it-otherwise I get too stiff and sore.
    I don't like white-not even in my quilts-but I can see how it would be much easier to keep the walls clean.
    be careful and enjoy the process

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  6. Hi Kathy, so sorry it took this long to get back to you. ( and I'm so looking forward to the paper thanks ) I've been busy decorating and then I suffered a major computer crisis :-)
    Thanks, good to know you think the stairs look good, especially as you're not a great fan of white. The paper is all on the wall now, its white paper and already its looking good, I just have to give it a quick coat of white paint and its finished. Then I'll put all the pictures back and hopefully, it will look as good as the stairs. Not really feeling much like decorating at the moment because of the disaster I've had with my computer but I know I'll have to get on with it sooner or later.

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