Sunday, March 1, 2015

And the Wall Came Down...


The wall comes down! 
 Hallelujah!



One of the big projects we wanted to do in our home which we've been in for about 3 years is to take down the wall between the dining room and family room.  


Our house is old, and 180 years ago they made rooms small.  That is one of the things we love about this house.  We wanted cozy.  We wanted easy-to-clean.  We are getting older and our youngest kiddo is 21.  We don't need a big house with big rooms anymore - except for holidays and friend and family gatherings.  


We didn't have one room large enough to hold everyone, so the family would scatter.  Small groups of intimate conversations took place, when what we desired was for our large and loud group to be together.  


Finally, right before Thanksgiving, we decided to take the wall down.  We were going to do a DIY, but then we had someone come in and were told it was a load-bearing wall.  That changed things.  We hired someone to do the dirty work for us.  

(Actually, Brian and Dan couldn't wait and started taking the drywall down the night before to get a preview).





Turned out it was not load-bearing after all, but what was done, was done.



Just look at that light shining through!
Removing that wall served so many purposes.  It allowed people to be together in both rooms, we were able to get a much bigger table, the wood stove warmth circulates better, and it brightened everything up.  

Originally, the carpenter stained the wood.  I sent my husband out to purchase the stain with a sample piece of wood to match.  When the carpenter stained the rough pine, it was very orange.  My husband knew I would hate it, so they started mixing different stains together to get rid of the orange.  
It turned out to be almost black.  
And they stained ALL the wood.  
We had to buy all new wood.  I had them put it up unstained so I could research how to age this and make it look like a beam.  As you can see, the research is not going very well as the wood remains unstained for now.  



Here are some before and afters:

This is the dining room when we first moved in.  We bought the dining set from the previous owners and sold our oak monster on Craigslist.  We made the light from a $1 shade from a yard sale and a light kit from Home Depot for $16.  The wall we removed is to the left.

Before (original)

The lightening and whitening begins.  We painted the table and chairs white.  I actually loved this table, but it could seat 6 max.  I found the fireplace surround at an antique store and Brian just screwed it into the wall. 

Before (progress)

Here is another view.  See how dark the wood trim is.  And I would like to change the angled corners of the openings.  See those dark stairs, they are sanded down to bare wood.  I can't wait to finish them.

 Before (original)

 Before (progress)

After 
What would you do with all the dark trim?

Before (original)

 Before (progress)

 After


Before


 After
 (I would like this wood to be the color of the table)


We are also trying to decide what to do with all the  wood trim in the house (not including the faux beam here).

Here are our options:

1.  Paint all the trim white (except the stairs which we already sanded but have not stained yet, doors, and exposed beams).
2.  Sand down all the trim and re-stain it (a lot of work and a lot of mess).
3.  Slowly replace the trim as we can afford to and stain it lighter, and either paint the doors white, or sand and stain them.

I am open to your opinions, but I reserve the right to the final say {{smile}}

We got a new table from POTTERY BARN and paired it with the old painted chairs.  That will be a story for another post though.









  White, wood, sunshine (have you heard about our New Hampshire winter this year)?



I thank God for this house every day.  
It was such an answer to prayer.  It is such a calm and peaceful place to find rest and escape the world. It is what our family needed for a season, but lately I feel the Lord trying to get my attention.  This time of rest and solitude may be ending.  Spring is coming...


Linking up:


I'm participating in Metamorphosis Monday Monday 
at Between Naps On The Porch.
http://.piecedpastimes.blogspot.com/
http://www.itsoverflowing.com/
http://www.stonegableblog.com/
http://cherishedbliss.com/
http://theessenceofhome.blogspot.com/
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20 comments:

  1. Beautiful-so light and open!

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  2. Great design choice it looks great and feels so much bigger now. Im sure you are loving the change.

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    1. We are loving it Dawn. And it is so fun to decorate the space.

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  3. The room looks great! I love all of the changes you've made and I'm sure whatever you decide to do with the trim will be lovely. So glad to have found your blog at The Scoop link party...your words about being thankful for your home warmed my heart.

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  4. Your home is beautiful! The wall coming down made a huge difference!

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    1. Thank you Chelsea. The wall made ALL the difference. We're so glad we finally did it!

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  5. Such a wonderful open space. It really looks beautiful. I'm hopping over from the Scoop. Hugs P.S. I invite you to share at my Thursday hop too

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    1. Katherine, I missed your hop this Thursday, but hope to link up a new post there this week. Thanks for the invite!

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  6. So pretty. I love sunshine, too. If you could get all the trim the same wood as the new arch, that would be lovely, with white doors. If not, I would do white trim and black doors. :)

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    1. Thanks for the input Lynn. I actually think that's the way I'm leaning right now. Glad you stopped by!
      Gloria

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  7. So stunning! Having that wall down definitely made a difference. The way you decorated this space is just perfect. I love every piece you chose. Those lights, and the wood floors wowww! Justing loving it all. Pinned this! Also where is your sectional from?

    Deb
    @Seeking Lavender Lane

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    1. Hi Deb! Thank you so much for your sweet comment. The sectional is from Ikea and we LOVE it. We've had it for almost 3 years and it is in great shape. The slipcover is so easy to wash and every stain comes right out. The hardest part is putting the large slipcover back on the sofa. We have spilled coffee, jelly, and my dog even had an accident on the floor, stepped in it and jumped on the white slipcover - and there is no trace of the stain! I highly recommend this sectional. It is the Ektorp sectional in Blekinge white but there are tons of colors to choose from. I'm going to do a post about the lights soon. Thanks for stopping by!
      Gloria

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  8. So pretty with all the light shinning through your rooms. Love the openess you have with the wall gone. What a beautiful home you have.
    XO Barbara

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  9. Love your new look! So fresh and pretty! Paint all the trim white!!

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  10. Hi Gloria,
    I wanted to respond to your sweet note you left on my blog but I can't find an email addy for you. Do you mind sharing? I appreciate your kindness more than you know!

    Your home looks gorgeous! I'm a new follower and I'll be back to read more.
    xo
    Pat
    prutledge15@gmail.com - NEW email

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  11. P.S. I forgot! I would paint all the wood trim white. Regardless of the wall color, I love a true white trim. I moved into this apt a little over a year ago and even though it has a lot of beautiful amenities, all the wood trim and doors are a mocha color. Just not my style. :)

    xo
    Pat

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Thank you for your lovely comments - they make my day!

Gloria