As I was thinking about what to write about here on the blog, I walked past the door to our room and the light streaming through the window caught my eye. The way it flooded through the window and fell on the floor in front of the antique French chair and wardrobe was lovely. It reminded me of our early days in this house and how the same light falling through this very window captured my attention for a moment in the same way. The details of the room, however, are not the same.
It’s easy to feel like things aren’t happening fast enough in a renovation. I just ache for more rooms to be finished. So, it’s good to take a moment to acknowledge how much has been accomplished and celebrate the things that have been transformed.
Here is how this window looked the week we bought the house. My mom and I made short work of pulling off the wallpaper, but that was just the beginning of the glue-scrubbing, priming, and painting. Everything in this room needed to be primed and painted – the ceiling, closets, doors, walls, and trim. Everything. You can read about the removal of the wallpaper glue HERE.
We had hardwood floors installed within the first couple of weeks of living in the house and that made a tremendous difference with the space feeling like a clean slate. Old carpet definitely doesn’t have that clean slate feeling! When I peeked in to see the newly applied finish on the floors, the window, once again, caught my admiration. The trim was still dingy and the old roller shade was wonky and torn, but this window was still my favorite thing in the house.
Over time, I painted the trim in Stonington Gray (a good default choice, a carryover from our last house), and made some blue and white checked curtains. You can find the sources on the fabric and rods and details on how I made these curtains HERE.
And, in January, we had the old single-paned window replaced. You can read about the window-shopping experience and our new bedroom windows HERE. We love the windows so much that we are planning to replace all of the windows, one side of the house at a time. I’ve already ordered the windows for the garage, dining room, and kitchen. And, I replaced the roller shade, which is a small thing, but it looks so much better!
A few people have asked about the roller shades, so let me take a minute to share details. We’ve ordered them from Blinds.com as we work on a room, so we’re just ordering two or three at a time. I also watch for sales to get the best price and I’ve paid around $50 for each shade. Roller shades were already hung in the house and I decided to stick with that same shade style. These windows are situated in a way that any blinds have to be installed on the outside of the trim, so the options (of the window coverings I like) are limited. Roller shades can pretty much disappear into the trim if you roll them up all the way, so they are unobtrusive and style-neutral. When framed with curtains, you don’t really notice them.
Initially, I was planning on using the curtains alone. They are functional and lined with blackout fabric, but I realized as soon as I hung them that they would cover the air vents. Doh! I tried to rig up something to hold the curtains off the vents when they were closed, but it was just silliness. Shades were a much better, more practical option.
There is still work to do, like more trim to paint, installation of chair rail and crown molding, and more finishing details, but it’s been quite the transformation. It makes me excited to imagine how other corners will look in a few weeks, a few months, and a few years.
We’ve had an unseasonably warm February, so the warm weather and sunshine are giving me even more energy to plow through the to-do list…
You can read more posts about our 1970s home renovation HERE.
Pet peeve: unable to click and expand the photo for a closer look. Hard to see on a phone.
The bedroom is just lovely. I’m so excited to see kitchen/dining plans and changes! Looking to freshen up my kitchen and hoping for your inspiration.
I find if I put two fingers on an image and “pinch out” the image enlarged. At least it does on my iphone. It’s great to see the detals.
Use two fingers to expand the image😉
This may work, if the two finger pinch doesn’t. Place one finger on image, hold, a box will pop up, and select Preview Image. Two fingers pinch may enlarge further.
I love the whole feeling, too. You always make good choices.
Have you considered pulls or tassles for the shades? they keep your shades clean from ordinary oils on your hands,
They make clear ones, and of course any tassel you like. Lots to choose from on Amazon or a window covering store.
Looks very cozy ! Did you change out all or any of the door knobs in your new home ? And if so what did you replace them with ? ?
She did replace them and wrote a post all about them.
The divided window panes look lovely, truly a classic, timeless touch.
Hi Marian. I have been following you on and off for a while now and I have learned so much from you. I am wondering how you plan to paint your ceilings. I have seen some decorators painting ceilings in a 50% of the wall color. I recently repainted a small bathroom that way. I have mixed feelings about it. I am not sure we got the right mix on the paint however. Anyway the room seemed a little darker. I have looked at your previous home and not sure exactly what you did.
Love that you were able to find affordable shades for your windows! I am on the same journey as well, but in the past, all of the roller shades I have tried curl inwards on the sides when fully extended. This leads to privacy issues, especially when used with a valance or window without curtains. I am curious to see how your shades hold up and if this curling occurs with your shades. I love that roller shades are so easy to clean and totally black out a room. They have so much going for them.
Lovely!
A lovely corner with the new window, shade, chair in the warming sunlight.
It was good to put back the previous post about your search for the windows and rolling shades. I will try to find out if WINDOW WORLD can be found in NY.
Thanks.
You’ve already come a long way! It’s a great reminder to look back and see the changes in such a short period of time. Looks great.
Thank you for the encouragement to be grateful at every stage. This corner of your home is very lovely.
What a pretty corner to sit in for a bit! I switched from blinds to shades several years ago and never looked back. They are much easier to clean, and for me hold up better than blinds. We ordered ours from Blindster.com and they are a perfect fit every time. I’ve had no problems with the sides curling, my newest blinds are two years old now. I will stick with regular pull blinds, though. We bought a few with the chain rollers on the side. And while they work fine, I find they tend to stick just a bit when they haven’t been pulled in a couple of weeks. Small problem, I know.
I love your curtain rods. I am looking for something to go in my stairwell which is an entrance to my quilting studio. The rods would hold completed quilt projects so I don’t want them to stand proud of the wall by much. Have you ever done a post on curtain rod? Thanks.