Rhapsody in Blue

I live in a 122 year old house that I adore, but which is undeniably a work in progress.

She needed new floors. New configuration. New bathrooms. A new kitchen. New paint.

Slowly but surely, slowly but surely, I'm making her pretty again.

Bringing color to the house is a huge part of that. Color brightens my mood. Color is life.

From drab and dingy whites and greys - not to mention some truly godawful wallpaper - I have painted every single room in the house. My room is turquoise and citron. The kids' room is wasabi green. My bathroom is sage green. My workout room is coral. My hallway is yellow. My living room is lavender-grey. My kitchen is orange.

But the exterior of the house was depressing. I've been wanting to repaint the exterior for nine years. But painting the exterior of an old Victorian, that's very tall with a very steep pointy roof, and all kinds of detail, is expensive. I couldn't afford it for a long time.

But now I can.

I hired a company on the recommendation of a friend. When the owner showed up at my house for the initial consult, he had stars in his eyes when he knocked on my door.

"Your house is so beautiful!!!" he gushed.

"She can be," I grinned. "That's where you come in."

"I have ideas," he said.

"Tell me," I said.

Turns out we had similar ideas. I wanted something dramatic and elegant. I wanted the door to have a pop of color. I wanted the front porch to not look like it led into a crack den.

They started painting last Monday. We started here:

That house is the color of despair and old bras. And there is no color I despise more than that dark maroon/burgundy on the window trim.

We made progress. The kids came home from school the first day and called me in a panic.

"MOM WHY IS THERE HAZARD TAPE AROUND OUR HOUSE I'M SCARED!!!"

 

It took a little longer than anticipated. We had a few days of rain. And as Ray, the painter, said, "your house is the most dangerous house I've ever painted."

 

But she is beautiful now.

I returned home from work last night and could not stop grinning. I just stood there, smiling. I love everything about it. It makes me so happy. Color makes me so happy.

Now, on to replace some of the baseboards in the dining room....