I love DIY. I love picking up a paintbrush and turning something tired and naff into something fresh and new with nothing more than paint, elbow grease and a bit of imagination.
In the last week I've been on a painting binge. One day I was driving past Resene (on my way to pick up coffee) and on a whim, stopped in and grabbed a litre of white paint. Or should I say "Quarter Thorndon Cream water-based enamel, low sheen" - to touch up the dings that were bugging me in the kitchen I made-over nearly two years ago.
Once I started I couldn't stop, and ended up retouching all the white paintwork in the bathroom and toilet as well. I was on a roll, so yesterday I moved on to the half-finished hallway I started painting over a year ago and finally completed it, and felt so proud I wanted to show you all.
Which gave me an idea. Why not do a series of posts called "Corners of My Home"?
Space by space, show you my little corners, share my home-grown DIY decorating style and welcome you in to the place we live.
Today I'm beginning with the entrance and hallway. Our home is a large-ish 1920's Californian bungalow that we bought nearly ten years ago before house prices went completely nuts. It was extended in the 1970's by a craftsman-joiner, painted pastel shades by the owner before us, and has been turned into a home that reflects "us" by me and my paintbrush over the last two years.
THE APPROACH:
Up the driveway and onto the porch (which needs a good sweep). Knock on the door...
Hello! Come in!
You have arrived in my entrance way. The colour is Resene "Nebula" - a cool bluey-grey. There's something very restful about blue-grey and white. We have a lot of wood in our home, thanks to the craftsman-joiner of the Seventies. I decided to leave all our architraves wooden throughout the house, as wood is very forgiving - it shows no marks and hides the dust!When we bought the house, the hallway was painted a pastel greeny-yellow, and we lived with it for nine years before I decided to be brave and tackle painting such a big area. As it happened I painted it in three stages, and only finished it yesterday, after starting a year ago and leaving the back section unpainted all this time. I only just had enough paint to finish it.
But back to the entrance. You may have noticed a glimpse of my coastal/nautical gallery wall?
Here's a better view:
COASTAL/NAUTICAL GALLERY WALL:
Seascapes have always relaxed and soothed me. I like cool restful colours and the sound of waves crashing. I've always enjoyed painting the sea, so somehow I've ended up with plenty of sea-scapey art. The idea for this gallery wall began with a $20 thrift shop find:
I painted the (ugly) frame and hung it in my hallway, above the old suitcase where I keep our slippers. It was OK but a bit lonely, until a friend helped me turn it into a gallery wall a few weeks ago, grouping together all kinds of seascapey/travel-themed bits and bobs that we've collected through the years (including hubby's Grandad's souvenir from his time working at the Tyne shipyards).
I really love how it turned out, but hubby was a bit dubious about it at first. (He seems to have forgotten that he wasn't that keen on it, and I'm not saying anything to remind him).
At this point in the entryway, you can turn left into the kitchen/dining or right into the lounge. Or keep walking, as the hallway keeps on going.
Past my china cabinet...
Then you can turn right into the boys' zone or left for the rest of the hallway...
Like I said, it's a really long hallway. These old houses were built with wide halls and cute decorative features like our deco archway:
I found a calendar filled with retro New Zealand advertising posters and have framed them and used them all along the hallway.
We keep walking past the door to Miss Fab's room and here we are at my computer station. This is where the blog-magic happens (and where Scrag works at being a "YouTuber"). This is where I am sitting right now as I type this:
Past the computer station you can turn right to the bathroom and toilet or a left turn will take you into the kitchen again.
We have loads of these slatted white doors all through the house - cupboards, wardrobes, and bifolds to the laundry. they are a bugger to clean.
We are nearly at the end of our journey. All that remains is the last little section of the hallway that I painted yesterday:
That's the back door on the left, and dead-ahead is our room (which used to be Scrag's). To the right past the laundry is the door to the teensy room that used to be Dash's, and is now my craft room. Joy of joys. I'll show you that one sooooon.
Recently I managed to score a ladder shelf from Kmart, for books and bobs. In summer I'll keep rolled up towels on the bottom shelf, handy to grab for the pool. In winter, it'll be woollen blankets, handy to grab for cosy fire nights.
One day I want to carpet this end of the hallway, but in the meantime I've scored this bargain jute rug from the Warehouse to help disguise the orangey cork tile floor that this end of the hallway is afflicted with...And there we have it. Our house, the endless hallway. And a few corners of my home.
Next time I think I'll show you my favourite room in the house: my lounge room.
If you want to show me the corners of your home, I'm starting a new hashtag on Instagram: #cornersofmyhomenz. Use the hashtag to share the corners of YOUR home with us...
Corners of my Home: The Lounge Room
Bedroom DIY: A Room to Grow With
Bedroom Swapsies for a Whole new House
Bathroom DIY Makeover
Quirky Toilet DIY Makeover
Laundry DIY & More Decluttering
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