Living room. Almost complete. This blog is a weird experiment. A kind of informative attempt. Pretend to be clinical explanation style.

 

The living room, since moving in 28 years ago, had never been changed. Well, tell a little lie. After sweeping the chimney about 15 years ago I did a quick repaint of emulsion onto the previous owners anaglypta wallpaper. The taped sheet around the fireplace, to stop soot coming into the room, came off. A great loose chunk of soot came tumbling down and performed the act of coming out to say thanks for getting it out of there. It was getting all too claustrophobic up there for it I suppose. Santa Claus followed. No he didn’t really. That’s silly! It was a dozen Fire Sprites, who then proceeded to fly around the room causing havoc. Actually, when first cleaning the chimney after we opened it up, a dead jackdaw and tons of twigs, etc. did come down. Filled the space completely. No accidents though. Tape was made of sterner stuff back then.

So….Soot stained room result. The carpet, beige, was affected too. So a deep clean was performed with a hired carpet shampoo/washer machine. I wiped the horrible gloss painted peach/cream coving with sugar soap. An overall hoover, wash, dust and polish for everything else. A chimney sweep since that episode. He doesn’t use brushes. He uses a hoover. Times change don’t they? But before decorating this time, my wife and myself swept the chimney the old fashioned way. Tape stayed on.

 

Over the next few days. Annie Sloan Clear Wax to chalk painted skirting and shelves. The stripped wood left bare to age gracefully and develop its own patina. Rebuild the window sills. Big bit of distressed metal/wood industrial art on the green chimney wall. The Chimney wall at first started up Annie Sloan ‘Burgundy’. A sunny room which hit the wall and gave it a lighter, rather than the rich deep, finish in the sunlight. So the air of red mystery vanished. Then Hague Blue #30 modern emulsion by Farrow and Ball. Great blue. But has a sheen which didn’t sit well next to flat matt French Linen wall paint on the other walls and skirting boards. Chalk and Wall paint can show different shades as sun or ambient light hits or doesn’t hit it. Looks like you’ve painted two different colours. The chimney breast is now wall painted deep, rich Annie Sloan Knightsbridge Green. It went on amazingly well over the Hague blue Farrow and Ball sheen.

 

Next to get. Roman blinds with a close weave hessian texture (Liniso Smoke), more pictures, flat matt graphite colour radiator covers. The sofa arrives on Thursday. Loads of nice soft cushions to throw on it and the leather chair, and finally a decent rug.

Please tap on individual photographs to enlarge.

 

ABOVE:

Over the last two days. Been chalk and wall paint painting the study-den with intentional colour choices from the tins of left over paint used from decorating other rooms. Stairs, hallways, landing, bathroom, bedroom, dining room all have similar colours. So can recycle with a quirky, but muted serene, feel. Wall paint and chalk paint are from Annie Sloan. Washable wall paint is a wonderful consistency and a pleasure to ‘slap on the walls’.

The first day painted with three wall paints. The ceiling in two coats of Old Ochre. Then Country Grey to one wall. Finally, French Linen to the sloping linking part of the wall to the ceiling. Yesterday the chimney breast wall was stripped of anaglypta paper. It was showing distressed colouring. Why? A smooth matt black bitumen is painted on. I checked on the internet and chalk paint should cover it. Will choose the Knightsbridge Green. It’s a lovely rich green with, as Annie Sloan site states, ‘pigments that give depth of colour and excellent cover and developed to match a colour mix of chalk paint in Amsterdam Green, Oxford Navy and Athenian Black’.

Last night began scraping a bit of blue paint on the ‘science cupboard’. It’s rich in colour and reminds me of the downstairs window flat panels. Shelves were inherent and it was the source of all my nursing text books. Different books will take their place. The other two shelf units ? One will house Journals, DVDs, CDs, Vinyl and a Stereo Player. The smaller other will be a little blogging centre. A pull out shelf to sit and write at or house the lap top/ipad.

Please tap on the individual photographs below to enlarge.

Today is Bahco blading off the paint from the pine strips of dowel cornering the plaster goes up to. All the walls seem to have this nice little feature . It’s worth doing for giving a focal contrast.  But the clean and crisp plasterer’s angled edges from flat plaster to wood surface have mostly long gone with various decorators’ input disregarding the beauty of the skill. Some filled the indent so that the wallpaper would go around the corners cleanly.

Then after wood stripping, caulking the wall joining gaps and continue painting. I need to Bahco the the floor board edges of previously spilled paint blobs and general built up debris. Intend to paint the edges in an deep dark Oxford Navy blue choice (wall or chalk paint) and wax it. Then a central rug.

 

Two to three more days on the study-den and it’ll be done.

Then a massive de-clutter. Boxes upon boxes on more boxes. Books, ornaments and flotsam and jetsam going to charity shops and friends.