Good News : We’re no longer sleeping in the attic during summer.
Bad News : The room faces west, and still is actually pretty warm, and we discovered a broken HVAC run in that room that we can’t reach. But it’s still better!
So, last time we fixed the plasterwork, and I got it all primed and ready to go!
First up, I painted the ceiling a pale grey. Part of it might be my fascination with lighting – and always looking up when I enter a space, but I really love painted ceilings. It’s absolutely the fifth wall. Even though they are a PAIN to paint, It just makes me feel all cozy to have the room wrapped in color. And, even though the crown moulding is TEENY TINY, the color on the ceiling makes it stand out a bit.
I wanted to do a peacock color on the border, and I had some old paint from the Jackson Street clawfoot restoration. When I got it on the wall, it was REALLY dark. So, I started playing, and just did a random brush stroke pattern to get the paint on light. I actually love the result – since the sheen has some gloss to it, it actually looks a lot like leather. If peacock leather is a thing. Since I was painting randomly, this might have been a good place to tape the edges off, but I never, ever use tape. It just annoys me and gets in my way, and I don’t think it makes me paint any more neatly. Steady hand – all you need.
The super cool vent cover wasn’t cutting it for me in white. I sprayed it with a couple of golds, to go with the rest of the metal in the room.
So much better! Since I wanted it gold, and the layer of white paint was well done, I didn’t strip the white paint off. If I had, I would have thrown it into my restoration crock-pot, but stripping it wouldn’t have made a difference on the end result.
The walls went “Clarified Butter,” and are both warm and cheery!
Since we aren’t refinishing the floors yet, I found a fun patterned rug for the room – think “Modern Victorian.” This was the color inspiration for the room – I love finding my color patterns from fabric (or in this case, the rug) since you already know those colors work together. There are a lot to choose from here – very vibrant! Also, notice that I painted the doors a two-toned color. Painted woodwork doesn’t really excite me, but since it was already painted, I decided to play around with the paint to make it special, and see if I liked it. I did!
Time to load the room in!
BEFORE :
AFTER :
I sewed drapes for the room – they come off as quite red in the pictures, but they are really a dark orange. I sewed them with a pocket on each side, so if I want the yellow at the top, I can always flip it. Leftover chandelier chain are the tie backs, so we can close the drapes easily and keep some of the afternoon sun out of the room. I love layering patterns, and this was a fun way to do so.
The Details :










This will not be our master bedroom in the end, but will be a lovely guest room.
And now, the cherry on top : the light fixture. LIGHTING IS MY FAVORITE. We picked up the light fixture at Columbus Architectural Salvage a couple of years ago, and found the medallion at Franklin Heritage Architectural Salvage. This, to me, is what makes a house look like the era it belongs in. No more crazy ceiling fan!
So what’s missing? Art, and Armoire (eventually, instead of the bookshelf), and refinishing the floors.
If you missed the other posts on this room, you can find them here!
Post One : THE WINGED CREATURE COUNT JUST EXPLODED. FOR THE LOVE.
I turned out beautifully! You’re right the rug has lots of great colors to pull from! Enjoy your “new” space!
Hey Mrs. Heavilin! Your house looks great–I really love this room. I’ve been reading your blog and it’s always fun to see the transformation of the various rooms in your house. I wish I could visit! I live in Philadelphia now. Anyway hope you guys are doing great and having an awesome summer!
EVAN! I just started beaming. How ARE you? Thanks for reading – and you have to visit next time you’re around! I’d love to get back to Philly sometime – it’s a great city. Summer is great but too fast – hope you are doing great!
Amy, this is beautiful! I never thought of painting the ceiling, but I love how it turned out in this room. I, also, love the rug and all it’s colors. Any guest would be lucky to spend a night here.