Sunday, May 10, 2015

THE SITTING ROOM REVEAL...PART ONE









"I'm a little bit country...





...and I'm a little bit rock n roll

I'm a little bit of Memphis and Nashville
With a little bit of Motown 
in my soul."

Written by Marty Cooper\Performed by Donny and Marie Osmond, 1976



I have always been attracted 
to country decorating 
since we bought our first house and,
 although I'm not from Memphis or Nashville,
 as a teenager in the 1950's 
how could a bit of rock n roll 
not be a part
 of my soul?






When we started this renewal
 of our sitting room,
 I felt I wanted to tie it in
 with the parlor
 as far as the blue walls
 and the burgundy carpeting
 were concerned,
 but not necessarily
 in the Victorian style of decorating.

 You will recall 
that when I took a sample
 of the parlor wallpaper
 into the paint store,
 the decorator suggested a gold color
 for the walls,
 but I thought it looked too washed out
 and went with my original gut feeling
 of blue.

Once upon a time,
 which I had forgotten for the moment,
 that was a great idea,
 and I will explain that later on 
in this post.






We have had this burgundy carpeting
 for about 15 or 20 years. 
 It was still in very good shape,
 I like it,
 and we decided that we didn't want
 to spend any extra money 
at this time
 to replace it.




Sofa shown as it sat on the showroom floor



We did splurge on a new sofa. 
 Our former sofa was not
 of the greatest quality 
and it didn't hold up very well. 
 We loved the fact
 that this new sofa
 has actual springs in it 
and didn't have the loose back cushions
 that tend to sag and smoosh down 
over time
 and lose their shape.






Something about this combination
 of colors
 would not gel in my mind 
and when the pieces of painted furniture
 were added to the mix,
 it just wasn't doing it.






We had the room pretty much
 put back together 
and it looked, and felt,
 so cold and impersonal 
no matter what I did.






What was I thinking? 
 Deep down in my mind,
 I think I knew what the problem was
 but, we had agreed on certain ideas,
 and I didn't want to do
 what I thought would start World War 3 
by bringing anything up.

 I thought there had to be a solution
 that would work itself out.






I don't know why 
this surprises me every time,
 but I have no words to express
 how much I appreciate
 my darling husband.

 I really tried to be grown-up
 and sensible about my feelings
 but I just couldn't help showing 
how much I was devastated 
by this problem. 
 Finally, 
he just spoke out loud 
what I had been thinking..
 "We should get new carpeting."...






...and he proceeded 
to rip up the old carpet
 along with the padding.






When the sub floor was exposed,
 we saw evidence of paint
 we had used in the past. 
 Can you believe
 how close the blues are?






We also found a small piece
 of the former carpeting 
that had been lodged
 in back of the tack board.
 It was basically
 the same type of carpeting
 as the burgundy
 only in a blue-gray color.

  The sofa we had at that time
 was upholstered in a small
 blue and white check.

  It all was a throw back 
to the country style 
that I mentioned before
 and, along with the dark blue paint,
 it was quite
 a charming, warm and comfortable room.






After choosing the new carpeting,
 a new paint color was suggested 
and that sealed the deal.







OK,
 now we have an 
'I told you so' moment! 
 Had I listened more closely
 and not been so stubborn, 
could we have saved 
some time and anguish,
 not to mention some money?
 Maybe so,
 but there is that new carpet to consider!







The carpet is on order 
and will be installed on May 21,
 so until that is done,
 and everything put back together,
 I will take a short break from blogging
 and will be back 
with all the pretty details
 of the reveal...Part Two (and FINAL).

 I am sorry
 if I have become a sort of a tease,
 but I just couldn't justify anything
 until I felt 
that the room was at it's best
 and now,
 I think we have achieved that goal
 and I can't wait
 to share it with you.


 I hope you all had 
a wonderful Mother's Day 
and I will see you back here soon.



...Judy...





Before I leave you
 I must share what the Captain was up to
 while I was typing this post.

 He was making me
 a mouth watering Mother's Day feast.

 He called me to dinner 
in a room that looks like the city dump,
 on a table
 that is better intended for a lamp
 than for food,
 with paper towels for napkins,
 and unmatched silverware 
and the biggest smile on his face
 and love in his heart.
 I can't think of a better way 
to spend
 Mother's Day.




I am one lucky Mother!



Sharing today at:





























19 comments:

  1. I look forward to seeing your room come together.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love your new paint color. Sometimes it just takes a few tries to get it right and it just isn't worth it to try and live with something that continually bothers you. I just know you are going to enjoy everything about the new room when it's done. I am still working on the new drapes...it seems never ending, sigh!

    ReplyDelete
  3. You did the right thing, Judy! The colour is beautiful. What a lot of work, though!
    Your husband is a sweetheart - and sometimes the very best meals are eaten in a work site!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I was so excited to see your blog pop up - what an interesting post. I know just too well how it feels to have things just like you planned and have them not be the answer. Better to get it right than to have to put up with discontent. We had a love seat that I hated - HATED HATED!! I sold it one day on craigslist - it was brown and depressing - though in great condition. A few months later I bought another love seat - it was spectacularly wonderful - just completed the room. Looking back at photos I realized that it is the exact same love seat - just in a prettier, dusty pink color. I thought the shape of the old sofa was so ugly - but love this new one - not much difference - just a change in color and all was well.

    Love the colors you are picking for the room - can't wait to see the rest when it is to your liking.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Oh Judy, I LOVE the new color! It's very warm and inviting....it makes you want to sit in the sitting room for hours and simply enjoy the moment.

    I can't wait to see the room when it's all done, my friend. Happy Monday! Hugs!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I love the woodwork in your home and remember we had that once many years ago. It is all coming together so fresh and warm! Lovely posting of a lot of hard work. So glad you shared.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Yippee! You have so many reasons to celebrate!
    First of all.... you have a wonderfully sweet husband! It's awesome that he could just tell that you weren't 100% satisfied, and that he knew just the way to remedy that problem :)
    So loving that new color, as well. It seems so fresh and bright!
    Can't wait to see how you will finish up the room!
    Keep on truckin' and I just know it will all turn out beautifully !

    ~K.

    ReplyDelete
  8. So glad that you are pointed in the right direction. I just hate when we go through all that painting and decorating and it just isn't it. I think everything will be terrific when you get the carpet in - the walls look very good and I know that you are anxious to have it completed. Looking forward to seeing this beautiful room.
    Mary

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hi Judy, Love the new wall color. So inviting and charming. When you get the carpet it will all come together. So sweet of your hubby to fix and treat you to dinner on Mother's Day. Love that romantic setting for you two.
    Have fun decorating.
    Hugs, CM

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hi Miss Judy! You are going to be so pleased that you made the changes you did - it's shaping up to be fabulous room. Pretty new wall color. I still lean heavily on the country style. - different from the 80's when we had our first place, but I'm still drawn to alot of the same things. It just says home to me. How sweet of your mister to make such a delicious and romantic meal - he's a keeper! Have a wonderful and blessed week. Jane

    ReplyDelete
  11. Love the new paint color and couch! Looking forward to the new reveal!

    ReplyDelete
  12. I do like the sofa and I do not want another one either with loose back cushions, constantly fluffing up.
    What a wonderful dinner!! Yummm! on pretty rose placemats and gorgeous Moms day flowers - so darned sweet for sure.
    Can't wait to see your new carpet.
    betsy

    ReplyDelete
  13. Yes, you married a winner! Alls well that ends well. SO glad it's going to work for you! Enjoy your break!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Oh wow! You did a complete switcheroo!! I love the new wall colour and think it will be perfect with the new sofa. I will certainly look forward to the reveal in a few weeks. Your hubby is a wonderful guy indeed! Blessings to you. Enjoy the makeover goings on.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Why am I not surprised by this new carpet news??????? :)

    ReplyDelete
  16. I love the new color you chose for your sitting room! I can't wait to see the room when it's ready for it's big reveal. I know you can't wait to have it finished too. The couch you purchased it so pretty. It's going to look great in there. You have a sweet husband to cook you a nice dinner all by himself!

    ReplyDelete
  17. I can't wait to see your sitting room, so exciting!
    Thanks so much for sharing at AMAZE ME MONDAY!
    Blessings,
    Cindy

    ReplyDelete
  18. Hi Judy, I know it's been a super long process but I'm sure that when your new carpet arrives and you begin pulling all the pieces together you and The Captain are going to be SO very happy that you went in a new direction! It looks/sounds like it is going to be just beautiful! Have a super week ahead! Blessings, Cindy

    ReplyDelete
  19. Hi Judy, Oh, I enjoyed this post so much:) I love everything that you are doing.
    It's a lot of work, but it is all so worth it.
    Have a lovely day, and don't work too hard:)
    Connie

    ReplyDelete

Your comments are so special to me...Judy