Saturday 26 January 2013

A 'Pretty' Filter

I've decided that during 2013 I will go through each of the rooms in our home and take a look at as many items in them as possible - and if they're not pretty or useful - to donate, bin or sell them!

I prioritised our lounge / dining room as after the Christmas decorations were taken down and bits of furniture moved to give it a good clean, it was evident that it needed a 'freshen up'.  Well, if I'm honest... the skirting boards were marked and dog-eared, marks remained where pictures had once hung on the wall and clutter was encroaching on every surface!

My dining chairs had been on my 'To Do' list for over a year and I'd kept putting them on a new list every time I started something else.  So, 2013 is the year for me.  I will be doing this on a frugal basis - there is no budget for wall to wall wardrobes to house our clutter - even if I did want them!!  Paint will be my old friend and much loved items will be re-found and placed with purpose around our home.  I will endeavour to cut out lots of clutter.  I'm not particularly good at this - I'll never be minimalist but even I feel like a change needs to happen.  If it's not pretty or practical - or I can't make it pretty - it will go!  Hopefully I won't feel overwhelmed and give up - but I've blogged about it so I can share my progress and to help ensure I stay motivated!!


To start, we repainted the non-papered walls with the same Dulux Morning Light from the Light and Space Range and the skirting boards were re-done in white rather than cream (because I had that in the shed and which actually made a good change).  I'd love to replace the wall paper but it's in good condition so a general tidy up was all that is needed at this stage.

My main projects in this room other than decorating have been my dining table and chairs and my display shelving unit - which often turn into a nightmare dumping ground - cringe - I'll show you a small portion before:

 

 Here are my newly rationalised shelves...


There will always be kiddie stuff in the lounge.  I don't mind that - it just needs to be more organised or put away more effectively!

The chairs and dining table in the lounge were bought from my Mum's neighbour and I think are Ercol 1940's items.  I'm not a fan of dark wood but love the painted look of furniture so the chairs have been painted a couple of times already.  They were in desperate need but they are tricky to paint so I've procrastinated.  Until now:

So here is the shabby (and so NOT chic) look before:

 
During the makeover.... left one has been painted!


To After....  All lined up in a row!


I painted them with two coats of Eggshell in Duck Egg 99 by Fired Earth, gave them a bit of a rub down in places and finished off with a layer of Wax to seal them.  The seat pads were from Dunelm Mill and they were in the sale - an added bonus as they were only £4 each for quirky seat pads.


A new oilcloth for the table finished off the look!


So over the past three weeks I have cleared it all out, deep cleaned and from Wednesday have been doing the fun bit - putting together my mantel,




...rearranging family photos

 
 
and just enjoying the room in it's 'new' state.


Apologies for the quality of the photos - the dark days here don't make for good lighting conditions!    I also repainted the unit the TV sits on and waxed it.  It was painted in Dulux Jasmine White and then I dry brushed the carved elements to bring them out a bit.  I'll try and remember to take a picture another time.  I recovered the footstool in the summer before I was blogging properly so will look for those photo's too.

The next project to tackle is 'R's room.  It needs a re-paint and repositioning of furniture and a general clear out so next week and February will be the time for that project!

Thanks for all your wonderful comments on my last blog post.  It's so wonderful that so many in blogland are so generous with your time to leave me a comment!  My heart skippy skips to read them - so thank you all and have a good weekend!

J9 x

Today I'm joining the party with:
 
 

21 comments:

  1. Love the blue color of the chairs! William Morris is quoted as saying the same idea as yours: if you don't believe it useful or beautiful, get rid of it! So you're in good company.

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    1. Wow! Thanks for that! I'm loving all shades of blue at the moment - these are quite bright but it's nice to have a pop of colour! Thanks for popping over! J9 x

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  2. I have those same kitchen chairs here in Canada. Too funny to see them in a home in the U.K. Small, small world!!

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    1. That is funny!! Great chairs though - we must have good taste;0) J9 x

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  3. Well done you! I look at my rooms with absolute shock sometimes at the amount I have to do decorating and decluttering. Your chairs look fantastic! Take care. Chel

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    1. Oh my goodness - don't worry - I have to go through each of my rooms now because it's got to that stage!! 2013 is the year I'm gonna do it ;0) J9 x

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  4. Very pretty!! Love the colour blue! Thanks for stopping by my blog!
    Looks like the kiddies are having fun in the snow.

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  5. Goodness! You've done a bang up job in the lounge! Love the color of your chairs (I'm partial to Duck Egg) and your reorganization is paying off. I'm in the mind to do the same thing here, but I haven't made myself start yet. I think today is the day.

    Thanks so much for joining in this week!

    xo
    Claudia

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    1. Oh thanks Claudia! It's funny how motivation can ebb and flow! I'm in the zone for now... but I'm sure the outdoors will pull me come spring ;0) J9 x

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  6. Good for you! Everything is looking so pretty and organized-maybe I'll get motivated :)
    Susan

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    1. Thanks Susan - but your house is looking gorgeous!! I've been on your house tour remember! J9 x

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  7. Everything is looking so charming. Adore the duck egg blue!

    Me too, I'm with you. I want to go through everything and brighten up and get rid of clutter this year. I'm on a mission. :) Not easy for me since I tend to keep things but all the stuff feels like a weight these days, rather than a pleasure.

    Happy week to you!

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    1. That's exactly it!! I've not been this motivated before - maybe the piles have gotten too big to ignore ;0) J9 x

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  8. Strange how the new year makes you want to clean. I think it has to do with clearing away the Christmas things and seeing your house as it really is on a day to day basis. My family has also been going through the house getting rid of what we don't need. We've lived here 14 years, and it's amazing how much unneeded stuff three people can collect in that time. We took a big load to the thrift store last week. After seeing how good it feels not to have those things, we're now trying to pare down even more.

    I love the shape of your chairs and they look great painted to match your tablecloth. Thanks for dropping by my blog the other day. Now that I found you, I'm a new follower!

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    1. Thanks Shannon - and welcome to following along! J9 x

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  9. Wow, that sounds like a lot of work. And it looks fantastic! Your organized shelves look lovely and the chairs are so pretty. I really need to get painting myself!

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    1. Thanks so much! I do enjoy painting furniture far more than painting walls! Have a good weekend, J9 x

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  10. Love your use of the 'pretty filter', it's certainly been very effective so far in your home. I love your painted furniture too - gorgeous!

    S x

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    1. Oh thank you Sandra - I wanted to join in your pretty crafty home projects last year - you certainly inspired me - I just wasn't in the right frame of mind. 2013 is the year! J9 x

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  11. Thanks for the inspiration! You had a plan and went with it, Good Girl! Love your new painted chairs! Thanks for sharing at Simple & Sweet Fridays. Have a wonderful week!


    Jody

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