I have been in the house 90 days- threshold has been crossed. We have lived here long enough that there is noticeable dust on my furniture. I have been a busy girl since we moved here, aside from unpacking and child herding. I have repainted, because most of the colors were gawd-awful. White entryway, too light green kitchen, yucky yellow bathroom and bedroom, too dark blue bathroom...need I go on? It is now warm and cozy and homey. :) At least for the next year or so.
House hunting around here was down right hysterical. Some of the homes are circa 1970s and have the wallpaper to prove it. If I saw terrible wallpaper on line, sometimes I just ruled the house out completely. But the best was when people clearly tried to do what the designers do on HGTV, but failed. Next move, I'll take pics of the champion designs, so to speak, and post them here.
I have adapted to some of the, er, interesting decorative features of the house. Like the half-wall wood panelling in the family room. Or the full-on wood panelling in the basement rec room, nicely complimented by carpet that is the color (and almost the texture) of a Brillo pad. Then there was the carpet in the master bath, which was ripped out the day after I signed the lease. I assume those things were done many years ago, when it seemed like a good idea, not necessarily to achieve a design scheme.
But then there is the Tuscan Room.
Our dining room is faux-finished in a deep reddish-goldish color (sponged). Faux-finishes are WAY out of date. But the owners love it, because they painted it, so ALL the tenants must keep it. Um, seriously? You don't live here. And how the hell am I supposed to cover up those nail holes? I guess I am not, and that is why there are a dozen nails/ screws still in the wall. I did use my art work to hide the worst of them.
Then the light fixture is a cut glass chandelier. Awfully formal for my pub height, slate top table.
This room goes with pretty much nothing that I own. (Hmm. No wait, there is that one water color of Venice that we own.) It actually looks okay now, I found the most complementary wall hangings I had. And the room color seems less obnoxious, because I made sure all the downstairs paint colors work with the Tuscan Room. Before, the other rooms were white and light green. And then, poof, here's a Tuscan Room. It made no sense, in regards to design. At least we have good flow now, and I LOVE the format living room that leads into the Tuscan Room. The color is called Tiny Fawn and it is so rich- looks great with the piano, club chairs and books. I like to sit in there and admire the cleanliness, since no one under 18 is allowed in that room.
But today, I found another design oddity. Our owners like brushed nickel in the bathroom. Well, so do I. Fabulous.
But the master bath (carpeting aside) looks like it was designed by a schizophrenic. Clearly, they either started to redo and ran out of funds/ interest/ time, or they couldn't pick and went two different directions in the same room. We have aforementioned brushed nickel over the sink, but, if you turn around, the towel racks, shelving and TP holder are black wrought iron looking things. The towel racks are retarded because the bar is only an inch away from the wall. Very hard to hang a towel on. And just to keep it varied, there in a hanging light fixture near the shower that is (wait for it) copper. IN THE BATHROOM. So as I was dusting the light fixture in the bathroom (because it's been 90 days), the dust was mixed in with green from the copper. You know, because it is a BATHROOM and very humid in there. Perhaps not the best idea ever. And the window looks like it should open, but it doesn't. Why not???
Just more things to add to my list of "Things I will NEVER have in my real house." It includes other design ideas such as: 4"square tile with big caulk lines on the kitchen counter; Washer and dryer in the middle of the kitchen; White tile on the kitchen floor; Cream colored carpet (in a rental house???); Work triangles so tight, that two appliances could not be open at the same time; Stand up showers with no lip to hold water in (that house was a bunch of DIYers- they also tried to lay carpet, run wire and were responsible for the next jem); Replacing a window with french door (good), but leaving the cement window sill in the yard next to the deck (???).
Like a comedian I saw once joked, "Just because Home Depot sells the stuff to do it, doesn't mean you should try it."
No joke.
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