And now for our new home. I’d like to do this room by room as I manage the work, room by room. The style of the home is contemporary and it is part of a larger housing development. We fell in love with it’s openness, light, plantation shutters, the presence of a porch/patio-like area in the front of the house (hidden by bushes but landscaping changes is another story).
The house is open concept with a partially enclosed kitchen, an office, three bedrooms and two baths. Currently the living/dining rooms and kitchen are sort of cheery light green, like the Hearts of Palm by Sherwin Williams. It’s nice, but out-dated. Over the fireplace and on one wall near the kitchen the wall was painted a dark henna brown. The laundry room was covered in this color which I didn’t know until my husband replaced the light bulbs. For a temporary fix, I painted above the fireplace and adjacent nook a dark, gray green color in a matte finish. Oddly enough, I cannot remember the name.
This photo also serves to show you that I have three wonderful children, one is only two months old and so I spend what time I can in that glider, protecting her from her siblings.
After re-creating the focal point in the living room (the rest of the work will come later), the next priority was the office. From boring beige, I recreated the color scheme of our previous living room which we found delightful.
This painting, obtained from a consignment shop on Grand Avenue in St. Paul, has traveled with me since collage and guided many a design choice. Using the following landscape I bought prior to our marriage with my husband in mind, in the same room, was satisfying indeed.
The rest came together full of books in cubbies and our make-shift desks (mine belonged to my great grandmother and is really just a table). I refrained from photographing my husbands’ desk because of the clutter. To complete the room, I placed a painting by my dear friend from college on the shelf.
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The laundry room was dark, terribly dark. I went to work right away. I hate to waste paint and so I used both Straw by Benjamin Moore and Gaia’s Tears by Valspar to create a cheerful work space. One wall is lined with Melaleuca cleaning products and the other has useful tools for the task at hand. Behind me as a take the photo is a linen closet stocked with table clothes, towels and cleaning tools. It’s a homemaker’s dream come true.
While unpacking I placed a few accents in our Master bath. Except for the cabinetry the bathroom is white and off-white. So far the place is iron accents, but anything more has yet been determined.
I also retrieved this painting I bought in Paris from my parents’ house. It will have some place and serve as an inspiration somewhere. From watching Bewitched, my daughter would like to go to Paris, to eat at a restaurant and buy a dress. She does not yet understand what a city is.
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Finally it was time to tackle the Master bedroom! The walls were cedar green which is a nice color, but I felt too dark with the wideness of the room and white plantation shutters. I opted for a lighter shade of the color we chose in our previous home, so off went the cedar and on with Lazy Gray by Sherwin Williams. The color read as a lavender but warmed up quickly with our hot red and gold accents.
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This painting served as the original inspiration, along with the bedding from Crate and Barrel. The wall color is remniscent of the clouds and shadows on the white buildings. The reds and golds come from the sunset and hills.
After I hung the curtains in our last home (as the headboard) the scheme reminded me of something and I pulled out this print I bought in Paris. Viola! A new inspiration, turn of the century Paris, Parisian-Art Nouveau. I sought to maintain the colors found in both images and seek our organic shapes. 
These sconces were found at an antique shop and fit the bill perfectly. I’ve been moving beyond my asymmetrical days and am looking forward to peaceful neutrals with strong accents and symmetry where it can be found.
These very special pieces found a home where they can be part of, what is to me, the most important space in our home. An assortment of mementos from our wedding, an image of the Cross of the Aposolate, given to my by the Sisters of the Cross, the convent where I desired to enter religious life to marry Christ, and a mirror I remember vividly from my childhood in my grandmother’s home.
But what makes it the most beautiful part of our home? It is romantic; it is peaceful; it’s a retreat from the world; and it’s a place where we can gather as a family from time to time for memorable moments together.
