About a year ago I did a small overhaul of the space, but didn't paint. My mother-in-law helped by sewing some new slipcovers for the cushions on my grandmother's wicker furniture. Would you believe the slipcovers are made out of shower curtains I found on clearance at Target?! WAY cheaper than it would have been to buy fabric. Plus - mildew and stain resistant since they are made to be in bathrooms! I was able to cover all of the cushions for less than $80 and even had some leftover fabric to sew pillow covers. For the navy pillow covers I used linen napkins. To save even more dough, I also refashioned a couple of lamps I already had by adding rope on the bases and ribbon on the shades. The oversized American flag was painted on a piece of old plywood we had laying around.
When planning the soft overhaul last year, I chose the red, white and blue color scheme for a couple of reasons. First, as you may already know, I love red and it carries throughout most of our home. I didn't have any red on the breezeway and I wanted it to flow a bit better with the rest of the house. The carpeting, which we cannot afford to replace right now, is a blue berber so I thought the patriotic colors could jive.
So...back to the painting! Since it's a three-season room (no heating or air conditioning), the walls are covered in car-siding instead of dry wall. It allows the room to withstand the elements and avoid cracking during the freezing and thawing of winter. But...it also means it was a pain in the patootie to paint! Every little seam in the paneling had to be cut-in with a brush. All of the trim needed not one, but two coats of paint, and even the ceiling needed paint. It's probably why I've been dragging my feet for so long. That, and the fact that it serves as our front entry to our house. No one ever uses our front door, so having it in disarray is not the most convenient. As I was sitting on the porch giving myself a pep talk to get started last weekend, I somehow convinced myself that it wouldn't be that bad of a project. Au contraire, mon frére! That's french for "Think again you crazy fool!"
Anyway - I powered through and burnt the midnight oil last night putting everything back together. After a fresh coat of paint, I was inspired to try a new seating arrangement and restyle the accessories in the space. Best part - everything I used, I already had on hand! Whooppeee! I love FREE accessories! Here are the results...
We did make one major purchase for the revamp. One of the white wardrobes we already had - the one on the left is new. It's not a perfect match to our original, but it's close enough. It was important to keep the wardrobes as part of the makeover because we desperately need a dumping ground for all of our coats, shoes, hats, mittens, backpacks - you name it. With two growing boys, the amount of "junk" this room will need to hold will only grow! But it doesn't mean it has to be ugly. The doors keep it all hidden and I love the display space the top of the wardrobes provide!
What I adore most about the new space is the way it seems to tie to the outdoors. The room used to have faux wood blinds and I decided to take them down for two reasons. One, because they were constantly dusty and dirty from having the windows open all of the time, and two, because now you can really see outside when you're sitting in the space. The room really is the best of both worlds. You can smell, hear and see the beauty of nature, but the elements such as rain and BUGS are kept at bay. I can't wait to sit out there during a rain storm!
Isn't she pretty?! The doors leading to our garage, kitchen and outside still need to be painted, but I'm up in the air on the color. I'm thinking of going bold with a deep hue of rustic red, but I'll probably chicken out and stick to white. Regardless, I am really enjoying the fruits of my labor! She really is gorgeous - oh! - and economical too!
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