Let There Be White!

It’s been almost three months since my last post, seems like I’m right on track for another update!

Sometime in March, I decided that, since the bathroom was starting to look better, I really needed to get the ugly window and door trim taken care of.  Whenever I sat on my bed (which looks directly into my bathroom), I’d feel so frustrated that just around the corner were some vast improvements in the look of the bathroom, but from my vantage point, I couldn’t see any of it.  All I could see was the ugly old brown trim that I hate so much.  This was, essentially, what I could see:

So, I decided to get on that.  Went to Lowe’s, bought a bunch of wood and got to work.  By this time, I’ve really figured out my process, so I was able to cut all of the wood in short order and get it hung in no time.  The part that takes the longest is the four coats of paint.  bleh.

I don’t have any in-process pictures, but I’m sure you’ve seen many pictures before of un-finished molding being hung and painted.  The important part is the after pictures:

Oh, and notice our new blinds!  Aren’t they fancy?  We can now stand in the shower without worrying about the display we’re providing to our neighbors.  They’re probably very disappointed.

Of course, once the bathroom windows and doors were finished, the bedroom trim was really a problem.  I could now look from the bedroom into the bathroom and see beautiful trim work, but right in the way was the ugly brown trim on the doorway into the bathroom.

I took a week or so off, but then headed back over to Lowe’s for some more wood.  Did a bunch of cutting, a bunch of painting, and hey!  now that looks much better.  Here’s my new view from the bed.  I love it so much:

I also did the back of the door in the bathroom, which really just make the new doors so beautiful.  This bathroom is really starting to look a lot different.  (Now if we could just figure out what to do about the floors!)

 

In early April, I sat on the bed yet again (seriously, I sit and stare at the trim a lot), now complaining about how much I hated the trim that I could see in the hallway (the area I lovingly call the “Hall of Doors”) and wondering when we’d have the time and budget to replace it.  My husband (who was probably just sick-to-death of hearing it) said, “Just do it! Today!”

He may have gotten whiplash from how quickly I ran out the door to Lowe’s, but I think he’s recovered now.

This was the only before picture I could find.  This is looking up into the hall from our foyer and really doesn’t give you a full sense of how dark it was.  Just imagine 6 doors in a 30 square foot area…all brown.

By this point, I’ve got this down to a science. I was able to cut all the wood for 7 door frames in about an hour and a half. We got it all hung in another hour and a half. (Not bad, considering the first room I did had two windows and a door and it took me four hours!)

Here’s what the “Hall of Doors” looks like now.  It’s SO much brighter and happier looking.

And don’t you just love my doors?  We were planning on doing something else with the two closet doors, so didn’t buy the 5-panels for them.  I think we may end up keeping them as doors, though, so we’ll eventually replace them too.  For now, just painting them is a huge improvement.

Here’s the view from the hall into my bedroom, with it’s new window trim:

Just looking at these pictures makes me feel so much calmer and happier.  With the exception of the baseboard, which is a project for July, I’ve officially replaced all the old brown trim in the house.  The upstairs is much lighter and brighter than it was 6 months ago.  Still so much to do to make this MY house, but we’re getting there.

May is “paint your kitchen cabinets” month.  Wish me luck!