A Week's Work

Thank you so much for all your comments and advice.  This past week I started work on making the bathroom and the kitchen a bit more worn looking and the bathroom ceiling something like an old house in New Orleans would have.

I touched up the area above the tub so it looks as if the home owner made some attempts at repairs.  You can see there isn't as much brown over the tub in the later pictures.

And I did the same thing with the trim and wallpaper on the back wall.

It's not as noticeable but I also used a craft knife on the wallpaper to give the illusion of it being applied in regular strips, and the moisture making the seams pop up a bit.

It's a little thing but I notice that it's there.

I painted the kitchen ceiling with a shimmery white over a flat taupe  and then added a nice watermark from an overflowing bathroom tub.

I used coffee... some brown paint added the coffee and then sprinkled cinnamon on it (all while the house was upside down), to give the illusion of a tin ceiling that's rusted slightly. 

I think it looks pretty good so far. 

I also made shades for the bedroom windows and I'm pleased with how they look so far.  I'll use a little emery board on them and some coffee to make them look a little worn down.

They're pale but I didn't want anything that would be too glaringly ugly against the window frame and drapes.

I managed to get the final piece of wainscoting in place.  Finally the front room is complete.  Just need some pictures on the wall next to the stairs.

And you all know I've been totally stressing over the curtains for the bathroom.  I had an idea of what I wanted but everything I found was so blindingly white that it looked wrong against the paneling and window trim.   But I finally found some lace that wasn't a perfect white.  It came with pearls attached to it but I was able to cut those off without wrecking the lace. 

Nothing that covers the window but something to keep it from looking too bare.

Then I took Morgen's advice and pulled out all the furnishings and put everything in place to see how things would fit and if they looked all right. 

So here are a bunch of pictures.  Let me know what you guys think. 

I'm not entirely sure that this bed works.  It matches the dresser but it's a little large for the space.

Here's the bolter bed I was thinking of using instead.

I think this works a bit better.  I might find a little chair and make a table to go by the window.  And obviously I'll have to do something with the bedding.

I think the kitchen layout is pretty good.  A galley kitchen type of layout.  I'll have counters on the either side of the silver stove.  Originally I'd planned to put a little set of coat hooks and a shoe mat against the wall next to the fridge but it wouldn't really show this way.  I still might, if only because I'll know that they're there.

Keli suggested the couch would look better against the window and I think she's right, even though it hides the heat register (again). 

Here it is the other way.  It looks darker this way for some reason. 

Obviously the toilet and sink are not the ones I'll be using.  The tub is but again (obviously) not finished.

Here's the first idea for the balcony.  I'll make a little table to go next to the chair.  Maybe another small chair on the opposite side.  But I don't want it to look crowded.

This isn't bad, but it's almost too white and it looks a bit crowded. 

Here's the steps I'm using for the entry.  I'm going to make a little flowerbed next to it...it looks a bit blank to me.

I'm irritated with myself though... I bought these adorable cat pillows from Brae and now I can't find them.  I could kick myself.   Maybe they'll turn up.  In the meantime I'm working on a little shelf for under the bathroom window where I can keep some towels and bath supplies.

The other projects will be the kitchen counters so I have some place to add my granite paper when it arrives and the bathroom fixtures. 

So? Opinions? Comments? Great thoughts?