Bye-bye shutters

The best gift of the Christmas season was the removal of our ugly shutters. While the boys played with new toys outside in the 76 degree weather, my daughter took the old eyesores down for me. I'm so happy about the difference it makes!

Now you see them...

...and now you don't.

We were expecting to find a difference in the brick color that would require power washing, but luckily that wasn't the case. Just a quick once-over with a broom, and we were good to go.

And the transformation begins...

Anyone who has bought a home built in the 1950s or 1960s knows that time can take a toll in many ways, one of which is a complete destruction of continuity. Often a hodgepodge of add-ons faces a new owner, and such is the case in our new house.

We have brass doorknobs in several styles. We have chrome doorknobs in several styles. In some places we have brass on one side of a door and chrome on the other...in mismatched styles. We have deadbolts in the most peculiar places. (I had never before seen one on the door between the living room and the hall that leads to the bedrooms, but there's one in this house. And on the master bedroom door. Creepy.) We have light fixtures and ceiling fans of every conceivable era, style, and color.

Yesterday we bought five 52" ceiling fans like this. They will go in the bedrooms, the living room, and the upstairs apartment, now called the boys' playroom. We had planned to Airbnb it, but the boys made a convincing argument for turning into their space...something about keeping their toys out of sight and their bedroom neat, but you know how that will go. Nevertheless, they won us over.

52" Verano fan by Casa Vieja
lampsplus.com

We've ordered this 60" fan for the family room/dining room.

60" Casa Aleso fan by Casa Vieja
lampsplus.com

Our kitchen is relatively small and currently has a massive and ornate ceiling fan instead of a light fixture, which will be replaced by this fixture.

Lattice flush mount fixture
lampsplus.com

After buying several samples cabinet knobs and pulls, we finally decided on these unusual ones with a 1950s feel, which influenced our decision in the choice of a kitchen light fixture.

A279BN CKP Brand modern pull
coolknobsandpulls.com

Our soon-to-be very plain double front doors will have round retro knobs, the Orbit model by Schlage, and narrow star escutcheons from Rejuvenation. The rest of the doors, interior as well as exterior, will have the same round knobs.

 

Narrow star escutcheon
rejuvenation.com

Schlage Orbit door set
lowes.com

Instead of a Sputnik fixture over the dining table, we've decided to go with this cone light look.

Ronald cone pendant
franceandson.com

My power drill and I are going to be very busy in a few days, but once we're done, the house will look like a new place. New, that is, with a nod to the way it might have looked in 1950 when it was built.

The garage apartment challenge

I think I mentioned the other day that the first thing on our list of things to do when we move into Lotus House II (aka Teddy House) is to decorate the garage apartment so we can list it on Airbnb. Here's what we're working with...one large room with a full bathroom and an efficiency kitchen, which has apartment-sized appliances, a sink, cabinets, and a pass-through bar.

And, for those of you who missed my post about pink bathrooms the other day...

The first thing we're going to do is rip out the lattice/owl and paint the bathroom walls white, then remove the carpet and put down something like this:

Golden Summer Teak
lumberliquidators.com

Next comes finding all the fun stuff...furniture, pillows, quilts, pictures, dishes, and all the other things that will turn the space into the perfect getaway spot. As you might guess, I have a few ideas.

To be honest, I'm leaning toward the neutrals.  I would work a little bit of color into the room, probably with pictures, lumbar pillows in the upholstered chairs, and towels in the bathroom, but I find that palette more restful...and isn't that what people will want?