Shades of grey ~ Appartement Chanvre ~ La Madone, Provence.
It's that time of year again. The cottage needs a little TLC here and there. My dh held his breathe and sighed while I trotted joyfully to the paint chip displays in the big box DIY store. Now they are stuck in the door moldings and window frames so the colors can be viewed in the changing light of day and night. These may not be my final choice but they are a start.
Since staying at La Madone in Provence last October, the peaceful shades of grey, the palest hint of blue edged in white have interrupted my sleep and invaded my dreams. Don't get me wrong, I love the warm neutrals of cream, linen, oatmeal too, but as my dining room is a South facing sunny space, I think I can safely try these French shades to change the look of the room without it feeling cold.
Can my Welsh Dresser change its nationality and become French? After packing away the china for a while, I'm thinking of repainting it French grey which will be a fresh background for my white and cream china. This dresser is in two pieces and the last time I painted it I was able to lay the top section flat on the dining room table making it a much simpler job........I think!
It's that time of year again. The cottage needs a little TLC here and there. My dh held his breathe and sighed while I trotted joyfully to the paint chip displays in the big box DIY store. Now they are stuck in the door moldings and window frames so the colors can be viewed in the changing light of day and night. These may not be my final choice but they are a start.
Since staying at La Madone in Provence last October, the peaceful shades of grey, the palest hint of blue edged in white have interrupted my sleep and invaded my dreams. Don't get me wrong, I love the warm neutrals of cream, linen, oatmeal too, but as my dining room is a South facing sunny space, I think I can safely try these French shades to change the look of the room without it feeling cold.I have a great painter who will do this job because it's more than just slapping on a coat of pure color. The 1980's popcorn ceiling has to go ~ big messy job! There is a large crack in the corner wall beyond the hutch requiring attention ~ guess the cottage has settled a bit in her old age ~ and the wallpaper border will have to be removed. There is a chair rail in this room. Several years ago I wallpapered below with a heavy embossed paper similar to Lincrusta which is used a lot in England to hide flaws in old construction. I love this look and have repainted the paper a couple of times. I'm thinking of painting above the chair rail in a very pale grey with just a hint of blue, and the paper below in a shade just a tad deeper. I'm not going for a blue room, just the palest blue grey.
Can my Welsh Dresser change its nationality and become French? After packing away the china for a while, I'm thinking of repainting it French grey which will be a fresh background for my white and cream china. This dresser is in two pieces and the last time I painted it I was able to lay the top section flat on the dining room table making it a much simpler job........I think!Appartement Chanvre dining area at La Madone, Provence.
The plan is still only in my head right now and I'll let you know when things start moving.
Do you have any redecorating projects in mind for this year?
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No plans at the moment, but that can all change in the blink of an eye!
ReplyDeleteI'll be very interested to see how the French colours transpose to America!
OH, I have the dreaded popcorn ceilings all the way through my house. =( The thought of scraping them is too daunting for me, and I don't really have the means to hire anyone to do it.
ReplyDeleteI am working on turning my largest bedroom into a studio. It's a slow process, even though I'm not doing any construction. But one day I'll have the studio I want.
I love your greys! ~Lori
I love the direction you are heading in here! I have been really enjoying some French and Swedish blogs this past year. I love the whites, pale greys and blue greys...
ReplyDeleteI would love to do the same here, but my husband has to be convinced first...and he is Swedish!
Hugs,
Penny
I am thinking of redoing our master bedroom!! I think I am just sick of the colors! Once I vaccuum all the dog hair up I might like the colors again though!! hehehe!
ReplyDeleteYour plans sound fabulous. The hard work will most likely be well rewarded in the end. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteMaureen
Mary, your plans sound cool, refreshing and wonderful. I can't wait to watch the progress, and to see the final result.
ReplyDeleteWe are always remodeling! Since we making our new house look old it seems as if there is always something to do. We also have the popcorn ceilings which I do not like. It is a messy job to scrape the popcorn but we have done two rooms fairly easily. This year I am hoping to repaint the library and add a pergola to the back porch area. We are still recovering from a 10 month long bathroom remodel so we are trying for a few simple things for now:)
ReplyDeleteI love your sconces in the dining room!!! Have fun with the redecorating! I look forward to seeing the finished project!
You should pay a visit to
ReplyDeletehttp://sea-angels.blogspot.com/
Her palette always has the most exquisite greys.
Mary - I can barely wait to see what you do with this beautiful pale blue gray. I'm dreaming with you!
ReplyDeleteI have a warning about the popcorn ceilings though.. Ricky and I were going to do the same (get rid of the popcorn by scraping), but I read an article about how people were exposing themselves to asbestos when doing so. PLEASE-PLEASE-PLEASE have your popcorn tested to make sure there is no asbestos.. you run the risk of not only exposing yourselves, but contaminating your entire home!
We've decided to paint the popcorn and ignore it... for now. We will hire a asbestos contractor to remove them someday. Maybe.
hugs... Dixie
I love the colors you've chosen. I have no decorating plans in motion. I really do need to add decorative items but don't have a clue where to start.
ReplyDeleteDixie - thanks for your concern regarding the ceilings. As the cottage was built in the late '80's and is not a really old house, I'm sure we're OK and there's no asbestos. We've had other other ceilings scraped and the painter didn't think it would cause a problem - hopefully he's correct!
ReplyDeleteMary.
I love your Welsh dresser!!! The beautiful shape of the dresser will show and be gorgeous no matter what color it is.
ReplyDeleteMimiG
I can visualize it. It sounds wonderful. I would love to have a Welsh dresser. But even if I did I would have nowhere to put it.
ReplyDeleteI would love to have my husband redo my youngest daughter's popcorn ceiling - I hate it, but for some reason he thinks it's lovely! Yikes! ;o)
ReplyDeletehi, thanks for the great post, love seeing photos of your apt.
ReplyDeletei have a welsh cabinet ,similiar to yours, here in south carolina, i will post a photo i took of in at christmas, i change it for each season, thats so fun to do and i also love, love, love your birdcages!!!best to you kate
Hi Mary! It will be of interest as I follow your redecorating project. Susan at Between Naps on the Porch is hosting a Metamorphosis Monday for before and after pictures. I love your blog! Best wishes.
ReplyDelete