black

I do believe I’ve mentioned my new obsession with painting things black? After Zan was inspired to paint the kitchen radiator black last month, my love has just deepened. I have seen photos upon photos which have made me consider painting all my interior doors black…a bold and gutsy move if you ask me, and not one I was sure I had the intestinal fortitude to attempt, but oh, how I have envied all those doors!

But let’s back up for a moment….See this window?

I saved it from Zan’s hammer!!! It was in the garbage pile when I cried, “NOOOOOO!!!!” So what if it’s been in the basement for anywhere from 27 to 84 years?! I have an idea for this beautiful original piece…all it needed was a good clean and, you guessed it! A few coats of Abraham Lincoln Cottage High Gloss Black and it is beeeyoooteeeefullll again. I will tell you what it is going to be at a later date…that is fun for another post.

Buuuuut…..this leads to the fact that we had a teeny bit of leftover black paint in a container….

And my darling husband likes to take my ideas and act on them whether I’m ready to fully commit to the idea yet or not….

And I wasn’t in the room to stop him…..

And this is what happened:

I swear to you I nearly had a heart attack.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?!?!?!?!?????”

“What? You said you wanted to paint the doors black.”

“I SAID I was thinking that I might want to paint the doors black!!!!!!!!!!!!”

“Oh. Well…now you’ll know if you want to or not.”

Sadly, the door stayed that way, taunting me for three days until I could stand it no longer. I figured we’d have to go all the way in order to know whether we liked it or not. So I got out the black paint and painted three (four?) coats on that poor door, then stood back and gasped. Just look at it!!!!

I am in LOOOOOOVE with my black door!!!

Still have to strip the hardware, and the wall colors are slated for a change, but seriously…I-can’t-stop-looking-at-it. 🙂

Every single interior door in the house (except for the kitchen) will be making the changeover to black throughout the summer as we renovate and redecorate. And if you’re tempted to do it, just do it!!! Don’t be scared! (A glass or two of wine first is recommended though…you will need something to calm you as you hyperventilate during the transition.)

For some strange reason this song has been stuck in my head lately. I leave you with a little Rolling Stones. 😉

I don’t know about in your house, but in my house, this means trouble:

These spread innocently on the table are enough to strike fear in the core of any husband. Mister asked me this morning, “Are adults afraid of things too?” I said, “Of course they are Honey. Mommy is afraid of spiders, and Daddy is afraid of paint swatches.” Okay, maybe I’m making that second half up, but if I HAD said that it would’ve been true: paint swatches mean a whole lotta work and aggravation for my dear husband. 🙂

But wait till you see what I’ve been dreaming up over here!

Let’s take a look at my staircase.

That horrid carpet has been there since we moved in. The entire house, minus the bedrooms, bathroom, and kitchen, was carpeted with this ugly fuschia wall to wall monstrosity. We tore ALL of it up several years ago, exposing the oak floors underneath. The only piece we left was the staircase. Having little ones, we decided carpet was a good idea (for cushioning potential falls) and we weren’t ready to spend money to recarpet them. So there the staircase has sat neglected and ignored…until now!!!

I’ve been spending lots of time on home and renovation idea websites lately, and look what I came across:

Photo courtesy http://www.houzz.com (Rachel Reider Interiors)

Photo courtesy http://www.houzz.com (Stacey Jacobi Interiors)

Photo courtesy of http://www.houzz.com (SchappacherWhite Ltd.)

I am suddenly completely, obsessively in love with the look of the black banister, rail, and stairs. I WANT IT! I’ve even gone so far as thinking about painting my hardwood floor in the entry way in a black and white checkerboard pattern, but apparently the going opinion is that painting a perfectly good (albeit in need of refinishing) hardwood floor is a sin of the Mortal kind, so I won’t go there. But don’tcha think it’s beeeeeeyoooooooteeeeeful?!

And while we’re sprucing up the heart of the home, let’s look at what else needs a little attention:

That bookcase has got to go. It’s just not working for me there anymore. We’re thinking of creating a built-in to hold the kids coats, shoes, bookbags, etc. but that’s a whole other post. Or maybe I’ll dream up something else for that wall. You never know!

Stay tuned to see what trouble I get myself into. After all, there’s something about these photos that speaks to me…black moldings anyone?