Monday, September 15, 2008

Everybody loves a good house renovation story. That's my conclusion, all the comments and blog hits I've been getting about the few photos I posted last time about my own little epic: HGTV Goes to France.

This weekend, I have to admit that not much really got done. Not as much as I'd hope, that's for sure. We had guests all day Saturday. And then that night we were invited to a party down in the village and didn't get away until after one in the morning. The late night and the tasty kir (a mix of white wine and creme de cassis: if a French person offers you some, just say 'yes') both explain why I was completely feeble and ineffective all day Sunday. I had excellent intentions and spent hours down in the dining room, but little actual progress was made.
One interesting thing did turn up, though. The plaster over one of the doors was quite brittle and thin. I chipped away at it and discovered the wood of the wall frame underneath.

I sanded the plaster bits off and had a good look. Two upright pieces of nice old wood embedded in the wall. I think that i'm going to leave them exposed and call them "architectural interest".

I also continued with another project in there: stripping the layers of paint off the built-in cupboard in the corner. The product I bought barely seems to make headway against the layers of thick gray paint that was slathered over the original paint, lurking just below a thin layer of pink.

But when I finally got underneath all the ugly paint, I found a great surprise- the original paint on the cupboard was a bright turquoise color. The bottom of it was painted reddish brown, as were the baseboards. I'd love to strip the whole thing and leave it in the original colors. I guess that's the archaeologist in me. But it would probably be easier (and possibly more esthetic- the two doors in the room are already completely stripped and varnished) to strip it down to the bare wood. I can't quite decide.

After all that, I couldn't figure out what to next, so I decided to wash the dishes. As you can see, I had lots of help.

5 comments:

La Framéricaine said...

I am so impressed to even see a cupboard in your home. Mine has none unless you consider a 6in depression in the wall with a wallpapered quasi "door" over it a "cupboard."

Congratulations on the architectural accents! I love your archaeologist's perspective on refinishing!

Bonne continuation!

oreneta said...

I really like your counter top...is that concrete?

Beth said...

Thanks! The countertop is tile (installed by JP. I'm so proud!) but the edge is wood done in a distressed finish.
I love my kitchen and will definitely do a post on it. When we moved in, it was just an empty room with a small ceramic sink in one corner and a wood-burning stove from the 1960's. Now it's a great workspace!

Anonymous said...

Your house is viewable (poor resolution, no street view) on Google Maps and Google Earth! Which way is school?

Beth said...

We live up on the D20 road and the twins' school is down in the village center, which is marked in red.