Monday, November 10, 2014

MyORC--THE ENTRY

When I step back in time and take a look at the
before photos
I am surprised at the reaction I have

did I not know I was in a pile of self created rubble
in a place that could have been just fine to have stayed the way it was?

this was the dining room
smallish but it could have been pretty cute
the dining room window before we created the new entry--
the house had plenty of character without all the change
~~but~~

seriously thank the Lord that we chose to move those stairs
because here we discovered a hot mess of carbon monoxide slowly leaking into the house
had it not been for the size of this attic space
folks could have been in real danger

things have to look worse before they get better
lots of curious town folks driving by and this photo was taken in late January
brrrrr!!!!!

seriously am I running the vacuum here?
where is my coat?

man oh man!

this happy face was just before a reality set in that I had not considered
~~that reality was this~~
I don't always get what I want
and
thank you very much family of five children for helping me be 
used.to.that.

even though in the beginning I wasn't keen on the idea of moving the entry and the stairs

I did kind of warm up to the idea
see how much room there is up there?
my vision was a very very tall pitch in the entry with a fantastic chandelier!

and the curvy sidewalk was my other carrot

but one day I walked in and the ceiling, although tray,
was much lower than what I expected
and
DONE!
whaaaaatttt???

This early February day I was distracted from my annoyance about the ceiling height 
by the arrival of a real live door
that could open and shut and keep out the winter chill

~~Inspiration~~
We had traveled to Atlanta for a bank seminar and stayed in a beyond beautiful
1920 luxury hotel that had so many elements of what we were trying to create at 822

~~We~~
  • Did I mention we moved the stairs?
  • Created an entry out of the old dining room and by doing so shifted the entire home to a more symmetrical look inside and out
  • Took advantage of all the open space to re-wire/re-vent/re-heat/re-cool/re-insulate
  • Created a few art niches while the walls were open
  • Laid a marble floor
  • Added some very wonderful mahogany doors and stairs
  • Purchased my favorite chandelier of all time...from eBay!

~~Biggest Challenge~~
This one little space had
A.L.O.T. 
going on
while I wouldn't say this was our biggest challenge... 
I would say that it was the most unforgettable thing that happened during the entire reno
Our good friend Frank
got to go to the 
so as you can imagine all our flooring and its 30 year warranty
well...guess that means I don't have to use the required and expensive products on it

~~Favorite Thing~~
I love that this is not my dining room!

Are you ready for today?

while the ceiling is not as dramatic as I had hoped
it is dramatic

I love the mahogany stairs but I still want to carpet them
but then again...remember I don't always get what I want

all the corners are round making wallpaper a difficult choice
so I painted a mural on all 4 walls...very very subtle 

Frank did a really good job...it is beyond me why a person would have a million dollar carpet business serving 3 states and still deal drugs.  I have truly never been more shocked in my life!  
 I really really liked him



oh there...I did get something I wanted it



Frank was going to come back and replace this one little teeny tiny tile that isn't quite the right color
ok...maybe in 10 to 12




whew...got that part done!

it's best when you are able to come to terms with things
I am not
a 4.0 kind of girl
but I do have lots of imagination floating around 3.89ish
AND
I...we...know how to work our hineys off
in a reno like this one has been ?
that's kind of stellar








12 comments:

NanaDiana said...

Oh, Gina. I know exactly what you are going through. We have done so many similar things with houses. Love that you had the vision to see what could be done...and I know you were disappointed about the ceiling height. We had the same thing in our lower level.....but you deal with it and we trayed the ceiling where we could.

Good job there- It's looking great!!!! xo Diana

Artsy VaVa said...

Wow! What a stunning makeover!

StagerLinda said...

The prob is the boo-boo's are on such an extreme level based on the size of your Pondersa. Everything seems mo' extreme b/c O da grandness o da project! Good news is you have the CUTEST DIMPLES on the planet,Gina! Keep smiling!

Rustic Vintage Country said...

Wow, fabulous transformation! x

Castles Crowns and Cottages said...

This is TOTALLY fun to watch how you took this gorgeous home with great bones and brought it back to glory. I LOVE THE NOOKS AND CRANNIES!

Tina@WhatWeKeep said...

3.89 rocks!
Sorry to hear about Frank the dummy, but oh, that chandy is beautiful!

Revi said...

Wow..your mural is SO much nicer than any wallpaper I have ever seen!!! Beautiful details, Gina. And all the drama makes for a good story around the Thanksgiving table!

miss b said...

I've always been fascinated by before and after photos. The chandelier and double doors look lovely together.

Burlap Luxe said...

Well deserved remodel, if it were not for you the house would most likely be as it was.
You have taken a home and opened up its potential as to becoming a beautiful place where heart and home creates dreams now.

Thank you Gina for your sharing,
And also taking the time to visit me!

Beautiful days ahead of you.

Xx
Dore

Anajá Schmitz said...

Olá,
a casa ficou linda, reforma dá um trabalho mas no final tudo fica muito bonito. Que bom que descobriram o problema antes, as coisas acontecem na hora certa.
Bjos tenha um ótimo dia.

Brandi said...

Your house is so gorgeous. You put so much time and effort into all the details. It's coming together beautifully, Gina!

Unknown said...

Gina you have the best stories about that house. I love your entry and that gorgeous chandelier!!! Xo Nancy