In the past few years I’ve cut way back on my consumption of home design and improvement shows. While I’m still a big fan of HGTV and its lineup of creative shows and talented/skilled hosts, I know myself well enough to recognize the dangers of tuning in too often. Many people can view “Fixer Upper” and be entertained or maybe even inspired. But, every time I watch I end up feeling overwhelmed. At the end of an episode I look around and feel as if most everything surrounding me in the actual home I live in needs to be “fixed up.”
I start thinking unreasonable thoughts like… We need to refinish the floors! We need barn doors! We need lanterns! And, SHIPLAP!! How are we even living in a house in this outdated condition?! We have work to do… IMMEDIATELY!!
For me, whatever inspiration I initially feel is soon met with defeat. So, I watch home shows only occasionally rather than religiously these days.
But, this winter we’ve been doing a couple of small projects to update a mid-90’s bathroom and laundry room. The Spouse and I have learned to protect our marriage by outsourcing the more challenging aspects of the job, but changing out hardware and painting are in our repertoire.
Our laundry room has been a lovely shade of lemon yellow for five years now. This is what happens when you’re sleep deprived and go to the store to choose paint colors with a 4-year old, a 3-year old, and a two-week-old baby in tow. {I’m surprised the room isn’t tie-dyed}. Lemon yellow makes a nice happy color for a playroom, but when plastered on the walls of a tiny room with one fluorescent light and no windows, it’s a bit much.
So, yesterday I decided I could knock out painting the laundry room a more pleasant neutral color in a matter or hours. Of course, I had an eager little left-handed helper.
Five years ago, “2012 Hollie” would have said to a helper, “No way. This requires total concentration and adult participation only. You cannot even be in this room while I’m painting. Now step aside, please.” But, 2017 Hollie is ever so slightly more chill about these sort of things, and said “OK. Here’s a smock. You can paint behind the door. Just please don’t paint the door or yourself.”
This happy painting lasted about twenty minutes, and then she realized I had a serious advantage with my roller. She started bemoaning, “This is gonna take fo-evah.” And, indeed she had a point. It would take approximately ‘fo-evah’ to paint the room with a watercolor brush. So, she begged to use the roller.
Now “2017 Hollie” has come a long way… but not that far. I’m painting a real room, not running a Vacation Bible School over here.
No way to the roller.
And, so my painting partner promptly quit.
In the end, it did take what felt like “fo-evah” to paint the room by myself even with a magic roller. I have paint in my hair and some carpal tunnel symptoms in my wrist today, but it’s done. And now the lemon yellow is a better, albeit boring, beige.
I’ll post an “after” picture soon. But we still need some finishing touches… maybe barn doors, a lantern, and SHIPLAP!
I know the “open look” on HGTV is extremely popular now, but I like compartmentalizing, and it has worked for me for 62 years. For instance–I didn’t want my “company” in the Living Room watching as I do “last minute” touches in the kitchen–and if you cook—it’s a mess!! Pots are Big, and Pans are messy. etc. etc.
However, as you say, it is extremely entertaining to watch these geniuses as they freely spend thousands of dollars of their clients’ money. Jody decorated my Living Room–twice! The second time, I had him to sit for l/2 day just LOOKING at the mess–sitting facing his letters! It worked! ugh. These days pass all too soon, as you can see by your girls’ maturity!