My Public Rooms

I like to think of a house having public rooms and private rooms, although it doesn't quite work that way these days. From bathrooms, kitchens and bedrooms, every room in a house is on display. But up until the last week nothing in my house was ready to go public.

The dining room had promise. It also had a huge chandelier.

I didn't like the colors, I didn't like the fixtures, but I loved the bones of the place and knew my stuff--for years languishing in closets--would brighten and reflect a new life in the house.

For months most of my bright and beloved pieces remained in boxes and remained in the way. Day by day changes were made, cartons unpacked, new furniture added, and I camped out amid the debris waiting until repairs were done, walls were painted, workmen finished tasks and the future began to peek through.

The living room was first, but I was still camping out upstairs as the bathroom and kitchen were remodeled. It was just last weekend that a paint job obscured the chartreuse wainscoting

and it was replaced with a blue Martha (Stewart) and Candice (Olsen) would approve. A touch of this blue was in so many of the paintings I owned that I was sure it was the color to go for.

It screamed for a new color and a new light fixture. It got both.

I am elated it's going so well all of a sudden. Soon I'll probably forget the difficulty of living in the clutter and chaos. There are other things in life besides interior decoration, but when you're submerged in a move, you do tend to forget that. A trip to the "import store," as they call the decor chains on television, results not only in an armful of colorful accents, but also a high you might not have anticipated. The picture on the right shows the redecoration so far; window treatments (very simple curtains in a color called "mineral") and a few other touches remain
My public rooms are almost ready for viewing by the public. A party is percolating in the back of my mind, to be followed by many more.

Looking from the dining room to the living room, Before.

Looking into the living room, now.