Monday, January 21, 2008

Dining Room Before


Looky what I found. Pictures of my dining room before we moved in. These are some of the pictures I took the first time we saw the house.....so that is not my furniture or snazzy lace tablecloth.
All this paper went bye-bye. The room is so much lighter now. Lighter and uh, not painted. Can you see that outlet on the wall, how high it is? Why did they put that there? I'm thinking about taking it out, because I can't think of any reason to keep it there.


Do I need to mention how 'brass-happy' the previous owners were? Yes, I think I do. We have brass everything; light fixtures, outlets, door knobs, faucets, towel bars....ick. I don't particularly care for the shiny brass look. I'm also baffled by the two light fixtures in the dining room. They drive Clay crazy because they're not centered and there's two of them...why? So, we've been looking for a new or old chandelier to put in there. Of course it will mean removing the old ones, leaving two gaping holes to patch and making a new hole and pulling wire. Projects, we love them.
Here's the scratch-n-sniff paper. Mmmm cherries, peaches, apples. This is the best photo I could find, it's also from our first visit to the house. We want to take down the wallpaper and get rid of that strange diamond pattered tile. This project won't happen for quite a while....or ever.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

OMG! I think we might have had the same kitchen wallpaper in our previous house - really. Our new house had wallpaper in every room. Now we're down to just the dining room and laundry room and we've been here 4 years. Good luck with the removal!

Anonymous said...

Too bad you didn't take pictures of the previous owners. I imagine them as a little old couple... the lady in a dress with a shall and a brooch... the guy in suspenders... giving Ramone preserves out back... a big ole cherry pie... lattice top of course... cooling on the counter... Don't be hatin' all the stuff they did to the house! It adds character... and blog material!

The SullaVinos: said...

Hurry up and post the after pictures!

Anonymous said...

Girlfriend, don't hate those brass items, spray paint 'em!! Seriously, a can of matte black or silver spray paint and your troubles are over. That's what I did to everything until I could replace them...except after I sprayed them, there were several I really liked! Lamps, tables, fixtures...it doesn't take long at all!

Anonymous said...

I can see why you took down that wallpaper - hideous!

Becky said...

Hmm. That outlet high up on the wall reminds me of two thing. My parents had similar outlets put in high up on either side of their living room fireplace. They were for sconces. My grandma had one that was for her curio cabinet. The cabinet had lights inside the top and you couldn't see the outlet unless you peaked behind. Oh! I just thought of one other time I saw that. It was in a model home. The realtor said it was something new they were putting in homes being built with babies and young kids in mind. Keeps the outlets out of baby/toddler reach. Also keeps the pets from chewing on electrical cords. But just one outlet in that spot. Maybe the curio cabinet idea isn't so far off.

As for the lights...did lace table cloth folks put them in? Or was it a previous owner? I often see lights centered not by the room but over where the table is placed.

You have quite a job ahead of you. Man I hate wallpaper. But that kitchen paper does remind me of Willy Wonka - the wall paper you could scratch, sniff and taste. LOL Lickable wallpaper. Maybe you could fool the kids into licking it right off the walls for you. ;-)

Jenni said...

Holy crap! I didn't know the Last Supper took place in the Garden of Gethsemane. That Jesus was a multitasker, wasn't he?

I'd guess the outlet high up on the wall is for a curio cabinet or china hutch, too.

Stephanie said...

My mother used to love wallpaper, couldn't hang it with my dad, they fought like cats & dogs, so I was her partner in crime...I also had to help her tear down the old..UGH!
I hate wallpaper...will not use it in my house...ever!

Anonymous said...

Most outlets that high are for a light to put over a painting. I'm sure you seen paintings with the little lights above the frames.

Anonymous said...

I think my husband made the griddle sitting on your cooktop. Is it a GE or Hotpoint?

April said...

Kathy, it's GE. Does he work for them?

Anonymous said...

My husband & his brother owned an aluminum die casting company in Fairfield, NJ. We made griddles for GE for years. The business was sold (in pieces) in 2001-2. We sold the customers in Aug, the equipment in Sept & the building in March 2002. Our plan was to retire to a more tax friendly state, but Rich had his stroke in Sept 2001 so we're still stuck here.

Anonymous said...

PS -
If the finish has worn off your griddle I can send you a new (reject) one, I probably have four in the attic. The imperfections are very minor (maybe a small bubble in the aluminum). email:

RBottonister at yahoo dot com