Color Accord Signed, Disaster Averted!

While we have safely returned to Tucson, we need to update progress on our 80-year-old cottage out in the woods of Illinois.  This last summer we had a new roof put on, and then we insulated, rewired and reglazed windows of the guest bedroom.  In September we finished the drywall and wainscoting.  Sister Maj, who takes joy in working on our little nest while we're away (it is like having home-improvement elves working on it while we're gone) finished the beadboard ceiling and had started priming in the intervening period.  So our December trip was to finish out the painting of the guest room.  The photo at left shows our starting point upon our arrival, on the right is our lil' construction elf Maj!

But the complication, going back to July, was what color to paint the room?  I had no strong feelings, though they started out with a pretty strong red color that I thought was too close to the master bedroom.  So we left with ideas, but no decisions.  We were thinking that as soon as we even leaned towards a color, Maj would just go ahead and start painting.  Melinda wanted the ultimate decision and especially with her cataract surgery this Fall and subsequent clearer vision put off the choice. 

So the first order of business this trip was to pick out a color and guess what - it was the color of her old "shell pink" painting sweatshirt!  Shown at the photo at left, I think that match was a happy accident.  They were concerned I would think it was "too girlie", but again, I didn't have strong opinions other than make it at least a little different from the master bedroom.

So after a few days of effort, the final color scheme is in place.  Beside the pink drywall, the wainscoting is "soft white" (really a pale butter yellow), the trim between them and the window trim an "eggshell white", and the beadboard ceiling is a bright true white.  Whew - lots of color coordinating, but everyone is happy!  The room looks great already and the windows (which I stripped and reglazed in July) look spectacular - matching the view of the Fox River outside.

The next task at hand for the "construction elf" is staining and finishing the new wood flooring.  Maj is incredible working on the little details, and excels at this.  If we're lucky, we'll be able to help install flooring our next trip, rather than just move furniture into the finished room.  About all that remains is finishing out the kitchen ceiling - just in time to move to outdoor projects for the spring and summer visits!