Hi everyone! While you are reading this, I could be on my way to Jordan’s for my week-long visit. Perhaps I am waiting in an airport lounge or maybe I have already landed. Whatever stage of travel I am in, you all know the two of us will have the best time. As soon as she picks me up at the airport, we are headed to a showcase of homes that some Syracuse builders put together annually. You can bet we’ll be taking lots of photos to share with you later.
Last month marked three years since we down-sized to our townhouse in the city, and let me just say that we have loved every single minute of it. Our lives are much busier with social events; we feel much more connected to our town; we have made tons of new friends; we love going on a trip and not worrying about yard work, etc.; and we love what the floor plan of our 3,000 square feet has to offer. That being said, I feel has if it is time to do some tweaking on areas of our home that I didn’t get right the first time around. We practically gutted the place and started from scratch, and when one is under the pressure of making so many important decisions, it’s easy to get some wrong here and there.
Here is exhibit number one. I bought three of these bar stools for our counter-height peninsula. They looked nice, but they were uncomfortable to me. I always felt as if I was about to slide off, and I really missed leaning back when eating my breakfasts.
I have been searching many on-line shops for months trying to find counter-height bar stools in the Windsor style. Our kitchen is small, and I really wanted the stools to be the same design as our kitchen chairs. I know the trend is to go with different colors and styles, but that look would have been too busy for our kitchen. Eventually, I found these three Windsor stools on Craigslist for $85.00, but I didn’t like the finish.
I teased you with this photo last week when I was in the process of painting them. After they were dry, I applied plain wax and buffed them. I did not distress them because that just wasn’t the look I am going for.
Our kitchen cabinets are white, but our peninsula is a deep gray with a white glaze on it. Instead of painting the stools white to match the kitchen chairs, I opted for Annie Sloan’s Paris grey. It is the same color I used last summer on our mudroom armoire/turned shoe cabinet and our mudroom bench.
The results are perfect. We ended up with a case of blendy/blendy – not matchy/matchy. And blendy/blendy is always my goal. Plus, these stools are much more comfortable.
I painted all three stools, but at this point, I’m not sure if I will use all three. One might just remain on stand-by.
The two barely peep out over the Carrara marble counter. The seller discounted the stools down for me, and I had the paint on-hand, so this mini-tweak came in under $100.00.
Now Jordan and I have another idea to correct a decorating mistake that I made three years ago, but first I have to tell Mr. Right.
Take care.
Linking to Southern Hospitality
Love Paris Grey and those bar stools look very comfortable! Can’t wait to see the homes you toured!
Debbie
Nicely done…love the Paris Grey! Janette you are Ms. Energy. What vitamins do you take? Do you eat sugar? I’m just in awe of your bicycle trips, projects, and positive attitude. You and Jordan remind me of my relationship with our grown daughters. My husband and I moved from Seattle to Nashville last year and love it here in the South. We bought a cute new cottage in a planned community and your projects have kept me motivated to make this our home. Tomorrow my book club will meet here and I’m proud of all the work we’ve done…iside and out. Thank you for your inspiration. Cheryl Ann
Wow, Cheryl Ann!!! Those are very kind words, and I REALLY appreciate it. We just do our thing and are always amazed when we can be an inspiration to someone. Since you are in Nashville, have you been to Mammoth Cave yet? We went there for the first time just two weeks ago and were amazed by the cave system. It is close to you. Welcome to the South!!!
I went to Mammoth Cave as a teen.. lived in Fort Knox, KY. That’s a great idea for a fun trip with our grands. They would love it! Thanks, Cheryl Ann
I thought of you and Jordan last week on our British Isles Cruise. Someone told me that a mother and daughter had brought their bicycles on the ship and were riding bikes at each port. I did not meet them, but I wondered if it was you.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t us. My mom has a two-week bicycle trip in Europe coming up in the fall, though.