My Favourite Window

July 11, 2012

Oh Joy


I liked the old paper in our bedroom.


Such a sweet 1950s pattern.
But after sixty years it wore its stories visibly:
the betrayal of a knife slash right across one wall,
the water stains from travelling by truck in the rain.
worn patches from - well I'm not sure what - holes, and... Earthquakes!


Yesterday the Earthquake Commission finished their share of the work in Bedroom 1.


And the blue trim is still right in my eyes. But should I distress it for a touch of shabby chic?


Or paint it afresh, Hippy bright?
Thank you Bryony, for painting the replacement picture rail.



This room has had quite a few people working on it, apart from the EQC-contracted builders, plasterers and decorators:




Handy Andy attending to details;



Ingrid has cleaned reclaimed skirting boards and painted for me.


And I have had decisions to make.
I would have liked to remove this old fireplace alcove, but it was load-bearing, and would have required a building- consented structural change. So it remains, for the time being, a quirk of character.


There were some anxious moments when the decorator and I realised that the paper had been ordered for an alcove-free wall, and maybe I should chose a paint colour to finish the alcove, but in the end there was paper to spare.


 There are still plenty of finishing details to attend to, but for now I am giddy with the joy of my lovely garden room.




The wallpaper is Porcelain Garden (magenta/leaf green) from Sanderson's Caverley Collection.

The new blue trim is painted with Hippy Blue by Resene.

The border above the picture rail and in the ceiling of the alcove is Ash by Resene.



15 comments:

John Going Gently said...

bloody hell its a very similar pattern to the one in our spare bedroom albeit ours is blue.... weird!
lovely, lovely style

Cro Magnon said...

Love your Sanderson paper. It's timeless.

Jeneane said...

John Gray: I couldn't help noticing your wallpaper in your 2 July post. You've got peacocks as well as blue birds but that's hardly a surprise with your enthusiasm for poultry. xx

Cro Magnon: Why thank you, glad you like it :-)

Susan Heather said...

What a transformation - it is delightful.

Gill said...

I just love it all. Marvellous work team. Enjoy Jeneane.

Jeneane said...

Susan Heather: Thank you, it is indeed delightful :-)

Gill: You will have to come and see it. I'm thinking that Room 6 might enjoy cutting up the scraps!

libby said...

So so pretty.....that last picture makes me want to sit in that lovely room looking out into the sunshine.

Jeneane said...

I feel exactly the same. There has been so much sunshine and the room feels perfect with nothing but a musing chair :-)

The Sagittarian said...

What a wonderful decorative room! I love it!! Also, gives me hope that one day we will be doing the same - choosing paints etc. At the moment all we have are draft plans for the rebuild but it's a start!! I love the view from that room too.

Geo. said...

As a Californian who turned 20 in 1969, I can, with unimpeachable authority, approve of Hippy Blue. Brava!

Jeneane said...

The Sagittarian: I have to say I had chosen this paper by March 2011 and it has taken this long... But one day your wait will be over. You can come and see my room any time you know :-)

Geo: Wow, you were in the thick of Hippydom. It was a close thing between Hippy Blue and Shakespeare; both good names but Hippy was the truer blue match to the old colour.

Helen said...

gorgeous room. so pretty and garden-like. thanks for sharing!

Jeneane said...

Thank you Pixie, come out and see it with Saj the next time that you are down :-)

Jan said...

Wow I love it Jeneane...it is stunning..I like the distressed paint look! I must get together with Trish one day and come and see for myself xxx

Lady Mondegreen's Secret Garden said...

Jan: I would love to show you the room for real. Now - January 2013 - the EQC work is progressing on another room, so you might get to see the house-finished!