Decisions....decisions...

So this is it........after all the waiting and searching we settled upon a 1930's craftsman style cape.  Complete with 1 1/2 bathrooms, 2 bedrooms, detached garage, sun room, porch and home office.  The house exudes charm throughout with original architectural details with which you can not help but fall in love. This arch alone make my heart skip a beat...   

 

and this one......

oh this one too...

let's not forget about this one....

and yes, I even love the arches above the sink and on the cabinets.

Honestly, there isn't much I don't like about the house....weeeeeeeeeell the flooring in the bathroom is wood, there isn't enough counter space in the kitchen or bathroom, the backyard isn't fenced in, the lighting is terrible in the kitchen, I can not see inside my pantry, there isn't enough storage downstairs or closet space upstairs BUT other than that it's perfect! 

I was beyond excited to make changes to the house the moment we moved in, but the question was "what to tackle first"?  I wanted to renovate the kitchen, update the bathroom, put up a fence, paint interior & exterior elements, and replace the windows....just to name a few line items.  We decided to first paint the interior, a quick and inexpensive way to make this house OUR home.  The existing paint was not terrible, in fact it was typical paint for the era of the home.......

http://www.sherwin-williams.com/pdf/color_themes/int_streamlined.pdf

 However, creamsicle just did not work splashed all over the house, especially with the existing wood tones

I researched authentic arts and crafts colors for inspiration, and chose the best compliments.

http://www.sherwin-williams.com/pdf/color_themes/int_arts.pdf

The largest obstacle I was first confronted with was the original wood doors and trim.  

To paint or not to paint, to strip or not to strip? It had been beautifully maintained for the last 80 years, could I so easily sand it and paint it white? Well the answer was......after some convincing and soul searching......no.  It would have been a ridiculous task if we attempted it anyway....but truthfully I am very happy we kept the original wood doors and trim exposed.  The other architectural element that had to be considered when specifying the color scheme was the blue/green tile surrounding the fireplace. 

The living room and dining room are one large room separated by an archway (first archway image I posted)

so whichever color I chose for the living room had to work well with the dining room....as well as accentuate the fireplace tile.  Branching off the arts and crafts suggested colors I ended up with the following color scheme:

                                            Accent Color - Sherwin Williams Still Water SW6223

Neutral - Beacon Hill Damask HC-2

The front door and vestibule became Sherwin Williams Roycroft Red

To finish the first floor.......the study is also Still Water, the sun room is Beacon Hill Damask, and the kitchen is yet to be painted but I chose a color similar to B.H.Damask but brighter and with a bit more yellow.  I needed to keep in mind that the rooms flowed openly into each other and the colors were seen from one room into the next.  It was important that the color scheme was simple but dramatic.    

Once the colors were chosen, we went to work

 but it wouldn't have been possible without the best dad in the world

It's probably not fair to talk about the color scheme without showing you the final product riiiiiight?  Well, I'm going to make you wait for the final reveal after I talk about the color scheme on the second floor next week......until then :)