Tuesday, July 29, 2014

What no one ever tells you about new home renovation...

by Kathleen

Is that lots of what you do is small, simple and boring. And no one will ever notice. Like thinning out overgrown hedge bushes (that still look overgrown when you're done). And changing out toilet seats (though you'd think they'd notice the padded butterfly embroidered seat gone missing). Or like switching out light switch plates.
From old heavy bronze ornate or cutesy...

To simple, clean and white...




These are some that matched the few plain original plates that we found at a thrift store. They were a little dirty and beige, but some soap and water, and a spritz of white enamel spray paint, and they're good as new! Or rather, good as old since the new ones were the ugly ornate ones.
Interestingly (to us, of course) we have decided to keep all the plates, switch and outlet, white regardless of what color the wall goes. So as you'll see in a later post, whether we painted the wall dark grey, light green or even white the plate stayed white. Personally, I like the stark contrast on the colorful walls.
But that post is for another day... after we finish the wall paper stripping (ugh).

PS...  One thing we haven't done is scraped the gold paint off the actual switches (yes, they painted the switches to go with the gold-bronze plates). They look dirty, but they're not. I just haven't yet figured out how to get into those tiny little shapes with a scraper.

PPS... I can't leave without showing you the toilet seat. The old one that is...
I admit it... I hated it from the moment I saw it. But really? Replacing a toilet seat is low on the priority scale. As long as it works... But when the bolts finally give way and the whole thing slides off sideways...? Yes! Goodbye old monstrosity and hello very plain, simple, unadorned, so boring I didn't even take a photo of it seat.
Now all that's left is to get rid of the (identical) one in the master half bath.  Hmmm, now where did I put that hammer...?