Sunday, July 19, 2015

Slowly Getting There.

Things are progressing steadily on the decorating front.  The decorator has done his bit and I've painted the floor of the stairs and landing and also painted the dining room furniture.

Before and After

Gone are the dark red walls and carpet, replaced by taupe walls and white painted floorboards.

Before and After

All the pine furniture has had a coat of paint, I've deliberately left the tops etc wood as I didn't want to go to all paint.

Nothing more can now be done until the new wooden floor is laid in August, until then I have to continue living out of boxes and in a bit of a mess!

But whilst the inside of the house is in a state of flux the garden is looking lovely:


The geraniums on Dad's steps are flowering well as are various clematis still.


This hollyhock has appeared from nowhere and is very pretty (I don't think I planted it....)


and I love the expectation that the agapanthus buds bring.


Meanwhile the front garden is doing very well too.  


I dug up some overgrown box balls earlier this year and planted with some dahlias and larkspur that I'd grown from seed.  Whilst this isn't a colour combination I would have chosen, it actually looks good!

And as for hydrangea Annabelle - she's putting on a fantastic show, intact she's encroaching into next door's garden too,


just look at the size of her flower heads!



8 comments:

TrishWish said...

Well done on the decorating = it looks nice and fresh. I like the furniture ideas. The garden is doing well too.

Celia Hart said...

Your house will look so light and airy! What fo the cats think of it?

I love your step ladder display, I haven't used mine this summer - mainly because the house painters have ladders and paint and dust sheets all round our house! It will be a while before we can get the garden back.

Frances said...

Su, from your "before and after" photographs it's clear that your indoors is looking much lighter. Having indoor spaces lighter always seems a good idea to me. I agree with your choice of keeping the natural wood tops to the cabinets, too. Best wishes on that wait until the floors are what you wish them to be.

(Guess that I am just wishing I had such a lovely home space to attend to.)

Back outdoors, I love all the sunshine and it seems like the flowers agree. Funny to see the magical appearance of the hollyhock. Hoping it will return, with reinforcements, for an encoure next year.

One of my NYC upper westside neighbors has also had great luck with the hydrangeas added to the annual rose display in front of their building. A gift to the neighbors!

Thank you also, Su, for your visit and comment over at my place. I've had a look at your prior "birthday" posts and now realize more than before what a treat it was to have that exchange with Robert Macfarlane. Lucky birthday girl you, lucky Mr Macfarlane to have the opportunity to meet you.

xo

Mystic Quilter said...

Your stairs and hall are looking good, as is your painted pine dresser, i love painted furniture and if e had a staircase I would certainly have the paintbrush out!
Your garden is looking lovely and so happy looking, a cheery sight for me in New Zealand. Love the Hollyhock by the way.

Janneke said...

You are doing a good job with the decorating, it looks bright and light, love that. I think your front garden is so beautiful and that surprising Hollyhock is of a wonderful colour.

Jo said...

It's looking lovely, nice and bright. I love the way you're displaying your geraniums, what a great idea.

Annie Cholewa said...

I need to follow your example and paint everything white ... the walls here are a perfectly nice coffee colour but lately I've been craving the simple purity of white!

That white hydrangea is spectacular!

Anonymous said...

The paintwork looks very good, what paint did you use for the stair steps? I need mine done but don't know what type of paint to use.

Your garden is spectacular, thanks for letting us see it.