Kat please tell me this is not the 1st piece you have restored...I would be so freakin happy if I had done this...you are awesome...Great job. june

Ok, this is the "conversation" side, and the on-topic "discussion" is the other one. It is the "conversation" side, this side, which is mostly forgotten. As long as we all figure out something to do with this side, it will be nice to have it. Idie2live, you have a good approach to keeping it easy, always a winner in my book. And I am pleased to see the inside of your living room, with the view looking toward the finished porch. Your french door is the perfect touch. I don't think I saw your LR before. I like the chairrail, the paint job, the brown color....even the large preliminary test patch on the original wall color, and the ceiling painted too. The 4" deep shelf recessed into the wall makes an architectural statement, as well as organizing your displayed items. That drop leaf table is a real spacesaver, and the wood is nice and rich looking. And someone GAVE you the sofa? Wow, it is gorgeous. Fits your style perfectly. I don't know if you have another red/orange pillow for your sofa, but I think one with some red in the design (not a solid color) would tie in with the painting behind the sofa. Or maybe a throw with some red in it, draped across the sofa arm? The blue in your sofa pillows is the ONLY blue I could ever live with. It reminds me of wet silk and the rain going on in your painting. Well, if I ever finish any projects here, I'll post the before and afters....cut to the chase...like a project in digest form.

Awesome job! I love the blue, but then, blue is my favorite color. Most of the stuff in my house is blue. In the sea of white furniture I've been painting, I was thinking of painting a couple of things blue. Maybe one item in each room, kind of like making a "signature". What color blue did you use? Debbie in Florida Here is a link that might be useful: My Web Site

Oh..I love the before look...but I love country... I think I know what you mean, Patti. When I first moved into this house 35 years ago, my favorite look was Shaker--graceful, but very spare. This is probably why I was content to live without a rug under the table for so long. My preferences have evolved over the years, and my appreciation for comfort has grown. So the look of the interior is softer and warmer than it used to be. I think it's still "country," though. I hope so, since the house sits on 31 acres of rural land. Not to mention all the money I've sunk into Country Living subscriptions. :-) Thanks, all!!