If I had to choose another title for this series…it would read something along the lines of “The Project That Kept Growing”.For real, stay with me here – I LOVE to paint (just my own house though), and it’s like once a brush hits my hand, I pretty much just want to keep going.

One of the coolest things I have experienced thus far, is NO LIMITS on creativity! Wanna draw a circle on the wall? Done. Hey, what about a wall mural? Yeah, let’s do it!

I knew I didn’t want to drastically stop the color on the front wall of the stairwell, so when a friend suggested a mountain scene and how they could see where I was headed with the design, I jumped. It totally ties into the theme and you only live once!

I sketched it out and created the color theme, but after trying the colors on the wall with the general pattern I drew – it just didn’t feel right. Back to the drawing board, literally – again. I stumbled upon a mural that I really liked and, when placed appropriately, could add a lot of punch to the design. I know this is a large scale endeavor, so I’m taking some time to mull it over and create something that feels perfect.

The softness of the mural against the backdrop (literally) of the primary color and a splash of sunshine from the bright yellow lends a modern and bohemian feel without being overstated.

More on the mural later…

Having begun part of the install process after completing the painting for the main corridor, we hung the mirror this week and it’s incredible how much it elevates the space already, by combining with the existing archways and amplifying the natural light from the adjacent living room, the change feels magical.

The major project for this week was the cleaning out of the closet. This closet has been a pain point for us ever since we moved in. The shape of the closet creates a proverbial black hole for items to disappear into nothingness when they inevitably fall from a hanger or are thrown in there after many a toddler tantrum. Not to mention, we are only able to open the door 90 degrees because of the adjacent archway wall. That means if someone has the door open, you can’t get through – this drives me crazy.

To combat this, we’re going to custom build some shelving with pull-out storage for shoes and one long shelf for the top surface so that items can be placed there when necessary. We’re also in the process of building out a small storage solution for the small wall opposite the mirror. We’re going to use the unique space to create a peg system for hanging jackets (when seasonally appropriate) as well as a place to hold my stout bag from North End Bag Co.

My husband is often forgetful of his wallet, so we will add storage for that, as well as other random things we typically carry.

Exhibit A: The messy closet before:

I’ll add the after and update here when I take out EVERYTHING, but right now the shoes are in bins and I still need to empty the top shelf.

Next up, is hoping that my other pieces arrive in time, but I’m still cautiously optimistic. And I’m just going to say it – I literally cannot wait to get our new door installed. That white door has got to go. I’m thankful for that door, though. It’s where this journey began, and now, almost two years later here I am still following my dream and continually learning along the way. I’m so thankful for all this house has taught me.

As for the closet door…I primarily want to make it where it doesn’t make an almost goose-like sound when we open it. Nothing a little sanding can’t fix, but I also want to paint it too 🙂

Ok, so, remember I said I would come back to the mural? Here we go, I drew the mural with the colors I chose, but the base of it was partially the same shade as the adjacent wall and it just didn’t feel right.

I am not sure wall murals are my thing covers eyes.

So, what do we do? Take it back to white. It’s the same as when you are trying to choose the best color to paint over an existing one – you place a white sheet of paper between the wall and the proposed color. Pretty neat trick, right?

I’m going to take the wall white (Supermoon by Backdrop) and then create the mural on top entirely freehand. Just imagine me saying “wheeeeeeeeeee”! All over the wall, and you’ll know where I’m going. Really.

This week has been a mish-mash of various projects, but that’s all part of the process. Sometimes taking our mind off one thing can help us gain a new perspective.

Cheers!