Looking at Exterior Colors, Part 1

The paint on our exterior is starting to fail in a lot of places, so we are starting to look for a painting contractor. I had Sam Sundeleaf out the other day from Sundeleaf Painting to give me a bid for a high-quality "investment grade" paint job. He spent a lot of time talking to me to figure out exactly what I wanted and to explain the kind of work they do. I was very impressed. Then I got his bid and realized that I ain't gonna be gettin' no "investment grade" paint job!

This weekend we were over at Grant Park with the kids and I saw some guys just finishing the exterior of this house:



I fell in love immediately! I never knew black accents could look so good. Not only are the colors nice, but you can tell within 3 seconds of looking at the house from the street that the prep and paint are well-done. I got the business card for the paint removal and paint companies and I'll have them out for some bids soon.

Dining Room: The Inspiration

The inspiration for our dining room is this picture of the dining room from the Eddie Bauer Bungalow Collection at Lowes. We're going with red-ish wall color on top of white-ish plate rail and wainscotting.

Kitchen: The Inspiration

I won't bore you with all of the details that went into shaping our final kitchen plan, but I will say that in the end it came down to one picture from the Rejuvenation House Parts catalog. Their "Period Basics" kitchen is a great example of classic styling that has maintained its appeal through the years.

The key elements we brought into our kitchen are the hex tile counters bordered with black trim, wood cabinets (vs. white painted), schoolhouse style lighting, and the subway tile backsplash.