Even though I'm not in school anymore, when I see all the kids heading back to class I feel the pressure to prepare. I of course never liked going back to school, but I DID enjoy getting new school supplies. Clean slate, fresh binders, ready to take on whatever challenge a teacher could dish. So in that spirit, I thought it would be a great time to ramp up our "command center" - as they've come to be called. A place to house everything you need - mail, keys, records, shoes... Here's what we're starting with:
This area is technically a back-door entryway (the door on the right), but we seem to favor this door before leaving & when we come home. I scored this library card catalog years ago, in the dumpster of a school, and it's been the handiest thing on the face of the earth! Plus it's easy to paint, so I think it's on paint job #3 (about to be 4, when we're done!).
Needless to say, this area was lacking. Boring. Ralph and I brainstormed over a glass of wine, and decided it needed to be a bold wall - since it's in a weird spot. A go to point.
First step? Paint.
If you were standing in our home, in this area, the door on the left goes to the bathroom. I'm not crazy about that, but I also can't change it...so whatevs. The door to the left of the fridge is the backdoor, and will someday be the type of door with a window in it. The refrigerator is sadly in this area, but it's temporary. As it waits for a home in the actual kitchen, which is directly to the right. We put in that light fixture, since it used to be one of those boob-lights, here's a close up:
Home Depot! Not bad, huh? I love the light it gives off. Now, bloggers of the world will shun me for taking pictures in the evening, but I can't control the sun, and this was an after-work project. Which, if you find yourself with the energy to paint - never pass the opportunity up. Because you never know when you'll get that back! Guess what color we went with...
Navy Blue! (Benjamin Moore, Paint & Primer in one, "Old Navy" 2063-10 to be exact)Yea, frightening at first. A dark house, a dark area, and we went with Navy Blue. But in the end, I love it! It's only one wall, and we plan to put the library card catalog back, painted a bright white, with a big mirror & white frame. So 80% of the blue will be covered.
Done. This was a quick paint job, and really satisfying. By the way, we never use tape anymore (gasp!). We just use this Shur-Line paint edger that you can get at Home Depot, or on Amazon. Once you get the hang of it you'll adore it. A couple daytime shots:
Light is a challenge in the mountains - a challenge I'm up for tackling. Once this door has a giant window, light will pour in. And outside this door is a covered patio, begging for a skylight or two - bringing in even more - Just you wait...
Let's take a step back into the kitchen...
And a little farther back... you can see how this navy blue compliments the kitchen pretty well.
Part 1 done! My favorite part of a to-do list is crossing things off...no joke. Sometimes I add really remedial tasks that I'm going to do anyway just so I can cross them off.. (kinda crazy...)
Paint the command center wall Navy Blue- Paint the card catalog white...
- Find & Paint a mirror
- Bring in the accent colors & pieces (gold? light blue?)
- Trim the edges in something special. (Jute?)
Do you all have a command center? I've also heard them called "Take off & Landing Strips" which I think is really cute. With the amount of drawers on our card catalog, it's the perfect spot to store everything we need to prepare ourselves for the day, or act as a catch-all place to dump out our pockets before settling in.
What do you think of the Navy Blue, too much? Time will tell. Up next I'll show you the card catalog paint job.... it's coming out great! Also, update: we decided to trim the walls in something different.
-Jesse
Psst - If you are wondering about that spice rack, it's an oldy but a goody - see the post here.
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