Watching paint dry…

… is a seriously underrated pastime. As I have discovered over the past couple of days, it isn’t as mind-numbingly dull as some would have it. In fact, I have found it positively stimulating.

After seriously long hours of painting every day, I have flopped down on the floor, stretching my aching neck, arms and back, staring up at the ceiling and admiring the results of our handy-work. Revelling in the effects of an increasingly lighter and brighter room, I have found inspiration. Would one go as far as calling it epiphanies, or just the confused imagination of an exhausted anaemic?  Who cares? I have had ideas - good ideas. At least I think so, and so does Hubby, or at least he will when he’s had time to reconsider after the first reaction I predict he’ll have when he hears them.

However, before I tell him, and you, here are a few pictures of the work in progress.

The sun shining in through the small windows finally had something to reflect from, and what a difference it made.

We used the colour “Classic White” from Jotun. The Sens paint is fantastic to work with,  as it is water-based there is hardly any smell at all, and that is obviously a great advantage at this time of the year when we can’t leave the windows open for too long.

Around the windows and on the mouldings and skirting boards we used the same colour but in a glossier oil-based paint, to create a contrast. I know that glossy is "out" these days, but I think that having everything matt is just too dull. 

We didn’t want to paint the walls white too, as that would have simply been too monotonous. We considered some sort of beige but Hubby wanted to try and preserve the texture of the wood underneath. Whereas the planks in the ceiling are just plain and drab, the wall panelling is actually rather nice. The only thing wrong with it was it’s dark colour. We thought about whitewashing it, but ended up with a thin water based lacquer with white pigment. 

I have to admit we were a bit apprehensive about it after painting the first wall. The effect was not quite as we had imagined, but we decided to carry on, and after a bit of sitting and staring the effect started to grow on us.

By the way, watching this paint dry is certainly not boring. We have never worked with anything that dries so quickly. In fact, you can only paint one plank at a time because by the time you have reached the end of the plank the beginning is already drying.  And the thing is, it changes appearance as it dries, so it is rather exciting really. 

There was a bit of discussion about whether or not to put on a second coat, but we decided we wanted to try and get it one shade whiter.

 As for my ideas – well, there’s one concerning an 80’s pinkish (oh yes!) sofa that the previous owner of the house left behind. Could it possibly be given a renaissance? Since we are on a strict budget, buying new furniture is out of the question, and I really don’t fancy bringing that tartan sofa back in the room.

While the new colours of the room have gradually emerged, I have given a lot of thought to the colours of furniture and fabrics. Although this renovation is basically a quest for light, just painting all the furniture white is not an option. I am much too fond of dark wood to do that, so I have decided to accentuate the pinkish beige and white with a very dark brown, and hope I don’t ruin our quest.

Moreover, I have an idea that I wonder if I dare to put on the table, so to speak. It involves Hubby’s old coffee-table and dark brown Hammerite paint. O-o, I can just imagine what sort of reaction that will provoke. After all, the poor man nearly fainted when I suggested putting the white lacquer we used on the walls on his pine lamp-holders as well.

I’ll let you know how it goes tomorrow.