Surprise: there’s a hidden staircase

So my second week here a utility guy needed to access a closet on the first floor where a certain utility box was located.  He asked if he could remove the shelves in that closet, which I’d actually thought were built in.  He pulled them out and said, “Well, you have some stairs.” Wait.  What?  I have stairs? Sure enough, there’s a super creepy old staircase that leads up to the second floor but has been closed off on top by a new floor.  Now the staircase is being used as an access point for piping and utilities. Creepy!! The… Read More

By Kerry | Filed under Old House | Tags:

Week two: the kitchen

I went away for the weekend, and when I came home, I walked in the door to discover my boyfriend had painted the kitchen… and didn’t even tell me!! BOYFRIEND OF THE YEAR!!! Yes.  I actually am the luckiest girl in the world.  It’s true. I love a 1950s-style kitchen.  As much as I would love to rip my kitchen apart and start over (who wouldn’t?!), the checkered floor and white cabinets — the whole “’50s-ness” of it — was a huge reason I fell in love with this house.  The walls were even originally painted the exact same shade… Read More

By Kerry | Filed under Old House | Tags: , ,

Week One: the bedroom

Right away we set out to paint the master bedroom.  It started the most boring possible (non)color — a flat beige.  That had to change immediately.  I decided on a really soft, warm grey.  Since I plan on painting the first floor with bright, rich colors, I want to keep the second floor spaces light and airy.  The paint is “Gravity” from Valspar, and I love it. Later I added some curtains from West Elm, and due to space limitations settled on some nightstands that actually are supposed to be bathroom cabinets (I left off the doors and the legs).… Read More

By Kerry | Filed under Old House | Tags: , ,