The one problem with stretching your finances to buy a house, is that there isn’t really much left in the pot for home improvements. I do most of my decorating on Pinterest these days, saving up ideas for when we can finally afford to actually do things. Our house was given the once over with a huge tub of magnolia paint before it went on the market, and at first I thought that would be bearable for a while. It turns out, however, that it really only takes a few months for the sight of magnolia to make your insides scream in despair.
The problem with our house is that most of the rooms that are left to do actually require quite a bit of work. There is (so much) hideous textured wallpaper in some of the rooms, crazy 1980s arches to be taken down and plastering to be done. The next room on the list is our bedroom, which requires the destruction of some pretty hideous 1970s fitted wardrobes and the removal of some questionable polystyrene ceiling tiles (goodbye, fire hazard). My plan is to have the bedroom done before Christmas, though that might be a little optimistic. Especially considering my expert decorators (mum and dad) are away on holiday until late November.
I was originally hoping to get the living room done before Christmas, but have since decided we actually need a major overhaul downstairs. I think the playroom and living room need to swap locations, and that means it’s a bigger (and way more costly) job than I was anticipating. So it’s moved down the list. The thought of spending another year in this magnolia living room is too much, and so I’ve been looking online for home inspiration for a temporary fix.
Yesterday afternoon, I started painting the walls white. A joyous job when it all soaks into the textured wallpaper, so I imagine this may take a while. I decided it was worth doing because the playroom will be white anyway, so I’m not doubling up on my workload. I’m hoping the white paint will make the room feel a little cheerier, and make it a nicer place to sit in the evenings. The living room has been completely neglected since we moved in, we haven’t even put up a single picture hook, so once the walls are painted I’ll be able to start putting pictures up.
I know it won’t make a huge difference, but just making it less magnolia will be wonderful. And then I’ll be able to start stockpiling bright accessories to liven up the room. And then, you know, the magnolia somewhere else in the house will start to drive me crazy instead and I’ll have to paint over that too. I can’t quite believe we’ve been in this house for over a year and the magnolia still dominates.
