Shoveling Horse Manure and Decorating the House--All in a Day's Work

While I've been working hard figuring out this horse farm thing, I've also tackled redecorating several rooms in the house.  The previous owners were fond of wallpaper which made a statement.  I prefer a more subtle approach.  The abundance of wallpaper meant that I spent weeks removing it in the dining room and foyer.

So now I'm going to show you the before and after photos.  I feel a bit like I'm on an HGTV show--minus the talent and big budget, of course.

DINING ROOM: 

Before.  It took me a LONG time to remove that wallpaper.  

After.  The new color made the room seem so much larger and brighter.  I bought the horse prints at a used theater prop store in New York for $35. Framing them was more than ten times that but it was worth every penny.  

LIVING ROOM: 

Before:  Thankfully the previous owners opted not to wallpaper this room but covering the dark paint did require three coats of the new lighter color. 

After:  I have several of my mother's antiques in this room.


FOYER:

Before:  I cursed every hour I spent stripping this wallpaper.  They must  have used epoxy to hang it.  It was incredibly difficult to remove.

After:  Less is definitely more.

My next project:  You guessed it--I'm stripping wallpaper in the family room.  I'm planning to dust off my limited carpentry skills and put up wainscoting.  I can't believe I'm saying this, but if the job is beyond my capabilities, I may opt for the easier option of hanging wallpaper that looks like wainscoting.

So stay tuned for the next episode of FGTV--the Farm and Garden channel--when I show you the finished half bath that had "WOOF WOOF" wallpaper and dog head knobs on the vanity!