Interior Door Color

/ Jo / Leave a comment

Our interior doors are very nice.

A typical door

They’re all wood and extremely heavy.

The bifolds in the back bedroom are orange-ish.

However, the color of the stain is a kind of woody orange — interior hinged doors, closet sliding doors, and storage bifold doors.

I have plans for this little closet but testing stains on the inside of the door will be unnoticed .

I would prefer something more neutral so to that end I tried 3 treatments on the inside of a utility closet door.

I set up a little studio with stains, rags, tape, and brushes to test out colors and technique.

After some online research and reviewing some of my past staining adventures I decided to try:

  • Minwax Color Wash Transparent Whitewash
  • Varathane Oil Stain Weathered Gray
  • Varathane Oil Stain Sunbleached

With the Varathane products I used a pre-stain conditioner for oil-based stain.

Top:  NO conditioner, Bottom: Conditioner, White area: White wash.  Left to right in blue boxes: Sunbleached only, Mixture of Sunbleached and Weathered Gray, Weathered gray only.

I marked off test areas with blue tape and marked on the tape what I had sampled.

The color inside the orange box is the preliminary winner — a mixture of Varathane Weathered Gray and Sunbleached.

Best option: Equal mixture of oil-based sunbleached and weathered gray Varathane applied over pre-stain conditioner.

I have more than 20 doors to stain — both sides.

I won’t be absolutely sure until I stain an entire door.  I prefer to stain doors off the hinges so I need to wait until I have some free time and decent weather for that.

Jo

February, 2025: Aims

/ Jo / Leave a comment

February has a wonderful “love” potential.  I’m not the kind who sets aside special days just for certain activities — holidays, birthdays, special days — I celebrate my love for many things on an ongoing basis.  It’s never too soon and it’s never too late with me.

I don’t need cake — just a little fun.

I appreciate someone emptying the compost and taking out the trash as much as a bouquet on Valentine’s Day.

We’ll celebrate Dashie’s 7th birthday this month.

Here are some tasks that must be attended to in February no matter how much I would prefer to put them off:

  1.  Upgrade the outdoor flood lights at the bay house.

    We can’t figure out exactly how the outdoor lights work.

  2. Get 2024 tax information to our accountant.

    Never know the outcome so I try to submit early.

  3. Contact contractor for bathroom reno.

    Need to get started.

  4.  Order bathroom fixtures.

    Delta’s Saylor Champagne bronze wide spaced faucet has matching shower fixtures.

  5.  Get a mani/pedi with a Christmas gift certificate from Charlie.

    I usually get French tips but am going to try an American this time.

  6.  Have furniture delivered to the new house.

    Just need furniture.

  7.  Work on choosing exterior color for Bay House so we can start painting/staining in early spring.

    The brown roof will stay but the camel siding must change.

  8.  Clear off kitchen counter.

    I’ve been piling up mail, candlesticks, bits of art, etc. in this corner of the kitchen.

  9.  Pick a word to focus on for the month. My word: APPRECIATE
  10.   Write a goal list for March, 2025.

Jo

January, 2025: Score

/ Jo / 2 Comments

January has been frigid and windy and icy.

Dash romps above the snow.

In addition to the numbered list, this month I have:

  • hung a new dining room chandelier.

    The new light hangs in the still unfurnished room.

  • fallen twice on the ice.  Thankfully I was able to get up and walk on my own since I was by myself.
  • had the oil changed in my car.

    I don’t do much car maintenance but I DO have the oil changed.

  • taken a family membership at Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge.

    Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge — about 32,000 acres

  • wallpapered the seating area in the primary bedroom.

    The ochre wall on the right is wallpapered.

  • made plans for a special summer event.
  • changed the lighting fixtures (again) in the primary bedroom hall and bathroom.

    2 brass and blue sconces.

  • played the ukulele with local jam.
  • ordered and installed a mural for dining room wall.

    Abstract and bold mural to set the dining room apart.

My 10-point plan for the month of January:

  1.  Decide on interior door color.

    The color inside the orange box is the preliminary winner — a mixture of Varathane Weathered Gray and Sunbleached on pre-stain conditioner.

  2.  Decide on finishes — tile, furniture, paint — for future downstairs bathroom.

    Mood board for the downstairs bathroom.

    I have pictured this calm, bright room and hope my plans are useful to actually make it happen.

  3.  Put away all Christmas decorations.  Hoping to downsize our collection yet again.

    Our storage is under the eaves in the back bedroom.

    The trees and ornaments are stored in the back room closet with rejects in a special box until next November when they will be rejected, ejected, or gifted.

  4.  Decide on a secondary paint color for the primary bedroom to go with the one in the sleeping alcove which I painted last month. I used a sandy grasscloth look and Beach Haven paint.

    This wallpaper was inexpensive, slightly textured, bright.

  5.  Read a book. Still working on Chesapeake along with rereading of Outliers.  I’m making progress but like most Michener books, Chesapeake is lengthy.
  6.  Hem living room curtains.  I started by hemming the triple pleated, double sized downstains bedroom curtains then moved on to the 4 pairs in the living room/dining room.

    I’m temporarily using a corner of the dining room as my sewing center.

  7.  Plan future travel. Even though we’re still in the process of selling one house and totally moving to another I have arranged for a roundtrip cruise from Baltimore to New England and Canada in late summer via a AAA travel consultant.

    We’re hoping to see some whales.

  8.  Review possible contractors for home upgrade projects.  First project new bathroom/closet.  I have a well-recommended candidate in mind.
  9. Pick a word to focus on for the month. My word: VISION.
  10.  Write a goal list for February, 2025.

Jo

Anniversary Trip: Corinth

/ Jo / Leave a comment

We left Nafplio on a Sunday morning heading to Corinth.

This cathedral is dedicated to Saint Paul.

After about an hour drive we pulled into the parking lot of Saint Paul’s Cathedral.  We were planning to attend a service there although I was unable to find confirmation of a starting time on the internet.

A grand mosaic outside the cathedral of Saint Paul.

The church lot was empty, the doors were locked, and we were really disappointed. We questioned a man walking by who told us this church was closed but that there was one close by.

The Temple of Apollo in Ancient Corinth.

We drove in the direction he pointed and heard what turned out to be a church service in Greek on a loudspeaker.  We parked the car near the ancient part of the city which has its own ruins (we could see the Temple of Apollo) and headed toward the church.

Men chanted throughout the entire service while we stood and sat on cue from other worshippers.

I’m not sure of the name of the church since everything was written in Greek (I think it is the Church of the Dormition of the Mother of God) but we just went in and sat down.  The service had obviously started but during the service people continued to arrive and walk around paying homage to various icons.

Charlie was given a piece of bread on the way out of church (we hadn’t taken communion).

After sitting through the whole service and taking it all in we were delighted to see the priest hand out extra communion bread at the side door as we left.

This very special cup, a Pythagoras Cup, totally empties if a greedy drinker fills it too full.

Right down the street we had coffee and a little snack.  Then we walked around this slightly touristy area (although most people on Sunday morning were locals) and met a most charming man.

Our new friend proudly showed us a magazine article written about his pottery painting skill.

He was a pottery painter.  It’s difficult to believe all the pottery is Greece, even for tourists, is painted by hand without a stencil or other guides.

Reluctantly I did not buy a piece of hand-painted pottery.

We had many pieces at home already but I was really drawn to the blue pottery with sea creatures.

The weather and the scenery were terrific but nothing interesting was happening.

After our morning in Ancient Corinth we drove to modern Corinth just to see what it was like.  We can say that on Sunday morning there’s not much going on.

Our accomodation at Aggelou Apartments was basic but chosen for its proximity to Athens Airport.

From Corinth we drove back to Athens (a little over an hour drive) where we had an AirBnB not far from the airport.

There was an outside stove and garden over which we chose a local bakery. Imagine that.

Had we stayed more than one night we might have really enjoyed the outside terrace.  The next morning we drove ourselves to the airport, dropped off the rental car, and flew back to the US.

Our trip had begun 2 weeks before in Istanbul.

It was a grand anniversary trip!

Jo

Anniversary Trip: Nafplio

/ Jo / Leave a comment

We reluctantly left Olympia (the best hotel we stayed at on the entire trip to Greece) and drove to Nafplio about 3 hours away.

We stopped to take in the view along the Gulf of Kyparissia.

On our way we took a short detour to see a local beach and walk along the sand.

If we hadn’t had such a great breakfast in Olympia we might have lunched here.

About two hours into our drive we stopped at a coffee shop/bakery in Tripoli.  Everything was so good it was difficult to choose.  With my espresso I bought a package of biscotti that I snacked on for the rest of the week.

A beautiful harbor with plenty of free parking. (The white boat is a private yacht.)

We arrived in Nafplio, the first capital of an independent Greece and easily accessible from Athens. It’s a great home base for touring both Mycenae and Epidaurus so we stayed here 2 nights. The town has a beach, great restaurants, a thriving evening scene, and a good balance of local life and tourist convenience.

The charming town of Nafplio is eminently walkable.

Upon arrival in Nafplio we checked into our room at Omorfi Poli Guest House which had a balcony view of the harbor where we parked.

We enjoyed everything we ate at this unassuming cafe.

We found a lovely restaurant, Taverna Vyzantio, down the lane where we ate multiple meals.

Not sure what this is but it was delicious.

We also discovered a wonderful bakery with cases of freshly made baked goods.  We visited more than once for coffee and pastries — both sweet and savory.

At Epidaurus Amphitheatre we had no trouble hearing the speaker (with no amplification) in the center of the orchestra from our seats halfway up.

We headed out of town on our second day to visit Epidaurus Amphitheatre.

Epidaurus theatre was built in the late 4th century BC

It’s a huge amphitheatre with perfect acoustics and a tiny museum.

Every kind of fresh seafood at the market.

We had passed an open market on our way to visit Epidaurus which we were eager to visit.

Greek produce early in October.

We spent a good amount of time rummaging through the market with locals — no souvenirs sold here — instead fresh food, clothing, housewares.

We stopped at our favorite bakery before we left Nafplio for the last time.

We really felt like tourists in Nafplio eating out for every meal and shopping for souvenirs to take home in local shops.

Palamidi is a fortress in the town of Nafplio is nestled on the crest of a 216-metre high hill. The fortress was built by the Venetians during their second occupation of the area.

Our next destination was the city of Corinth.

Jo

Papering the Primary Bedroom

/ Jo / Leave a comment

A few weeks ago I painted the sleeping alcove of the primary bedroom a calm periwinkle blue:  Riviera Azure.

The lounge area of the primary bedroom is narrow with a spectacular view.

I wasn’t sure how to proceed with the lounge area of the room that overlooks the waterfront.

The sleep alcove in periwinkle is ready to be fully furnished.

Should it be the same color as the rest of the room?  That would be A LOT of blue.

I love the ochre sky.

So I went back to my inspiration watercolor and decided to go with a pale ochre especially since the room actually narrows and I would like it to seem wider.

Benjamin Moore’s #218 –– Beach Haven against the A-Street Prints Equinox non-woven abstract wallpaper.

I was undecided whether to paper or paint the long walls.  Happily I found a cheap (under $22 a roll*, I needed 4) wallpaper that had just the right colors — it went with Riviera Blue,  Beach Haven (bathroom and closet hall), and Alabaster (which could be seen in the living room).

This wallpaper was inexpensive, slightly textured, bright.

I was surprised when I received it how good the quality was and that it was apparently made in the UK.  I would say it is a faux vertical grasscloth on heavyweight paper (not woven and not vinyl), slightly textured, subtly colored.

Painters’ tape was my second pair of hands to help me line up the long piece.

I used the “paste-the-wall” method and started at the highest point of a slanted wall.  The first piece was tall and had to go around the minisplit high on the wall.

The installation got easier as the wall got shorter.

There was no horizontal match so after the first piece was up I could use the roll again just where I had trimmed it. Another plus.

A sliding glass door overlooks the living room downstairs which is painted Alabaster.

I worked down one wall and then across the room on the side overlooking the living room.

When wallpapering there are always a few obstacles to work around.

I am pleased with the finish.

The room is very long and narrow.

It was easy to work with and has an aura sandy beach.

View from the closet hall which is the next project on the list.

My next primary bedroom project will be to paint the hall and bathroom to change the slightly pink tinged white paint to a brighter sandy color:  Beach Haven.

The price changed dramatically in less than a week.

*I just looked it up again and the same paper is now $120 per roll. Hmmm?  No longer cheap.

Jo

Muraling the Dining Room

/ Jo / Leave a comment

After hanging a new lighting fixture in the dining room I ordered a mural for the wall.

Abstract and bold mural to set the dining room apart from the adjacent living room.

“Grounded” mural by York, which was offered by Anthropologie, seemed to go with the colors and vibe I was going for in the public rooms of our house on the Chesapeake Bay.  Before purchasing I did a Google search and found someone selling it secondhand on Ebay which saved quite a bit from the Anthropologie price.

The dining room is an 8-foot wide area near the kitchen and attached to the 24-foot wide living room.

The dining room transformation started with painting the walls Alabaster by Sherwin Williams and laying my vintage blue rug.

The new light hangs over the central medallion in the rug.

Then I changed out the lighting fixture.

The entire mural is 15 feet wide by about 11 feet tall.

The mural came in one long roll which I cut apart into 10 panels.

I taped the first panel in the middle of the wall at different heights until setting the horizon line above the back of our dining room chairs.

My wall is about 14.5 feet wide and a little under 8 feet tall.  My first decision was how to center the picture from top to bottom.

The first 2 panels went up easily.

Prior to installation I trimmed the top of the panel to just 4 inches above the top line.  I used the “glue-the-wall” method of installation.

Five panels hung — a little over halfway.

After the first panel the mural design needed to be matched in the middle then smoothed out top and bottom.

I hung the final 4 and half panels before trimming.

I was eager to finish and almost ran out of wallpaper paste.  Wallpaper paste is the consistency of pudding and needs to be applied evenly but generously.  I applied with  roller.

The wallpaper mural with the new lighting fixture.

After trimming all the panels  I stood back to admire my work.

I love how it connects to the foggy day.

Due to the size of the original mural I have a good collection of trimmed pieces that I might be able to use for another project.

The dining room area is ready for furniture.

I’m waiting until the end details of another project before deciding whether to paint the switch plates or paper them with the off cuts from the mural.

Jo

Anniversary Trip: Olympia

/ Jo / 2 Comments

On our way from Delphi to Olympia we saw some beautiful scenery.

The scenery was ever changing.

Coming down the mountain we passed miles and miles of olive groves.

We passed over and beside lakes, inlets, and olive groves.  I was happy to be the passenger taking it all in while Charlie drove.

A unique bridge in the distance which we were destined to cross.

Charilaos Trikoupis Rio – Antirrio Bridge

We crossed over the Gulf of Corinth on the Charilaos Trikoupis Rio – Antirrio Bridge, one of the largest in Europe.

It’s difficult to coral this many unruly goats.

The goats were fun to watch and they didn’t hold us up for very long.

We saw something we don’t usually see in the US — a herd of goats stopping traffic to cross the road.

The view from our deluxe accommodations at the Hotel Europa.

When we finally arrived at Hotel Europa in Olympia we were in first class territory.  We could have toured the local ruins but decided to take full advantage of our overnight stay at the hotel.

Charlie tried a chocolate cream concoction served by the pool bar.

For an incredibly reasonable price he also enjoyed a grilled sandwich and frites.

We snacked by the pool.

Every bit of food in this on-site restaurant was delicious and served with style.

We did not leave the premises for dinner either as we found a lovely alfresco table and ordered our evening meal as the sun set.  The wait staff was lots of fun especially teaching Charlie how to say “thank you” in Greek — “Efcharisto” .  We all laughed and laughed.

On the breakfast buffet — real Greek yogurt among other fresh foods.

Try making a choice here at the condiments bar.

If dinner was excellent and well-priced, the included breakfast the next morning was out of this world.

A few fresh pastries from which to choose.  Who am I kidding — two full tables of goodies.

Last but certainly not least — hot offerings.

We could have stayed to eat for hours.

My favorite was bougatsa — essentially warm custard pie with phyllo dough.

We were really sorry to leave Olympia even though we hadn’t stepped from the hotel.  It was a much needed sojourn in the middle of a busy trip.  We should have scheduled at least 2 days here.

This was a highlight of our tour through the Peloponnese.

Next we’re on to Nafplio for a couple of days.

Jo

The Downstairs Bathroom

/ Jo / Leave a comment

Charlie has all but dismantled both the powder room and ensuite full bath on the first floor.

The full bath was tiny.

We’re hoping to redesign this area into a more usable space.  After all, the shower was the size of a telephone booth — remember them?

For now the space is as open as we can make it and still be able to use it.

It is my task to decide on possible  finishes for this area which will also include a closet for the bedroom.

I have chosen  the Nanterre 49 in. Single Sink Desert Birch Bath Vanity with White Natural Carrara Marble Top

A light colored vanity that comes with its own hardware in both silver and gold should easily fit into the space where the powder room sink had been.

Delta’s Saylor Champagne bronze wide spaced faucet has matching shower fixtures.

I plan to use brass/gold colored Delta fixtures in the shower and on the sink.

The former closet is about the right size for a shower.

I also have designated the space that used to be the closet as a walk-in shower, hopefully without a threshold but we’ll have to wait for a contractor to determine that detail.

The wall between the bedroom and former closet will be closed and the shower entered from inside the bathroom.

If, in fact, there is no threshold  then the floor tile will need to flow from the room into the shower and be a small mosaic.

I’m considering this tile for the shower walls and vanity backsplash.

I have  tentatively chosen allen + roth white 10-in x 11-in Polished Glass/Stone Patterned Mosaic Wall Tile from Lowes.  Since the bathroom has no natural light I believe this tile will keep things bright.  I will probably choose to use this tile as the backsplash to the vanity as well.

Since we are removing 2 toilets I’m planning to save the ADA height Toto model to reuse.

Something simple and smart — on the hunt to find a look-alike bargain here.

I would also like a bright, simple lighting fixture — perhaps with a little touch of brass.

Angorra Geometric floor mosaic picks up the sand in my sea, sky, sand color triad and will influence my paint color.

And finally I need a wall paint color to coordinate with the pale gray Yarn by Magnolia Home that is in the adjoining bedroom and a mosaic tile for the floor.

Mood board for the downstairs bathroom.

Next step is to select a contractor who will say what can and cannot be accomplished. Then I’ll start ordering the above items starting with paint.

Jo

Light in the Dining Room

/ Jo / Leave a comment

When we first saw the house on the bay we were excited by the view but knew we would need to change a few things.

The dining room was originally decorated with a table, chairs, buffet, and a chandelier that had been swagged to let it hang over the table.

The dining room, for instance, had been set up for AirBnB renters but not for home use.

The living room and dining room are all one large room.

The first design element in the dining room that I amended was the color of the wall — now Alabaster by Sherwin WIlliams since the dining room area is connected to the living room in an open plan.

There is really only one wall in the open plan dining room.

Next I laid the carpet that had been in the primary bedroom at our former residence.

Dining room curtain area is open plan with the living room.

I also hung some curtains on the sliding door that match the others in the connected living room.

This fixture is down and banished.

Since I have been changing lighting fixtures in the entire house including removing  fluorescent units I was eager to get rid of the black and white hanging fixture in the dining room.

I really loved the look of this giclee shade but I couldn’t find it with brass details.

I was headed in one direction with an over-table chandelier.  Then I started thinking about a mural on the wall which would be a little busy with this multi-colored fixture.

This 20″ shade holds four 60-watt light bulbs.

Then I saw this one which I hoped would go with the one in the kitchen colorwise.

The dining room and kitchen fixtures complement each other.

When it arrived I was actually surprised how well it went with the burnished brass ceiling fixture in the kitchen but was more dramatic — something I would want for the dining room.

When lit the fixture casts a warm glow on the ceiling and, eventually, the dining table.

The lighting fixture is centered in the dining area and the rug medallion needs to be centered under the light.

I’m awaiting a wallpaper sample to be sure of the color tint before I purchase.

While we are still waiting to move our furniture I have made a mood board to “picture” the finished dining room.

Jo