Recreating a Room

This week I began work for a very nice I couple I first met in 2002. Back then, they were a newly married couple. I did a soft, Tuscany style finish in their kitchen w/some olive vines over a beautiful arched doorway. I also did two finishes in their dining room, and a finish in their living room. Last year they moved to a new home, had a baby and acquired a dog. Their family was quickly growing! I saw the new home then, and they wanted the same finishes in this kitchen and dining room. Unexpected home repairs quickly surfaced in the new home, so the decorative painting had to be put on hold. Now I am back, recreating the Tuscany style finish w/the olive vines in the kitchen. New finishes were selected for the dining room. I always keep detailed notes of the finishes I do, in each client’s folder. That way, I can make repairs if needed, or as in this case, recreate. The glazing of the walls is finished now, with the exception of one wall in the adjacent back hall. That wall has been my Problem Wall. First it had some type of blue ink stain on it. I used several cleaners to try to remove it, with no luck. I had to apply at least 5 thin layers of Kilz to it before it was totally covered! It just kept bleeding through. Next, there was a wooded coat rack mounted to the wall that no one could remove! Today I ended up using a hacksaw to cut off the heads of the screws and pushed the rest of the screws through the giant holes left in the wall. 🙁 I patched it, and let it dry until Monday when I return. Oh… and this kitchen has the same great arched doorway that their old home had! So… I will be adding the olive vine over that and over a few other doors in the kitchen. Here’s what I have done so far:

This is the beautiful arched doorway that leads from the kitchen to the back entryway. That white wall in the background is the Problem Wall! The coat rack is finally down, and the giant holes are patched. An olive vine will grace the curve of the arch.

This is the opposite wall in the kitchen that leads to the Dining Room. The DR is deep red right now, but will be changing to a sage green on top and a champagne color on the bottom. A small olive vine will be added above this door opening.

There are 2 areas in this kitchen that have a single row of tiles, 4 or 5 tiles in each area. These tiles will no longer go with the kitchen colors and olive vine theme, so I will be painting over them. More to follow about that…