We are coming into week 5 on our home renovation, and progress is within sight! We’ll be moving in this weekend, with work yet to be done, but ready to dive in and get this puppy finished.
One of the hardest aspects of renovating a home owned by your parents is the inevitable conflict of tastes. Below is the living room before, complete with knotty pine tongue-in-groove paneling (beautiful, but not original to the home). The room is small and only extends about to where the photo is taken from, and the pine tends to suck the light completely from the room.
{Photo from author’s personal collection}
After much heated debate, we were able to convince my father, who loved the pine, to allow us to paint it a fresh bright color. Below is the wall in its primed state; the final product will be a more subtle and warm beige, but this effectively gives you the idea.
{Photo from author’s personal collection}
Though we love the bright, clean, cottage look the room now has taken on, it has created quite the stir within the ranks. Every visitor to the house has a differing opinion:
“Oh dear, can that be fixed?”
“Good thing you painted that paneling.”
“But it looked so rich before!”
etc. etc.
While we are ultimately the ones who will be living in the home, how does one go about reconciling taste differences? Was there a way in our case to compromise, or was this an all-or-nothing project?
Much love,
-B
P.S. Stay tuned for the continuing home renovations; more frequent posts promised in the coming weeks as we move home to Colorado!
Oh, my…Renovation of your parents house? You are brave. I’ll say a special prayer for you. But it sounds like you really are doing a really good job of respecting them even though your tastes are very different. I’ve never been in your situation, but it sort of seems like mutual respect would go a very long way here.
I laughed out loud at your visitors comments and instantly had a voice and a visual of each one of them in my head.
I truly think that when the room is finished, your parents are going to step back and say “Yeah, I see what you mean now…”
Best wishes, Katie
.-= Katie’s most recent blog post: Interior Refresh for the Budget Challenged =-.
I think the painted paneling is a huge improvement! I just painted the paneling in our sunporch turned office and I absolute love it.
.-= Felicity’s most recent blog post: Even More Light in the Kichen! =-.
So glad you painting the pine. Knoty pine is just awful and should be banned.
oh man you are brave! We were in a similar situation a couple months ago – living in my husbands mum’s house that seriously needed A LOT of work. It was a really difficult time for everyone. I am so glad to be living in our own place now. The painted wood really brightens the room up! It looks great and I’ll be saying a little prayer for you ;)
.-= Kelly’s most recent blog post: Can I Get a Beep Beep? =-.
Yes, I can see how it would be a really delicate situation. But, if this is to be “your” house, then you should decorate it how you guys want it.
And I love the painted paneling. I’m not a fan of the knotty-pine, so I think it looks sooooooo much better! Knotty-pine is just outdated.
So, whenever somebody comes over and makes a comment about how you should have left it…. it would be like them telling you that their polyester leisure suit was just so comfortable and nice.
Can’t wait to see the progress.
.-= Rachel’s most recent blog post: New Orleans on my mind =-.
I love painted paneling. I think you made the right choice!
.-= Nikki’s most recent blog post: How to buy a car when your wife is crazy =-.
Twitter: @abcddesigns
I love this – especially if you fully embrace it and go for a high gloss super-white. It will reflect light all over the room – and the graphic lines in the paneling will give it texture and interest.
I say Hooray! to this change.
:)
.-= ABC Dragoo’s most recent blog post: Dream Decorating the screened-in porch =-.
Twitter: @stinkerpants
No way, dude. There’s no way to compromise on something like that. Thank God you guys got your way! I think it looks SO much better, even just primed! Wood paneling = no good, in my opinion!!
.-= Sara’s most recent blog post: If you register your site for free at =-.
Twitter: @JenHGann
Our home had that same oogly pine paneling in the kitchen/den combo room. It was sooo dark! I debated and debated, because people would say, “But it’s REAL PINE!”, and I finally said, you know what, it’s still pine, but with a little paint on it. We painted ours white, and I LOVE it! It’s so much easier to match things to, and I love bright colors, so I know have the bright white kitchen I dreamed of, accented with cobalt blue, limey/asparagus green, and light yellow accents throughout the kitchen and den. Love it! Ultimately, it’s your house! Do what you want with it!
.-= Jenny Gann’s most recent blog post: The Orange Cord =-.