The reason it has not been decorated in over twenty years is quite simple. In my six-storey house with only one room on each storey, it is impossible to move furniture from a room without moving it up or down a flight of stairs, which, for me on my own, is nigh on impossible. It means furniture has to stay in a room if it is being decorated, but when the room is lined with bookcases crammed with books and paraphernalia, it is virtually impossible.
Or so I thought. I had been planning to decorate the house starting with the very top and moving down. To this end, I have hired a painter to start in the New Year, as one room needs replastering and quite outside my skill set, but I knew (and he confirmed) that painting the study would be a logistical nightmare. I sat on the idea for a while but one day I had a good hard look at the logistics and worked out a way to do it all myself. This is the reason I have been absent for so long -as it took a good while to accomplish single-handedly and I can say with some real satisfaction that I am cream-crackered.
First, I covered everything with dust sheets and painted the ceiling. That was by far the easy bit, although I hate painting ceilings with a passion, especially now I seem to have arthritis in my neck. Then came the difficult bit. I had to pack up all the books and items on two bookcases, find room to store them in another room on another level a staircase away. I then dragged (with difficulty) the two bookcases away from the wall into the middle of the room, painted the wall and skirting behind them, dragged the bookcases back into position the following day and reloaded the shelves with the books and items. I then moved on to another two bookcases and so on over the course of a week until the wall behind all six bookcases had been painted. I then moved on to the other two walls in the corner of which is a huge L-shape desk built by Greg and which is attached to the floor. I dismantled that and painted the walls in a very vibrant peacock blue which matches some material I am going to make a roman blind out of. I ordered a large rug to cover a very sad looking carpet that cannot be replaced because of the same logistical problems of doing it with all the bookcases in the room.
Except for the blind, which I shall make in the next few weeks, I have now finally finished and am chuffed with the result. I have never known The Study looking so good and it smells so fresh too.
5 comments:
I congratulate you. I used to do the lot, wallpapering etc but can't do a darn thing now. So annoying. It really does look nice and fresh.
Briony
x
I long for a room like this! My little desk is in a corner of the bedroom and bookcases and storage in another room. Your room is perfect!
I remember hearing a true story about an elderly painter who had to move into a care home. Whenever he was left alone in his room he moved all the furniture into the middle and cover it with bedsheets.
Well done ADDY! The girl done good. With only one room on each floor your house must be very thin. It sounds like a children's story..."Once upon a time there was very thin house that stood at the end of a thin road. There lived Mrs Thin and her cat Skinny who was very thin.
Mrs Thin had a thin study at the top of a thin staircase. One day she decided to paint it with some very thin paint but afterwards she wished the paint had been thick!..."
Hello! Long time no speak....well done on the decorating - I've rather given up on such things, and doubt I would have the patience to do what you've done! It all looks lovely - and nothing better than the smell of a freshly painted room.
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