Hallway Library/Gallery Peak

Here's yet another space that has gotten a facelift since the beginning of the year, but has never fully been revealed here.  Our upstairs hall was also painted Benjamin Moore's Cloud Cover to blend with the rest of our common open areas.

I shared this picture a couple of months ago when I made this cool pom-pom and finger knit garland (here).  The hutch holds both books and green pottery.

A long time ago I had asked for opinions on paint colors for the hutch. One of the reasons was I just could not decide on my own what to do with this piece. Every time I would come up with an idea something made me hesitate from actually following through with it.  I think the true reason was, that I actually wanted to leave the piece original; I really love the pattern in the lower doors.  What was totally not reflected in the pictures that I had shared (here) was that the hutch really wasn't in the best shape at all.

 

Here are a couple before shots:
 

 

 

 

 

 So, I decided to try and salvage the piece before I attempted paint.  I found this great project called Howard Restor-A Finish that was a bit stinky, but easy to use (you basically just wipe it on).  While it did not take away all the imperfections of the piece it definitely improved it at least 80%. And, it is pretty cost effective, too.  I paid under $10 for a container at the Home Depot and have most of it leftover.

Here's an after of the front of the cabinet. Definitely not perfect, but much, much better.

 

 

See the little teapot painting? My oldest, Antonio created it at art class for me for Mother's Day two years ago. Love it!

 

I brought up this bench (previously our coffee table) as seating in the area. I love that it was more neutral than my gossip bench. The pillows tie into both the bench and the rug.

We added in a family photo gallery wall on the space leading into the master bedroom.  It is truly floor to ceiling (with a few spaces left on the bottom for additions). I think, eventually it will continue on to the remaining blank wall.

 

 

I love that the pictures are from all periods.  It's a great way to get children to connect with the past.

 



 

 

All I did to create the gallery was lay everything out on the floor in a pattern that I liked. Martino hung everything up for me. No tracing of all the frames or extreme measuring (which is typical of Martino, not me).  He hung all this up while he was horribly sick with bronchitis.

 

How do you display family photos in your home? Spread out or all grouped into a large gallery. Please share!

 

 





 

 

 

Linking to:

http://linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com/2013/02/nifty-thrifty-tuesday-no152.html http://www.jenniferrizzo.com/   http://www.savvysouthernstyle.net/

 

http://emilyaclark.blogspot.com/