Nine Rooms and a Roof

The listing read, “Beautiful, first time on the market, quality constructed french provincial home with awesome curb appeal.”

‘Provincial’ means a person who lives in or comes from a place that is far away from large cities. How appropo.

The French Provincial style tends to be simple, square, and symmetrical – resembling small manor homes. My husband wanted grand, but within a modestly small footprint. I wanted romantic, elegant. We have found the perfect home. . . except that no home is completely perfect until it has been sufficiently renovated.

This French Provincial includes nine elegant rooms with floor to ceiling windows on the first floor, dormers with window seats in each of the upstairs rooms, and original hardwood floors.

There’s also popcorn ceilings, lime green carpet, a 44-year old kitchen, and 44-year old baths.

Our belongings have been stuffed into the garage and scattered here and there while we re-organize a bit. . .

We think the front door needs some color (??). Valspar’s Rogue Blue and Pitch Cobalt blend well with the slate of the front porch. A test-size container of both colors is in our future.

 

The Entry Foyer: there’s a fabulous broom closet behind the door that only needs an electrical outlet for charging the vacuum battery to render it perfect. A coat closet to the right of the front door will be demolished to make room for our oversized armoire – something a French home should never be without.

When I read that most French homes include an armoire in their design (originally due to the lack of good closet space), I knew this part of the design was in the bag.

When working with large pieces of furniture, of course, every good designer knows the height of the ceilings they’re working with (our ceilings are just 8 feet).

Oh well. It’s a tight fit, but it does fit.

 

This living room is fabulous with its floor to ceiling windows and large doors that lead to a slate covered patio. Looking through the doorway to the left you can see the coat closet we’ll demo to create an alcove for the armoire. The doorway to the far right leads to the dining room. . .

 

You’ll hardly recognize this kitchen in a few weeks. . .

 

 

Some things become a “jumping off point” for the design, and this was one of those things – our refrigerator of choice is already on order.

(Heartland Refrigerator in Cobalt.)

This room is adjacent to the kitchen, and is the room under the most debate. My husband wants to rip out the paneling, I want it to stay. I think it will look fabulous with a good cleaning, maybe paint the bookshelves, or do away with them altogether, replace the light fixture, and possibly beef up the crown molding. With the right furniture and drapes, it could be a show stopper. (The door to the right leads to the attached garage – something that’s been missing from our homes for years!)

Ideally, we’ll find the perfect runner for the stairway. . . maybe charcoal grey or black.

The Master Suite with its green carpet, window seats, and original light fixture. I had been in the house several times before I realized the slant of the mansard roof creates a significant decorating opportunity.

The Master Bath will be re-worked while this adjacent bedroom becomes the master closet.

Two more bedrooms, a mauve guest bath, and a generously sized bonus room over the garage all await our magic wand. . .