Crisp & Clean

In 2001, we knocked out a wall to create an entry way and give the illusion of a larger dining room - I chose Benjamin Moore, Provence Yellow for the walls.

circa 2012

With the limited space in our little cottage, we wanted each room to flow into one another.

summer 2014

But, times have changed - in 2001, Steve was a businessman, not a full time artist and our house was not the art studio/gallery that it is today.

In 2007, after studying under the artist, John Comer, Steve began prepping his canvases/boards with orange tone house paint to make the colors pop.

beginning of a commission Steve is working on of a neighbor's daughter and fiancee

The trouble is, against the Provence Yellow walls, the paintings do not "pop" and for a long time, I have wanted to paint the walls white to create a better backdrop for Steve's work.

Recently, "Mr. Bill", our neighbor and house painter, tackled the entry way, dining room and guest room.

We are happy with the crisp, clean look in our little cottage.

Previously, the sand of Hanalei Beach in "The Descendants" blended into the yellow walls, but now the sand stands out.

There were no decor changes made in the entry other than to organize the inside of the cabinet.

For now my old classroom stool graces the entry, but I have some ideas for Halloween decor soon.

"Ha'ena From Tunnels" pops against the white wall reminding us of our recent vacation.

Like the entry, there were few changes in the dining room decor.

Blue and white dishes tie in

with the blue and white of the new SUN SEA SAND pillows on the window seat.

The yellow of my favorite skinny table looks better against a white wall too as does the Ventura Visitor's Bureau poster that features one of Steve's paintings.

I opted to use just two chairs for now and am deciding if I will paint them both blue or leave them as is.

I have no idea if this crisp white color scheme made the difference, but in the 2 weeks since Mr. Bill transformed our entry and dining room, Steve sold a painting and received 3 commissions from visitors to the studio/gallery.

And that is a good thing because after my "asthma episode" we need to be able to go away on a mini vacation while Mr. Bill is painting the rest of the house.

With the entry way and dining room complete, I had time to finish organizing the garage for my creativity.

But, there will be very little creativity for me this week because I need to sand this floor before the bed arrives on Saturday to finish off the guest room.

I work around the house and garden every single day, but it doesn't seem like I ever finish - how did I ever decorate my house when I was working full time?