What a Difference a week makes...or not
What do you get when you put exhaustion, stress, and winter together? You know the answer.
I'll say though, /I/ didn't catch a cold, technically, it was my mom who caught a cold...and then gave it to me. So much for sharing desserts. Luckily she's the actual best, so we shall not hold her responsible for the existence of germs. I've been sick since last Sunday, but the real kicker? The boiler had gone out again the day before. So last weekend my mom flew back to CO, I got sick, and I suddenly had no heat and no hot water. Happy New Year 😅 The boiler needed a new sensor thingy, which had to be ordered, so I made do with space heaters and my electric blanket (and one very cold shower, 1/10, do not try again) until...Wednesday. Oof!
This cold has absolutely knocked me out of course, because I was already sleep deprived and worn out /before/ the cold, so I had very little defense. I'm through the super sore throat phase into the stuffy and very cough-tastic phase. I'm hoping to be moving into my lingering-goop-and-cough but more energy phase, and now that I have hot showers back morale has certainly improved.
Luckily while the boiler people were here on Wednesday, they not only fixed the boiler/hot water situation, but they also removed the bit of baseboard radiator in the sewing parlor that had to go in order to start work down there. I'll hopefully start painting those walls at the end of next week.
But before that, I would like to make more progress on the closet rooms upstairs. The new carpet went into both closets on Thursday, and that fresh carpet is now the cleanest feeling bit of the house ✨ I need to cover it all back up with layers of drop cloths so that I can finish the walls though. In the little closet (aka the shoe closet, aka the former linen closet, it's 6ft by 6ft) I still have to finish my drywall fixes. I patched the missing area of plaster, and my mom helped me hang a new ceiling in there, but I still have to tape/mud the ceiling and then try to skim coat that nasty back wall. The many decades of repairs mean that back wall is literally so bumpy and wackadoodle that my amateur attempts could not make it worse.
Then there is the larger actual closet room. Again this room, in a sane world, would be the "little back guest room" or something, but the smallest bedroom=closet room in my world. I'm going to paint it 'rosy peach' by Benjamin Moore, with darker red and black accents. Because this house is technically (or was once) sorta neoclassical revival, and I managed to snag some rather empire inspired furniture on marketplace, I decided to go all in on the neoclassical vibes for this boudoir closet. Hollywood Regency meets actual regency, in a 1890 neoclassical revival-ish house. You're with me right?
So I have mocked up the paint scheme I've got in mind in photoshop. I hope you agree while 'rosy peach' may be sorta pink, this is haunted Pompei starlet pink, not frothy girly pink-- not that I don't like some frothy girly pink, but it's just not "me" as we know.
I found the vanity, matching dresser, vanity seat (needs full restoration), small side table, and two twin bed headboards and footboards as a set on marketplace for only $300, which is a lot of furniture for 300 bucks. I'm just excited to have anywhere to (soon) store some clothes, becuase I had to leave my other dressers behind (wouldn't fit on the moving truck). I love the little carved urns, and the vanity fits into the old closet nook area perfectly which I felt was a huge win.
Unfortunately I still have to scrub all of the old wallpaper adhesive from the walls in that room before I can start painting. I'm still very much operating at maybe 40% of usual with this cold though, so ehhh...I've lost my voice, or most of it, so exactly how I'm going to get my video done for next Thursday also remains a mystery. I was hoping to get the rest of the drywall stuff done today, but I also had to leave the house in my disheveled state to buy medicine and paint before the several inches of snow we are supposed to get tomorrow descend.
Thankfully my three cat nurses have been great tiny furry space heaters. I would record a podcast...except as stated I lost my voice so 🥵 I'll get back to myself eventually! Thank you again for your support in this truly wild time of my existence.
Here is my pinterest board for the closet rooms btw: https://www.pinterest.com/bmesposito/interiors/closet-room/ While the closet room will be moody pink and red neoclassical revival, the little shoe closet will be color drenched 'dark royal blue' like a lapis lazuli lined jewelry box. No white walls in this house!
Comments (32)
For the no voice video... have any old sewing footage that you can turn into ASMR? If not, maybe a silent movie style ASMR of sewing curtains or something akin with those great placards and the tinkling piano. I think you could pull off 1910-20s heroine saving a cat from a train or something akin. :)
Please rest as much as is feasible.
So much work (especially being sick--please take care of yourself), and what you are doing/have planned looks amazing!
Hope you feel better soon. Using warm water ,vinegar with a few drops of dawn dish soap brakes down the old adhesives. A mister clean eraser and a green scotch scrubby are your best friends in removing the glue. Good luck and a speedy recovery!
What a bummer being sick. Love the furniture and mock up. My daughter recently painted her bedroom in her first home the same type of light pink....up one wall over the ceiling and down the other wall thus canopying her bed. I then sewed curtains to cover from floor to ceiling the entire window wall...a yellow beige background chinoiserie print in gold/ dark yellow and browny black definition lines. It is a wonderfully moody room with her tall dark bed and the quilts I also make her. She does beautiful needlework that hangs with a variety of prints. So I know that you too will find soooooo much joy as you make this house a home with all your designs coming to life as my daughter has. xxxx ps. I am wondering whether mirros on the walls either side of your vanity would help with doing your hair and hats
I hope you feel better, soon. I’m in a similar state as you and I can totally sympathise. Anyway, you are such a talented lady: I love the little boudoir area.
I love the Photoshop mockup! That area will be gorgeous! The spiderweb and painted tassles on the trim look great! I'm loving how you are decorating! I can't believe you are doing so much of this renovation yourself. Your talents are endless!!
Colds bite. Take care of yourself! Love the boudoir. Colors are perfect.
Love the paint, love the vanity thingy, don't love colds. Poor you.
Hope you're feeling better soon xx
You poor thing, I hope you feel better asap! I'm hoping the lack of any mention of kitty issues means they are settled in well with you now. VERY much looking forward to living vicariously through your color-drenched new abode, it sounds divine.
Oh dear! Please, please take the time you need to rest and get better without feeling too guilty about it. The pinterest board looks lovely! The NYPL has quite a few more of those neoclassical ornament designs if you want more painting options: https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/collections/designs-on-various-ornaments#/?tab=about
I imagine you’ll eventually refinish those awesome wood floors and cover the middle with gorgeous rugs? That just seems like you… feel better! Amazing to see your new house be made into a you kind of place!
I was worried at "rosey peach" but the color on the mock-up is perfect. Get better soon.
Feel better soon, Bianca!💜
Hope you feel better soon! That sounds like plenty of progress to me, especially while you're sick ❤️
Hi, Good to hear from you. Not so good to hear that you've caught a bug somewhere. Though not so surprising perhaps, the way you have moved around the country the last few weeks to months. You'll find your feet again soon enough. Especially given you have three warm cats to look after you. Does anyone of them cook? Even without that they are lovely and warm, and will sit on you until you feel better, is my hope. Let's see if I understand. The vanity is standing in the alcove in the room that now has some new carpet. That alcove is the same one in the four pictures, and you have put it through some computer magic, making it look pink. You've also picked up companion pieces to the vanity but they haven't found their permanent home in your house yet. Did I miss anything? Misunderstand the whole thing perhaps? I'm still trying to figure out the pink with the dark green of the hallway outside, but it it doesn't hurt my eyes so I'm all for it. You know these things much better than I do. I'm old fashioned Scandinavian enough to know I would have gone for light colors like eggshell and duck blue. That doesn't mean those would be your best though, and I know it. I do hope you have ample insurance by the way, being sick and all. I've been talking with a dear friend of mine, and I'm on the brink of having to fly over there just so I can strangle him a bit, for not setting it up. He's just started an LLC, and gone independent, and I don't cherish the idea of him having no medical coverage at all. His mom would have killed him. She is the soul sister of mine, we lost in february last year (2024), and he's such a lovely man, that he drives me up the wall sometimes. That is one sign of love I guess. Only someone you care about can drive you mad that much. Take care of yourself, or one of us might rebell and come and do it for you. I've seen how much all the others care, to be fairly okay with speaking for them too. Breathing is good. Hot lemon and honey is also good. I know a simple and effective exercise that could make your voice come back faster, and can heal a tired one. Thing is that I need to show you in person. It's something I learnt when I was taking voice lessons in opera. it's not difficult It just takes somebody to teach you. I can do that if we are live. I remain yours etc, Ann
That sounds awful being so sick and cold! Excited for these plans though. “Haunted Pompeii starlet pink” is an amazing vibe! Love the mock up!
I don't know if you are familar with the boiler/hot water situation (I guess you kind of are now) but if you have one of those boilers that heats the hot water, I cannot recommend enough that you have that changed so that you have a hot water heater. The boiler will run all the time, even in summer, which is super annoying if you are paying for oil. We had one of those things for years and man does it suck when there's a boiler problem. And man is it nice when you have a guaranteed supply of hot water.
How are you removing the wallpaper glue? Soaking? Sanding? Scraping? Just curious. I hope you get feeling better in a jiffy ❤️
I am so sorry that you have been unwell, and without hot water and heat at the same time. Please take care. I love the colour you have chosen, and the vanity unit is gorgeous, love it. My dressing table mirror has the same finials - urn shapes, I love mine.
Oh - do little placards, like the silent movies for your video. No speech needed. And speedy recovery to you. If you can get some matzoh ball soup, it might help.
As an archaeologist, can confirm the pink has a Pompeii vibe. And for the video, if you really want to get one out do a mini inspo tour with text and music? Short and easier, but still keeps you on schedule.
I hope you are feeling a little better as of this post! I love the color scheme for that space!!! It is going to be gorgeous!!!! Kitties make the best little nurses, I know when I'm not feeling well, my baby Winter always stays with me and makes sure I get plenty of cuddles and purrs. Please take care and feel better soon! ❤️
Oh I love the idea of a room/closet resembling the inside of a jewelry box 💎 ‘Sewing Parlor’ is a term we should all adopt, sprinkling it into our daily vocabulary at every opportunity 😜 Looking forward to eventually seeing what you come up with for the latest version of the blue patterning table of doom and how it fits into the sewing parlor 💙 Regarding feeling under the weather, there’s an adjustment period as you settle into your new location. Prioritize rest if you can and make sure and take protective measures when handing the paint etc - gloves, mask How are the kitties 🐱? Are they taking well to their new home? Congratulations by the way, I’m very happy you’ve been able to achieve your dream through your perseverance and sustained hard work 🏡. I’ve enjoyed your updates along the journey. Thank you for sharing that with us 🥰
I would consider it more than a fair trade for a podcast and video if you would share the next chapter of your book please? :-) My friends and I started playing the Rivers of London TTRPG and my character is...Fernweh! My Fernweh's family emigrated to London from Hong Kong under duress, leaving behind considerable wealth. Fern was born in the UK. They are a professional drone pilot in London. Old folks usually get their pronouns wrongs the first time. I'd love to learn more about your Fern! Get better soon!
Ooo love the moody pink! Take care of yourself, that's more important than the video. ❤️
I love that rosy peach. It's going to look amazing
The closet plan made me go " 😍 ooh, pretty.. and such a cool vibe" Tis difficult to do a video without a voice. So, no video or no voice 👍 whichever you decide will be fine with us. Take care of yourself.. we'll be here 😊
Asmr wallpaper goop removal is a video I'd watch. Or not no pressure! please do take care of yourself
Take care to keep your heat on during this snow storm coming bless those kitties for taking care of you
Sorry to hear you're not well, but on the pdudeside,it has forced you to stop and get some down time. Whilst I appreciate your excitement at having spaces to decorate and your 'need' to get things done, the house isn't going anywhere and you don't need to run yourself into the ground. Take gentle care lady.