And Then There's the Zebra

As we continue on our little tour I just wanted to throw out this disclaimer: Under no circumstances whatsoever, did I even remotely have even the slightest responsibility for this wallpaper border.

There is no need to be polite. No need to pretend you didn't see it. It wasn't me, I swear!

Welcome to the front parlor. Also known as the room I never use because it creeps me out to have those dolls staring at me. This is another room that has received little or no attention since we've moved in. We did refinish the floor, removed the mini-blinds and hung some curtains, but that's it so far.

Before:


Now:


The previous owners started installing a gas fireplace and never finished the job. Since this house was built with central heat, there were never any original fireplaces. From what they told us there was yet another door to the left of the fireplace leading to the family room. They left behind this beautiful old fireplace surround, but unfortunately it won't fit the gas insert. We'll either have to get a different insert or different surround. This one is made of oak and all of the woodwork in the house is pine so we're leaning towards a different surround and mantle. That would also give us the opportunity to make built in cabinets and bookshelves on either side to match.

There's another pocket door in this room. All the pocket doors in the house work perfectly. We even have all the original keys.

So one of these days we'll get around to stripping the wallpaper and painting this room. We're planning to add a picture rail with bungalow gold paint above and dark red below. Then add some stenciling. The paint alone should be a major transformation.