My Bungalow Days

Like I mentioned in my post “Our Bungalow – The Early Days…” the elderly couple we purchased the house from were very comfortable in their home but it was also very dark.  They had lived there a long time and I’m sure loved every square inch of the house.  For us, we saw each room not so much as a challenge, but an opportunity to start from scratch, which we literally had to do.  Here’s a glimpse at what it looked like while they still lived there.

Once we had the keys to our new home in hand, we quickly began cleaning and trying to get to bare surfaces.  Here is what these rooms looked like when we first took possession.   

As we all know, life has a way of taking over and things we want to do often take a backseat to those things we need to do.  While I was busy raising twin daughters and working, re-decorating just wasn’t a priority, nor did we have the money to do it.  In 2004 we were finally able to transform the two front rooms (dining room and family/living room) into what we really liked.

My husband and I had become big fans of a young Spanish artist named Didier Lourenco.  We familiarized ourselves with most of his work and then began our hunt to find just what we were looking for.  The piece we chose became the anchor item in the room that everything else would revolve around.  Still, choosing a paint color was really tough for me.  So many colors really complemented the piece but ultimately I liked the yellow/gold.  Here are a few after photos.

I don’t have many good “before” photos but suffice it to say the after was nothing short of dramatic.  Everything in the rooms was new… paint, furniture, window treatments.  Some of these pictures were taken while the house was decorated for Thanksgiving…

One thing we didn’t change was a vintage piece of art I picked up at the Pasadena City College swap meet years ago.  I don’t know what caught my eye about it initially, but it was love at first sight and I didn’t want to change a thing about it.  We put a nail in the wall, hung it up and called it a day.  I don’t remember what we paid for it, but it’s priceless to me.

While on a weekend getaway to Solvang in 2007, my husband and I wandered into an art gallery and bought a few original pieces done by a local artist.  We thought this one worked nicely in the living room.

Though we don’t use the rooms as much as we once did, we do love that it’s such a comfortable space to relax.  I knew choosing the yellow paint was a bold choice and I worried it would be too cold, but the rooms are instead quite warm and inviting.  Have you ever taken a big risk on a paint color and then been relieved with the outcome?  What about paint disasters?  We’ve all had those too, right?  The nice thing is that you can paint a small section and see how it looks on the wall, in different kinds of natural and artificial light, with your furniture, art, etc.  Take your time to find just what you’re looking for; you’ll be happier in the long run.  And happy is what we all should be.

Tags: art, Bungalow, decorating, Didier Lourenco, dining room, family room, living room, painting, Solvang