Adding Visual Warmth to a Room

Today, I'm taking a break from showing off my cottage study, to show off 

something else!!!!!

A couple of weeks ago, I painted this table.....

It was a pure coincidence that the blue was the same color as the blue of my dining room wallpaper.

I love the look of board and batten paneling,

 but my dining room has felt cold and sterile to me,

 with so much white on the walls.

(I know, you're probably wondering.....

how can a room with so much @#$ feel sterile????

Well, let's just say that

 I NEED A LOT OF STUFF TO FEEL COZY!!!!!)

So I hauled the table into the dining room, and placed it on its side, so I could see if I would like the recessed panels painted the same way.....

My idea was to paint them in the blue wood graining.......

Yeah, 

that was my idea.....

It doesn't hurt to try it on one panel.....

right?????

So I did...

First, I painted it in Annie Sloan chalk paint, color: Louis Blue

 (yay!!!, I spelled Annie Sloan right this time!!!!)

My sister in law, Faye, was very confused at this point,

 because my family was over for dinner,

 and she couldn't understand how the blue of the panel was going to end up matching the blue of the wallpaper......

Oh, ye of little faith.....

Then I painted a wash of watered down Old White over the blue

 and used my wood graining tool.....

Then I waxed it in regular and dark wax,

stood back,

and hated it.....

It looked like dirty water marked satin.....

The dark wax wasn't doing it, ya know????

So I descended into my dungeon basement,

 and grabbed my mineral spirits, 

and wiped off the wax.....

Well.....

The color was better, but the pattern still didn't look like wood, but satin....

I didn't like this, no, no, no!!!!!

So, I put my thinking cap on.....

analyzed why it looked like@#$.....

I realized, there were too many knot holes and the pattern was too small.

So I googled to see it I could find a bigger wood grainer.

YEP!!!

They make em!!!

In all my brilliance,

 before I grabbed my credit card

 and ordered me some of that there stuff....

I went back down into my dudgeon basement, and looked in my drawer of special paint tools.....

I already had one!!!!!

This is what happens when you buy stuff,and then take 7 years to learn how to use it.....

You can't remember what you gots!!!

I GOTS LOTS OF GOOD STUFF!!!!!

So, I decided to try my hand at a few more panels.....

Step one....

CHECK!!!

Step two

CHECK!!!

I pulled off the tape.....

AND I WAS LOVING THE NEW PANELS!!!!

The color doesn't need the wax, so I am 

NOT WAXING....

ONE LESS STEP!!!!!

YIPPEE!!!!

I have already painted over the first panel I did, it's drying while I type!!!

Here are some close ups of the new panels....

I am going to have to paint some kind of a border around the inside of each panel, because the graining tool didn't make a nice bottom and top edge.

I may go for a tromp l'oiel raised panel effect, I have to think about it.

Knowing the way my mind works, this may take another 7 years.....

Anyway.....

here's the before and after for comparison.

I think the paint really warms up the space visually.....

 Try to ignore the newspaper on the floor with the blue painters tape in a wad....

Just a little more color and pattern, to make the room more homey to me!

So, tomorrow, I will paint the bad panel,

(sounds like a pet; bad panel! drop the cookie!!!)

and do three more.

I figure if I do 4 a day, I can get this done by the weekend!!!!

Then I will take lots of pictures, and make all you guys look at them!!!

Latah, Gatah

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