Most of us dress the house up for company. We might buy fresh flowers, plan a menu, or even go as far as polishing the silver. I confess I went a bit farther last weekend. We were honored by being asked to be on The Capitol Hill House and Garden Tour. Being the crazy woman I am, I convinced my sweet family to say yes. So I guess it goes without being said again that I am an interior designer. It dawned on me that all those little projects that I had been putting off for years needed attention NOW. Because really, would anyone hire an interior designer whose own rug pad was too small for the rug? And so it began. Here are my newly refinished bedside tables, another MUST project due to an unfortunate sponge painting notion in the 90’s with the addition of spilled purple nail polish. I tried milk paint. Kind of fun in the mixing and waxing parts; but ultimately frustrating in that shutter gray turned out to be blue. Back to Benjamin Moore I went for a nice “Dior” gray. (I admit here that the name seduced me as they so often do. Sometimes I even cover up the names as I am considering paint colors so as not to be swayed.)
Next came the outdoor paint trim, Kasbah ( see what I mean about the names?) with Mulberry for the door and spring green for a little accent.
New valences and curtains in the dining room were underway before this company prep came along but here they are, kind of like a Parisian inspired ballet skirt with the dark turquoise tulle peeking out the bottom.
A bit of cleaning and I was done. Except apparently too early, as I had time for one more project. Here is the Venetian wall plaster treatment I applied to my kitchen three days before the tour. While it came out very different from my test board, ( why does that always happen?) I love it. I might even cook in this kitchen now.
All this complaining aside I was thrilled to have the chance to share my decorating ideas and do it yourself projects with so many neighbors and Capitol Hill visitors (I heard 1300 tickets were purchased!)
But I must make one final confession, my favorite parties are the pot luck – casual ones. Like when it snows hard and you invite everyone to come and bring just anything. A few years back I fondly remember we feasted on six cinnamon coffee cakes! Entertaining simply feels better when the pressure is off.
We just celebrated the life of my friend Mary Rush who passed away ten years ago. She taught me to just open up my door. It does not matter if the silver is polished… Just open the door and let in life.
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