Interior
From White Walls to Warm Tuscany
Looking back at the renovation that transformed the heart of House 173 into the warm, cozy room we still enjoy today.
Because this blog is primarily a vehicle for me to keep track of what was done and when, as well as what products were used at 173, from time to time I post about a project that was completed before this blog was established.
I call these posts Legacy Projects, although they've had a couple names over the years. Back in 2011, I posted about the 2001 back yard fence project, which was called a Retro Project. "Retro" was a very popular word (or prefix as the case may be) a few years back, but as time has passed it dawned on me that those projects weren't retro as much as they were just done before the 173 blog got started. So, now we have Legacy Projects! And this post is just such an entry.
From Retro to Legacy
Whenever I can, I like to include the Moshers, the previous and only other owners of 173. Here's a picture of the son of Mr. Mosher and his family in the living room:
Now that's Retro! I love the old sofa and the fish tank in the corner, but I really like that painting. By today's standard it might be a little out of scale for the sofa, but it's an interesting picture. And here's another Retro picture:
That's the pater familias of the Mosher clan with the Christmas tree in the front corner of the living room. Interestingly, the wallpaper in the hallway behind Mr. Mosher was still there when 173 changed hands. Sometimes I wish it wasn't removed.
Looking at these old photographs always reminds me that we're really just the next chapter in the story of House 173. Long before we arrived, another family celebrated Christmas in this room, gathered around this fireplace, and made memories within these same walls. One day someone else will probably do the same. I like knowing this house has been loved for generations.
Starting Fresh in 1997
But, as it turns out, the wallpaper throughout the house was removed first thing in 1997, and the living room walls were painted an ever-exciting white:
Sorry for the leg shot, but as is so often the case - I have very few "before" pictures, thus - the legs. And yes, my legs are almost always that white - it isn't trick photography!
Repairing the Ceiling
Anyway, come about 2004 it seems it was time for a change. It all started out with having all the ceilings in the house (except the kitchen) sheet rocked. By '04 the plaster ceilings had become cracked, mostly with those hairline cracks that drive me batty, and I've never been a great sheet rock-er so a couple of friends of a friend did the work. After that, as you can see in the old journal entry, the ceilings were painted:
Learning to Hang Wallpaper
Then it was time to wallpaper. It turns out this was when it first occurred to me that old houses were almost always wallpapered because it's unavoidable that the plaster walls will develop hairline cracks. As we already established - those tiny cracks drive me nuts! So the living room was set up for papering:
The I studied how to hang wallpaper and, as you can see, I was either confused or thinking this is crazy!
There's my old Binford Tools hat. Some of you will understand the reference. For those of you who don't, check out the old Home Improvement TV show. When it came to wallpapering and color selection, we decided we wanted a kind of Tuscan feel for the living room, so we went with Wallquest's Sunny Tuscany, as is so conveniently logged into the old journal:
And here's the pattern going up:
Finishing the Details
After the wallpapering was done, the radiator needed scraping and painting...
As did the pipes that weirdly run up the corner of the walls...
Then we found the perfect ceiling fan to install. It was a Hampton Bay from Lowes and just works beautifully for the look and feel of the room. It was my first time hanging a ceiling fan, so I kind of over-did it in the stability arena, but that thing has never budged - barely even a shake!
Then it was time for new furniture, decorating and so on. Here's a picture from just a couple years ago. I had one person say it looked dark, but it really isn't. We went with an oversized, overstuffed chair, sofa and ottoman for comfort, and I think we achieved the cozy feel we were looking for. Oh, and look - there's the Linus-Monster!:
The Living Room Today
Here's a couple recent pictures. After almost 15 years, the wallpaper looks as good as ever, although I did notice there's a couple seems that need to be addressed.
And one final wider shot:
And one last bonus picture:
Hey, thanks for stopping by - see ya' next time!
I stumbled onto House 173 because I was looking for wallpaper ideas for an older home. I expected a quick before-and-after post. Instead, I found myself slowing down and reading about people I'd never met.
The old Mosher family photographs caught me off guard. Most renovation blogs start with demolition. Yours started with respect. Seeing Christmas in that room decades ago made the renovation feel less like replacing someone else's work and more like continuing the story of the house.
The details I thought I'd remember, the wallpaper pattern, the ceiling fan, the Tuscan colors, aren't actually what stayed with me. It was the little asides. Wondering what a paint warranty really means. Laughing at your own pasty-white legs in the "before" photo. Admitting that hairline cracks drive you crazy. Those moments made me trust the rest of the story because they sounded like someone writing for themselves first and an audience second.
By the time I reached the final photos, I wasn't thinking, "That's a nice living room." I was thinking, "This room has had a good life." That's a surprisingly rare feeling on the internet these days. - A First-Time Visitor
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did you choose wallpaper instead of repairing and painting the plaster walls?
One of the things I learned after living in an older home is that plaster walls inevitably develop hairline cracks over time. I could repair them repeatedly, but they'd eventually come back. Wallpaper gave us the warm Tuscan look we wanted while also hiding those tiny imperfections that always seemed to bother me.
Does wallpaper still make sense in an older home today?
I think it does, when it's the right room and the right pattern. Good wallpaper can add texture and warmth that paint simply can't, and in older homes it can also be surprisingly forgiving of minor wall imperfections. Nearly fifteen years later, our Wallquest paper still looks great, with only a couple of seams needing attention.
What made this living room renovation worth documenting as a Legacy Project?
Because this room shaped the feel of House 173 long before the blog existed. Legacy Projects aren't just about recording what we built, they're about preserving the history of the house, the decisions we made, the products we used, and how the home evolved over the years.
Keywords
living room makeover, living room renovation, wallpaper ideas, plaster wall repair, Hampton Bay ceiling fan, historic home renovation, cozy living room, old house restoration, House 173, Legacy Project
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