Now I'm psyching myself up to work on the living room/dining room. I've taken input from several sources and gotten several good ideas. Nothing's really pinging for me yet, so I'm still circling this idea from every angle. My notion is that I want built-ins in between the LR and DR, and something matchy on the LR wall surrounding the fireplace. Given all the maple and oak in the kitchen and fir everywhere else in the house, what wood to use is one piece of the puzzle, what style to use is another. I'm running out of steam (and budget) for high(er) end finishes. I like the thought of paint-grade white, but then I would be tempted to paint a lot of existing stuff too, which wouldn't be so painful to consider, except that I remember the process of stripping paint off trim years ago... Not just ANY trim but THIS TRIM... or actually, maybe my "childhood" home of my high school years in Portland, come to think of it. Anyway, having done that work so long ago makes it difficult to consider undoing it, in this manner now. But it's what's tempting me the strongest right now.
Not only that, I went into my den this evening and even though it's on the north side of my house, it felt very bright. I think it was because of the light bamboo flooring in there. Light flooring. Hm. I like the refinished fir upstairs. It's not as light as the bamboo, but it's much lighter than the present finish on the LR/DR floors. Definitely something to consider. Dang that fir it's so soft!!
