That's Life: When a Woman's Fancy Turns to RedecoratingBy Phyllis McGuire
iBerkshires Columnist
06:01PM / Monday, May 04, 2009
Now that spring is really here and not just a date on the calendar, tulips add splashes of red to the countryside and the wooded mountains turn green with trees sprouting leaves.
Spring also is the time of year children slacken off from schoolwork, wanting to be outside playing in the park or back yard with friends, and starry-eyed young adults dream of finding true love. I have been there and done that.
At this stage of my life, spring is the time of year when almost everything in my home seems drab or outdated and I develop a desire to redecorate.
"What should I do first?" I ask myself. (President Obama is tackling a number of projects concurrently. But I ain't no Barack Obama.)
For me, the worst part of redecorating is having my life disrupted by workman, such as those who begin their assigned tasks at 8 a.m. Give me a break, I often do not retire until 2 a.m. and rise at 9 a.m.
And it is annoying when workmen fail to appear when you expect them or disappear for three hours in the middle of the day, supposedly to "grab some lunch."
 I am not the type person who hovers over workmen, examining their work, but experience has taught me that it is wise to be around in case they misunderstood or forgot exactly what I had hired them to do.
The walls in the master bedroom of my home are blue, even though I had requested they be painted white - not sterile white but seashell white. The painter, however, suffered a lapse of memory, and I was not at home to notice he was painting the guest room white and the master bedroom blue. I did not fuss when I discovered the mistake, but I did have to rethink the color scheme for the master bedroom.
Now, I would like to change the color scheme in my bathroom, but it would be more than inconvenient to have a tiler occupy it hour upon hour of a few days. The gas station where I could use the restroom is too far away from my home to consider as an alternative to the bathroom next to my bedroom. I guess a chamber pot is what I would need.
Because I have marred the countertops in my kitchen, cutting vegetables and setting down hot pots, they should be replaced. If I ever am able to decide what type and color countertops I should buy, I still would need to find someone to install them. And I wonder if it is true, as a plumber told me, that people usually end up needing a new sink and garbage disposal when countertops are replaced.
 The floral slipcover cover on my couch looks like a garden at end of summer, flowers fading and forlorn.
I probably could buy a new couch for what it would cost to buy fabric and pay a seamstress to make a new slipcover. But I do not want to replace the couch, as it opens up into a comfortable queen-size bed. I have slept on that bed on hot, humid nights, as the only air conditioner in my home is in the living room.
I considered having the couch reupholstered in order to make it look new again, but my search for a re-upholsterer has been unsuccessful, except for those who only service areas a great distance from Williamstown.
Well, it is clear to me that redecorating will be both a time-consuming and expensive venture so until I save enough money to cover the expense and reconcile myself to living by workmen's schedules, I will have to buy rose-colored glasses to wear at home. That is, if I can find a store that sells glasses that makes everything look fresh and pretty.
I am sure of one thing, I will continue entertaining friends in my home, even though it is not worthy to be featured in House Beautiful. After all, as my husband used to say, "Friends come to visit you, not to inspect your home." |
