Stairwell Update Part 3

Pictures of the new doors are still to come, but here is the hallway.

Stairwell Updates Part 2

The old wallpaper came off. A network of frightening crack was exposed, and our first floor briefly looked like the final scene of E.T. when everything is wrapped in plastic.

We considered four colors and went with the one on the bottom right, wind's breath, (what?).

Stairway Updates

April of 2008

This part of the house is obviously one of the first things we see when we walk in the door, but somehow, I had gotten very good at simply ignoring it. John pushed to make this the next project we tackle, and with the help of a Christmas present from my parents, we did the unthinkable. We hired a painter. We found a guy on Angie's List, Kris Siskoski, who happens to live in our neighborhood. He gave us a good estimate, we stared at the Benjamin Moore fan deck for a few days, and he got started.
Most of the first floor is a bright white. We wanted something warm enough to work with the red we have a few place in our living room. We knew we needed flat paint because even with the amazing job Kris did to resurface the walls, they still look at bit like they've had a case of the pox.

New Residents at 1224 McKean St.

We adopted two kittens on Friday! They are four-month old siblings (born on August 3) who we found at P.A.W.S., a no-kill shelter in Philly. Names are still forthcoming. They are well-trained for the litter box, recovering from respiratory infections, at-times affectionate, and very fond of playing with one another.
As I am writing this, Boy Cat tried to climb the table cloth. In case you are wondering, I don't think it turned out at well as he had hoped. Here is a sampling of their first two days in the house.

While John is on the phone with his mom, the kittens enjoy their new toy.



Typical behavior from Girl Cat


Climbing, attacking plants, and fighting are favorite hobbies

New Old Chairs

We found a set of six of these chairs in the basement when we moved in. Here they are after a coat of the flat latex paint from the walls and a coat of semi-gloss varnish.

Springtime

We've all made it through the winter.

Painting Party

Before: The alcove in our kitchen in April of '08
After: The alcove after a little attention in February '09.