The Grey Vintage Door & Dell Week 2

G'day, life is very good here at the Beach Cottage, although I'm blogging from the bedroom because yep, you guessed it, Dell have still not been in contact and my 6 month old computer sits alone, sad and neglected in the Study.   

And a lovely reader sent me a message on Twitter (btw I'd love you to come and chat) to say that she has heard a third person now who has just had this motherboard problem with a new Dell.  I'll let you take what you will of that…

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Anyway, less of that and onto bedrooms…a very strange thing has happened all because I moved the bed around to under the old sash windows.  It feels like things are new and fresh and different and I find myself smiling as I walk into my bedroom or more likely collapse on the bed.  Well, at the moment here, that old adage 'a change is as good as a rest' is true.  

And that truly is a miracle because it's peaking into the final week of the school summer hols.  And all 3 of my children are still alive.

And what else gets me to this place, where my kids are still not begging to go back to school to avoid the Beach Cottage Witch?  Well I suppose, I have to say, it's old, grey, vintage doors. In all their glory.  Casually leaned up against the wall in my still tatty old bedroom.  

The bedroom with the hole in the wall where we haven't gotten around to fixing a grill on the air vent, the bedroom that's a bit antiquated in terms of electrics which means there are extension leads around, the bedroom which really has a tad too much white furniture in it for its size.  

But who cares about stuff like that when all that really matters is an old grey door, leaning, satisfyingly alongside all those niggly little less-than-perfect points? 

I don't know if you noticed.  I don't do art.  Or precisely placed family photos, all in a cute little all so perfect row.  And it's not because I don't have cute kids.  At least I think they are cute…sometimes.. but then I suppose I would do…

I just find I am too picky and change my mind too much for art.  I guess you need to know what you like and be prepared to stick with it, if you wanna spend on anything good.  And those two combinations don't really go down so well with me somehow. 

When we had the most recent photoshoot at the Beach Cottage, I knew the IKEA tulips art canvas thing, on the wall, in the sitting room, wouldn't make the cut…too IKEA-y, too chain store-y.  I can handle that.  Just call me a heathen

So here I wanted something kinda unique and original, something you couldn't pick up in IKEA or for that matter something you couldn't just throw moeny at and buy…and I fancied a change of look…

Remember I said before about change, I don't think you needed to be a rocket scientist to ascertain that I was leaning towards grey.  Perhaps a little later to the party than others?  

It's been coming on for a year now…when I painted the old chest that now lives beside my bed, I did the drawers in grey, then there was the black mirror after the trip to IKEA and rugs with dark stripes have crept in.  

Though, it's not really much of a move away from white, and that's the beauty of decorating with neutrals and mostly white, you can re-invent in one afternoon and for pretty much nothin' 

This little area was totally on a budget…in fact, I didn't spend any money right at this time, all was stuff I already had…

…the door was a junkin' find (of course), the white cushion was made from an old vintage pillowslip, and the stripe was leftover from the bag I made the directors chair I already had (found on the side of the road I believe and re-covered in linen)

…both of the frames I picked up in St Vincent's de Paul (Vinnies to those in the know)…the first one I painted white and distressed, the other one I painted with this lovely grey…I used this cos I wanted some texture (you can see how it looked in the 'before' here) and still the kinda natural feel to the whole thing…as my worry with grey would be that it might be too 'modern' for me. 

When I was looking for grey, clutching paint chips to myself I had in my head Frenchy Grey…and even tho I've been to France a whole heap of times, I couldn't put my finger on (nor dare I say it would a Frenchman…any mention of such would probably bring much eye rolling) exactly what this elusive French Grey was…and then when the door was in here I realised it was more Pebble Grey I was after and so I went for that.
 

Ok, lovelies, I'm off to start painting that beading…Mr Beach Cottage finally got the rest of it on the wall yesterday afternoon…a nice afternoon…he put up beading…I pottered around, a roast chicken with lemon & roast potatoes in the oven…and dinner on the deck…mmm that was nice…

Let me know what you think of the colour – oh, and you know, to my lovely readers who stop by and don't normally comment, I'd absolutely love it if today you might give me the benefit of your opinion.  Whaddya think?  Like it or not…??

(btw I'm having a giveaway this week and if you give me your wonderful opinions on the door of course I'll throw you in the hat right now…it's a nice giveaway, I promise it'll be good *smile) 

Signing out from the Beach Cottage, have a good Monday!

the outtakes of this should you want to see more photos are here 

This is one of a few old vintage doors leaning around the cottage now, you can find the story of one we found and madeover here, and it all dressed up in finery here, and a lovely chippy old one that I love and am now wondering where to put here (oh & the magazine article on it here)