I think the picture speaks for itself. It wasn’t pretty. The skirting boards, door jambs, picture rail and timber fret work had the same maroon treatment plus there was the added bonus of a wallpaper freeze. I left Mum to tackle the removal of the wallpaper as  I just didn’t have the time (or the patience) to give to that joyful job. Although stripping, sanding and priming the woodwork (several times to stop it bleeding through) took ages, that wasn’t where most of the hours were spent in the hall. It was the walls and ceiling, yet again, that needed the most love.

Primed and the maroon is still bleeding through

There were many, many late nights after work on my trusty milk crate and weekends, chipping away at the flaky paint. There is something gorgeous about real plaster walls though.

Oh, the dust

Again there was another hat rack glued to the wall but thankfully, this one came off without taking too much of the plaster with it. It was slow going but I could see a light at the end of the tunnel (get it?!!).

The front door was very 1970s. But it was solid timber. There wasn’t a spare $500 odd in the budget to replace it and it was growing on me. When the sun shone through the amber glass, the hallway was bathed in a beautiful warm glow. So she was staying for now. She just had to be white!

I discovered that the window above the door actually opened, it had just been painted shut. Using a stanley knife to cut through the paint, I managed to prise it open again. It’s a great way to let in some air without having to have the front door open.  I added a few locks to ensure it was secure also!

I chose to paint the hallway white. Plain old standard white, not one of the hundreds of “shades” of white available. I wanted to keep it clean, crisp and uncluttered and it would reflect lots of light.

Light at the end of the tunnel. Almost there but what a difference already.