A Before And A {Happy} After

After two straight months of bone dry weather, I awoke to a simple gift~ a rainy day. I so love rainy days. This typical fall weather-wet and windy- put me in the 'get it done' frame of mind. I was happy to stay indoors and tackle something large. I decided that today was a perfect day to cross a 'dread' project off of my list.

We have a very straightforward 1950's cottage with a few vestiges of mid-century still in evidence. The Roman {skinny} brick chimney and fireplace broadcast our home's vintage. I had at one time painted it white, as you can see below. It wasn't horrible but it was glaring in my present decor.

But below is a picture that will surely incite a reaction~ I rarely show this picture to anyone. Please try not to laugh too loudly.

Here is a picture of the fireplace just before we moved in. What do you think? Or a better question, "what was I thinking?" All I can figure out is that we were so transfixed by the panoramic water view that we saw little else.

Yes, I awaken to this vista each morning.

As I mentioned, this paint-over was atop my dread list. But I'm happy to be able to tell you that the project didn't take nearly as much time as I was expecting. I think painting over painted brick was much easier than painting 'naked' brick the first time.

The newly repainted brick~ Laura Ashley Taupe {to match the walls}. I really prefer the brick in retreat. The white brick was just too much of a focal point. The change is subtle but truly effective.

Do you like the after? No more terra cotta red brick nor boring carpet.

Here are a few fall touches on the mantle and on the hearth~

A subtle autumn scented potpourri in a hurricane.

Fall leaves collected in a far away place many years ago.

This generously proportioned green leather chair was a gift to us by my parent's neighbors. 

It presides over the living room and attracts all male visitors. It seems to be a perfect spot of a first cup of coffee on a cold morning.

I enjoy the matching ottoman which is currently doubling as a coffee table.

We have pumpkins growing in our garden which haven't quite reached their peak. As soon as they turn fully orange I will proudly add one to my mantlescape. 

I'm linking to Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style . I hope you'll visit Kim and all the fabulous links featured there today.

Wishing you pleasant rainy day thoughts~

     Dana

PS: A technical flaw of which I was unaware~ I accidentally hit "Publish" prematurely. Now an unfinished copy of this post appears in Google Reader. For those of you that use Reader, I hope you will take a moment to read the entire post at my website. Arrgh! Technology!