One Room Challenge - Week 5 & Changes

Week 5- ok, things are getting serious, there's only one more week left to pull it all together. If you happen to be new to my blog, I'm participating in the One Room Challenge - 20 bloggers, 1 room, 6 weeks, created by Linda of Calling It Home. (previous four weeks here.)

So here's a larger view of the painted white floors. I didn't show them last week because the floors made the baseboards (which hadn't been painted in 10 years) look terrible. So all the trim has been updated in BM White Dove.

The dining table has been refinished but still needs polishing. It is less orange (this pic isn't the best) than before - however my plains to stain it walnut didn't happen. See all those terrible black splotches below - I "made" them by trying to remove the last bits of gummy stripper off with hot vinegar and steel wool. Major no-no! - it reacts w/the tannins in the wood and creates iron stains. I was able to remove the stains with lemon juice and salt but it just left me thinking I shouldn't push my luck. My husband hand made this table when we were newly married and although he didn't say too much, I could tell he was just sick when he saw those stains.

I've also decided to give up on trying to keep the desk in this room. The two rectangular shapes just didn't work so I've brought this round table in. It will be the "library table' with books, etc. I know, it looks orange too. I'm going to glaze the top of it with a gray wash to tone that down.

Another change in plans - no layered mirrors. No matter what angle I place any mirror at, it reflects the ceiling fan! Has to do with the angle of incidence = the angle of reflection which equals ugh!! Dan and I had a pretty good laugh over that. He thought when I pulled out the mirror I would have known this would happen. (My B.S. is in Biology, his is in Physics...)

Here I am toying around with 3 spheres on the mantle. I've also decided not to make a screen with the marble paper but instead to create a herringbone wood insert for my faux fireplace. Let's just say I'm glad it's Daylight Savings this weekend - I'm going to need the extra hour!