No More Exposure

We were in a rush to get some curtains or blinds in the bedrooms, but stalled when it came to the first floor.  I mean, we didn't have any neighbours, so it felt weird, but it probably wasn't all bad.  And although I love all of the light and openness that comes from the number of windows we have, it is quite an investment to cover them up!  It's not just the curtains, it's also the curtains rods and hardware, and blinds as well.

We had bought some of those temporary stick-on shades for the main windows before Christmas ... but then never got around to actually hanging them up.  :)

I love the colour of our light grey walls, but decided it was time for some colour to warm things up.  I've started to become more influenced by colour.  Originally, I was loving the soft, neutral calming tones (example: For the Love of a House), but now I am much more inspired by The Painted House.  I think enjoying colour, especially when you have little ones in the house, is much more fun.  And it creates a warmer, more lived-in space.

(or maybe that's just my excuse for my inability to choose a colour scheme and stick with it and/or ability to put together a cohesive space . . . )

So, in a mass-attempt to "get it together" and make use of our holiday vacation time, we went out on a mission to get all of the hardware we needed - at least for the living/dining room ... which was itself 12 window panes in all!  And because the first floor is such a wide-open flowing space, I wanted to make sure that we were (trying to be) coordinating or consistent.

We bought up all of the white Roman shades in a number of sizes from Lowes, and even had to stop at an additional store to get some more.  Then we found these curtain rods for the living room:

... And this cute bird one for the dining room:

And here was our pile when we unloaded:

We have had to tackle it a few windows at a time (and we still aren't done).

Anyway, it was all driven by my excitement at having found some awesome curtain panels from Anthropologie.  Like I said, I was departing from my original plan, and was eager to add in some colour.  When I saw these yellow-gold Coqo Floral panels I fell in love.  And luckily my friend Jenn encouraged me to jump right in.  :)  

I really can't say enough about them.  Although they are a little pricey, they are a sturdy weight, lined and sooooo pretty.

How cute is this box they came in?

Brian starts to put up the Roman shades

And of course the kids had to get a piece of the action - the ladder.

Jacob reaches the top!

She wasn't sure she wanted to go all the way....