Our First Restoration

Bill and I met while he was restoring our home in Hopewell; emptying mud insulation, re-framing and siding with an addition. He bought this house having a cracked main beam, walls bowed & separated from floors, no windows or front door and chickens living in it creating a near foot of manure. He had a hammock, electric burner & blanket, a hose outside and outhouse to use. His down vest was covered in duct tape and I made mine in the seventies from a "revolutionary" Whole Earth Catalogue kit. Christian wears it now. While staying home, I am cleaning closets (finding old photos etc.) and making a new office for Bill here.

My Go-To White Paint

The kitchen, coatroom and mudroom here will all be painted Benjamin Moore's "Decorator's White"... and old thin beaded trim Benjamin Moore's "White" which will be a shade lighter to stand out. Cool "Decorator's White" has always been my go-to white paint since the seventies and I started painting rooms. It is considered an architect's white, great for showing off art and architecture.

Christian has decided to leave the very old framing and insulating bricks exposed in this kitchen nook and soon the old; small doorknobs newly polished will be added back to the stripped and repainted doors.

The old brass hardware was cleaned with 0000 steel wool and then buffed on a wheel with Tripoli compound.