Out with the Oak, In with the New

If you lived smack-dab in the middle of the country like I do, you'd probably notice that a large majority of people here love their stained cabinetry and millwork (with oak being a favored wood.) For those of us who are not fans of this look, what it means is that lots and lots of painting has to be done.

My most recent project has been painting the oak chair rail moulding in our hearth room.

Not only does this lighten and brighten the walls, it also removes the dark horizontal line that divided the walls in two. Now the room isn't as broken up, and your eye has more interesting places to go than straight to that moulding.

I've even converted my husband's tastes from the oak to the painted trim, which is great except for the fact that he's ready to paint ALL of the trim in the entire house! While I would love that look, the thought of actually doing the labor makes me feel the need to schedule an emergency vacation...

At any rate, my paintbrushes' next destination is the chair rail moulding in the front entry hall and the stairway banister and handrail. While not high-impact or fun projects, these will definitely help to elevate the look of my circa 1990-s, oak-lovers-delight, home.

Cheer me on, home-decor cheerleaders! :)