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House & Home
Inner
Space: Rather Than Climb the Walls, Spring is still off in the distance somewhere. You've got a bad case of Cabin Fever. For reasons you'd rather not think about, you can't take a vacation. ... The walls are starting to close in. ... What to do? Well, rather than climb the walls, you could paint them. ...
These days, without the toxic fumes that used to come wafting out of the paint can {caused by VOC's -- volatile organic compounds}, it's not out of the question to consider painting indoors in winter. In fact, with just a little ventilation, especially if you can catch a relatively warm late winter day, and especially in a south-facing room, even a small window opening, particularly if you place a portable fan facing out, should be more than adequate. You can even purchase special low-odor paints, with the lowest VOC, and once you're done, vacate the premises for the evening for dinner and a movie. Don't forget, the whole idea here is to keep that Cabin Fever at bay. ... Brightening things up a bit ... Granted,
it wasn't winter, but a couple of years back when I visited my mom in the
apartment she's been living in since 1960, she was down in the dumps. We
talked about it some, but I quickly realized that no amount of talk alone was
going to lift her spirits. ... "What'd brighten your day," I finally asked. She thought a moment, then answered fairly quickly. "Well. If someone really wanted to brighten my day, they'd paint this kitchen." ... Notice, if you will, that it wasn't her kitchen, but this kitchen. The fact is, when our environment isn't what it ought to be, doesn't feel right, then the tendency is not to lose yourself in it, but rather, loose yourself from it. In short, she didn't feel at home ... at home. Well, the "someone" in question was, of course, no question at all. So I set to ... moving or covering the tables and chairs and whatever else needed protecting ... making a little work space ... getting the brushes & rollers together, as well as the paint. Now the work could begin. What it takes ... It was about 10 a.m. on a Wednesday morning when we'd first started that conversation. I began work around noon, worked until six, got up early the next morning, and by 2:30, it was done. A roughly 300 square-foot kitchen, walls and ceiling both ... not to mention the four windows, the door, and the full-wall, four-inch trim at the baseboard and mid-height, as well as the old door in the wall for drop-out ironing board -- all had been transformed from a dim yellow single tone to a bright off-white eggshell with an aquamarine trim. Not only that, but I figured, what the heck, so I also did the small foyer -- about another 100 square feet -- adjoining the kitchen, along with its seven-foot archway. Note, too, that a fair bit of the time was spent prep'ing the space -- all that moving and covering and shifting things around. My mom is something of a collector to begin with, and she likes to make use of just about every square inch of space, so you can imagine what the kitchen held after forty years in the same apartment. What you have to look forward to ... An old high school English teacher once told us: "Misery doesn't just love company. Misery loves miserable company." But why be miserable, even if you have someone equally miserable to share it with, when a fresh coat of paint can be just what the doctor ordered to get you out of the doldrums? Not only will your paint job brighten up the room -- and you may as well set to work on a room you spend a fair bit of time in -- it can also transform that antsy feeling, that un-named yearning for something else that we call Cabin Fever. It strikes lots of folks this time of year. But you don't have to fall helpless victim to it. ...
But even before you actually begin to rearrange the furniture and lay the first coat, you may find that simply looking through the color cards -- on line or at the local hardware store -- will begin to have an effect. ... Think about it. ... Somewhere back in autumn, after that brilliant blaze of color, things went kind of dismal. Brown, black, gray. The snow comes as a welcome relief -- at least at first -- since it brightens things up, and even hides the leftover chores in the back yard you never got around to. But even with a fresh coat of snow, unless you look very closely, by this time of year, the best it gets is black and white. ... A little color can go a very long way. Maybe even until the first crocuses begin to bloom. So if you're going to tackle the job anyway, why not think about adding some color to the project!?! ... If you're inspired to take on an indoor painting chore, then jump on over to our Weekend Warrior section for An Interior Painting Primer. But even if you haven't decided to give it a go, you can always check this month's Links to House & Home On-Line where you can, with a simple click, at least look at some of the color samples from the likes of Benjamin Moore, Sherwin-Williams, and others ... or find more tips for making your painting project a success. Meanwhile ... Take care. And don't let Cabin Fever get the best of you, eh!?! ... . . ******* ******* If you would like to submit something for our House & Home section, don't hesitate to let us know. Simply e-mail us at house@downstreetmagazine.com. The e-mail should contain your name, address, and a phone number where we can reach you. You may also send a copy of your proposed article. The text can either be included in the body of the e-mail, or you can send it as an attachment in just about any word processing format. If your piece is accepted, we will pay a small honorarium for your interest & your time. [See Freelancers Wanted for more details.] ******* ******* If you would like to advertise in this section, or throughout the magazine, please visit our Advertising Info Pages ... or call, write, or e-mail ads@downstreetmagazine.com. ******* ******* |
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