Terrible Ideas... Don't You Just Love Those?

"The Trick To Overcoming Buyer's Remorse Is To Have A Plan. Pick One Room, And Make It Yours. Go Slowly Through The House And Introduce Yourself So It Can Introduce Itself To You." ~ Under The Tuscan Sun Kinda how I'm feeling right now. Completely overwhelmed with all that has to be done to this house. The truth is it has great bones, but there is just so much to do! I know Rome wasn't built in a day, but it would be really awesome if our new home could just come together. We have barely started and already it seems endless. I'm channeling my inner Francis Mayes. No I didn't buy a villa in Tuscany, if I had the money for that, I wouldn't be writing this now! But I did buy a giant farm house in Epping NH, which I would like to eventually exude the feeling of a villa in Tuscany. Having found my true self in Italy and having read and watched Under the Tuscan Sun over 30 times combined (I get obsessive when I find something that speaks to me) It's now time to project that feeling into the house. When we first saw the house the owners did an amazing job of staging it. I think she must have been an antique collector becuase nothing in that house was younger than 40 years! It had a fabulous "This Old House" feeling. Maybe not the most practical of placement for things - who needs a children's school desk from 1920 in the mudroom? But it felt earthy and interesting. We had to look beyond the staging to the soul of the house because that is what we would be left with. And at the end of the day the wide Oak floors, exposed beams and floods of sunlight are what called our name. Our own little Bramasole. This is how our dining room started, a lovely shade of lime/mint green. It wasn't awful but it was poorly done and was not singing to me. So the idea came from a leaflet at Lowes that was entitled Tuscan Sun! Un Segno! We would paint the walls in Eclipse (shout out team Edward) and then once dry we would go over the whole thing with a pearlized version. First in Xs then with a flat trowel in swirls. The idea is to create that Tuscan Stucco Look... After 5 hours of precise taping and another 3 of painting, the Eclipse No VOC paint (no fun getting high off fumes on a ladder)has been applied. VOILA! It took almost the whole weekend, But I think we did it! Once we get some furniture in here and stuff on the walls, it just may be the beginings of our European retreat! What do you think of the Antler chandelier? Pete says if you're gonna play that game you have to go huge. I say there is a fine line bewteen rustic and redneck. That should be on a t-shirt. I'm thinking a collection of Mason jars with lights is more what we need. Thoughts?