The List

"Phase One" of decorating this house involved painting everything, doing a few small trimwork and "finish" projects (wainscoting in the dining room, new hardware and crown molding for the kitchen cabinets), and buying the "must have" pieces of furniture for our most used rooms. Phase one was a harried few months, involving weekends consumed with trips to the local hardware store, Sherwin-Williams, and hunting for a great room sofa that was not only comfortable, but also good looking and large enough to fill the space.

"Phase Two" will be much slower. It involves all of the finishing touches, filler pieces, and accents. Phase two could be completed rather quickly if money were no object, but reality means that all of the items on my list will be crossed off as I find bargains (or find unexpected money to "splurge".) It's not a terribly lengthy list, and I don't have any certain priority arrangement. I've resigned myself to the fact that it may take quite a while to cross off everything, but I'm certainly enjoying "the hunt."

1. Living room lamps. I found the perfect lamps last summer at Tuesday Morning. They were a relative bargain, but I  had already exhausted my shopping budget at the time, so I didn't pick them up. I've since found the lamps online at prices I am neither willing or able to pay. They are simple and clean lined, and given the popularity of crystal lamps right now, should be easy to find. But, alas, no luck yet:

2. For that same room, I need art and/or a mirror for the wall. I'd love a big silver quatrefoil mirror flanked by a pair of brackets that hold some sort of objet. And a somewhat abstract piece that has a slightly musical theme.

3. For the dining room, a new table and a pair of head chairs. I love the four side chairs I have now, but the current room really needs to seat six, and the 4-foot round table I have just looks too small for the space.

4. Drapes for the living and dining room. I'm thinking something along the line of a Kelly Wearstler Imperial Trellis. Maybe just a solid panel with a band of a similar geometric print on the leading edge. (If only I'd snatched up a few panels of Z Gallerie's "Tango" before they were pulled for copyright infringment!)

5. A pair of chairs for the study. We have a "gaming area" set up on one side of our study where we can indulge our inner child with the latest Wii and Playstation games. A couple of small-scaled leather chairs are in order, and I feel certain I can find those at TJ Maxx or Marshalls when I'm ready. Likewise, the study needs drapes. The walls are a silver-blue, and wood pieces are dark cherry. I currently have an old rug in primarly gold and dark red tones that I would like to keep in that room, but the drapes are going to have to pull all of those colors together.

6. The master bedroom has the largest list of things to buy. It needs new  bookshelves, a chaise lounge, drapery, a chandelier, and some piece of furniture to hide all of the television-related equipment in.

7. For the morning room, we're thinking of a piece of furniture that can serve as a bar, and another pair of comfortable chairs for morning coffee, as well as probably replacing the existing table and chairs.

8. And finally, a whole host of small accessories and art pieces for different places throughout the house.