Apartment Therapy 8 Step Home Cure!-Roster added 7/16 - Page 5

[Kavita]

Aw, thanks, ps! :

es1967--I don't have pics of the frames. Basically the living room has three frames hung up now, and all are plain black frames with white mattings. One is a square black frame (15x15?) with a big matting with the definition of family printed on the matting and then a 5x5 black and white photo of us as a family when DD was a month old. Under that is a horizontal composite frame with three black and white 4x6 photojournalistic wedding photos. There is also a vertical composite frame for three photos that's in the basement that we will hang next to those if/when we have three other black and white photos that will fit and look good in there. On the opposite wall, there is one 8x10 color wedding portrait, matted so the whole thing is 11x16. The photo is a closeup of our faces/torsos, so 8x10 was big enough. I'm happy with them, and think they look good!

In the bedroom I put one frame on the dresser with a 5x7 of DH and I kissing at our (american) wedding. Then on the wall is a larger frame/larger matting with a 5x7 of DH and I at a meaningful moment in our Hindu wedding ceremony in India (DH is Indian so we had another wedding ceremony in India with his family in attendance.) Both those sets of frames are a muted gold/metallic since that's what looks best in there and matches the frame on our ketubah (Jewish wedding contract. yep, it's quite the interfaith marriage going on here!)

I think that it's important to keep in mind that sometimes less can be more when it comes to framed photos--just a few that you love is better than having a whole ton of them. I think when you have a ton of photos they sort of compete with each other for attention and reduces the impact of each individual photo. JHMO. Also, things in groups of odd numbers are supposed to be more visually interesting than even numbers. So three photos grouped together is better than two photos, generally. If you take a pic I'll totally look at them and give you my opinion if you want!

[p.s]

everyone busy working on their steps?

got my copy in the mail 2 d ago and am lovin'! reading through it.
to all of you who posted good encouragement about this gem of a book. once i start, will also post my progress.

[cece]

Good evening (or good morning, I suppose) everyone,

Sorry to be MIA! I had a crazy adventure with the chicken pox that we're done with now, and then surprise house guests for 4 days (rolls eyes) but it makes me so happy to hear everyone's progress.

I too have been married 4 years and need to frame some wedding pics..it was the only thing that I insisted on spending money on- the photographer-so I should really show off her beautiful work.

I've been really crazy this week but I did accomplish a lot of my fix it list. I really honestly haven't made it all the way through my kitchen deep clean, but I'm working on it, I promise.

Alright, I'm off to sleep. Tomorrow is the farmer's market and a playdate for my now healthy LO, then I'm tackling laundry (guests are leaving) and my bedroom. I still haven't found my wedding ring, wish me luck!

[Kavita]

Have we run aground with the apartment therapy?

Personally, I've deviated from it and have been distracted and onto other matters lately. DD just started preschool (first kid and her first time in preschool or regular out of home care) on Monday, so getting that all set up has taken most of my attention--paperwork, supplies, new shoes since she can't wear sandals and needed new tennies, figuring out packing little nut-free snacks for her for snack time, visiting the school, parent orientation, getting into our new routine, etc.

However, I've been doing some free-style decluttering and organizing! I think that's my greatest need right now. The basement and garage have been driving me crazy, whereas my kitchen is actually in pretty good shape, so I've been focusing in on that. I have been working on laundry too--I have a lot of things that are handwash only (which I do on the machine's handwash cycle) or that need to be washed by themselves, and those have built up in recent months. I have almost all of that stuff washed now, as well as the regular ongoing laundry kept up. One frustrating thing was that I finally got it together to take some things (Indian clothing, sari blouses and salwars) to the dry cleaners, and they wouldn't clean them!!! They just weren't sure if any of the sequins or beads or whatnot would come off and so sent them home with me uncleaned!! So that's currently sitting in the trunk of my car awaiting its fate. But the piles in the laundry area are almost gone. Now I'm going to start washing all the baby stuff that was boxed from the move--it sort of ended up all over the floor from digging through it to find this or that, and the basement floor is perhaps not the cleanest place. After it's all washed I'm going to sort, fold, and put in a more appropriate and organized storage. We're hoping to have another baby in the next year or so, and so we're saving the clothes and stuff that we really like. We cleared a lot of crap in the garage too this past Sunday--there is a yard sale in our future!

I also have done a few more little projects in the rest of the house--a drawer or closet here or there, going through the filing cabinet, etc. And then Monday and today while DD was at preschool I started a project that's making me happy--I decluttered and revamped my stationery box. I have this beautiful paisley/floral printed fabric covered box (with a little window in it) where I keep greeting cards, note cards, postcards, stationery, stamps, address labels, etc. I realized that I had too many unusable things in there (like leftover envelopes that don't fit anything, notecards that I will never use, etc.) but that I often don't have stationery that I like/want to use when it comes time to write a letter or send a note/card. So I went through it, took out things that I don't like/won't use, and then also bought myself some nice new pretty stationery/matching envelopes. I got a nice small address book to put all the addresses of people who I want to actually correspond with (as opposed to former work addresses, people I'm not in touch with anymore, etc.) and am going to fill it out and keep it with that box. I started doing that as well today. And I went to the post office today and brought all my stamps in with me, and then bought corresponding stamps for each of the stamps that I have, so that they are usable. (Because the postage rates went up in May and I still have postcard stamps, first class stamps, and international stamps at the previous rates, but I didn't want to just buy random numbers of 1 cent and 4 cent stamps.) So now I also have proper postage in there too. I think my next move is to print some nice pretty return address labels in my name--since all the freebie ones we get are invariably in my husband's name only, or list my name and first initial weirdly together with his. Since he hasn't written a letter or sent a card to anybody since I've known him, I feel weird sending things in my own name and then having his name on the return address, iykwim. It makes me feel like an antique in one way, and seems redundant in the age of email, but I still feel like nothing can replace the feeling of getting a handwritten note or letter from somebody--there is just something gracious and feminine and pleasantly old fashioned about it. And it makes me feel happy to have beautiful stationery and pens that write well and stamps and addresses right there, so that I can take this box with me to the coffeshop or even just in the car, and write a card or letter while DD is at preschool and I have some time to myself.

cece, how'd the kitchen deep clean go? And did you ever end up finding your wedding ring? Hope so!!

[jenmichelle99]

This book sounds really neat, but they dont have it at my library, half price books, or barnes and noble. I may order it though.

[cece]

Kavita,

The Kitchen deep clean was put on hold because...drumroll please...my SIL arrived for a 4 day visit with a one day notice with her boyfriend...in my two bedroom one bathroom home, followed not a week later by her sister and daughter. The latter I didn't mind at all, but I was wiped out from the first sister and her inability to be a good houseguest. I'm not even going to get into it here, it's not worth it but dang that was exhausting to say the least! She's gone :. Really, the best part of her visit was that she actually listened to me and she DIDN't BRING ANYTHING for DD! yay:! She didn't even buy her anything while she was here. She's big on spoiling her. Last time she came she asked what her favorite characters were (rolls eyes). Oh, her favorite book characters are... I told her the best thing she could bring her is organic strawberries, which is precisely what she brought. My LO indulged her by showing just how crazy she is for fruit. I'm so glad that she is (kinda, sorta) catching on. It's not the holidays yet, so I'll try not to speak to soon, lol.

Thank you for asking, but I have yet to find my wedding ring. While on the one hand, I really liked my ring, it was vintage style hand engraved platinum, I'm also okay with it. I'll keep hoping I run into it sometime or another.

I'm getting another copy of the book tomorrow (had to return to the library) and I am going to get going again on all of this, re read some sections and whatnot. I do think of what I read there all the time though!

K. Off to bed..night!

[Kavita]

Just popping in to post, as I'm bored and need some motivation to continue with the house thing!

DD and I were sick over the weekend and until about yesterday and my neck was so kinked that I was in actual pain, so she was out of preschool Monday and we went to the chiro. I've gotten a few things done, however, but progress has been slow. Today she seems better and was back at preschool, so maybe we'll get into action again!

We've done a lot of sorting of baby clothes from the basement, and then needing to rewash them in order to store them, as they had gotten kind of yukky laying on the floor in the basement!! The baby clothes thread on here though has somewhat reduced my motivation and made me want to chuck a lot more of them out!! This issue is made more complicated because my sister (who lives 7 1/2 hours drive away) had given me all the clothes from my niece (who is now almost 7.) So I barely ever had to buy any clothes at all for DD, and in fact, we often felt like we had too many clothes, more than we would have gotten ourselves if they weren't just given to us. I didn't realize that she (my sis) gave me everything and didn't save any special outfits from my niece, and that she wanted to keep a few cute things from each stage--I thought that I was free to use and pass on, as they aren't having any more kids and she gave them all to me. I had already donated/given away seriously bags and bags of baby clothes, many of them formerly hers, including some she might have wanted to keep, only I didn't realize that at the time. Whoops!! Then I felt really bad, so of course I am not getting rid of anything now!! I want to give her the choice to pick what she wants--unfortunately, since she lives far away and we didn't get around to this during the 1 time she's visited us, I am going to have to take pictures of every single freaking thing, email them to her, and then wait to see what she wants before moving anything out of my house. : So that's just a lot more work and kind of time-consuming.

On the positive note, I got my new address book filled out nicely, and that feels really good. We may even send out a holiday card/letter thingamabob this year--which we have never done, particularly since we're not Christian, but we do enjoy getting them from other folks and so might want to jump into the seasonal fray and keep in touch with folks.

I also got a budget book and am going to work on getting our finances under better control, and have sorted out some things in the office area downstairs. I made a cleaning and housework schedule, which I can already see is probably going to need some modification as it kicked my butt yesterday! I detail vacuumed almost the entire ground floor (it's a 3 bedroom ranch so it's everything but the basement) and mopped a lot of it (it's all hardwood except tile in the bathroom, vinyl in the kitchen and sunroom. There was an unbelievable amount of dirt and dog hair--and the sad part of it is that my DH had actually just vacuumed and mopped late last week, and it was still totally filthy. I am contemplating getting a new vacuum, as the one we have is designed in such a way that there is a lovely stream of air that forcefully blows from the front above the vacuumer-thing, which ends up blowing the dust and hair around and sending it flying up into the air, where it then settles onto high surfaces that I've just dusted or cleaned--like in the kitchen it puts fine dust and hair onto the back ledge of the stove! :

I also deep cleaned our sunroom which has my entire collection of china teacups and teapots on shelves (it's sort of my tearoom) and they tend to get dusty and a little hairy over time because the dogs spend a lot of time in there, and it's the entry point for them to go in and out from the backyard. Everything was taken down, the shelves were cleaned, the china was all handwashed, and it was all rearranged nicely. So that feels nice and DD and I are having a lot of tea parties now.

I still have a lot of stuff to do for DD's preschool--I have to make a photo collage of our family on a page of cardstock they gave me. As I've mentioned, photos aren't my strong suit, so it's a challenge for me. I also have to fill out a bunch of paperwork they just gave me today, and figure out a job there (it's a parent co-op and we need to average 3 hours per month) so that's a little annoying--I feel like *I'm* back in school again!

Well, that's all folks! Anybody else still plugging away? What are you doing this week?

[aolinsmama]

subbing

[kjoy2]

Originally Posted by cece

I love his style of writing, and his stories about helping various people in NYC are really fun to read. Of course, this is coming from a man who lived with his wife and a babe in a 265 sq ft. apartment! I'm buying this one for sure.

Just a bit of inside info:
The guy actually has a family fortune and huge house in the Hamptons to go along with it, which is where he, his wife and baby would spend a lot of time (out of the tiny apartment). I guess I've heard he's a bit of a fraud. But there are some good ideas! Oh well!

[p.s]

Originally Posted by kjoy2

Just a bit of inside info:
The guy actually has a family fortune and huge house in the Hamptons to go along with it, which is where he, his wife and baby would spend a lot of time (out of the tiny apartment). I guess I've heard he's a bit of a fraud. But there are some good ideas! Oh well!

I'm not sure where the fraud part was concluded as I don't think M.G. ever passed himself off as poor nor living in his 265 sq ft apt 24/7. Sounds like jealousy/ envy/ cattiness.
Currently reading through Apt Therapy the second time; excellent IMO.
I also got the AT book on interiors designed, hardbound, with lots of luscious pics and ideas. M.G.'s own apt is featured (and also available to view on the AT website), and it is clearly not low budget. Having a family fortune probably enabled him to start up AT and also to gorgeously design that <300 sq ft apt (rented) which has provided tons of inspiration for those interested in decluttering and spiffing up their homes NON- Ikea style.

FTR, he has moved into an almost triple sized space and is logging its progressing rehab on the AT space... including a most recent purchase of a sofa that cost several thousand $$. I'm glad he was able to share that as I was unfamiliar with that style of sofa and the store from which he bought it. oh, and he's keeping the rehabbed <300 sq ft apt for visiting friends and family (per the AT website). So any clear thinking person can conclude they have some disposable income.

[Kavita]

Originally Posted by p.s

Currently reading through Apt Therapy the second time; excellent IMO.
I also got the AT book on interiors designed, hardbound, with lots of luscious pics and ideas. M.G.'s own apt is featured (and also available to view on the AT website), and it is clearly not low budget.

I got the interiors book too (from the library) and have pretty much plowed through the whole thing (I skipped around a lot but think I covered all the spaces.) It was pretty interesting and I got some ideas. I got a lot of ideas of how I *don't* want my space, too! I realize that I'm glad that I live in a house and not a NY studio apartment!! (Although I have lived in my share of tiny apartments too.) Some of the places they featured are really quite cluttery with all kinds of collections and knick knacks and weird objects. Sometimes it works nicely but I often just shudder in horror at the thought of having to dust all that and/or look at it all day long! I also realize how much of a difference it makes in your design/decor decisons when you have small children. I get a little nervous when I see pics with breakables and things at low levels, but then I remember, oh yeah, they don't have a 2 year old, and they probably don't invite friends with 2 year olds over to their place!! I have candles, plants, and decorative objects too, but they are all up pretty high away from little hands!

--------

On another note, are any of us still actually doing something? I kind of got bogged down in week 2 with the kitchen deep clean, although I am doing other things also. Um, sorry, I have realized that I'm just not willing to go taking everything out of all my cupboards and cleaning the shelves etc. right now. Although I do that more than the average population, probably, anyway. I also started reading/listening to the audiobook of Peter Walsh's "It's all too much" and that has also been a bit helpful and inspiring.

We got a bunch of stuff done in other rooms, and are really tackling the overall issue of fixing things and maintaining things. We have a couple of rooms that need painting, but that will have to happen a bit more gradually and when we have some DD-free time. My DH is really working a lot on the yard, which is an ongoing maintenance issue, and I have cleaned and organized both our closets recently. (Side note: I guess one advantage of a tiny NY studio apartment is that you wouldn't have a front and back yard and a garage and basement that all needed maintenance and cleaning and attention.) Anyway, this week I took all of my Indian clothing that needed dry cleaning to the cleaners this week and got them back. I also tackled DH's closet after he mentioned that he didn't have any clean ironed shirts for work the next day. (He usually irons his own shirts but I was ironing something else so I asked him if he wanted me to iron anything for him since I was at it anyway.) I had started to iron one of his "clean" shirts and noticed that the collar was kind of dingy and put it back to rewash. This whole thing made me curious about what exactly is going on with his work wardrobe, so later in the week when he was at work I checked out his closet and things in there were in bad shape--wrinkly, falling off the hangers, crowded, etc. I realized that his shirts are just needing extra attention that they are not getting, so at the risk of feeling like a 50's housewife I just went through and took all his shirts out of the closet, organized things and vacuumed in there, spray n washed the collars, bought a small bottle of Tide (I usually use a more natural laundry detergent) and washed a bunch of them in small batches and started ironing. I basically got through about 1/3 to half of his closet, and am putting things back as they are getting actually ready to wear--so he doesn't have a closet full of shirts that are supposedly clean but are wrinkled and have sweat stains and ring around the collar. It's hilarious because I swear that until this year I could not iron to save my life--all my boyfriends before DH used to just shake their heads and sigh and iron my clothes for me when needed, because I was just so terrible at it. But I had gotten a Martha Stewart magazine last year that had all kinds of "how-tos" in it and there was one with step by step instructions on how to iron a button front shirt. I copied it and and hung it up right in front of me and ironed a bunch of shirts. This was a few months ago, and now it's like I'm freakin' June Cleaver!! I even bought (non-aerosol) spray starch and everything!

Today I'm going to do the basement--I got some plastic totes for the baby clothes that are ready to be organized, and I'm going to get that crap seriously taken care of today. It's been driving us both crazy and hanging over our heads. Wish me luck!!

[doubledutch]

Originally Posted by cece

My worst room (by far) is my bedroom. I dump everything in there. I also lost my wedding ring almost a month ago, and I *think* the last place I had it was in my bedroom. I am going to do another search in there for it today. I am trying to be positive about it, but I'm ready to have it back now

okay, i'm reading the thread before i officially join and start posting (because i just started reading the book this weekend) but i had to reply to this! i also believe my missing wedding ring is somewhere in my bedroom . . . at least i hope that's where it is, because if not, i lost it outside and it's never coming back.

[doubledutch]

okay, i read the thread, and now i can post for real!

so dh & i did the "interview" last night and i'm happy with our similar wishes for our house. but - now this is shameful, ladies - i'm pretty overwhelmed with just the super basic idea of getting all my floors clean. because that means picking everything up off the floor. i'm going to, i promise, and my house actually isn't a huge disaster, but it would be so much easier if i didn't have a little clutter pile in the dining room corner, and a little pile in the kitchen at the top of the basement stairs, and that broken bookshelf that needs to be taken out of the living room, and clothes on our bedroom floor, and toys/clothes on the boys' floor as well. eh, needs to be done. but that's where i'm at.

super excited about flowers. ds starts gynmastics wednesday, right near a flower shop that i love, so that can become a good little weekly ritual for us. also very excited to spend 10 minutes in my completely unused library. decluttering? that bookshelf is on its way out the door.

[cece]

Originally Posted by doubledutch

okay, i'm reading the thread before i officially join and start posting (because i just started reading the book this weekend) but i had to reply to this! i also believe my missing wedding ring is somewhere in my bedroom . . . at least i hope that's where it is, because if not, i lost it outside and it's never coming back.

Progress mamas...I found my wedding ring! It was in the nightstand in my bedroom, where I looked dozens of times and just didn't see it! Yay! Today's a big day for me, I've been logged off of MDC for awhile, only popping in to read a post or two, and that has been helping me a lot. I think I'll log off of the internet now and check e-mail at nap time. Have a great day, and happy de-cluttering! I am working on the kitchen more today after the realization that the 8 weeks is just too tough a time period for me, it still feels good to make progress.

[doubledutch]

mine also reappeared! ds1 walked up to dh, stuck out his tongue, and there is was. i have no idea where it had been for the past several weeks before that!

but as far as my, uh, home cure is going? yeah. i've done nothing. well, that's not true, i've made some decisions and done the routine stuff, but actual visible progress? not so much.

[Kavita]

Yay for found wedding rings!!

Here I'm feeling just a wee bit behind on things inside today. The blow-off from Hurricaine Ike sent 75 mph winds in our area, knocking around enough trees and power lines that about 75% of the city was without power (and some still are, a week and a half later.) Not complaining--it wasn't a horrible disaster like it was in some areas, but our power was out for five days and that brought with it a lot of other challenges and tasks to do. And we decided to bring our front and back yards into order--they were very much neglected and looking horrible. We mostly don't spend any time in the backyard, it's sort of the dog's area, and was smelly and overgrown and just yuck. We spent most of our time from Thursday to Saturday night working on the backyard, with a few tasks done on Sunday and Monday too. So the yard is a whole lot better now. We did a bit of cleaning and reorganizing on Saturday, and put away most of the candles and flashlights, etc., that were sitting out in the kitchen! Sunday I had to restock the fridge and freezer (we'd had to dump everything out that we couldn't eat right away.) We'd bought a little hibachi-type charcoal grill, and I made dinner on the grill yesterday and we ate outside on our picnic table. It was nice! I also dug out some dead bushes in the front and trimmed the living ones, and weeded and raked and picked up a lot of crap from the front lawn. Yesterday I just chilled out and didn't do much of anything.The inside of the house needs some love today, though! The laundry is starting to really pile up. I was about halfway through the basement organizing/decluttering when the power went out, too, and so that is half done. But I've sort of lost steam and forgotten where I was, iykwim.

On a decor note--I am sort of puzzling over my bedroom and what color to paint it. I went to a friends' house and her house has been newly painted in a number of "pottery barn/crate and barrel" muted/dark neutrals--sort of putty and slate colors. I liked it and I wondered why I never paint anything like that. I often think it looks nice and sophisticated in other people's houses. Then again, it can look too dull and depressing too. So I'm in the throes of indecision and haven't found a good plan yet. Maybe I should just skip it and paint the guest room (which is where DH sleeps, since we have problems with snoring on his part and resulting insomnia on my part.)

[doubledutch]

if you like how her house turned out, why not ask for the specific paint color(s) you like best? you can do it! you could even bring over a piece of your bedding to see how it would look with those walls.

[Kavita]

Originally Posted by doubledutch

if you like how her house turned out, why not ask for the specific paint color(s) you like best? you can do it! you could even bring over a piece of your bedding to see how it would look with those walls.

Yeah, that's an idea. I do think that painting is going to happen sometime soon around here, but I think I might start with the guest room. I did pick out a muted/dark color for that so it will be a nice safe place to paint, as I won't have to spend much time in there if I don't like it! lol I'm going for a more sophisticated, expensive-hotel vibe in there!

The problem I'm having with my bedroom is sort of multi-faceted. One is that although I do sort of agree in general terms with the master bedroom being sacred space and a reflection of you as a couple and a sensual adult retreat yadda yadda, my DH and I don't actually sleep together there the majority of the time. We started sleeping separately sometime when I was pregnant with DD because his snoring and my sleep problems don't mix. Unfortunately, I don't see that arrangement changing anytime soon. So our "couple space" is actually more the guest room, which is also the room where we have the TV and he has his clothes in that closet and his dresser is in there, and I have my dresser and closet in the master bedroom. (it's a 1953 ranch, so built in the era of really small bedroom closets, so even though neither of us is a major clothes-horse we'll probably always retain separate closets in this house as long as that bedroom is unoccupied by someon else, like another kid or something.) DD has a toddler bed in her own room that she doesn't really sleep in--she sleeps with me in my bed. But her toys and stuff stay in her room, with the exception of that night's bedtime stories on the bedside table. So the guest room is for all practical purposes DH's bedroom, and the master bedroom is my bedroom. Generally I go to his room for, uh, conjugal visits, and then actually go back to my room when it's time to sleep.

So that whole situation is affecting my choices in terms of the "tone" of the bedroom. It's kind of a room suffering from an identity crisis, lol! Also--I don't have any sort of actual bedroom furniture, and am not in a financial position to buy a bedroom set right now. I have one old dresser that I got from a rummage sale that is definitely a more traditional style, and is a sort of light greenish color. Then I have the cheap metal bedframe-on-casters thing that you get when you buy the mattress, but no headboard or other more "furniture" like bed, and a wooden tea-cart that was my grandmother's as a bedside table on the side of the bed where I most often sleep. The windows have 2 inch white faux-wood blinds. I have our ketubah (artistic Jewish wedding contract) hanging in there, and that is like a collage print of various bright colors framed in a sort of taupe-metallic that is like a light pinkish white gold. I have a wedding photo on the dresser that is in a brushed gold and silver frame. I have another wedding portrait on the wall that is in a silvery-gold ornate frame and a sort of coarse beige linen matting. I have a quilt and pillow shams that are Liz Clairborne that are various shades of light blue, darker blue, greenish blue, tan linen, and off-white with some flowers and leaves and such. So everything in the room (except the ketubah itself) is sort of screaming "traditional" and not exactly modern. The real stinky part of this is that our living room/dining room/hallway are painted a sort of light, bright cream color that coordinates perfectly with the bedroom, because we originally picked the color out for the bedroom and then decided that it also fit what we wanted for the rest of the house!! So we bought a huge 5 gallon bucket of the stuff and started painting the rest of the house, and never ended up finishing with the bedroom. Now that I've lived with it like this for almost a year, I like the color in the rest of the house, but I don't want *more* of it, iykwim, and I am realizing that I want the bedroom to be sort of set apart and distinct from the rest of the house so that it feels different.

I know this is a lot of narrative description and is probably not giving anybody a clue about what things look like anyway!! I'll have to get it together and post a pic soon!!!

[doubledutch]

kavita! i typed up a big reply a long time ago and the computer ate my post, and i never got back to it. so, i hear you about the non-master-bedroom situation. my insomniac dh sleeps in the living room and his closet it upstairs in the kids' room (finished walk-up attic with three closets). ds2 and i sleep in the "master bedroom" which is about 10x10 and painted pale sky blue and bright ocean blue as we originally thought it would be ds1's room.

so anyway. i like your idea for a sumptuous guest room, since that's where you & dh get romantic anyway. to off-set that, what about a light, clean spa feeling in your bedroom? a silvery or champagne wall color could work with what you've currently got in there and follow along over time if you decide to update your bedding or reframe your wedding photo or whatever it is you want to do to make it feel less traditional.

how is the guest room transformation going, anyway? post pics when you get it painted!