I'd like some new stain with a side order of shine

So this weekend I began sanding the buffet, what a task. Eventually all of the trim is going to need sanding and stain as well. The current stain on a majority of the wood work is a darker walnut. It's something that doesn't necessarily need to be completed immediately but something that would make a HUGE difference. Of course there are paint splatters, scratches andscrapes throughout. There also isn't much of a shine to it.

I want to get all of the big messes done in the first year or so, so why not just begin the sanding now? Here is where the problem comes in. I am stumped on what color of stain to use on the wood. Should I do a light cherry, a dark cherry? The possibilites are endless. I want a deep dark rich red, but then again a medium cherry might be nice. Does anyone have any suggestions?

I may just end up going with a dark cherry stain to keep the woodwork looking classic, yet giving it some vibrance. I'll post some pictures of the work in progress very soon.

The Finished Product. Well... Almost.

We had a very successful housewarming last weekend. Friends and family finally got to come over and see our new place and the progress we've made on it. It was so nice to have the place full of people we love. The house has definately been "warmed". We couldn't have done it without our mothers. They made all of the food for the party and many many thenks go out to both of them.



So here are some photos of the party and the almost finished product. The finishing touches of the living room and Dining room will take place this coming weekend and then onto the next project.

What do you think I should put above the fire place? I need some suggestions. I have this large mirror in the living room and don't want mirrors on every wall. Is anyone aware of any new trends for decoration above the mantle or know of anything that might go good with what I have? I'm sort of lost.







No, that's not a doll on my couch. It's my nephew, Luke.

I'm starting to like it.

I'm starting to like the paint. Here are a few pictures of the Living room and dining room (our main focus, which is soon complete... for now).

I cleaned and oiled all of the wood work on the buffet and trim, what a chore! It took awhile but it paid off. We still plan on restaining and polying but now it's not quite so urgent.

Check out the back wall going up the stairs. On my first post you can see the old dark paneling, which I think is definately going to make a comeback soon. ;) Doesn't it look so much better?

What do you think of the LR paint?

More paint...

We are almost done painting the living room. We did a really nice color called Cottswald, Benjamin Moore of course. I think it looks pretty good with the other color, Flora, in the Dining room. I'm not really sold on it though. I typically 2nd guess myself everytime I paint a room. It looks so much better than the smokey yellow color so I really can't complain.

We got the chimney cleaned as well and had our first fire last night. What a good night for it! It was around -10 below last night. Brr... We are trying to move at the speed of light to prepare for our housewarming on Saturday. I am starting to realize that the house won't be perfect but we have come so far. We really needed to have the party before everyone had seen the house (which not too many people have).

I haven't taken any pictures of our progress over the last week but will post some tomorrow.

New paint!

Everything is coming together, slowly but surely. We are trying to just get the paint done on the first floor before the big reveal, aka house warming party. Unfortunately nothing is going to be too revealing considering I give you all of the sneak peeks here. This is the new paint color in the dining room. The red is finally gone! We are hoping to have the living room painted by next week. Then I can finally begin putting things away without worrying about a coat of dust on them.

What do you think of the paint?