Hinting at Story, Hinting at Period

Since I do not have hundreds of thousands for a total remodel and repair of this old house, there's just no point attempting to make this disjointed house tell a consistent, lovely story. Plus, I do want to experience the discipline of not having a "design budget." This is the reality of most budgets. So what to do?

Even as the story translates to juicy design elements throughout the house, I’m cutting it back. ... and cutting it back even more. Erasing most: I am NOT doing the picture railing throughout the public areas. I’m not repainting the existing trim that wonderful green, nor the walls the rich champagne. It's money and time I don't need to use up. It hurts- some, since the designer me can see how elegant it would look! No, instead, I'm understanding that I need just need a few hints.

To satisfy my design urge, I'm putting up beadboard to 76"  in two places: The hideous little hallway entrance to the kitchen - our S curve that you saw in my November 28 post, "Searching for an Affordable Honest Man", and the small hallway leading to the half bath. Ultimately the bathroom will get the new palette and beadboard as well. That palette will be bright white on the beadboard, champagne accent and on the high bit of wall remaining above the wainscoting, this wonderful dark heritage blue I found. That way the S-Curve will hint at Country when people enter, and also be brighter and way nicer. The palette reappears in the bathroom hallway as another hint of period and then may become my palette when I finish the master bathroom in the former laundry room. I'd love to have a beadboard and rich blue bathroom!

Another trick I may want to do - since the pretty green I was going to do as the common area trim is not happening now, is bring the white, the blue AND a more mellow green into the kitchen in "Florida Cracker" style, which really speaks to me and about me:

architect, Jim Strickland of Historical Concepts

The cabinets will be white generally, but there will be "surprises" of green and accents of the same dark blue in strategic places. 

Hmmm what color the island?!