• September 12, 2024

Evanston Mansion Renovation – Temporary Primary Bedroom

Exploring how we selectively painted to reduce the amount of red woodwork without changing the amazing character of this beautiful old mansion in Evanston, Illinois.

Follow along!

• Episode 1 – Exterior and Foyer
• Episode 2 – Library and Family Room
• Episode 3 – Dining Room and Porch
• Episode 4 – Kitchen and Pantry
• Episode 5 – Stairwell and Landing
• Episode 6 – Primary Bedroom and Bathroom
• Episode 7 – Porch and Third Floor
• Episode 8 – Lower Level
• Episode 9 – Laundry and Guest Bath
• Episode 10 – Kitchen and Pantry After Demo
• Episode 11 – Primary Bath and Closet After Demo
• Episode 12 – Laundry and Guest Bath After Demo
• Episode 13 – Third Floor After Demo
• Episode 14 – Temporary Primary Bedroom

Transcript

Welcome back to the Evanston Mansion Renovation Series, where we are now in the demolition phase.

We’re standing in what’s going to be the room that’s going to be used as a primary bedroom, temporarily. We’ve installed new light fixtures, better lighting, brighter.

And something that we’ve been trying to do throughout this process is to reduce the amount of red woodwork that’s up here. We’ve elected to keep this built-in cabinet stained because it’s very, very beautiful. But we’ve done something a little different with the trim.

So previously, all of the trim that you see in this room was this color. And what we’ve done throughout this third floor is we’ve painted all the base trim. We’ve painted all the windows.

We’ve painted all the windowsills, all the window casings. What we left the doors and the decorative stained glass transom is stained, so they really pop against that trim. Before, it was almost hard to see that transom because it was just in a sea of orangey red. Now I feel like it becomes a focal point with the painting of that trim.

If you’ve missed any episodes of this incredible journey, go back and watch from the beginning.