Welcome Home!

Most afternoons, when I pull into the driveway, I take a long look at my house as I drive past. Occasionally, after I park, I flip down the mirror and take a long look at myself.

Some days I don’t know which of us looks the most tired.

I’m not exactly sure when my house, a little cedar shake Cape Cod cottage, was last painted, but the years – the seasons of sun and rain – have done their damage. The original Colonial blue has faded to a weathered blue-gray. The green shutters have seen better days.

The paint isn’t peeling. It’s just lost its glow.

Even the high roof has faded and lost its original color.

So, this summer the paint brushes are coming out. By fall I’m hoping to turn that washed-out blue into something warm. Like a rich caramel color or paper-bag brown. With crisp white trim and black shutters.

Color is an important tool. It changes the way we look and feel. It can also change the look and feel of the spaces around us.

Most women know what colors look best on them, as well as which colors make us fade into the background. A white blouse, or red sweater animates us. A little pink on the cheeks and lips can make a big difference.

The same is true for a house. A lipstick solution would be a bright red front door, or a window box full of pink geraniums.

We aren’t planning on major renovations to our house. Just a makeover.

That’s all it takes to go from tired to pretty.

This week in Home

Most home renovations and home improvement projects are on a small scale. A new roof, a new room, or a perhaps new look for an old house.

Spokane Symphony Cellist and Gonzaga educator, Kevin Hekpatmanah, is orchestrating a massive home restoration in a Kirtland Cutter mansion in the West Central area.

With 7,000 square feet to work with, and grand plans to bring music back into the house, he’s got a big task ahead of him.

Hekpatmanah’s endeavor is this week’s cover story.

And speaking of old houses, we’ve got information about the upcoming Allegro and Baroque concerts in the historic Tull house. The events combine beautiful music and tours of a beautiful house.

Julianne Crane introduces us to a local artist who crafts exquisite decorative dolls.

“Prettying-up” the places we live can be as complicated as restoring a 100-year-old mansion or as simple as placing pots of blooming flowers on the front porch.

But the end result, the product of all that time, energy and hard work, is a space that is energized and engaging.