The House of Stuart – Part 3, The Family Room
A Warm and Open Area
My attempt at art: a “House of Stuart” home plaque.
When I was about three and a half years old, I was adopted from Athens, Greece. I went from an orphan to having parents, siblings and a large extended family. I have no memory of my time in Greece, so for me, it is as if I have always been a part of the good ol’ Red, White, & Blue. But every once in a while, something will come up that will remind me that I indeed do not share any genetics with the rest of my family.
One of these instances includes: I am not creative in the most basic form of what it means to be an artist. I cannot draw, paint, quilt or color (very well). I do not have an expansive imagination when it comes to creating art. Yet, many in my kin do, especially my extended family.
My Mom is one of ten children and several of her siblings have some form of artistic skill. Their love for creativity started from their Mother, my late Grandmother. My Grandma was an artist in the truest form. She viewed the world through the lenses of splendor and inspiration. When she was not attending to her many gardens, she was traveling the United States, painting its beauty with the strokes of her brushes.
The warm color on the wall, a couple of my Grandmother’s paintings, and my cat, Nala.
This love was passed down to many of her children. My Mom is a painter, seamstress, and works in the field of horticulture. My Aunt Nancy is a costume designer and a quilter (you may recognize her from this show called OnPoint). My Aunt Mary is a graphic designer, specializing in architecture and her son, my cousin, Carl is the lead graphic designer for the University of Michigan’s Stamps School of Art & Design. Now why I am telling you all of this? Because without their creativity, Stuart would not emulate the homey feeling he gives off now. When I purchased Stuart, one the first rooms I wanted to change was the living room. Since this room was going to be one of the main areas I would spend my time in, I wanted it to feel as homey as possible. This was not the initial feeling.
Without their creativity, Stuart would not emulate the homey feeling he gives off now.
Before I moved in, the living room walls were painted in a dark blue/gray color. The room is not very large so with the dark color displayed on each wall it made the area feel even smaller, more enclosed. I remember mentioning this to my Mom, with her replying, “We will paint it in a warmer tone and I think I’ve got a color in mind that you will like.”
As mentioned before, my Mom is a painter. But when it comes to DIY painting, she is the Master. There are very few people I know that can paint as well and as efficient as she can. So after getting the keys to Stuart, she and I traveled to Sherwin-Williams and found the color that is now displayed on each of the walls in the room. With her care, creative and critical eye, she turned my cold living room into a warm, open area that I settle into after a day’s work.
Since the painting makeover, I have added some family décor. Two of my Grandma’s paintings hang throughout the room bring life to the bare walls. Subsequently, since finishing her Learning To Quilt series, Aunt Nancy has allowed me to display the the project quilt on the largest wall. I even tried to be artsy and created a home plaque for Stuart that now hangs by my front door. Because of all the family touches, the living room has really turned into my family room. Nala seems to think so too.