So with the help of a color consultant, we have decided to exile to the foyer the vivid tangerine we painted the living and dining rooms that first summer in the house so many years ago. The renovation process has long since outrun its initial phase of physical transformation, and we are now engulfed by a wave of symbolically freighted associations whose depth neither of us fully appreciate. It feels like a transition for us as much as it is for the house itself. Nothing is ever simple.

In following the lead of our consultant, we have elected a more mature and less reckless approach. Most everything will be pulled together – instead of bold colors on the walls, a softer vibrancy has ascended to the ceilings and the walls will recede to the background to showcase the art that will hang upon them. While the logic and appeal is undeniable, I fear selecting and arranging books by color instead of substance is not far behind.

The pace of change will quicken over the next few days. The cabinets have been delivered and should be installed soon. We are moving back to Capitol Hill tomorrow and expect to actually be back in the house by Thursday – after spending a few days with our friends and neighbors. In the meantime, here is how things look (though somewhat obscured by the boxes of cabinets).

Wing Attack Plan R has been issued, and there is no recall code. By this time next week, the tangerine walls will be no more.

The floors are fully refinished, and we await the next transformative step…