This is the story of a serial renovator with a serial addiction to Remodelista. The story goes like this. I was moving to a temporary home while I built a new one. The house, a new spec, needed something punchy. I referred to Remodelista’s Palette & Paints and Restaurant Visits posts. There it came to me.

Paint. It’s cheap. Throw some words on the walls. So I did. In the basement level, the wine cellar looked like a closet. My friend Steve Shadley mentioned the monologue from Sideways. I hired Rick Freeman, a sign painter, and suddenly the wine room was a fun room, and not just because of the wine. To the right is the guest bedroom. Dreary. I thought of all the polka dots I’d seen on Remodelista, and bam. A polka dot room. Why not? It’s just paint, after all. Then I asked my daughter Dexter if there was a quote she’d like in her bedroom. She said, “Don’t Cry Because It’s Over, Smile Because It Happened.” Dr. Seuss never fails. Then there was the dining room. Disappointing. Until I remembered the words. “We’re Glad You’re Here.” And guess what? Rick did it again. And just think, all it took was a little paint.

Photography by Nick Reid.

Above: Rick Freeman used Benjamin Moore chalkboard paint in the dining room.

Above: In the kitchen, a trio of industrial stools from Rejuvenation and a pinboard with black and white postcards.

Above: Rick Freeman painted a monologue from Sideways on the entrance to the wine cellar.

Above: My daughter Dexter’s bedroom, with the Dr. Seuss quote “Don’t Cry Because It’s Over, Smile Because It Happened.”

Above: The numbered hooks are from Solo in Solano Beach, the vintage storage baskets are from Rejuvenation, and the striped towels are from Coastal on Nantucket.

Above: A polka dot guest room. Why not? It’s just paint, after all.

Ed. Note: We’ll be giving away a signed copy of Diane Keaton’s splendid new book House ($53.55 from Amazon) in a Pinterest contest next week. Stay tuned.

N.B. Have you seen Diane Keaton’s library where she uses more words on walls; Seeing Different: The Artful Home Library?