home decor: paint

Back to our mini makeover. I have to admit that I’m really lost on paint ideas. On one hand I see this as an opportunity to go in a new direction. I like our blue walls but I have this chance to change it up. It’s exciting to think we might be able to transform the space through paint.

via Martha Stewart, Deputy Decorating Editor Rebecca Robertson

I have never ever painted a room white BUT I’ve been giving it serious consideration. With the right art I think the white will actually make a great statement. Now I don’t actually own any amazing art, and I don’t think our penny budget is going to allow for any great art purchases.

my favorite oil painting, me and my brother

On the upside, I did manage to snag two of my favorite oil painting when I was at my mother’s house (above). My current dilemma (now that they are in our home) is that I’ve realize they aren’t as large as I imagined them. And I’m whishy washy over the frames but they are the original frames and I see these paintings as family heirlooms so I don’t know if I want to change them.

If I did go with color paint it would probably be blue (again). Maybe darker this time? Or much much lighter? If you hadn’t noticed, I puffy heart love-love-love blue.

Are there any colors you’ve always wanted to see in your home? Or better yet, what color is your space? And do you love it?

home decor: mini makeover

water damaged wall

I never mentioned it but back in April we got a leak. That nasty little leak sprung in six areas causing minor damages to four walls. Repairs have left patches of white plaster in both the living room and entry way. Initially, the most upsetting thing was that I’d need to repaint our entire space. I hate painting.. it’s always an exciting project at first but towards the end it just seems tedious. Clean-up is the worst!!

Worst!!

Mentally, the leak was draining. Our space was finally at a place where I was happy. I felt like the biggest purchases were behind us. I was more then happy with the results and all that was left to do was some accessorizing. The thought of having to repaint made me feel like I was back at step one. Then something happened and I have no idea what it was but after a few weeks of sulking – I started to get excited about the prospect of painting. I mean, it’s like an opportunity for a “do over.” There isn’t much I want to do over (or so I thought) and well, now I had my excuse to tell the husband we were making some changes to our décor. In some funny cosmic crazy way my husband was like “ok.”

In my world that’s like the sky parting and angles singing.

more water damage in the corner of the wall

The first time I decorated I went about it all the wrong way. I’ve discussed those issues before both here and here. The dinning room table that I hate. The couch that was too large so I ended up returning it two years later. I always wish I would have planned the space out before decorating and I wish I had given more thought to art work. I’ve learned A LOT from all my fumbles and I’m going to try and use those mistakes as a foundation for being a better designer this second time around.

I’m giving myself nine to twelve months to complete this mini-makeover. One of the many things I’ve learned is that the best things come to you over time. I also need to put lighting at the top of my list. It’s always been on my list but in four years it’s managed to simply stay on my list, never getting crossed off. I’ve finally added some lights to our bedroom and I’ve realized the impact good lighting can have on a space. I also think I’m going to finally change out our dinning room table. I have some new ideas that I’m excited about.. just need to find a table that makes my heart skip a beat.

I have lots of ideas and I need to narrow down those ideas. I need this to be well thought out and I need to be budget conscious. And for once I’m excited about the challenge of attempting to make an amazing space with just a few pennies.

Anyone else in the throws of a makeover? Or still getting their space “just right”?

home decor: hallway

Back in December we painted our hallway. We being my mother and I. Its become our December ritual. She comes for my birthday and during her week long stay I find something to paint and thus slowly all the walls in my home are getting beautified. You may recall that I posted about it briefly here when I was looking at paint swatches. I wanted a really milky chocolate but everyone kept steering me towards a lighter pallet. Fortunately I’ve realized I prefer richer colors and went with my gut feeling. I’m so happy with how it turned out and the color really pairs well with our wallpaper.

Please ignore the $3 light fixture. I’ve been searching for the last year and still nothing makes me swoon. Some day…

our hallway

Wondering, should I paint the doors? Perhaps a gloss black.

home decor: closet paint

Happy Presidents Day to those who celebrate!

My husband and I just finished having cocktails in the kitchen, which is much needed when listening to CD’s of children’s music and rhymes. Why are the songs always so dreadful? Not that it matters since the cocktails managed to make it all bearable and amusing. I am now “paying bills” which translates to popping into my blog. Please don’t tell my husband about this fib. Though I must run soon as we are headed out to a local lounge for more drinks while socializing with our neighbors. Votes for the co-op board are coming up so there is much to discuss.

I wanted to mention that I did some painting this weekend that didn’t come out too well. Today I repainted with much better results. Also, colors for my closet have weighed heavily on my mind this weekend. Don’t shoot me but I’m thinking pink. My friend Parker suggested red and when I think cherry red I’m completely intrigued but on the other hand I don’t want a dark color. I’d love to do a plum but again, too dark. So I’m thinking the palest of pinks. I even tested a swatch this weekend but I’m not sold. I need to think about this one a bit more though I’d like to start on the project mid March.

I found this lovely image while searching pink over the weekend. The fact that there is yellow in the room has me smitten.

via Domino Magazine

 

 

beautiful living

Happy Friday folks!!

I have a packed weekend ahead of me but I am looking forward to the extra day off. Not sure when I’ll be back in here but wanted to drop off something beautiful.

I came across this image while looking for some inspiration for my closet. Lovely, no?

House Beautiful - Photograph by Don Freeman, Interior design by Betsy Brown

 

 

home decor: walk in closet & paint

Yesterday we purchased an Elfa closet system from the Container Store. My husband swears we can install this together, as a team. For the record, we don’t install anything together. We did that with our Crate&Barrel entertainment center. At the end of that process I was contemplating divorce court. I fully admit to having morphed into another person and saying bad bad things to myself and my husband. Thank goodness we didn’t have a child then – I was just really pregnant. It was horrible and in the end I wanted to not only divorce my husband but myself! Yet, my husband says we can do this… well, what he really said was “You can yell at me for two hours if that means we’ll save the installation fee. I can take it.” I’m still contemplating this one.

This is similar to what we purchased. We went with the same birch wood but with platinum shelving.

Elfa Closet System from Container Store

 

Now I’m wondering about paint colors. I mean, if I’m going to be removing our current shelving and every thing else that’s in there then why not paint? It’s a closet so almost any thing is game, right? It should somehow work with our bedroom which is painted a charcoal grey. Still, I’m willing to consider most anything. Ideas?

home ideas: paint by color

I‘m particular. Clear minded if you will. Instinctively – I love it or I don’t.

But wait, hold on. It must be mentioned that I selected the most phenomenal couch, which we returned to the manufacturer two years later. It didn’t work within the dynamics of my home. My mother and I spent an afternoon last December meticulously hanging 12 photos on my living room wall. Each image was perfectly spaced and leveled. The photos were hand picked and arranged with precision. This past December we took them all down. The scale was all off. Two years ago on a June summer morning my husband and I walked into Bloomingdale’s out of pure boredom. We left with a dinning room table. I’ve come to hate that table. I hate how the legs bow out. Plus, the chairs are all wrong and not my style in the least bit. I hate them as well. I’m presently in the process of convincing my husband we need to Craig List the entire set. Shrug!

The point is, I know exactly what I like. But when I bring it all together, sometimes things don’t work. I’ve learned a lot about my style through trial and error. And as you can see, I’ve had a lot of error in decorating our current home. So when someone recently asked me for help I felt conflicted. I’m just finally figuring out my style after two years of racking my brain. I’m not certain I should be anyone’s go to person on help but I will try. Tammy wrote:

I would like to do a mini- make-over to my apartment by the spring, lived there for 7 years and have not change the antique white paint on the walls. Any ideas, shall I go for light colors, neutral or dark? I have large windows so I get a lot of sun light, so maybe light colors would not be such a good idea.

The palest green or blue would be gorgeous. I’m thinking so pale that the hint of color is only visible when the light cascades through your windows. Or a bold butter yellow that drenches your wall in color. And I love see-through-pink or sex-and-the-city-teal. My neighbor did an olive green that I adore. Your options are endless but I do think your personality should guide you. I’m listing a few easy steps you might want to follow:

1. First, decide on your style and vision. Then, stick to it! This might be dictated by furniture you already have if you plan to keep it. I think the style you decide on should guide all your choices and thus eliminate error or a room that looks miss matched.

2. Decide on a color that YOU like. At the end of the day it’s about you coming home and loving the space that you walk into.

3. Don’t be scared of color and don’t feel like you need to play it safe. I personally love deep bold colors, I love pale pallets and I think white can be a phenomenal choice. Regarding white, I think it works when that is the color you intended the walls to be.

4. Be open to error. If you mess it up, it’s a pain to fix. I’ll admit that. BUT it’s also *just* paint. Test your color first by painting a swatch on the wall and live with if for a few days. I have skipped this step several times and I deeply regret it. Either way, it’s relatively inexpensive to correct a problematic paint job. Cut yourself slack and know that it’s ok to repaint.

Tammy – I hope that helps. I think you need to figure out the best color for you. For inspiration I’ve included several photos below. All images are from House Beautiful. 

Buena suerte!

 

 

Pale Green

 

Pale Yellow

 

Simply White

 

Sunny Yellow

 

Lavender Pink