November, 2011

...now browsing by month

Bedroom Online Color Consult

Wednesday, November 30th, 2011

I recently was asked to help with an online bedroom color consultation. I have helped this particular client in the past with a color consult online for her dining room which she ended up loving the final results! Her latest project is that she needs help with was her master bedroom:

She wrote that she wanted to update her bedroom and did not know where to start. The carpet is chocolate brown and has to stay for now. The bed is actually a platform bed (her husband bought it she was quick to tell me) and also needs to stay for the time-being. She needs help choosing a wall color because she is tired of her green walls.

My first thought was how beautiful her artwork was. I just love her flower print:

The home owner loves it too so I decided to choose my colors from the picture. I had her try a couple different samples and the color she loved best was Alexandria Beige HC- 77. This beige is a color in the print and is a perfect background to the artwork. After painting she wrote to me:

Hi Kelly,
How are you? Thanks for getting back to me last night. I did paint my bedroom and you were right again. Alexandria beige is a beautiful color.
I love it! It is a bit dark though, only because my bedroom only has one window so it doesn’t get very much light.
I’ll send you some pics.
Thanks, Rosie

I think the color looks great! Are you going to put picture over bed? That would look great. I would get white bedding with just a little color in and accessorize the room with orange accents! Will look great! Best, Kelly

Kelly, I think the color is beautiful also! I probably need to get use to it being darker but i think that is one of the most beautiful colors I’ve ever seen.
I love your idea of the bedding. I was thinking of blues and silvers but do you think oranges and whites would be prettier? I like the idea of the rug too.
You really are good at this. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Rosie

I love the picture over the bed! It is really beautiful. The comforter works perfect!

The only other bit of advice I might suggest is if the bed was brought off the floor as well as the lamps next to your bed higher, your room will have better lighting and will work better with your windows. The lamps will help bring light to the middle plane of the room instead of down low. I think it will help make your room much brighter. Also, the two black screens you had hanging on each side of the floral picture before you painted would look great on the long wall working with your three prints.

Thanks Rosie for allowing me to share! Always a pleasure working with you.

Comments? Do you think Alexandria Beige was a good color choice?

If you need help choosing colors for your home, contact me today.

Restored Love

Monday, November 28th, 2011

clip_image001

See my old hope chest? My parents gave this to me as a graduation present when I was 18 years old. A hope chest is what us girls all got as a gift around our 18th birthday so we would have a place to store what we would buy to prepare for our wedding and future household.

These advertisements sought to equate the ideal of domesticity with a Lane “Hope Chest,” in which a young woman stored clothing or home furnishings in anticipation of marriage. This was summed up in the company’s tag line: “The gift that starts the home.”

Lane advertisements reached a high point during World War II, persuading thousands of GIs leaving for overseas to purchase a Lane Hope Chest for the sweethearts they were leaving behind. Ads combined romantic images of men in uniform and their fiancées with patriotic slogans and the well-known face of national spokeswoman, and symbol of all things American, Shirley Temple.

I have used my chest all of these years to store all my cherished items: wedding mementos, all my children’s special items and many other important memories. I still love my chest but knew it was past time for a makeover:

clip_image003

This is the fabric I found earlier this month that I loved:

clip_image004

Of course I wanted to use Annie Sloan Chalk Paint- it makes the project so much easier! I choose the color Old White. No prep needed, I just unscrewed the top:

clip_image005

Here it is after the first painted coat:

clip_image006

I wanted to keep the antique brass hardware not only because of the cost, but I thought they looked good together with both the fabric and the off white paint:

clip_image007

clip_image008

All finished painting:

clip_image009

clip_image010

clip_image011

So pretty! What a difference!

Here are some of my special loves in my hope chest:

My son’s blankie that my mom made for him:

clip_image012

My daughter (who is getting married!) holding my wedding veil:

clip_image013

Awwww.. Here is a picture of my Christening hat:

clip_image014

Do you have a Hope Chest? What do you keep special in yours?

clip_image015

Ready For Some Christmas Decorating?

Thursday, November 24th, 2011

I am ready! Love, love Christmas decorating! Do you love to decorate for the Holiday Season? Or is a chore for you? Let me know what you think!

All photos from pinterest.

From My Home to Yours: Happy Thanksgiving!

Tuesday, November 22nd, 2011

With a short week and everyone’s mind preoccupied with Turkey and Black Friday sales, I racked my brain trying to come with up a decorating topic that you would really love to read about today. Instead of doing that, I decided to share some great before and after photos from my own personal condo I moved into a couple months ago:

new condo 005

new condo 023

These photos are a great example of use-what-you-have decorating. I think it is coming out great!

I am so excited for the Holiday Season to begin! I love decorating for Christmas and I am glad to be putting the Fall decorations away. A new season to decorate for! I am feeling quite nostalgic this year for some reason. I think it started after I read SZ Interiors post ‘Shiny Brites: Vintage Glass Christmas Ornaments’. It is a great story.

Shiny-Brite-Box

Remember growing up, every year on Thanksgiving night, Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer would be on TV and that would be the start of the Christmas season! (remember the Norelco razors dashing over the snow at the end in the commercials?)

I also want to say I am very thankful for our good fortune over the past year. The sale of our home, quitting my part time job to pursue what I love, the happy engagement of our daughter and much more.