Tag: colorful home


Mar
2012

Pick a Color, Any Color–Except Beige

categories: Watercolor

I hope my colorful home series has inspired folks to let go of their color inhibition and fear of making mistakes and pick up a paint roller (or two) and a few gallons of paint and add splashes of color to their spaces. For more inspiration on adding color to your home pick up a copy of one of my favorite books, The Comfort of Color by Susan Sargent. It’s a fabulous source of inspiration that’s packed with gorgeous photos, unique color schemes, and tips to help you get started.

Want to add color to your home? What are you waiting for? Just pick a color, any color–except beige–and get started.


Mar
2012

Inverting the Palette–Kitchen Makeover

categories: Projects

You’ve seen glimpses of my kitchen makeover in previous posts, but here are additional shots from different angles. Before the makeover, the walls were painted a more saturated green called Pear by Benjamin Moore. Still committed to my green color scheme, I repainted the walls with a quieter, more serene shade of green called Pale Sea Mist by Benjamin Moore Paints. Once again, I left the ceiling color alone (Windmill Wings also by Benjamin Moore) because I can’t get enough of that color and it’s a royal pain in the neck to paint ceilings. I replaced the black iron table and chairs with the white set from the dining room and installed pale laminate flooring (a necessity when you have five dogs) to create a light and airy feel.

The accessories (colorful bowls, condiment set, red and white stripped pitcher, green colander, black and white salt and pepper shakers) are from Pottery Barn’s Colorful Serve collection. The white ceramic pig cookie jar is an antique from my great grandmother’s house. The lovely bird prints hanging over the sink and in the morning room–and seen in photos of all the rooms in my home–are watercolors painted by my friend, Geninne Zlatkis. She’s an amazing artist, crafter, and interior designer. Visit her blog at www.geninne.com to view her work plus photos of her amazing studio and gorgeous home.

I love this kitchen makeover–the simplicity of the design, the quietness of the colors, and spareness of the room. It’s not necessary to spend thousands of dollars on a kitchen makeover and purchase high-end appliances and finishes. All that’s needed to freshen up a kitchen is color, clean lines, practicing the art of restraint by keeping accessories and clutter to a minimum, and a super clean space. I wouldn’t trade this delightfully fresh, simple kitchen for a high-end kitchen. Keeping things simple is the golden rule in design.

This concludes the tour for now. Coming up soon will be photos of two bedroom makeovers. Work will begin on those rooms any day. I hope that you enjoyed the tour.


Mar
2012

Inverting the Palette–Family Room Makeover

categories: Projects

The next stop on the tour is my family room. For this makeover I replaced the maple entertainment center, coffee table, end tables, and wicker sofa with the white entertainment center, coffee table, end tables, sofa, and wicker chairs from the living room. I added a white slip cover to the sofa, a stripped cotton rug, and nautical themed pillow covers and artwork.

Still committed to my previous blue color scheme, I covered the aqua walls with the same color I used in the dining room (Ocean Air by Benjamin Moore Paints) for a cohesive look. I left the ceiling color as is–Windmill Wings also by Benjamin Moore. This room is screaming out for crown molding, so I’ve added the task to my to-do list.

For those who are curious about where to purchase items in this room makeover, the cottage-style entertainment center, tables, and camel back sofa are from Lane Furniture, the white wicker chairs are from Lexington Furniture, the brown wicker chair is from Pier1 Imports, the stripped cotton rug and sea grass lamp are from Pottery Barn. The sail boat prints and frames are from Pottery Barn Kids.

The final stop on my Inverting the Palette tour is the kitchen, which also serves as my studio. More on that tomorrow.


Mar
2012

The Yellow Porch

categories: Projects

Here are a few pictures of my spring porch makeover. I just completed it today. What a gorgeous day to be outside working on my front porch. My hands are absolutely covered with yellow paint even after several thorough washings. It looks like I’ll be sporting yellow hands at work tomorrow.

My inspiration for this project was the adorable tulip themed rug from Grandinroad.com; I couldn’t resist those bright colors. I purchased the pillows, chair cushions, and accessories at Pier1Imports. The white bistro table is from Target. It will make a fine place to sip a cup of coffee or work on the computer. I purchased the flowers for the wreath at Michael’s Craft Store; the orange polka-dotted flowers and ribbon were too fun to pass up.

It took me three days to complete this project–one day of shopping and two days of painting.


Mar
2012

Work in Progress–The Yellow Porch

categories: Projects

I spent the day painting my porch furniture yellow, white, and tangerine but ran out of paint before I could complete the job. I really underestimated how much paint it takes to cover purple paint with yellow. I purchased two cans of paint for each piece of furniture. Normally that would be more than enough to achieve a nice, even finish. But not this time.

I ran out to buy a few more cans of paint but the hardware store was closed. So tonight my porch is sporting a strange mixture of purple, green, yellow, white, and tangerine furniture. This evening my mother and I will be working on a matching wreath for the front door; not only is she my muse, but she has mad wreath design skills.

Here are some pictures of my porch makeover in progress. Stop by tomorrow to see the completed design.


Mar
2012

Color Changes Everything–Aqua Master Bedroom Makeover

categories: Projects

My love affair with aqua continued into two more rooms in my house–my bedroom and a guest room. And although in the photographs this color looks like the same color I used in the family room, it’s actually a lighter shade of blue (the name escapes me at the moment, and I’m too lazy go to downstairs and look it up). The ceiling color is Windmill Wings from Benjamin Moore paints.

For those who are curious, here’s a rundown of where I purchased various items in the room. The seagrass headboard, wing chair, night stand, and bench at the foot of the bed are from Pottery Barn. The white coverlet and pillows on the wing chair and bed are from Target. The plates are Majolica (more on that later).

That’s my little dog, Piggy, in the last photo. My boy follows me everywhere, so he pops up frequently in my photos.

Tomorrow’s spotlight will be on my aqua guest room, then I’ll move on to another color–I promise. Here are a few pictures of my bedroom.



Mar
2012

Color Changes Everything–Colorful Home Makeover Idea Starter

categories: Projects

It all started with four colorful pots that my mom bought for me at Rehoboth Beach a few years ago. I was so taken by these $2.00 pots, the simplicity of their design, and their vibrant hues that I decided to use them as my inspiration and design a room around them. Did I say one room? No, wait, make that my entire home. Yes, you heard that right, I designed my entire home around these four pots.

Sounds crazy, right? But wait until you see the results. In my “Color Changes Everything” series, I’m going to take you on a tour of my home–room by room–and show you how a little color, or sometimes a lot of color, changes everything. Hang on to your seats, this is going to be a colorful ride.

But first, I’m going to show you the inspiration pieces–$8.00 worth of pottery (the cute grass is from Pottery Barn).

%d bloggers like this: