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Showing posts with label paint. Show all posts
Showing posts with label paint. Show all posts

Eddie Ross...before & after




so awhile ago i wrote about how i was having a dilemma about painting "antiques"...well, thanks to eddie ross (martha/ top design coolio), i have now decided that painting is OK. i adore what he has done with this secretary- too freaking cute. it looks awesome and makes me want to grab some primer and get to work right away (only i don't know if it's good to paint when you have had some wine in your system)....i think i have moved away from wanting to paint my DR chairs and am now focused on my china cabinet....if only i was a good painter....

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what's your flavor of the day....

i am totally a ben moore gal...maybe b/c the designer i worked under for seven years only used them and b/c its the only paint brand that gave me two complete designer sets to take to appointments. i could never do paints by purely using a fan deck. i thought i had my paint colors nailed down...got to the house i am working on and the yellow undertones in the preselected tile totally didn't feel right w/ some of the colors...back to square one. what are y'alls favorite colors right now?? i am leaning over to the colors w/ grey undertones but unfortunately that palatte won't work in this house. looks like paint will again dominant my day! have a wonderful weekend!

*my spell check no longer works when i write the post (kind of scary)...has this happened to y'all??

* i didn't stage that picture...and you are probably thinking what kind of designer is she...that tile is only in one tiny bathroon and its broken up into smaller tiles b/w big 18 x 18 ...got to go my daughter is using the blue prints as her new toy at this very moment!!!

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a coat of polish...

(picture Southern Accents Dec. 2005, Miles Redd)
i love it when people share experiences or things they have learned in the industry. that being said, courtney at in(side) the loop left a very informative comment on my painted chairs dilemma: I JUST had a refinisher come out and look at 3 antiques I recently inherited from my Dad's side. When I mentioned "painting" them, he almost fell over. HOWEVER, he also thought they would look better "painted" but he educated me. Lacquering does not mean it has to have a high gloss...it's just a finish but it can be matte or shiny. That said, it costs a bit more to have your furniture professionally lacquered but if you ever wanted to strip it and refinish the wood, it comes off very easily. If you were to paint it, paint would always be in the wood and you'd never be able to get it back to the original condition.

this led me to think more about this process...i love the look of lacquered walls and furniture. it can be placed in a tradition or modern home and is virtually timeless in it's appearance. it is an extremely labor intensive process therefore, the professional painters can charge out the you-know-what to achieve this look. a quality lacquer paint job should allow you to see your reflection in the sheen of the paint! this can require up to 30 coats....but man, you cannot replace the beauty of this look. walls look magnificent in both candlelight and day light. i did research to see if there was a DIY way out there and came across this article...basically to sum it up- NO, consult a professional and your accountant when contemplating lacquer to grace your home.

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is it really a sin...

to paint a precious antique?? i have loved these painted chairs since they appeared on the cover of Charleston Home last sept. which brings me to my dilemma...is it okay to go there...there begin taking an antique that has been in your family for decades and painting it!! my finger tips sweat a little just thinking of that thought!! i am all about painting an antique that you pick up at the local antique mall but what about one that has meaning and a past w/ your family??!
i think that my DR chairs would look amazing lacquered like these...maybe in a chartreuse color. the chairs are gorgeous as is, but they don't give me the pizazz i am looking for in this space. my mom said to do it...but we haven't even told dad that it might happen, and those just happen to be from his side of the family- i am scared to even go there...dad can't really let items go to easily...in fact, he built a barn on some land of ours, just to house our unused furniture. i am also plagued with the dilemma of "will i ever regret doing this"?? as my neighbor says, you can always have them refinished down the road...well, lets hope we win the lottery by then!!

BUT sometimes i think i would love to just not have those chairs at all and replace them with these....that's the problem w/ being an interior designer...there are so many possibilities that its hard to actually make up your mind!! HELP!

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why can't i be oscar??

lately, i have been having this epiphany that i can do anything if i set my mind to it...well i want to be oscar...aka the man with that spray can featured in the picture! (ha, for people that know me, they would get a real chuckle out of that!) i don't know if it is me reading style court's guest blog this week (she is doing the best posts), but man i am obsessed w/ wanting to find the perfect flea market bargain and making it something sassy like Lee from Pieces or Ruthie from Chapman Radcliff. and i think if i had this spray can and of course the gas station shirt w/ my name on it, i could create some real masterpieces!! we have a garage and my father-in-law has that spray can tool...why couldn't i. i called my husband at work yesterday and said, i want to paint our china cabinet! he wasn't too excited about this idea (maybe b/c our garage has the bookshelf that he built over thanksgiving still sitting in it needing another coat of primer and 2 coats of paint...but wouldn't it be so much easier if we sprayed it) i also want to paint my DR chandelier, our LR armoire, and my foyer console....i need to be oscar. plus, i think you look a lot cooler w/ a spray can vs. a paint brush!

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the color that is everywhere...

as i flip through magazines the color that is really standing out to me is gray. i see it used in a ton of design elements right now. i use to feel like this color was cold and i couldn't imagine using it on the walls but i have a new outlook on gray. it seems so peaceful and pairs beautifully with blues, browns, corals, etc. i will say, i tend to lean to the brownish/ gray version of the color...i think that the added brown pigment gives off a warmth that makes the color not seem as well, how do you say it- gray! i was thrilled when a client/ indecisive friend of mine wanted to use the color. we looked at a ton of paint for her walls. we wanted the house to feel neutral but not look like a "spec home" where the walls seem like an institution. i can't wait to see how it reads on the walls.
another great thing about the color gray is that it looks absolutely beautiful with marble... marble on the counter top, on the bathroom floors, or as tile in a shower. i've looked at a lot of wood flooring lately and the darker shades tend to have purplish gray undertones in it- they are gorgeous. this color also looks great with another trend right now, metallic. so if you are in the market for a change in paint or a new color exploration, try gray....you'll be in for a pleasant surprise!

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diamonds are a girl's best friend....

so every time i get a new Cottage Living, i get another inspiration. last month, it was fran's letters (which i need to show y'all) and this month it's kitty's dining room. i love the diamond wall treatment....however, i think it's over my head. the homeowner, kitty, did this by hand, three times until she finally got this result- which i think is stunning. i would go absolutely crazy trying to perfect this look. for pete's sake, i went crazy trying to paint 6 letters...can you imagine the stress i would be under! plus, it's all about the straight lines, good painter's tape, and math. i love the white and chocolate...my dining room would look more like a tiffany's box b/c it's robin's egg blue and i can visualize the diamonds in white....my husband would kill me...i can see me now, on a ladder attempting to get a straight line...yep, this project isn't going to happen. but way to go kitty!

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"fran's letters" are taking over my life....


so i have been telling you about this diy project that i am working on and here is the inspiration. on tues i sat down to read my cottage living and fell in love w/ "fran's letters". thinking the project would be a piece of cake, i decided i would do my baby's name on this one tiny wall that has been white since the nursery was completed (i was waiting for something to inspire me).
well, kudos to fran b/c her letters rock....mine, not so much. i cannot tell you how many hours i have spent for 6 measly letters that i am trying to get to look anything remotely like fran's....

right now, fran is not my friend (although if we lived in the same town i think we might be). my husband walks into the baby's room everyday when he gets home from work...looks at the progress of the letters and says things like "they look good" (with a high voice which means he is lying) or he suggest ways he would have done them so the lines of the letters would have been straight...i think "thanks a lot, where were you 7 hours ago?!" so, i am off to work on those stupid letters that my baby will not even care about when she is finally old enough to even realize that i spelled her name...i am sure by that point she will want to repaint the entire room with barbie or something......

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white canvas....



i love it when i run across designers that totally excite me....its like drinking 3 cups of coffee. i just get an adrenaline rush that makes me love design and what i do. i just crave cool houses and creativity and love the people out there delivering it. i just want to create inspiring work for my clients that they will love and grow with and yet is affordable and classic and totally them.


this picture is classy. it's totally tasteful yet has a flare of funk with the accented red chairs. and of course, i love the white canvas that the furniture is against...the walls and the floor just draw your eyes directly to the furniture. its kind of like eating off white plates...the food just looks prettier and taste better for some reason.

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hello, YELLOW




don't be shocked when you start seeing a bunch of yellow pop up in furniture and fabric trends....it was hot in fashion and now its heading our way in the design industry. this is definitely a bold color so use it as an accent piece...kitchen chairs, pillows, lacquered side tables, etc. this acid yellow is fun and can definitely liven up any household... be on the cutting edge and try this less mellow yellow!

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Headboard dilemma??





i know i was suppose to be doing something crazy and exciting on this labor day weekend but its raining outside, my husband's fishing (or attempting to), and the baby's sleeping...so i decided to write a blog. i hope y'all are doing something a lot cooler than reading this on your labor day weekend!


anyhoo....i love this idea of a stenciled on headboard. i think its a great way to give the look of a headboard w/out the commitment of having to actually purchase one. its fantastic for the budget friendly, yet stylish 20/30 year olds. don't you think it would be great in a guest bedroom? and i love how they paired it w/funky bedding...if you decide to do this, explore the bedding at anthropologie and pick out an accent color for the walls. paint the headboard a shade lighter or darker than your wall color and to really spice it up, do the paint sheen in pearle and it will give luster to the headboard. when you are tired of this headboard or you have enough money in the piggy bank to actually purchase one, all you have to do is repaint the wall! to purchase this stencil go to http://www.stencil-library.com/docs/asseenin172.htm .

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#10. painted molding and ceilings




i think you can really make an impact in a room by painting the trim, doors, and ceilings a color. i know, most people think that you have to use decorator's white trim paint but you can think outside of the box. why not use your color here verses the walls??



i think a great chocolate brown paint looks attractive when you use it as your trim color. it beefs up the look of the molding and looks stunning on the doors. now i am not saying that if you want to try this technique, you have to do it throughout your house. you could do this in the main living areas. if there is a door frame separating a room, you can go back to the traditional white on the other side.



if you aren't quite there with the painted molding and doors, try a ceiling color. if you keep the walls a neutral, pick out an accent color that will pop....a beautiful blue or green or light brown looks great against a cream wall. or if you have a coffered ceiling, play off the accents of the trim and paint in between the beams. or if you have used color on the walls, add a small amount of the wall color to ceiling white. it will give a slight hue of the wall color to the ceiling and prevents it from looking so stark white. these are simple ways to give your home a "designer" look!

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#4. white painted floors


i love the look of white painted floors. there is something about them that make me smile. maybe because it reminds me of a cottage beach house...i don't know. i just don't think you can beat the clean and simplistic look of these beautiful floors. if i were able to build a new house, i would love to have white floors. if you like the look of these but don't want them all over your house, you could put them in the sunroom or have them in the main areas of your home and put wall-to-wall seagrass in the bedrooms. i think these floors paired with great geometric print chairs or draperies would be divine....

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