But.... it was time for a change! So I began by painting it all white using Benjamin Moore's Aura paint which covers anything in two coats maximum. I found even one coat of white covered pretty well. Next my husband and go to guy did the taping of the stripes. It does take time to get it right and as in every house the walls are never straight!! Frustrating to say the least. Once it was done I began painting the black, always make sure the tape is well sealed and use the basecoat colour over the tape first then your new colour to prevent bleeding. In my haste to get the work done (no surprise for anyone who knows me!) I missed that step so I did have some bleeding and had to redo. In the end it was perfect. My daughter still wanted some area for chalkboard so this time I used chalkboard paint on the panels of the closet door. Next she decided she wanted some hot pink as an accent colour so we bought a couple of pillows and I sprayed painted an existing magazine rack, desk chair, hooks and picture frames. Always an easy and inexpensive way to change things up to suit a new colour scheme. We also bought a new black and white print with some shots of vibrant colours in and voila the room is complete! The verdict is in and she loves it and so do her friends.
In the last week I was painting yet again in my house. This time it was my daughter's room, for the 5th time in 7 years I might add! Some of it is my doing and some at her request. I guess the decorating apple doesn't fall far from the tree! For a while now she has been wanting us to do her room in black and white, classic, sharp and sometimes glamorous. She loves to draw fashion and is into graphic design. She wanted an all white room with a wall of black stripes. before I started painting it was aqua with a black chalkboard wall which was well used by her and her friends. But.... it was time for a change! So I began by painting it all white using Benjamin Moore's Aura paint which covers anything in two coats maximum. I found even one coat of white covered pretty well. Next my husband and go to guy did the taping of the stripes. It does take time to get it right and as in every house the walls are never straight!! Frustrating to say the least. Once it was done I began painting the black, always make sure the tape is well sealed and use the basecoat colour over the tape first then your new colour to prevent bleeding. In my haste to get the work done (no surprise for anyone who knows me!) I missed that step so I did have some bleeding and had to redo. In the end it was perfect. My daughter still wanted some area for chalkboard so this time I used chalkboard paint on the panels of the closet door. Next she decided she wanted some hot pink as an accent colour so we bought a couple of pillows and I sprayed painted an existing magazine rack, desk chair, hooks and picture frames. Always an easy and inexpensive way to change things up to suit a new colour scheme. We also bought a new black and white print with some shots of vibrant colours in and voila the room is complete! The verdict is in and she loves it and so do her friends. Black and white gives a sharp contrasted look, making each colour appear brighter and clearer. It creates an elegant sophisticated feel in any room. Take a look at these beautiful spaces:- For me every room could benefit from black and white somewhere. It could be in the accessories, the fabric, the lamps or photography, especially personal or family pictures. I have wanted to try it on my doors and trim and one day maybe I will, I think it looks stunning in the right place. Here are some great pictures I found to inspire you! Enjoy!
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So I've decided my new favourite colour is YELLOW! I can't believe it , as it's always been my least favourite really. I think I've been brainwashed by all the images the last year of yellow with black, white and grey. My friend and fellow decorator Lisa and I are obsessed with it, always showing each other new ideas and amazing photos in magazines showing yellow. By the way Lisa is an awesome artist and jewelery maker too, check out her website! The experience I have had with yellow is that it always turns out more yellow and more intense than you expect, so I usually suggest to clients that they move down the scale and they will still get that pop of colour. It can be the hardest colour to work with but choose the right shade and pair it with other colours for a different look. For instance with wood tones yellow can be warm and rich. With black and white it turns sophisticated and glamorous, while pairing it with blue gives a sweet, country feel. If doing a whole room in yellow is too scary then just add hints of it, maybe with your accessories or try changing the colour on a piece of furniture. Even bedding or towels can just give you that "zing" that you need to liven up your space. I am going to get out my trusty spray paint and change up some of my existing pieces. it's not the first time and it wont be the last! My current mission is to find some old detailed frames in different shapes and spray them. Old is new again!
Well it's here, Spring has finally sprung! It's that time of year that we feel the need to refresh and renew. It's happening in my home already. I'm painting yet again and looking around to see what I can do to change things up a bit! I am one of those people who LOVE to sort and organize and satisfy the need to purge (household items and clothing!) With the change of seasons I always feel the need to go through everything, looking at what we use or don't use. Anything in the second category doesn't stand a chance in my house! I will donate some things using those handy goodwill boxes or sometimes when they call and drive around your neighbourhood. Also I take my kids outgrown clothes to my local consignment store where I make a few dollars towards the next shopping expedition. Every town and city has one or more for you to check out. There are many websites like Kijiji and Used Ottawa where you can buy and sell your household "treasures". You could also hold a garage sale or just invite some friends over to do a clothes swap.Once you have decided what you want or need to keep, store it all in a way that you can keep organized. Places like IKEA have great storage solutions, shelves, boxes, containers, baskets and much more. You could also use something from around the house in a different way than it was intended. For example I store my earrings in an ice cube tray in a drawer in my bathroom. Think outside the box ( no pun intended!) Flowers are popping up everywhere, on fashion runways and in decor, giving us hope that Spring is around the corner! Honestly! I am seeing a wide variety of floral prints, small and large scale, bright and bold as well as subtle and subdued. Something for everyone, even myself not usually a huge fan of florals, I have some drapery with tone on tone blossoms. I'm not quite ready to embrace it in fashion as I remember the days of flowered jean jackets!. Depending on your style you could add a vibrant wallpaper, patterned chairs, throw cushions, or just art embracing the power of flowers! I found many examples of the floral aesthetic, some more daring(or busy) depending on how you look at it than others but I'm sure there is an inspiration in there for all of us. If you decide to mix many floral patterns, try to keep within in the same colour pallette and vary the size of the patterns. A neutral room can be livened up with some pattern, it adds texture and depth, some visual interest for the eye! Go ahead embrace it! One of the design trends of 2011 according to many magazines, design shows and designers themselves is "Belgian Modern" which I would describe as relaxed elegance. It is luxurious but in a more simplified way, distressed and unfinished wood, stone floors, a neutral palette, using whites, beige and grey. Furniture that is slip covered, using natural materials like linen. Even though it becomes wrinkled and disheveled it still creates an elegant look, no shocking colours or contrasts, just a calming, peaceful space. These rooms have little furniture, no clutter just simple, necessary pieces put together to create an elegant feel. One store in North America that does this style well and has done for a while is Restoration Hardware. Any home can add something in this popular style, whether it's a neutral paint colour, linen cushions or drapery, reclaimed or distressed wood, your home should always reflect your style but it can be fun to change it up once in a while (or more often if you are ME!) and follow some of the new trends even in a small way.... A great blog I found recently showing this design style is Belgian Pearls, a Belgian designer with her family company of Lefevre Interiors comments on all her favourites in the design world. The images are beautiful! It is often a dilemma for some people- "How high do I hang my art?". When I was at a consultation this week, I commented on the customers beautiful art work and how she had hung it all at "just the right height". It reminded me of this common problem and I thought I would look into it for us all! For the good of the people! There are some standards you can go by which will work for most situations for example a good rule of thumb is to hang your art with the centre about 60-65 inches from the floor. Also look at your line of sight being in the centre. You need to consider your art in relation to the room you are hanging it in. For example if it's going on a bare wall you would hang it higher than if it's going above a sofa or a headboard. These rules usually apply to medium to large pieces, if you want to put up smaller pieces it is better to put them in a grouping. Even if you know where you want to hang your favourite pieces it can still be tricky so here are a few ideas to help you out:- 1.Use brown kraft paper and painters tape. Cut out the paper the size of your pictures. Use the painters tape to attach them to the wall temporarily in a layout you like. You can also lay them out on the floor to start with and re-arrange until you get something you are happy with. Once the paper is on the wall put in your nail at the centre of each one and then remove the paper. You are now ready to put up your masterpieces! 2. Use a product called "Hang & Level" which is available at most home improvement stores. You hang your picture on it and place it up against the wall at the height you want. Remove the picture and push in the tab which leaves a mark for your nail and away you go! It will be leveled and will eliminate those multiple holes in the wall ( I used to be a fine example of those people!) 3. Make sure you use the correct hanger for the size and weight of your art. (Once you get them up there you don't want them coming down!) Once you have art up on the right wall at the right height, great lighting to show them off is the way to go. For instance there are picture lights made specifically for this purpose that you hang above the piece and they shine directly on your picture to highlight it. You can also hang some track lighting in the ceiling in front of the art. if you are going to take the time and effort to find art that you love why not show it at it's best! Finally art doesn't just have to hang on the wall in the conventional way there are other great ideas to use. Floating shelves, coat hangers, curtain poles and many more . Take a look below! Enjoy these beautiful spaces and maybe hang up some new art this weekend. Although I mentioned the "rules" of picture hanging remember some rules are made to be broken as you can see from some of these rooms below. Your home should be the way you like it! Yesterday at work a client asked about painting ceilings, it's one of those questions I get asked almost daily. We all think to paint our walls many times , myself included, but not so often our " 5th wall". If we think of it at all it's just white but once in a while I get someone asking about painting it a different colour to their walls or continuing the wall colour on. If your ceilings are low and you leave them white it can seem even lower. It can be more interesting to add a brighter colour up there to compliment your walls. You can use a lighter version of the existing wall colour or even the same colour for continuity, to extend the sight line. You can even bring the ceiling colour down onto the walls by about a foot if you have really high ceilings to lower them slightly ,to make it more cosy and less cavernous. The possibilities are endless as well as the colours! Check out these examples and maybe try something in your home. When you have chosen your colour, ceiling paint is traditionally flat but occasionally someone will go glossy. Flat doesn't give any light reflection and shows less imperfections than something with a shine. If you haven't painted for a while the surface will be dry and absorb a lot more paint, priming would be recommended, for easiest application use a self priming ceiling paint! Two coats is best, first coat going in one direction and then the second going across in the opposite direction to avoid lap marks.
Painting always brightens and freshens up your space so go ahead get a jump on Spring and paint your ceilings, be adventurous. I'm going to give it a try too! As I talked about in my last post I have a SMALL collection of design books. I thought I would share with you some of my favourites. Top of my list is "A Certain Style" by Tricia Guild. She is an outstanding designer in England and around the world. Her books are full of bright, colourful, exciting, pattern filled interiors. Each page is a feast for the eyes, every detail is thought out and makes up exquisite spaces. Tricia Guild is the founder of Designers Guild an International home and lifestyle company providing luxury wallpapers, fabrics, furniture and bedding. Her collections are stunning. Next up on my list of fame is Jonathan Adler. He is colourful character with a colourful design empire! I have two of his publications in his "Happy Chic" series, Colors and Accessorizing. They were a great Christmas gift. Each book shows rooms in his own home and others he has designed in his unique colour happy style! Again a real treat for your senses. His ability to mix bright colour and interesting, unexpected accessories makes his design sensibilty easy to recognize. Another of my favourites is " domino THE BOOK of DECORATING". It followed on from one of the best design magazines, which unfortunately is no longer published. It shows room after room of inspired interiors. They are real rooms by real people. Finally another great read is "apartment therapy's Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces by Maxwell Gillingham- Ryan, a designer and founder of an amazing design blog. This book shares homes with creative and inventive ideas to maximize your small space. Look closely for fun and interesting ideas. Why not add some of these to your bookshelf. If you have any favourites of your own let me know. Chapters and some lucky new book is waiting for me so I must go!
Many of us out there I'm sure have at one time or another bought more than one of the same item thinking we could start a "collection". How big does it have to be ,to be considered a true "collection" and how far do you go before you step over the line and become a subject for reality television! I remember my mum collecting postcards when she was younger and I even collected stamps as a kid (not so trendy I know!). Now my passion for all things creative has led me to collecting design books. Every week I am at Chapters looking at my favourites and waiting for new ones, sometimes I actually buy some( not every time I promise!!). I am drawn to colourful covers, just like a magpie drawn to shiny objects. I have them in my office at home, some on shelving and an ever changing few on my ottoman, where I put my feet up and relax and dive into the world of beautiful and inspiring rooms. Sometimes no one can find me for at least five minutes! I also buy many magazines but instead of keeping them ALL I look at them several times then choose the pages I like best and tear them out and put them in binders in clear pages. I am making my own design inspiration books and reducing any clutter. Then I pass my magazines on to be enjoyed by someone else(even with missing pages- sorry guys!). There are many ways to display your collectibles, as I mentioned on shelving is one of them. If you have books and the covers are damaged just remove them and show the beauty of the book. You can also group items together on a great tray on a sideboard, ottoman, or coffee table. Vary the heights and the textures to add interest. A mantle above a fireplace is another great place to create a focal point with your treasures, it works better in odd numbers, for example three or five pieces. You can also put a grouping on the wall like colourful plates,mirrors or posters.Something I have done with vacation memories is put a collection in a shadow box, photos, coins,stamps,postcards and even sand. You could do the same with something you want to display and enjoy like jewellery, fabric, buttons, antique postcards. My rock collection from beaches in England, Mexico, Nova Scotia and Australia. They are displayed in a beautiful, handcrafted wooden bowl from Australia, a gift from my parents. Great memories are attached to these. My first shadow box made with family vacation momentos of Mexico.For me personal items are better than so called ``tourist``souvenirs. Take a look at these ways to display your collectibles-whatever they are. A collection should be enjoyed and valued, don`t let your passion take over the whole room or house!
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