Home Sanctuary

Budget-Beautiful Bedroom Makeover!

Since today is a holiday here in the States, I am taking the day off from the Small Things.  I'll be back tomorrow with the prize winners, and in the meantime I hope you'll enjoy photos from my bedroom makeover.

You might remember that my daughters helped me get my bedroom spruced up.  I'd hoped to get it completely finished before posting pictures, but since this process is taking so long I thought I'd better go ahead and let you see my progress!  Just keep in mind that this is not the Ultimate Reveal, as there are still several things on my makeover wish list.

Before:

Sorry if the comforter ensemble hurts your eyeballs.  I bought it several years ago as a cheap "this will do for now" bed-in-a-bag solution and hated every minute with it.

After Paint but before the New Bedspread:

New Bedspread:  A Marshalls find that isn't EXACTLY what I want but it fits my strained budget.

To juice up the tired furniture, I sprayed the night stands black and the lamps cream.  I don't like the lamps in here, but this fix will get me by until I can replace them.  Lauren painted the hideous headboard and I had my husband raise it up a bit so it actually looks acceptable.

Nightstand and Lamp Before:

After: (this is the other lamp)

New drawer pulls from Wal-Mart completed the nightstand makeover.

I removed the cheesy print from above the bed (much to the delight of my daughters, who gagged on it) and replaced it with the oval iron thingy (Hobby Lobby, 50% off) which I sprayed black and dusted with some bronze paint. It had been a cream color, but needed more "weight."  I brought in a canvas painting I did some time ago (and never finished) to fill a space on the wall to the right of the bed. Sheer ivory curtains from Target (10.00/set) soften the windows.

I fell in love with a couple of burlap throw pillows at a Linen's and Things closeout sale.  Thanks, Nate Berkus, for designing some things with texture!

The burlap pillows are my inspiration for creating a bedroom that is "modern country" in style: romantic but not sappy, soft but not frou-frou.  I think the black color on the furniture is a good contrast to the lavender gray walls (Sherwin Williams  6275 - Fashionable Gray) that I like so much.  By editing out the dated pictures on the walls and removing some of the knick-knacky things, the bedroom feels clean and truly sanctuary-like....even though I'm not quite done!

Show and Tell: Sepia Tuscan Mural

Here are some photos of the finished mural in the gorgeous house I told you about. It got a little chilly that last day, but I wore work boots and skivvies under the jeans, so I survived. I used four paint colors, plus the wall color to create the tone-on-tone look. I purposefully did not add much detail to the mural so that it would look like a soft backdrop to the furnishings and lighting that will no doubt be spectacular. I'll list the colors I used below.

 

 

The wall color is Benjamin Moore 314-4 Spiced Vinegar. It is a neutral that looks really nice in different lighting. I used it as my base, and mixed it in with my other colors as needed. I basically made a palette of graduating colors: Sherwin Williams 6119 Antique White (BM 314-4 Spiced Vinegar) Sherwin Williams 6123 Baguette (love this color) Sherwin Williams 6124 Cardboard Sherwin Williams 6146 Umber By mixing each color with it's lighter and darker neighbor, you can come up with about 9 values of color. I mostly mixed as I went, except for when I needed to cover a large area with a mixed shade (like the cloud base). Then I mixed the two colors in a mixing tub to get enough to cover. I used Purdy brushes (2 1/2 and 3 inch) for most of it, with an angled 2 1/2 inch brush for the clouds and trees. An angled 1/2 inch Purdy brush is good for dabbing in trees and shrubs. So are "chip" brushes.

For the smaller details, I used artist brushes. The other useful artist tool is your finger (I personally use my ring finger) to smudge and soften. It's readily available at the end of your arm, for free.

For resource material, I used photos from magazines and books of Tuscan scenery. I kept the pages open in front of me as I worked, often taping them to the wall so I could easily see what I wanted. I would love to see this house when it is completely finished and furnished! I am very honored to have my artwork featured so prominently in this fabulous home. Feel free to email me if you have any questions or comments! I'm happy to share.

Finding the Perfect Shade: Pick a House Color You'll Love Coming Home To

We are giving our Barn House a fresh color of paint this weekend, and the old girl is looking Migh-tay Fine in her new shade! It's hard to believe it's been 5 years since the last paint job...but as we cleaned and prepped the faded yellow we could see just how much the house needed it. Ugh, was it really this bad??

After dreaming of endless possibilities for new color schemes, it seemed we could only decide on a color that was almost exactly like what we already had. Sherwin Williams makes budget paint samples and we had tried several. The one we'd hoped would be perfect looked positively awful on the wall. The next one was far too wimpy. Another, too bright. We wanted oomph, but finally settled for "safe," so off to the paint store we went, resignedly.

Part way through the 5 gallon bucket we bought, Tom laid down the roller and said, "I'm not going to all this trouble to get exactly what we already have. Look at this! You can't even tell where I've painted! We've gotta find something more inspiring!"

He was right. It was just too blah. We looked again at the paint strips that had been our finalists, and decided that what we needed was a deeper shade of our 5-gallon loser. Although we hated to spend another $120.00, the thought of spending 5 more years with a color we were already tired of gave us the courage to splurge.

And what joy, what ecstacy! What a thrill to see liquid beauty being rolled out over the miles of siding that covers this barn! Buttery, warm, not-too-tan, not-too-lemony, "Golden Fleece" (SW 6388) is just what we were hoping for.

So here are my tips for finding your own perfect shade:

1. Be nosy. Look at houses you drive by and don't be afraid to ring the doorbell if you see something you like. We stopped on a busy street and held our paint chips up to a charming house we liked and it really helped us narrow the field.

2. Check out the color combo cards at the paint store. The paint companies have spent millions of dollars coming up with great combinations, so don't look down your nose at an "off the card" design! Sherwin has a Paint Visualizer online to help you find a good exterior combo.

3. Look in the "Historic Color" collections. These colors are tried and true gems. Generally not too bright or garish...two looks you want to avoid.

4. Try the samples. Sherwin Williams and Benjamin Moore have small (less expensive) samples, but don't be afraid to buy a quart of the real deal and brush some of it on so you can see it.

5. Look at your paint samples in different lights. Paint several spots so you can see how it looks at different times of the day. Squint and look through a round "O" you make with your fingers. It might not help, but you will look like you know what you are doing. I'm a professional and that's what I do.

6. Look at the other colors of things you cannot change. Green roof? Red bricks? Paint your sample up next to those things and see if you like it.

7. Pick the right sheen. We chose exterior FLAT, but if you like eggshell or semigloss, make sure you like the sheen before you fork over enough for the entire house.

8. Use a good quality paint. I happen to love Sherwin Williams over the "Big Box" store brands, and use their "SuperPaint" line. It is thick and covers well. Painting is a big job, and you hate to have to do more coats than you need to. You get what you pay for.

9. Don't be afraid to start over if you don't like the way the color is looking when you are part way through. Most people only paint their home every 5-7 years (or more!). You want to love driving up to your home and seeing it in splendid color, rather than feeling underwhelmed because you didn't want to "waste" what you started with. Live, woman, LIVE!

My arm is aching from cutting in corners and trim all day long. But, oh, it is so worth it. This frumpy old place is getting a new lease on life and I'm really, really excited. A new color is good for the soul, AND good for the eyes.

I'm already imagining what SW 6328 "Fireweed" will look like on the doors.....simply smashing!

How to Paint Like a Pro

Works for Me Wednesday, hosted by Shannon at Rocks in My Dryer.

Here are a few tricks to make your next painting project look like you actually hired a professional to do the job.

1.  TAPE OFF!  Tape off all your trim with the blue painter's tape (3M).  Don't try and make straight edges with your paintbrush, it'll never work, and it's the first thing that makes your paint-job look bad.

2.  Don't just tape off, burnish the edges of the tape.  There's nothing worse than pulling tape and finding that paint has seeped underneath.  So take your thumbnail and pull it along the edge to seal it well.  Try and work the tape into gaps and over bumps.

3.  If the wall is too bumpy or the woodwork too far gone to make a clean tape job, try this!  Take a small cut-in brush and run a small amount of clear sealer (Minwax) or paint in the color of the trim along the taped adge.  The paint that seeps underneath will be the color of the trim, and then it seals the edge for your new wall color.  Paint right over this  "edge primer" when it dries.

4.  Take the time to cover everything.  If you're like me, you are anxious to get to the fun part and are tempted to skip actually covering the floor and furniture.  The giddiness of the moment makes us cocky.  "I won't spill!" are my famous last words. This is a very big mistake, because anything that isn't covered WILL get a drop of paint on it.  Guaranteed. Bonus tip: use the disposable plastic-backed paper tarps instead of plastic sheeting on the floor. Paint will get absorbed into the paper and thus, not tracked into other areas of the house.

5.  Use enough paint.  It's a bummer to have to buy 2 WHOLE gallons of paint when you only need 1 gallon and 1 quart to do the job.  But it's better to have some left over that can be used for touch up, than to not quite make it around the room.  A good paint job should look velvety, not skimpy.

5a.  If you DO buy 1 gallon and 1 quart, mix them together in a larger container before you start.  Gallons and quarts MAY have different formulas and MIGHT not match exactly.  Mixing them together gives you one contiuous color.

6.  Use the right tools.  Rollers with too much "nap" for a smooth wall will put too much paint on the wall.  Rollers with small naps will not load enough paint onto rough texture.  You don't HAVE to spend big bucks on professional brushes, but PLEASE oh PLEASE don't use the 3.00 brushes with the stiff bristles.  A good brush (when properly cleaned) will last many years.

7.  Have rags/wipes handy for those inevitable spills.  "Painter's Wipes" are great for removing paint, even dried drips and spots.  I love these.

8.  For tips on picking a paint color, you've got to read this for inspiration, and also try this.

Show and Tell

Here are a some photos of our most recent painting projects:

Me, with my head in the clouds.

Don't look down!

Some soaring kestrels add the finishing touch.

And then there was this project, one of my least favorite jobs of all time. Let's just say I should have charged more, for second-hand smoke lung damage. I would love to blog about this job, but kindness prevents me.

An under-sea powder room. The homeowner made me paint out some anemones because they reminded her of male body parts. Oooh Kaaaaay. Did I mention that the people didn't run their air-conditioner? Texas+August+a stinky bathroom+breathing cigarette smoke=not fun.

I still need to post pictures of this summer's big project...I'll get to that one of these days. It was infinitely more enjoyable than the undersea extravaganza.

Getting the "Country Home" Look - Without all that White

I love the Country Home look.  I love the Cottage style.  I just don't love all that white that goes along with it.

Have you noticed the pages and pages of beautifully photographed white rooms in all the magazines?  White walls, white tables, white couches, white seashells, white bedspreads...with just a dab of cream to break things up a bit.  Whoa, now.  Easy on the cream.

I gotta tell ya.  In glossy 6 color print, they look wonderful.  But in real life, white rooms look like you just stepped into a Tampax commercial. (So clean and fresh!)  I'm sure it makes the men in your life feel a little awkward.

I've been in many, many, many homes over the years, and probably one of the worst looks of all time is the white "shabby chic" ensemble.  I've never really seen it work WELL.  I have seen it look just OK.

I think the problem is that the "stuff of life" that comes into those pristine environs is a jumble of colors that just don't go with them.  Lay a Penguin Book down somewhere and now you've got a bright orange goose-egg messing things up.  Drape a purple sweater over a chair and that's all that catches your attention.  Sloppy purple sweater.  To say nothing of preschool toys and Big Wheels.  Those will just hurt your eyeballs on that white backdrop of purity. 

Who can really live like that anyway?  I have a hunch that the day after the photographers leave to go print their pictures, the homeowners wake up and go "I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!  I NEED SOME COLOR!"  They dash to the local paint store and hear angels when they see the vast array of magnificent hues they've been craving.  "I never knew..." they whisper brokenly as they clutch the paint chips to their chest.

Oh yes.

Color affects everything from our moods to our appetites.  A nice warm shade in the bathroom can make years melt off your face as you apply make-up.  Vanity alone should make every woman choose ANYTHING but white for the walls and furnishings.  How about a romantic tone of lilac (with just enough gray) for the bedroom?  It might just kick your love life into gear.  And don't we all want that!

Just keepin it real.

When we moved into our Barn House almost five years ago, we slapped new paint on the walls to cover up the white SEMI-GLOSS that covered everything.  We didn't spend a whole lot of time agonizing over getting the exaaaact colors we wanted.  But I'm ready for a little more boldness.  Some color with oomph.  I'm eager to change out the straw yellow in my bedroom for that soft lilac.  With fresh white trim around the windows, I think it will look positively dreamy.

How about you?  Are you collecting paint chips and gazing at them throughout the day, imagining their impact on your hum-drum living space?  Give yourself permission to try something new.  To step away from boring beige and wimpy white: the colors that are "safe," but dull and uninteresting.  Try starting with something small, like a powder room, and experience the power of paint.

I'm talking about the POWAH of paint!

It's time.  It's time for the Cottage Look to lose the White and embrace some color. 

Some CULLAH, people!

Oh, what I wouldn't do for a gospel organ right now to emphasize my point.

Rachel Anne   

Home Office Renovation - Before and After

Ta Daaa!

Before:

Notice the ceiling falling down and all the paint splatters on the walls. Very uninspiring. Also notice the large yellow lab standing inconveniently RIGHT IN THE DOORWAY, so as to cause us to have to push him out of the way every time we passed in and out.

After:

I wish you could see how gorgeous the red wall is. It is Sherwin Williams "Fireweed", 6328. Talk about inspiring! A perfect red with just enough brown in it to make it warm and rich. Makes me want to use it in the house somewhere. Large yellow lab is no longer permitted into our posh new digs. So he LAYS right outside the door so we can trip over him every time we pass in and out.

How to Pick a Paint Color

I love paint.

How wierd is it that I have never blogged about my paint passion? When I started blogging, I thought that paint would be a big player in my posts. But somehow I've never gotten around to writing about it. Shame on me. What kind of painter am I anyway?

Paint is the easiest and cheapest way to transform any room, furniture or object. You can paint almost anything, if it sits still long enough. (This would exclude toddlers.) The other possibilities are endless!

First, let's start with my favorite brands. I like Sherwin Williams the best: it is nice and thick, and covers well. There are several types to choose from, from contractor grade to environmentally "friendly". They even have a scrubable matte.

At Home Depot, Behr is the brand I use. Before we got a Sherwin Williams in our area, I would always have my Home Depot mix up a Sherwin Williams color in their Behr brand. Just ask them to look up the competitor brand in their computer and then apply it to Behr.

At Lowe's, Valspar is my choice. For doing a faux finish, the Valspar glaze is what I always use, but I'll talk about that on another post.

Now, let's talk about picking a color. Almost EVERYONE struggles in this area. The best thing to start with is a fabric or tile or carpet or SOMETHING that gives you something to work with. Find an accent color in a drapery fabric and start there. Take your fabric swatch to the paint store and start holding up colors to it. Use the little aparatus that lets you see the colors in different lights.

Then, buy a sample of two or three of the colors you think might work. Sherwin Williams, Benjamin Moore and Ace Hardware all have small sample sizes you can buy so that you don't have to buy a full quart. Great idea! Don't paint your room without trying a sample first. You will regret it, I promise.

Now, this is the best advice I can give you:

Rather than painting a small section of your wall, paint a 1/2 piece of poster board with each of your samples. Tape the poster boards up onto the wall so you can see them at all times of the day. The light coming into the room will change what the colors look like. Flourescent and incandescent lightbulbs have enormous effect on what a color looks like as well. Flourescent lights should be banned, but alas, I can only do so much.

Finally, check out a brand new selection of colors, called Concepts in Color from Sherwin Williams. Click on the "Color Visualizer" and you can see the whole collection. I love this collection! There are only 250 colors, all simply delicious. You will want to paint something immediately when you see them.

To Be Continued.