Archive for the ‘Painting’ Category

In a previous life of living large, downsizing has now become a necessary part of life for most people. Rather than dwelling on what you don’t have, make the most of what you do have. There are many ways to make a smaller space feel comfortable and inviting allowing you and others not to notice the size, rather notice how nice your space is.

BALCONY/DECK

Decorating a small balcony or deck is much easier than most people realize. There is no reason to leave your space empty considering all you really need are plants and some form of outdoor lighting. Hanging plants are a good option for decorating vertically and adding some color. They may also be used to disguise a bad view. If your view is the backside of another apartment you can hang plants all along the entire top of your balcony. If you’re lucky enough to have a great view, you can hang plants just in the corners to keep your view clear. Also, flower pots can add color and an element of comfort. If you’re interested in furnishing the space here are a couple ideas:

Small Bistro Set - These sets usually include two chairs and a small table and run anywhere from $150.00 up to $400.00+. You can find them at Target, Lowes, Fred Meyer, etc. However, I found them the cheapest at Home Depot.

Chest/Bench – Place a chest against one of the walls or railing, cover the chest with a nice cloth, place a few pillows on the ends and use the wall(s)/railings as the backrest. You could then use this bench not only for seating, but also for storage.

Hang a Hammock – Hammocks come in all different shapes and sizes. You can choose from Brazilian hammocks that cradle your body and can be hung on walls to hammock chairs that hang from the ceiling. Whatever you choose, they come in all different sizes, colors and are super comfortable!

Lighting is another way to make the balcony/deck more inviting. There are multiple options for plug in or solar power lights. If you live in an apartment/townhome solar power wall lights are a good option. Another option, a little more expensive, is to purchase an outdoor floor lamp. These start around $100.00 and go up, but look very clean and classy. Another fun idea is to hang rope light either from the banister, or above on the ceiling.

KITCHEN

The kitchen has become more than just a place to make food; rather, it is a place of migration for friends and family. Interestingly enough, regardless of how popular the kitchen is, it is usually one of the smaller rooms of the home. The key to making the most of your kitchen space is….no clutter! For some of us, this is much easier said than done. However, here are a few simple ideas to help keep your most commonly used kitchen items close by without being in the way.

Hang It Up – One of the most obvious locations for storage that we all have are the inside of cabinet doors. Use this space to hang a spice rack or small shelf. Hanging shelves in any “dead space” will allow you to utilize every inch of your small kitchen while allowing you to keep things off the countertops. Wall and ceiling racks can also be considered for bigger, heavier options to free up some cupboard space.

Illusion – As helpful as cabinets are for storage, they can make a small space feel closed and crowded. Opt for some cabinets and some open shelving (can easily remove cabinet doors for instant open shelving). This will make your space feel more open and inviting. Also, lighting and color are two important factors in creating the illusion of a larger kitchen. The year 2009 is all about colors like yellow, blue and violet for kitchens. Recessed lighting coupled with bright color schemes will brighten up your kitchen and make it feel bigger.

Clear Up Counter Space – As nice as it is to have every single kitchen appliance you own out for display and/or for easy use, it makes for an unnecessarily cluttered space. Displaying the spice rack and fruit bowls are one thing, but that big espresso maker or blender? Some things are better left stored away in a cupboard until they are needed.

LIVING ROOM

The living room is probably the most used room of the entire home for most people. Whether you’re just lounging for the evening, or having company over, the look and feel of your living room is important. Many people often make the mistake of cramming this room with a huge couch, big screen television, and an oversized lounge chair leaving the room feeling crowded and dark. Here are some tips to make this room as comfortable as possible; regardless of the size.

Color – As with any small room color is an easy way to create the illusion of a larger space. Try choosing “cool” colors like blue or green for this room. These colors can create the illusion of higher ceilings and are neutral enough to easily decorate with.

Mirrors – Strategically placed mirrors can create the feeling of a larger room. The idea isn’t so much about the glass itself, rather the light that reflects off the glass. Consider either hanging a wall mirror, or using a piece of mirrored glass as a decorate item on a coffee table or mantle. You can place candles on this mirror for a more elegant look.

Window Treatments – There are many different options here. You can choose ceiling to floor flowing curtains that can make the ceilings appear higher. You can also choose a decorative piece to hang horizontally just on the top of the window. If you go with a horizontally hung treatment, you can hang blinds that can easily fold down for window coverage when you need it. No matter what you decide, window treatments are a great way to add color and texture to an otherwise bland room.

Living in a small space does not dismiss the ability to live large. Often times making small decorative additions can make a big difference in the feel of the room. There are many different affordable and easy options for making the most of your space. Embrace your wonderful space and get creative. Good luck!!

This year, everyone is looking for ways to add to their home without breaking the bank. If you have wood floors, you’d be surprised at the options you have for updating them. Don’t think you lack options when it comes to refinishing your floors…here are some cool out of the box ideas for spicing up the area under your feet.

Dark Paint or Varnish on Floors

Want these beautiful dark work floors yourself? Here’s a tip from Remodelista that I liked:

“To achieve a noirish effect, consider painting your wood floors with high performance, marine-grade Hollandlac Paint  from Fine Paints of Europe. For a super-shiny look, top with a marine-grade clear varnish. We like black for the floors and Espresso for the walls.”

Stencil on Floors

On DesignSponge, the owner of these smartly stenciled floors said she chose this project as a temporary fix before she has the time (and money!) to refinish her floors completely. I love the look, and it’s a smart temporary fix, or permanent one.

From Emmas Designblogg, yet another intricate painting and stenciling option:

I like this unique, DIY approach to floor refinishing. How about you?

**UPDATE**: One more look to add to the post….just stumbled across this lighter, less modern, and more minimal use of paint on floors via Country Living.

November, for me, means one thing: Thanksgiving! The food, the friends, the wine, and of course, the assortment of delicious pies.

Nothing makes Thanksgiving more enjoyable than the perfect space to enjoy it in. This week we’ll look at ideas, both big and small, for making the most of your dining room.

Some projects you can finish before your family arrives on the 27th, and others will take longer to plan and execute, but will bring greater, more noticeable results. This week we will look at major and minor ways to change up your dining room.

Part 1: Quick Dining Room Fixes

1. New Lighting : Adding a new light fixture not only adds a new focal point, but can also brighten up a room.

(Photo Credit: Relish)

2. New Paint: Add a new coat of paint to a room. A new color scheme can dramatically change the look and feel of a room.  Painting can be a great DIY weekend project, or just paint half of the room as seen here to make it an even quicker project:

(Photo Credit: New York Times)

3. A New Table: A dining room table can make or break your space. Make sure you have a table that fits the space you’re in, and that functions for your purposes for it. If you’re less than happy with your table, maybe it’s time to start scouting out a new one before the family arrives.

(Photo Credit: Remodelista)

Check in Wednesday for some Major Dining Room Renovation tips

It’s Halloween today and for most, it means one of day of celebrating ghoulish, fall weather fun.

But, if you like darker palettes not just on Halloween, but all year round, here are some great ways to use a lack of color for amazing effect.

When using darker colors, lighting plays an important role. Notice how well the bright natural light plays against the darker interiors:

I love all the dark wood floors. These types of wood floors can be created with a coat of dark varnish color. It gives a classic aged, antique look:

Obviously this look isn’t for everyone, and honestly, while it has rays of elegance, I prefer much more vibrant color palettes, like in these previous posts:

Interior Painting with Neutral Colors
Pick a Color, Any Color
Bright and Bold Paint Palettes

All photos from Remodelista

Ochre oranges and vibrant reds have started to peek out through the lush monochrome greens of our abundant foliage here in town.  It’s crisp out and the leaves are ready to be crunched under foot while sipping a pumpkin flavored coffee beverage. 

Autumn is a great time of year to indulge in the warm colors and the last ditch displays of nature before trees and grasses descend into full hibernation mode for the season.  Ambers and golds, burnt siennas and gingers frame city streets and park sidewalks, and while nature is changing its palette, it got me thinking how great it would be to bring similar colors inside to revitalize a home’s tired color scheme.

I like paint colors that are visibly inspired by the hallmarks of autumn.  For example, Valspar has created an entire line around the warm hues of fall just for the home.  Giving your home a fall painting makeover is a festive way to warm up your kitchen’s feel in anticipation of the cool weather and shorter days.  It may also cheer your spirits as the mornings hide within the horizon longer, and the evenings get sucked away too soon into the winter dark. 

Not quite feeling inspired yet? 

See for yourself:
http://www.valsparatlowes.com/explore-colors/color-by-nature/Autumn%20Leaves%20Colors.html

Let us know if you’re ready to renew your home with some fall colored energy!

Some houses get lightly lived in, and then there are those abodes that weather the perfect storms of kids and pets and indoor floor sock hockey.  Among other things.  Do you have a house that works hard?  Ok maybe you don’t exactly have floor hockey tournaments going down on the kitchen tiles, but your house is definitely well lived in. 

Maybe the kids are rough on it or you’ve got a favorite furry friend who likes to be every bit a member of the family as the two legged ones.  These kinds of houses sometimes end up needing some special attention, especially in the kinds of paints and coatings we choose to live our lives around.  Paying a little attention to surfaces and other aspects of hard lived homes also means homes will wear better for the long run.  And you’ll feel better living in a home you know is ready to be truly lived in. 

 There are many products and ideas out there you to help you get started protecting the places that see the most wear and tear in your house.  The first place to look might be your floors.  Protecting your floors with a durable coating will do wonders for the longevity of your flooring, and might even mean you’ll have less work to do in maintaining it.  I don’t know any homeowner who wants to spend more time mopping or sweeping. 

Walls are another big ticket feature of your house that are bound to show wear more than other places.  Durable paints and protective coatings do wonders here too.  It might be worth it to you to take a little action now, rather than making a much bigger and potentially costly investment down the road. 

 We liked looking around General Polymers and Sherwin Williams for some ideas and advice.  Check it out and you can get started.  What else do you worry about in your home? Maybe we can look into how you can solve those problems too? Let us know!

Do you have one of those rooms in your house that you just can’t seem to do anything with?  Maybe it’s a guest bedroom, a den, or the mudroom-it happens to the best of houses.  Sometimes rooms or spaces just get a little left behind. 

We found a quick, inspiring way to upgrade the spaces you’re stuck on really easily:  Pick your favorite color, or select other members of your home to nominate their favorite hues, and just like that, you’ve got somewhere to start.  Once you’ve settled on a color, let it lead how you reinvent your room:

Photo Credit: Better Homes and Gardens

Go Blue:

            Go Yellow:

While we think it’s good to be as creative as possible when combining your colors, you might want to give a little thought to the type of room or space you’re coloring before you break open the paint or head out to buy draperies.  Colors can be a powerful presence in your home, so give some thought to the shade of color as well as the area where it will be displayed.  Do the primary activities of the space mesh with the color or hue you’re looking at?  If the answer is not necessarily yes, try moving up and down the spectrum of your desired color, or, if your heart isn’t set on that particular color, try a different one altogether.  Almost no matter what color you choose, there are ideas out there to help you get started: 

         Go Purple:

Go Green:

Even Black… or Red:

For even more ideas: check out more ways to get your color on

I’m guilty.  Guilty of under appreciating moulding.  I was spoiled in my previous home, where mouldings abounded, but after the move, well, something is just not right. 

Its likely one of those things you won’t notice until you don’t have it.  And then you’ll be plagued by the feeling that something is conspicuously missing.  Take my word on this one, as a dweller of a now moulding-free abode, it feels different.  The word I’m looking for here is more probably unfinished, because it is. 

Photo Credit: Bob Vila

Managing Moulding Woes

While you may be taking your moulding for granted, or if you’re looking at adding some to make your place feel whole, there are almost too many choices: crown, decorative, chair rail…the list is a potentially very long one.

Moulding is an effective way to make a quick upgrade to your room for a terrific impact.  It’s an easy do-it-yourself or weekend project that packs a really powerful aesthetic punch.  I promise you’ll be surprised if you try out some new mouldings or change existing ones to newer, fresher colors.  You can wake up the most uninspired of rooms and add dimension to lackluster floor plans.  

Take a look at some of the creative ways mouldings can be used:

http://www.mouldingandmillwork.com/inspiration