Rugs in the Bathroom, Black Rooms and Baby Potties
Well, that about sums this post up! We had this striped brown and cream flatweave cotton rug from Target in our bedroom…but our dogs sleep on the floor in there and we have wwaaayyy too much traffic in that room for a flatweave cotton rug that you cannot vacuum. Yes, we could go shake it out, but we’d have to do that every day, twice a day. So we moved it. I had it in my office, but the same deal; little pieces of paper from the hole-punch and random thread pieces would get stuck all over it. Plus it kept bunching up under the desk leg and office chair. So we moved it again. This time to the laundry room to wash it, and that’s where it stayed. Until my genius husband suggested it going in the bathroom. If you’re anything like me you hate a cold bathroom, especially a bathroom floor. It fits PERFECTLY in there from wall to wall. And I love the graphic striped pattern it brings in. *My husband, the decorator.*
It still gets a little bunchy, but that doesn’t bother me as much as it did in the bedroom because it’s easy to put back in its original location…and you might notice that we even took the bathmats out (and now they’re on either side of the bed) because we don’t need them anymore. This is something I probably never would have thought of on my own – another piece of evidence to show that having someone to bounce decorating ideas off of can be very helpful! A fresh set of eyes and opinions might be exactly what you need – and don’t discount your husband’s decorating skills – you never know, he might come up with something good a few times out of ten!
Sorry for the blurry webcam shot – I just don’t always feel like whipping out the nice camera, downloading and editing photos, uploading and formatting, linking and…well, you get the idea – quick and easy, that’s what I need these days – THANK YOU PHOTOBOOTH! At least I am posting, ha! And yes, my daughter is trying to crawl out of her bath because she sees me fiddling with my laptop…
And no, my bathroom is dark brown, not black…but I am dying to paint SOMETHING black, whether it be a room or an exterior! Will someone please let me pick a black paint for you??
Image via Apartment Therapy
Pretty, pretty please? Okay, how about chalkboard paint?
Image via Apartment Therapy
Okay, back to the bathroom; I thought I’d point out that cute little green and white baby potty in my bathroom. I can’t get over how cute my little girl looks while sitting on it. She’d hate it if it wasn’t for that stack of Wild Animal Baby magazines we put right next to the sink – because of those she’ll sit there forever. Nothing happens while she’s sitting on it (she’s only 18 months!), but it’s just for fun and for practice. 
She cracks me up…so I’m sorry if I over-talk about her potty, but it’s just precious (to me!). Here she is, assuming the ‘reading a magazine on the toilet’ pose, with her baby blonde hair combed after a bath. So sweet! And I did wrap her in a towel so I could post this online.
Anyway, the cute little potty, I bought it from Diapers.com because 1) their shipping is FAST! and FREE! and 2) I had a 15% off coupon sent straight to my e-mail because I have a customer account. All great things when you live in Likely. Plus the potty is too dang adorable and I thought it would look cute (and not take up much space in my teeny bathroom) sitting in its own little corner! It’s the Hoppop Torro Potty in Lime. It also comes in blue (Aqua) and pink (Fuschia), but my bathroom is already brown, green and white so I thought it would look good. Well, as good as a baby potty could. If it’s going to have to be out, it might as well look good! Right?
Fascinating stuff, right? Anyway, this is another baby product that gets the thumbs-up from me. It’s small, cute and was cheap! But I also like it mainly because she actually LIKES TO SIT ON IT! We’ll see how it goes after she actually learns to use it.
Going Granny Chic
Hello out there, lovelies! I seem to be all-about-blogging for a week or two, then I drop off the face of the Earth for another week or two! But I’m not sitting around eating Bon-Bons…I’m trying to wrap my brain around all of the projects I’ve got going – AND spend time with my two favorite people in the world! I’m glad they love me so much and understand my lack-of-boundaries at the moment. I thought I’d share a small project I’m working on, and I’m loving the challenge. Picking paint colors for a (in my words) ‘Granny Chic’ loft. Imagine this – an amazing loft space for visiting family with lots of light and a spiral staircase leading up to it. But it includes some super cozy and soft rose-colored carpet (that is 12 years old but in brand new condition as the room is never used) – and yes, I said rose as in PINK! – with a few brand new coats of barely-there chamomile paint on the ceiling. So neither will be changed. Hmm. The room also has a ton of oak furniture and a brand new bedding set that will also be the basis for choosing paint. Double hmm. Check it out.
The lightest paint color on the strip is the ceiling color: Chamomile by Sherwin Williams (SW 6399). And that is the pillowcase that matches the duvet from the bedding set. So ‘Granny Chic,’ right? I really think it could be pretty, and I’m hoping my choices will help make the loft everything she wants it to be! And I know my ‘Photobooth’ webcam shot doesn’t do the colors justice, but it will do for now I suppose!
Here are the paint color choices I’m mulling over…plus one more sample coming in the mail…
It’s not often that I get to work with such a girly palette. And it’s a nice change of pace because most designing that I’m doing is for both sexes and has to be a compromise. And I know it is in my house anyway! So I’m enjoying it.
Unfortunately I’m not going to share the paint colors themselves, as my client is paying for those color names*, but left to right is a golden yellow that still feels like a neutral, a muddy olive, a tan with a little green undertone, and a light smoky blue. What do you like best? I’m actually loving the blue, or the yellow, but I’m hoping it wouldn’t feel like a big easter basket with the rose carpet, ha! That’s why they’re on the neutral side and not too bright. But I’m guessing it will be the green or the tan that gets chosen. I guess we’ll have to wait and see!
*I’m sure you understand.
{Color Therapy} Fieldstone by Benjamin Moore
Looking for a chic way to update your kitchen? How about painting your cabinets a COLOR? I’m really loving white walls in spaces, but with colored trim, moulding, cabinets, ceilings, etc. lately. If I had the guts to re-paint my house, that is what I’d do…but I need to add the architectural details first so it wouldn’t look so BORING in white! I saw these kitchen photos and thought that it was such a calming and chic color scheme, I just had to share it to give a little inspiration. So without further adieu, I give you the Texas kitchen of Sally Wheat (which has been all over blogland, I know, but I had to file it away here in my little corner of the web!).
The cabinets are painted ‘Fieldstone’ by Benjamin Moore, a mid-value warm gray that is just so perfect with those marble countertops. A great example of how to inject some color into your space without painting the walls an actual color.
I love the casement window, the gorgeous Farmhouse style apron-front sink, the polished nickel faucet and cup pull hardware, and the decorative brackets on the open shelving. Notice how the cabinets’ hinges aren’t showing? It keeps the look of the cabinets less busy (or you can try white hinges with white cabinets, and metal pulls).
White subway tile with white grout is always a good choice. I love the open shelving to show off her great crystal and white glass collection.
And here is the wide angle shot of the whole space. How about those industrial pendants? And that plate wall? If you click over to see the whole house (see the link below), you’ll see that the homeowner/designer loves to mix vintage/traditional pieces with modern elements and trends for an eclectic look, and she does it well.
Want to re-create a kitchen like this? Try these items:
Polished Chrome Bridge Faucet, Overstock.com: $174.99 (it used to be $109.99 – always check for specials!).
Polished Chrome Bin/Drawer Pull, eBay.com: $1.70 each (eBay is a GREAT place to buy cabinet hardware).
Fisherman Ceiling Lamp, Pottery Barn Kids: $89.00 each. (But PB should know – clear light = clear bulb!)
DOMSJÖ Double Bowl Sink, IKEA: $312.98 (this one is HUGE at over 3 feet wide!)
And this is their single bowl version, 25″ wide: DOMSJÖ Sink bowl from IKEA, $185.99.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this kitchen! Have you seen it before? What do you think of painted cabinets? Would you rather stick with wood or white? Let me know! Happy painting!
{Images via Cote De Texas of Sally Wheat’s kitchen. Click here to view the entire home!}
Read MoreI Love Me A Painted Ceiling…
Check out this lovely set of photos from the Southern California home of Kristan Cunningham (yes, the host of HTGV’s Design on a Dime!). Most of the walls in their rental are white, but they’ve painted most of the ceilings a dark charcoal gray. And their ceilings really don’t look that high, which is a nice example of how dark ceilings really don’t make a room look and feel smaller (like most people believe) but they push the walls out and make the room look and feel larger.
I also love the lighter gray trim, and the dark lower cabinets with matching pulls.
They added the wainscoting backsplash as well.
They removed a few upper cabinets to the left of the kitchen window and added open shelves there – perfect touch!
I love the black accents and black, white, gray and brown/wood color scheme.
How great is that ceiling? And that painting? And those orange Eames Molded Plastic Armchairs!
Even the stacked books on the mantel are coordinated!
I’m grateful for my new vinyl windows, but there’s something about painted window grids. And cute little owls.
Probably my favorite shot from the whole house. I love the doilies and the ticking stripe bolster. But just wait…
LOVE that closet paint job!
And the bathroom cabinet got the same treatment as in the kitchen.
Turquoise front door. Enough said! PS – Turquoise has been named Pantone’s 2010 Color of the Year…just in case you didn’t know.
Enough eye candy for you today? Me neither…I could always use some more! If you’d like to read about Kristan’s house, budget and DIY tips, you can read the entire article here at the LA Times. Enjoy!
What are your thoughts on Kristan’s French-with-an-edge Venice California house? How about that ceiling color? A little masculine with a little quirk? Just my style! Leave your thoughts here!
Read More{Color Therapy} Tapestry Beige
I love when I find out what paint color is on the walls in a room that I like (ok, love). And before you start dozing off because it says “Beige” in the title, check out these photos of Benjamin Moore’s OC-32 Tapestry Beige.
It’s an off-white on the gray-green side. I love how it looks with the white trim, green bench, brown frames and dark floors.
The lighting/photo editing is obviously different in both of these photos, but you can still tell that it is a color that goes with anything.
I absolutely love the color scheme. Grays, ivories, greens and dark woods are my absolute fav. I’m not sure if this room (below) is the same color, but it looks like it might be, and it’s from the same house. *Update from the designer: it is the same color!
It reads white/ivory/light, but not boring at all. My kind of beige. I definitely tend toward the gray side of off-white. Perfection.
I absolutely love this designer’s work. Click along for more. {All images copyright Erika of Urban Grace Interiors, via Urban Grace Interiors and My Home Ideas.}
Read MoreHe Says/She Says
I need your help here, people! We have a little “Designing for the Sexes” debate at my house…on a few rooms, but we’ll start here. As you might know, we need to do a little painting in the master bedroom. One of us wants to continue doing some painting, and one of us wants to simply leave the room how it is (after the NEW window trim is painted, of course). I won’t say who is who because I want your honest opinion and I’m going to show Glenn the results of this poll! {See the poll below.} Here are some pictures of the bedroom as it is today.
We do have a wish list for this room…starting with light bulbs with lower lumen output. See the bandannas on the bedside lamps? The light bulbs are ridiculously bright for a bedside lamp. We also want a new bed frame (notice how we took the canopy part down??), curtains over the windows, new rugs, and some serious art and accessories. I think the bed could also use a throw or something for some fun texture.
One of us wants to leave the paint as is. The other wants to paint the trim, chair rail and ceiling a chocolate brown, leaving the white and orange as is. What do you think? We both like the orange (Pilgrimage Foliage by Benjamin Moore) so I’m trying not too show my bias here, hehe…
Alright, here is the poll. Feel free to add your own design suggestion if you can think of another idea!
Thanks for your help! I’ll be sure to keep you updated!!
Read More
About Me
I'm an interior designer and a draftsperson, but I live in the country. I like it that way. I'm also a firefighter's wife, mom to 2 cute kids, and a homeowner and I like that even better. But right after that is a pretty and affordable space...and I mean a REALLY affordable space. Because I believe good design can be for EVERYONE!
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