{20} Minute Miracle Paint Job

I got a little bee in my bonnet the other day as I walked past my hideous bathroom for the 30th time.

Studly has been begging me to bring into the 2000's for months, but I've held out hope that he would just give in and let me gut the place...thus allowing me to start from scratch. I have big plans: pedestal tub, travertine tile, granite counters, new fixtures and cabinets...the works. But like always, Studly has to pipe up and ruin the vision by uttering one joy-bumming word - RECESSION.

All right, times are tough. I get it. Besides, the point of this blog is how to decorate on a budget, not how to spend money you don't have to get the sweetest bathroom ever. So, I'll stick my dream of a luxury bathroom in my back pocket for now and work with what I've got...which is a bunch of crap out in the garage and a grotesque bathroom that had it's heyday in the eighties.

First things first, giving the plain, builder's grade, oak cabinets a much needed updating. Because I do loathe the space currently, I didn't want to waste much of my precious time {or money}on the project. So, I grabbed a brush and some paint {pale blue and seafoam green in case you were wondering}I had lying around and got to work.

There was no method to the madness, no rhyme or reason. I attribute that to my irritated state. I think subconciously I wanted to ruin the cabinets so that Studly would HAVE to let me get new ones. But the more I painted the more I started liking it. And twenty minutes later my masterpiece was done. The end result: old, worn and washed out looking cabinets, like something you might find in an old beach house. And you know what? I LOVE them! They have so much charm and character. Truthfully, I am okay putting my dream bathroom on hold, because I am so excited to see how this project turns out.

A reminder of the before: A closer look at the before cabinets: And now for the after: Already the bathroom looks 10x better. And a close up of the cabinets after: I tried to keep the paint light so that some of the existing, brown cabinet could show through. In some places I applied the paint a little thicker so as to add some depth. I also layered the color by first applying a pale blue, followed by a seafoam green. Check back soon for the complete room reveal.

Accent Walls Part Deux: Choosing a Color

I tend to be a fly-by-the seat of my pants type gal. It's not necessarily a good or a bad thing, but occasionally I will do something which has me scratching my head later. So, in regards to the accent wall{s} I am thinking about doing, I have really tried to take my time deciding so that I don't end wanting to repaint it in a week...which brings me to my second accent wall installment: choosing a color. Again, these are just a few guidelines to consider if you are in the market for painting an accent wall.

• Accent walls are usually a bolder/darker color than the other walls, but that doesn't always have to be {as a rule of thumb, dark accent walls result in a smaller, more intimate space whereas light accent walls help to make a room seem larger.}


• Choose a color that is in great enough contrast to all of the furniture pieces and accents in the room. If you have a light couch/chair/bed on the wall you might want to consider a darker wall color...or if you have a dark couch/chair/bed choose a lighter wall color.
I love how the white bed and light lamps pop against the dark plum wall.

• Use your existing decor to pick an accent color. Refer to throw pillows, artwork and other decorative pieces when choosing. Again, making sure that the color will offer enough of a contrast with else in the room.


I love how the yellow from these fun throw pillows was carried onto the walls behind the couch. Instead of using exsting decor to choose just a color for the wall, both color and a similar pattern from the bedspread were carried onto the wall.

• And if your really having a hard time choosing a wall color, how about letting your children decide for you...mine always seem to have an opinion on my decorating. Okay just kidding, but it could make for an interesting result. Instead, list the 4 most used colors in the room, ranking them from most dominant to least. Then, choose your wall color based on either one of the last 2 colors listed.


• And if you are going for uber drama...consider a wall with pattern or sheen.

Here are some inspiration pics to get the creative juices flowing.

Modern metallic sheen and sophisticated design...

Simple stripes... Another large, sophistaced pattern, but with an earthy overtone{I remember when this room was revealed on Design Star. I loved it then and I love it still.} Fun harlequin... Bright floral...

All righty peeps. I'm feeling adequately inspired now and I'm off to get jiggy with some color/pattern. I can't wait to show you what I have up my sleeve. Make sure to have your Depends on hand just in case.

Peace out!

Accent Walls: Choosing a Wall to Highlight

Every year about this time, I start brainstorming ideas for projects I want to do. The list is getting pretty long, to Studly's chagrin, but whatever. One of the projects near the top of the list is painting a cool accent wall in my older boys bedroom. I already have an idea for the color/pattern, but I have been struggling to choose a wall to highlight. Some of you might say, just pick a dang wall already psycho lady, but I want to make sure that I don't commit any decorating sins. So, I did a little research and found the info quite enlightening. I thought I would share, ya know, in case someone else out there in bloggyland is dying to know. Besides, I have to do my part to keep America's homes beautiful. Enjoy!

• A feature wall does not necessarily have to be the first wall you see when entering the room.


• An accent wall is usually a "solid" wall, meaning there are no windows or doors on it. However, if a wall has a widow with a spectacular view, beautiful French doors, or other interesting architectural element then choosing to accent it would create a great "frame" for these things.

If I had a view like this out my window, I'd "frame" it for sure.

• Take a minute and determine the focal point of the room. Perhaps it is a ...

great piece of artwork

Or a fabulous headboard

or a fireplace

• If there isn't really a focal point, create one. Find a painting or piece of artwork you like and highlight it. Feature something you collect i.e. old family photos, clocks, pictures of David Beckham {swoon}. On an accent wall these things will really stand out. Here are some other fun collections to consider...

mirrors

frames or plates

Finally, a little rule of thumb. If the room you are working with is long and narrow, the best wall to feature is the farthest, short wall. Painting this wall will help make the wall seem closer and room less constricting. Perhaps you already knew these guidelines for picking the perfect accent wall, but if not, I hope this helps. Stay tuned for Accent Walls: Choosing a Color...coming soon.

The Winner... and a New Project.

The winner is...hammered nickel! I have to give a big thank you to everyone who left comments. I was really tempted to try out the red and yellow suggestion, simply because I am all about doing the unexpected. If I were keeping Angelina for myself I probably would have painted the hardware a rusty orange color, but because she is going to the shop I decided to err on the more conservative, so I opted for silver instead {it's still unexpected, but not too in your face}. It was a really hard decision between the black and silver, but when it came down to it, I really liked the contrast of the silver on the black. I will really miss Angelina {though it will be nice to finally have the room to pull the cars into the garage now}. But, I am really looking forward to the next project...perhaps something I could call Brad, so that Angelina doesn't get lonely.

I ended up glazing the hardware so that it wasn't so brash.

I think it looks so much better now.

Here's a better pic of the glazing. And here's the full monty

And now for the project I have in the pipelines. It involves a certain, simple, Swedish bed {nice alliteration, eh?} and some faux, white leather. Here are some other clues:

My mind is swirling.

Square?

Slightly rounded?

With nailhead trim?

Or really big nailhead trim?

Or just simply tufted?

Decisions, decisions. Fortunately, these are the kind of decisions I like making. Stay tuned.

Meet Angelina

The feedback I recieved about painting the hardware for the dresser I've been working on was pretty much a unanimous "yes you can".
If the dresser were for myself I would have painted them no questions asked. But because it is going to the shop when it's done, I wanted to make sure that the handles would stand up everyday wear and tear before I tried to sell it.

Would you like to meet her?

This is Angelina!
{I call her that because she is sophisticated and beautiful, but also a little wild and audacious...no I didn't say bodacious}.





I painted the frame my favorite turquoise hue, Ocean Breeze by Krylon. I painted all of the drawers in a high gloss black, also Krylon, then stenciled them with a zebra stripes using a stensil I made { I bought stensil plastic from the craft store and then using a zebra printed shower curtain I already had, traced on the stripes and cut them out using an exacto knife. It ended up costing me about $4. Most of the zebra stripe stencils I saw online were retailing for $15-$24}.
Once the paint was dry, I...

glazed


and distressed

Then she was perfect...except for one thing.

No hardware.

I know that I have already appealed to the masses on the matter of {painting or not painting} the hardware, but I must appeal for advice once more...this time to help me decide what color to paint the hardware. {You know how when you've been working on a project for a really long time and things just start getting blurry and you get really confused and indecisive...no, that never happens to you? Well it happens to me all the time.} Here's where you come in.

Somehow I've managed to narrow down the color options to the following three:

turquoise



black


and silver





I need help on narrowing it down to just one. So, if you feel inclined to share, I'd love your input, cause Angelina is really looking forward to getting out of the garage and into the spotlight where she can dazzle and shine.