Cool New Source

Today I wanted to introduce you to Jayson Home and Garden. They are located in Chicago's Lincoln Park- but are set up to sell to you from their web site- for those of you in rural America.

I have to say that I loved ALL of their sofa styles. How often can you say that? And they have a "flea market" section also- with vintage and antiques- like the antique garden table above. I admit- that I sometimes daydream about having my own store- and it always has some antiques mixed in...

You can find great accessories too...

And check out this beautiful antiqued rug. I adore the aged look in rugs... What do you think?

Make it or break it?

A Little More Than She Asked For...

Hi Christine-

I found your blog today & would love your help with picking a color for my bedroom. My whole house (walls & ceiling) are painted a light beige and I'd like to start adding more color so each room doesn't look the same. I've attached a picture of the bedroom. It has vaulted ceilings and several windows along one side. There is also dark trim and my bedding is a light/ sage green. I want the bedroom to feel calm & relaxing. As you can see in the picture I painted a sample square of BM Davenport Tan. But, I think it's going to be too dark if the whole room was that color. What color do you think I should paint that would go with the dark trim?

Thanks for your help!

Sarah

Dear Sarah,
Where to start? I know you only asked for wall color- and if we knew each other- and were friends- that is all I would give you. But the beauty of this blog- is that I don’t know you- and so I am hoping that I won’t offend you in telling you that you need a lot more than a new color on the wall.

The arrangement of the room stinks. Your bed is crammed in between a window and a door, and then you have a not too large piece of furniture on a big wall. I don’t know what’s happening on the other walls- so we’ll just deal with these two. Switch your furniture around. Generally speaking, I would have the headboard on the wall with the high pitch. The focal point of a bedroom is always the headboard wall- and that architecture is pointing to that being the best wall- but because of the window and door- it is not. If the opposite wall is empty- void of doors and closets- put the bed on that wall- but otherwise- put it on the wall that currently has your dresser- and the dresser where you have your bed. Go do that right now.

OK- now take everything off you dresser. Purchase a larger piece of art. Better yet- get a mirror- the one below that I selected for you is tiled on the frame with antique mirrors that have a sage color to them. Your scale is off- we need to go much larger- it should start just a few inches from the top of the dresser. Your lamp is too small for anywhere! They should not even sell lamps that size. The one above is from Uttermost- it is 36 inches high. Ditch the flowers. OK- if they were from your wedding you can keep them- but you can’t have them out- put them in a nice box for safe keeping. The nice box can stay.

The window treatments are not working. They are not blocking the sun. They are not providing privacy. They do not look good from a decorative standpoint. Thus- they are not working. You have a French door- which is almost automatic for Roman Shade. Put Roman Shades on both windows- the one I selected below is a natural woven wood from Smith and Noble. The Large window gets straight hanging panels in addition to the Roman shades- stacked to the right and left. Start them about 12 inches above the window. Go for a different texture from your bedding on your panels- no cotton- perhaps a velvet- the one in the photograph above is from Restoration Hardware. You mentioned that you wanted to keep the room calm and relaxing- so keep your colors soft- low on contrast. I would go with a cream on the drapes- the woven woods have cream, sage, and a little dark brown. That is our pallet.

OK- on to the bed. We will start above the bed- we need a nice piece of art here- the cherry blossom print below is from Uttermost.

OR you can put that on a different wall and do a soft canopy over the bed with a sheer fabric. The photo- to show you the concept- is from Southern Accents- the fabric is from Fabric.com

. BTW- with your bed on this wall you will need two end tables and again LARGER LAMPS - check out this table from Overstock.com. Check out the Southern Accents photo not just for the canopy- but it also has the woven woods with panels- a similar window treatment to the one I suggested.

Your bedding as is is too monochromatic. We need more color- we need more texture. It's like you started purchsing bedding- but didn't finish. For color- let’s use cream- same color as our drapes. Fold the duvet at the end of the bed and add a cream blanket, quilt, or matelese. I would like to something fuzzy and soft- so I head toward blanket- as fuzzy as you can find. :)
Finish it off with a decorative pillow. I chose a needlepoint pillow to give more textual variety- this one is from Homeandgardenart.com.
Now for the paint. Now that your bedding is showing more cream than green- we can go green on the walls. It is hard to give you exact colors without having your bedding with me- but remember that you are not matching your bedding- that will be way too bright on the walls. Look at Sherwin Williams 6170, 6163, and 6171. Keep is soft, subtle, and neutral.

That was more than you asked for huh? And I stayed up too late- gotta go-

XOXO

Christine

Mrs. Holland's Built-Ins

Catch up with Mrs. Holland here.

Dear Christine,

Our new home is everything we ever dreamed of owning, but because I have very little experience with decorating and I am a nervous wreck trying to make decisions. I am turning to you for advice. There are tall windows everywhere. The main room is huge and the living room, dining room, and kitchen are all combined as one large space. As you can see there are beautiful built-in bookshelves, a space cut out of a wall in the living room area for a large screen t.v. and there are two sets of french doors which open up to a large balcony that overlooks a small waterway (bayou).

I love the taupe colored walls with white trim and am thinking of leaving this color as is. The kitchen appliances are black and all cabinet knobs, ceiling fans, etc. are silver. A large part of my dilemma is color. I have no idea where to go with furniture and accent color. I am open to suggestion and would be more than appreciative if you could lead me in "any" direction.

Mrs. Holland

Today let's work on your built-ins. I love a home with wonderful built-ins and it looks like yours is one of those. With that said- a couple of things I would do:

1. Add a sofit. It looks to me like you have less than a foot or so above the built-in. That is nothing but a dust catcher- plus the lack of moulding at the top feels so unfinished to me. I would add- starting from the ceiling- a crown moulding- similar to your kitchen cabinetry- followed by a flat panel- large enough to cover the gap to the existing built-in- finished off with a bead that covers the transition from the new to the old- then paint it all to match. It will look something like the bookcase in this post.
2. After that- the decorating of the bookcase area is very important- don't just fill it with your books. THIS IS NOT A STORAGE AREA :). Decorate the area carefully and beautifully. I really want to come there and do it for you. But if you follow my instructions you can do a terrific job. Look for my instructions in this post. I really do want this area to look like it was staged for a magazine. That will be the difference from it being AMAZING or cluttery.
3. I am going to give you some specific ideas on accessories to purchase for this area- add to this some good looking books. place larger items in first, then medium sized items, small items, and end with books. Use books vertically, horizontally, and under accessories. Have greenery items throughout- here and there. This tray is from Uttermost- get a plate stand hand have it sitting like a charger. Buy some nice picture frames like these from Pottery Barn. I would use all black and white photos. There are so many cool "containers" out there. In my home I use them for putting things like my old trophies or ribbons or things I can't seem to get rid of- but don't want to display. The containers above as well as the round one below is from Uttermost. I like a little statuary going on also- birds- rabbits, golfers- whatever you are into. The bird below is from The Import Collection. Baskets are our friends- a great place to put some books that are not pretty enough for display- or a throw blanket- toys for the kids- leapsters- whatever- they hide it. I would get about six or eight for your area- find some that are as close to the width of your shelving areas as you can. The baskets below are from Pottery Barn. I love a nice table clock- place it at eye level. This one is from Uttermost. Add a splash of color. I like the idea of combining yellow with the taupe- as I suggested in the bedroom post- so I went with a few yellow accessories. These urns are from The Import Collection. You absolutely need to add some greenery- but I wouldn't expect it to grow- so I selected some faux items for you from Uttermost. Chargers are a nice look- and easy to find- I like a simple look in your case as it is going in such a busy are to begin with- lots of different patterns would cause visual competition. I am not suggesting you light any fires in your bookcase- but you can get little LED candles- and some candle light- even fake- is great for atmosphere. These holders are from Uttermost. Beautiful book ends are very helpful- and a nice look. These are from Uttermost again. I like using bowls in my decorating- and then also using them when I need them for entertaining. This set is from Uttermost. Another splash of yellow with these canisters and you are done. (from The Import Collection) Be deliberate in decorating an area like this- set aside enough money for accessories- it will make all the difference.

Cool New Source

My friend Michelle introduced me to a great new source- Eccentric, sure- but a little whimsy in your decor can add charm and personality. MacKinzie- Childs is a great source for the unexpected- unique pieces that make your house fun and unique.

In addition to their hand painted furniture- their accessories are terrific.

I am of the motto- dishes are awesome! MacKinzie- Childs has some fabulous ones- check out their plate sets for children- they are so adorable- and would make a great gift.

How cool is this? It replaces your functioning boring spigot with this charming bird spigot! It would make me smile as I turn on the hose to clean the patio off after art time with the chalk...

So- what do you say- make it or break it?

Instant Glamour

OK- so you want to freshen your look? It can be as simple as new throw pillow. Take those tapestry pillows that your mother gave you in 1992 and give them to the Good Will, and then the Good Will will throw them away for you, because really NOBODY wants them.

Find some new, interesting pillows that will liven up your sofa or bed.

They will give your room that fresh new, "something" that will make you smile when you walk in it.

I love that branch silhouette pattern. It is similar to the cherry blossoms that I am such a big fan of. Picture some solid gray bedding with this fabulous pillow.

Yes- that is what you need- a new pillow- or two. I have a new favorite web site, Bliss Living Home, where I found all of these decorative pillows. I was really surprised at how well priced they were. They have some beautiful bedding, check it out! :)