Children's Knobs

My sister called- looking for pink and black knobs for her daughter's freshly painted black bedside table. I told her to check on Etsy. To which she responded- "What's Etsy?".

So- are there still people out there that haven't heard of Etsy?

In two seconds- I found all of these pink and black- "little girl" knobs- all very affordable.

Where else could you find such a thing?

I did like the pulls on Brat Decor. That was my first thought... What else is out there? Anyone else know of any good sources for her drawer pulls? Pottery Barn Kids had some as well...

I like these "Paris" pulls. Super cute! What do you think?

FYI- check out my sister's blog- Diary of a Widow- her husband died of cancer five years ago- her blog is great- it makes me cry way too much.

The Stenciled Wall

Hi Christine!

You very generously gave me some suggestions back in December for my living room (I stuck to a budget! 12/8/09)...although I'm not quite there yet, I'm wondering if you have any recommendations for a wall color(s) for the room as it stands. My painter is coming on Thursday and I'm at a complete and total loss! I would love to be a little daring but I just can't figure out what is right for this room...I'm afraid I will have to leave the walls neutral unless you can guide me in a different direction. I am stuck with this traditional style area rug (craigslist...I know it's too small but $$) for a while and the window panels are a sheer (ish) olive green.

I'm in panic mode!!

Thanks!

Peggy

Dear Peggy,

No reason to panic. I will give you some ideas.

1. Sample quarts. remember that I am looking at a picture of your room on a computer screen. Although I will give you specifics. Get sample quarts today, and look at the paint in a few different lights. (morning, noon, evening, etc.)
2. Let me also give you some do nots. Do not go too dark. Your room is not large enough to handle a dark color. Do not do an "accent wall." Your architecture and room decor are not geared for it.
3. Your bold color in there now is red. My response to this is go green. Green is opposite the color wheel to red, and tends to make red look better. With this said, I would go neutral- with green undertones- not a bold green. I would get sample quarts of a few paints- these are Sherwin Williams colors: SW 6150 Universal Khaki, and 6149 Relaxed Khaki. Also look at 6156 Ramie and 6157 Favorite tan.
4. Now, you said you wanted to be daring, and I just gave you paint colors that are light and neutral. Not exactly daring. However, if you want to be daring, add pattern. The following pictures of of stenciled walls. I would do a subtle tone on tone. Perhaps a damask or over sized floral. In the same paint colors I mentioned previously. What to be leery of??? If you are not really good at this type of thing, and cannot afford to have it done for you- forget it. We are just covering up a lot of do it yourself faux finish jobs- and there were a lot of bad ones. But after you take the time to go to a class, and purchase all the paints- I think a lot of people convinced themselves that it looked good. But really it's like those singers on American Idol that can't really sing- but think they can. Good, professional stencil jobs are amazing, but a solid wall is much better than a poor, inexperienced painter trying their hand on their living room walls. I am trying to be so clear here that I cannot be misunderstood. Your friends will lie to you- tell you it looks good- that doesn't mean that it actually does. Just because you are using a stencil, and not hand painting, does not mean that talent is not necessary.
   So- there you go. Keep moving your furniture- Sofas on angles are rarely the best solution. And if you do have it on an angle- the rug should be on an angle- and I don't think you have room for that.... I really wish I could just come over sometimes...

Hey everyone- have a favorite of the stenciled walls?

Thanks,
Christine

pictures from Apartment Therapy

Wallpaper Wednesday

Today's Wallpaper Wednesday photos came from my Coastal Living October 2009 issue. One of today's pictures is not wallpaper. Guess which one. Is it the golden palm in the staircase above?

Is this real wood, or a faux wood paper?

How about this all-over design in the bathroom? Is that the work of hand painting or wallpaper?

Carolyn - note in this bath above that the magazine noted that the pipes were painted to look like copper pipes. That's a good solution for your bath - from this post.

So - hey - give me your guesses..... which photo is not wallpaper:

1. Palm leaves
2. Wood grain
3. The neutral bath

I'll let you know tomorrow.

Good job Jen! It was the Palm Leaves! And- no- I haven't found the coconut m&m's yet... but I'm still looking!

Beautiful but Boring

Christine

I have a massive two story foyer with a double staircase and two curved walls. These walls need some personality but I'm not sure how. I wish I could hang some pictures or something. And then there is the table which is a start but I can't come up with the right way to decorate it that reflects my more earthy, rustic, casual style but would still look good in my formal house. Please help!

- Michelle

Hi Michelle,

Let me just start by saying that you have a beautiful home- a great pallet to work with. Your stone floors, beautiful neutral wall color and what a grand staircase! Let's start with your walls. We'll tackle your table next time. Now that I've just complimented the nice color, let's change it. This entry way needs to be more inviting. I would look to the color pallet of your adjoining living room for a color choice. It certainly does not have to be a bold red, but contrast with the floor would be great. I am not a huge fan of hanging pictures on curved walls. I have seen it look "OK"- but it tends to feel awkward to me. You could hang tapestries or a rug- but with the symmetry of the staircase, I would maintain symmetry in your wall design. Perhaps a beautiful fresco hand painted wall mural or wallpaper. My personal style would keep it somewhat subtle. I love the example photo- muted colors, aged- to look like it has been there for a hundred years. Can you picture it? What do you think?

Thanks for writing in- and especially for the photo- that is fun to see. I want to see an "after" photo also!

- Christine