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| Steam AF-15 on stairs, Collingwood 50% on walls via West of the City |
| Furlow Gatewood via Veranda |
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| Simply White, OC-117: Homebunch |
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| Dragon's Breath, 1547 from A Well Dressed Home |
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| Berber White, 955, via Homebunch |
Friday, November 14, 2014
What I am pinning this week - Paints
My pins are focusing on paints this week. I usually paint in Benjamin Moore. The color is true to the chip, and it doesn't spatter, no new hair color for me! I have painted in Ralph Lauren and in Pratt and Lambert as well. But I always come back home to Benjamin Moore.
I love the freshness of this foyer. The Steam is just a bit lighter than the Collingwood which has been mixed at 50 percent.
Furlow Gatewood's Beautiful gray doors inspire me. I don't know the color, but pigeon gray looks close.
I pinned this beautiful kitchen, in Simply White OC-117, both for the beautiful paint color and the timeless appeal of the medium wood floor, the marble and the leather island.
I love this door in Dragon's Breath, 1547
Back when everything was a bit browner, I used Benjamin Moore Berber White 955, as a trim color. Now, I want it as a wall color, somewhere.
Monday, November 10, 2014
Paint Sample Weekend
There isn't a lot to show for this post. The focus for this weekend was resolving the design details for the upstairs "main" bath. This bath is shared by two young women. The color and design has been the same for about 10 years. It reflected the aesthetic of their early teen years, though it never quite resolved the issues of two girls using a 30" vanity with a mega-sink.
As part of the design development, we were choosing paints. To choose paints, a large sample needed to be examined, something bigger than the fan deck or paint chip. Three whites were selected for a background paint. Which were painted on foam core sample boards. When painting is eminent, say with in the next few days, then painting on the wall works. Some advocate for a white band around the paint so that the existing paint doesn't taint the visual. On my sample boards, I leave a one inch border all around.
The first two are more yellow, while the last is a bit more green.
A stencil is planned to mimic the look of wallpaper.
And that is how I spent my weekend, contemplating white, not beige.
The remainder of the bathroom plan is next.
As part of the design development, we were choosing paints. To choose paints, a large sample needed to be examined, something bigger than the fan deck or paint chip. Three whites were selected for a background paint. Which were painted on foam core sample boards. When painting is eminent, say with in the next few days, then painting on the wall works. Some advocate for a white band around the paint so that the existing paint doesn't taint the visual. On my sample boards, I leave a one inch border all around.
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| Benjamin Moore Steam AF-15 |
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| Benjamin Moore Simply White OC-117 |
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| Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace 2121-70 |
A stencil is planned to mimic the look of wallpaper.
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| Benjamin Moore Pigeon Gray 2133-50 |
The remainder of the bathroom plan is next.
Friday, November 7, 2014
Just Paint it White
I cringe when I see this advice to those wanting to sell their house. Why? Because there are so many white paints. Benjamin Moore has 165 paints with white and 72 with cream in the name. This doesn't even count those paints which don't even have white in the name, but which are actually white. Harwood Putty CW-5 and Steam AF-15 are good examples of this.
Granted, a hand full can be discounted because they aren't even close to white.
Pumpkin cream, for example,
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| Harwood Putty CW-5 via Lisa Mende Design |
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| Michele Jalbert Benjamin Moore Steam AF-15 on stairs Collingwood at 50% on walls |
Granted, a hand full can be discounted because they aren't even close to white.
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| Pumpkin Cream, Tracey Stephens Interior Design |
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| Pumpkin Cream via Houzz |
Pumpkin cream, for example,
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| Benjamin Moore Tomato Cream Sauce |
or Tomato Cream Sauce.
These three paints are very different from each other. I have used all three in show houses and client spaces. They are very different from each other.
How do you choose the right white? Each house is different. Consideration has to be given to the flooring and the lighting, especially the amount of daylight in a room. Just paint it white may result in a house that is memorable, as one that needed to be repainted.
There are literally five, which are not really cream, I counted. Of the 232 remaining colors in the Benjamin Moore fan deck, the question becomes Which White?
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| Benjamin Moore Elmira White HC-84 |
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| Benjamin Moore Ivory White 925 Southern Living |
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| Benjamin Moore Berber White 955 |
How do you choose the right white? Each house is different. Consideration has to be given to the flooring and the lighting, especially the amount of daylight in a room. Just paint it white may result in a house that is memorable, as one that needed to be repainted.
Sunday, November 2, 2014
Good Bye Ceylon
When we were building our house, I asked the builder if I bought the paint, could they paint it the color I chose? Painting the house while empty makes the most sense, especially when the painters are on site to provide the labor. Unfortunately, the builder was rather "off the rack" and the answer was no. The house was slathered with builder white. The color was not horrible, but the paint quality sure was! The paint spattered. The mess made just touching up move-in damage was insane. This paint had to go.
The very first room painted in the house was the family room. At the time, nearly fifteen years ago, the world was smitten with the colors used by a fellow Tulsan, Charles Faudree. Though he had begun to lighten his look from the Pratt and Lambert Ceylon Ivory and Algerian Red, the paints were still very popular. Had I had my way in that preconstruction meeting, the entire house would have been painted Ceylon Ivory.
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| Ceylon Ivory walls |
Instead I settled for painting the family room and, after redoing it to fix the dysfunctional layout, the kitchen was painted with a base of Ceylon Ivory. Ceylon Ivory is a yellow based beige. It is a great cream, frankly, I'd grown tired of cream. In fact, the entire room needed a change.
The first change was the rug. previously, the rug was a Persian style, with a very eighties color scheme. The rug had seen better days.Plus, it had been a kitty favorite.
I fell hard for the Beni Ourain rugs, but the cost was over my budget and frankly, the shag can be a problem for mobility, not to mention fur ball removal! Let's just say that I can trip over a hardwood floor, a shag isn't the best option for our family room.
Wool is the best option if you have spills. Wool fiber is opaque and stains are better hidden than with synthetics. The rug I opted for a is a looped wool rug with a Beni Ourain style. What I thought was an off white rug with a deep brown accent was creamier than expected. In fact, the rug was very yellow in tone! **Le Sigh** I considered at least 50 paint chips, from which ten paint color samples were purchased to make large paint samples. And then we started again, almost serious about that. For others, rarely more than three colors need to be considered. But for myself, I line up all the 18 * 24 inch sample boards and squint. And squint some more. Finally, I settled on Benjamin Moore Elmira White, HC-84.
Then I needed to pick an accent color. Because, in addition to saying goodbye to the Ceylon Ivory, the accent color on the fireplace wall, Fennel, was going. Covering it with Pashmina AF-100, was harder than covering the Ceylon.
The Fennel
became Pashmina.
The Ceylon
Is now Elmira White.
The transformation, at least for paint, is completed.
Thursday, October 30, 2014
What I am Pinning this Week - The Foyer
This week, after painting the family room, I am dreaming of redoing, perhaps finally finishing is more appropriate, the foyer. I wish I had a proper foyer, with room for a table and a small ottoman underneath. My dream has always been a grand foyer with a sweeping staircase. A beautiful set for wedding pictures and family portraits.
Though a grand foyer with an equally grand staircase would be wonderful, I could even go for a just-big-enough space for some dramatic paint and a stunning table, a space to land before continuing into the house.
I have a fondness for symmetrical balance, but I could go for this, too. The gallery and the arrangement are asymmetrical. The balance of black and white makes the look very all the more stunning. Notice how the photos are all in black and white, providing a subtle repetition of the black shade and table.
A chic wall finish, either paper or stenciling would be stunning. However, given the narrowness of my foyer, it must be limited to the wall in the upper hall. Notice the repetition of the gold in the paper, the furniture and accessories. The Cowtan & Tout wallpaper appears to be available only in green, now. I am drawn to geometric designs and stunning mirrors.
Of course, the builder-grade carpet and lowest end carpet cushion have to go. I want beautiful Maple or Cherry wood treads, with a cheetah or antelope runner. But a paint and faux bois treatment may have to due.
These are usually wool, aka, pricey and our budget is small. Perhaps painting the steps, they've already got their share of builder white slopped on them from the building process, and creating a faux bois treatement would work.
Of course, all of these ideas can't be used at once. Decisions must be made, costs must be considered. Until then, I can dream.
Follow me on Pinterest! Paula Haymon
Pinterest
I love the drama of this glossy painted foyer, though I think that I'd replace the flower arrangement with a mirror over the table. IMHO, the stunning paint treatment should do the talking, here.
Someplace where the swagger of beautiful garland is evident.
Though a grand foyer with an equally grand staircase would be wonderful, I could even go for a just-big-enough space for some dramatic paint and a stunning table, a space to land before continuing into the house.
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| Chanel Alabaster lamps |
I have a fondness for symmetrical balance, but I could go for this, too. The gallery and the arrangement are asymmetrical. The balance of black and white makes the look very all the more stunning. Notice how the photos are all in black and white, providing a subtle repetition of the black shade and table.
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| Photo Gallery |
The two looks above are very high contrast. Stark black against white, or vice versa. With the subtlety of the paint colour in my living room, perhaps a more muted tone is in order.
This stunning foyer by Amanda Carol combines form and function in the storage baskets. This would be a great place for children's shoes, though they may end up overflowing the basket l-o-n-g before they are put away.
As for storage a place for the myriad of cookbooks would be welcome as well, tastefully wrapped in white paper, of course.
As for storage a place for the myriad of cookbooks would be welcome as well, tastefully wrapped in white paper, of course.
Of course, the builder-grade carpet and lowest end carpet cushion have to go. I want beautiful Maple or Cherry wood treads, with a cheetah or antelope runner. But a paint and faux bois treatment may have to due.
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| Cheetah Carpet Runner |
Valorie Hart, the Visual Vamp
These are usually wool, aka, pricey and our budget is small. Perhaps painting the steps, they've already got their share of builder white slopped on them from the building process, and creating a faux bois treatement would work.
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| Faux Bois Treatment? |
Of course, all of these ideas can't be used at once. Decisions must be made, costs must be considered. Until then, I can dream.
Follow me on Pinterest! Paula Haymon
Sunday, October 5, 2014
Coffee Table Styling
Our coffee table bore no resemblance to these beautiful coffee tables.
It needed a serious makeover.
At least a styling makeover. 
Some years ago, we added a basket to attempt to
disguise the toddler damage.
It began well enough,
disguise the toddler damage.
It began well enough,
but, soon, the basket began to look sadder than the table
...and junkier.
Clearly, some changes were needed.
A little shopping
A little restyling
...until things began to take shape
We're just going to ignore the damage to the stain
...at least until there is time to redo that.
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
Mules vs Clogs
Dear Shoe Sellers:
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These are mules
These are clogs
Get it right, you are making searches difficult.
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