Here’s a taste of what’s going on in my studio!!
I loved this chunky wood table in baby Eva’s bedroom. The natural wood top was beautiful, but as a piece it just didn’t fit in with the room’s decor. Plus, it had a few blemishes to be taken care of.
In an effort to give it a second life, I’ve been washing it with sage accents and a glaze of white.
Stay tuned to see how it looks with it’s partner piece, a cream sofa and chocolate n’ white furnishings.
I can’t wait to show you Eva’s updated room!
Okay, so I’m a little embarrassed that our bathroom used to look like this. I couldn’t delve into painting because we were still considering a move and in my defense, the cream and cranberry tile were a tough color combination to accent.
The first week in our apartment, I painted the bathroom. Then, I painted it white all over again, here’s what it looked like (please excuse the mess!)
Here’s a peak at the pine wood frame. I prefer to lighten and darken stain with artist’s oil to develop a custom shade. This one is Varathane’s Summer Oak stain, mixed with Raw Umber. I chose knot filled 1″ x 2″ from Anawalt Lumber in lieu of rustic pieces which were hard to find in L.A. I came across this plan at Knock of Wood and knew the solution to my frameless mirror had manifested!
All year, I have been picturing this simple upgrade. Paint is budget friendly and makes such a huge difference in small rooms. The blue shade made the tile look creamier and less yellow…Did I mention I’m so happy?!
For now, this is the final peak! I’d still like to accessorize the outlets with covers, pewter maybe? Plus, find some decorative knobs for our built in storage.
For those of you playing my little faux granite guessing game, you are fool proof, it is the one on the right!
I’ve been busy creating a custom look for Marca’s mantle in Nambian Blue granite.
Can you tell me which one is the real granite and which is the faux effect?
Is it the one on the left or the one on the right?
I bet I can fool you 
Some of you may be looking for alternatives to painting or wallpapering a room. Linen on the walls is a wonderful way to add elegance and warmth to a room. I would love to try it in a small space such as an entryway or powder room. Traditionally, linen covered walls was a technique used in wealthy houses during the early 20th century. The linen served as a canvas for paint and prevented cracks from developing. Happily, I came across a modern version of this effect through Casart Coverings, a sister-sister duo that designs and manufactures linen-esque wall coverings made out of a durable vinyl and canvas. I love the rose-peach glow of this room by Casart below.
I could also see doing something really opulent like the linen and velvet in blue-green combination.
Casart also does stair decals like the before and after here. These would be a great solution for a temporary living space like an apartment or for someone who updates their home frequently. They specialize in customizable and removable coverings that quickly transform. As you can see the tiling really makes an ordinary stairwell, pop!
Lastly, you wouldn’t believe how cool grey linen looks with a yellow twist.
photo courtesy of Apartment Therapy
So calming, it could be used as an accent wall behind the bed or throughout the room.
Amongst other exciting news, Pink Pianos has been nominated for a Lovely!
If you are a reader, please pop in over there and leave a shout out under my banner for me!
When my neighbor Marca, showed me these 2 incredible hand carved fish tables, I knew I was interested in the project. They were selected by her from a prominent antiques dealer and friend years ago. Although the beauty of their carvings each had withstood the test of time, the table tops and bases needed to be restored. We decided to refinish and recreate them with a decorative flair based on a watercolor painting within the room. You can see the artwork way in background, just to the right of the window.
I know, I’ll grab an extra picture of the painting tomorrow!
Here you can see them as they are further embellished in my studio. I used combination of color washing and gilding to renew the surface. As you will see the oxide red and burnt orange really complement Marca’s own decor. As for the bases we chose a deep blue.
The pair can be used a serving table side by side or alone, when she entertains!
We really wanted something unique, so we chose to abstract the mossy green lilly pads on the table tops. Whenever, painting on the top of a table, I think about how best to protect the finished artwork. I accomplished these through sanding, painting, and marbleizing techniques. They were then sealed with an oil based polyurethane glaze. Luckily, Marca had glass tops cut for added protection.
I love the how the green orange and blue tie into the room. Next up is the blue and white mantle that I will be marbleizing!
We are looking for a swatch that will bring in a little gray and white.
Which one do you like best and why?
I’m elbows deep into a decorative painting project and wanted to share all the beauty it has bestowed upon me. I am in fact restoring and embellishing two woodcut fish end tables with lily pad table tops. Then, I’m off to marbleize a mantle, all for a neighbor of mine. I know it’s a lot to imagine, so I thought I’d pull these pieces to give us all some eye-candy for inspiration.
Instinctively, when I think about faux painting techniques, I tend to shy away. However, this palette of custom effects above are so sublime. I am thinking of doing her mantle using a similar technique from the bottom left.
Scott Waterman is an artist that I’ve been admiring for some time now, his silvery chinoiserie is ultra luxe.
I love the way that his airy murals defy stuffy notions of interior art. This one is soft yet powerful.
One more that I couldn’t resist reminds me of the trees back in Kentucky. This sweeping landscape perfectly accessorizes the traditional wainscot paneling of the room. Scott’s portfolio has so much more depth that I couldn’t include it all here.
In my search for ornament, I came across San Francisco artist, Lynne Rutter whose hexagonal ceiling and faux ripped chinoiserie really caught my eye. Can you believe that rip in the paper is trompe l’oeil? I totally did a double take.
Now on to the brightly powdered walls in Mexico! Color washing is a great technique for adding old world vibrance to a wall or furnishing.
These deep hues may inspire me to do a little faux designing on my own mantle once I finish up with all these projects.
I’m convinced decorative painting can be fresh and modern as these artists have shown us.
I can’t wait to show you what I came up with, once the tables and mantles are ready to go!
Today, I discovered MyPantone! It’s a simple program that allows you to collect and arrange swatches into palettes. As part of my New Year’s resolution, I’ve been thinking about all the to do’s for 2010. There are many goals that I hope to accomplish this year, and I have 2 design projects that I will focus on this month.
I guess that makes three!
Here are two rows that I concocted while playing around. The blues are found in my bedroom and bath. The cranberry is the color of the existing tiles. All the rest, such as the verdant shades of green are hues pulled from nature that I see in the banana leaves outside my window.
I wanted to really acquaint myself with the Pantone site since their colors have many applications. I worked with the free software for a bit. It even allows you to insert a photo like the one below. Then, it selects 12 different colors present and generates a swatch. You are able to decide which to add and to delete from there. This photo, is one of the many that I’ve found to inspire my Dad as he gathers ideas for an additional bathroom.
I’m lovin’ the wash table! Plus the cool grey cement coupled with the natural wood.
Next, our newly revised bedroom palette! I saw these curtains at West Elm and decided to hand dye them myself this week, while I have the time. I am tempted to paint the walls too, but since we are apartment living, I’ve tried to really limit the number of walls that we will have to repaint should we ever move.
In lieu of painting, I think 4 panels of curtains should do the trick!
Last but not least, here is a copy of the 2010 color forecast by Pantone for this year!
Don’t forget to weigh in!
Which colors do you love or disdain for your place?
I love the gray swatch in row 5, column 1.
I created this sunny palette for a bedroom inspiration board. My own bedroom is one that I’d love to redecorate. Thus in the coming weeks, I’m going to be digging up delicious wall paint colors and proposing different palettes. This one is so feminine and pretty. I also love the natural linen that I found from ThatFunkyBoutique’s shop on Etsy.
That awesome coffee filter garland is an awesome DIY project from the blog of Pamela Garrison. I’m thinking of making a similar holiday decoration from cupcake wrappers and twine. Will post pics once I’ve crafted it up.
Did you see the natural wood Matroyshka dolls? I love the color splash that the red headed dolls bring to the room. I do think that natural ones posses a certain je ne sais quoi. I read about them on Apartment Therapy, where they are meant to be a DIY project with paint!
I picture all bedding and curtains in soothing neutrals and soft linen…I’m going to call it ~the Duchess’ suite!
I know I’ve been teasing you all with the Guest Room pics that I have been working on.
In fact, in a September post I released the inspiration board for this project. Well, alot has changed since then. The design has evolved into something far more sophisticated (as things do) and now our board includes a Lucite desk, black nightstand, and inkblot art.
I am partnering with Annie May of Yolksy on this project and here is what she had to say about our design process:
“The client had a suzani she purchased a couple years ago, when we were working on phase 1 of the design of her house. We decided to make this suzani into the coverlet for the queen size bed. It turned out even better than I could’ve imagined. We purchased a high thread count white sheet set and had a seamstress add the border with the mitered edges, so it would fall nicely over the corners or fold perfectly to wrap under the mattress. The adorable blue velvet pouf accent pillow looks so great with the Suzani”
Annie found Kerry Cassil’s Fall 2009 collection of fabrics on the windows which really pulls out the blue in the suzani. It was our second choice to Blue Chevron fabric or Ditto Blue from Madeline Weinrib. We couldn’t justify the costs of the Weinrib fabric for this room, so the ikat panels from Cassil really worked! Love them! We added sheer linen panels from West Elm underneath for layering and a little sunlight.
The fab mid-century nightstand is from TINI, one of my favorite stores to shop at this year. Last year, I found myself constantly checking their online shop and I’m so glad they now have a showroom close-by!
