House in Progress: Fourth Time's the Charm?

My poor husband must be so sick of my endless redecorating. As longtime readers may remember, the rich camel color of our living room had been seriously bugging me. (See the room's last incarnation here, and previous ones here and here.)

It was a nice shade, but it clashed with our newly bright and happy dining room, and it dictated too strictly the other colors I could put in the space.

I wanted something crisper and more serene, lighter and brighter, and above all more flexible -- that is, a hue that would work with my frequent changes of heart when it comes to decor and my ever-changing color infatuations.

I finally settled, over Nick's protests -- he likes everything to stay like it is, at least until he gets used to the new thing -- on Benjamin Moore's Gray Cloud, a very pale, silvery gray.

Right now, we have a lot of teal, turquoise, and lime-green accents in the room, and I think it works well with those. But the next time I'm itching for a change, I can simply swap out a few vases and textiles and the wallpaper backing on the bookshelves and hutch, and quickly substitute an entirely different color scheme -- lemon yellow, red, or whatever else strikes my fancy.

Since the upholstery on our couch and chairs was chosen to compliment the old paint color (and since I was equally sick of it), and since we still can't seem to find the perfect replacement couch at anything approaching a price we can afford right now, we settled on the interim solution of slipcovers.

These are from IKEA, and made to fit its Karlstad line, but they work well enough with our Crate & Barrel pieces -- just don't look too closely at the spots where they ride up awkwardly in the back.

Don't look too closely at the wallpaper on the bookshelves, either. Let's just say that I will never, ever be a professional wallpaper installer ... Oh, and I love my gorgeous new pillow (center) from InLeaf.

Except for those changes, and for some small accessories and new pillows and other textiles here and there, the room is pretty much the same as it was during its last iteration. I wouldn't mind trying a different furniture arrangement, but so far this is the only one we've found that works.

(Sometimes I daydream about hiring a designer to come over for one day and rearrange my house, just to have the nice surprise of seeing things in places I never would have thought to put them. Do you ever think about doing that? Do you suppose any design pros hire themselves out by the day to tweak people's homes? But I digress ... )

Anyway, I'm pretty happy with the way the room looks now. It gets a lot of light even in winter, and can get pretty warm in the summer, and the soft gray is like mental air conditioning for me. I feel serenely calm and cool in the space.

Nick was worried the gray would be bland and dreary, but he seems OK with it now. Or perhaps he's just decided that it's pointless to protest now that it's done.

As for the kids, I think our daughter likes it. But when our son came home from school and saw the newly painted room for the first time, he took it all in for a moment before declaring, "It looks like an old person lives here." Thanks a lot, kid. (Umm, maybe that's just 14-year-old speak for "chic and sophisticated"?)

A couple of questions for you guys: Do you think we should change out the light fixtures? I adore the vintage lights -- but again, they were chosen to go with the old scheme, and I'm not sure they work so well with this one.

And I'm really tempted to paint out the red brick fireplace surround and hearth, but also kind of hate the idea of imposing my will on a 70-year-old, largely original house just to make it better match my decor-of-the-moment. Thoughts?

Mmmm ... peonies.

P.S. You can see more of mi casa here.

Cool Tool: Color of Inspiration

Awhile back, I blogged a color-palette generator that let you upload a photo, which it then scanned before spitting out a collection of colors used to make up the image.

It was a nifty little tool for translating rooms that appealed or even a piece of art you were inspired by into a set of colors with which you could then use for decorating projects of your own. But it had one major drawback: The colors the tool spat out were web-based color codes that you then had to match at the paint store -- and not actual paint hues.

Now there's an online tool from paint manufacturer Sherwin-Williams that does essentially the same thing, with one significant improvement: The end result is a palette of specific paint colors.

The Color of Inspiration site is simple and fun to use: Just upload a photo, click on the color in the photo you're trying to match, and let the tool do its work. Within a few seconds, you'll have your paint color -- including the name and number -- as well as two coordinating shades. (My only complaint is that you can match only one color at a time. It would be great if you could select, say, two or three areas in the photo and get those colors all at once. But it's a small quibble.) When you're done, print the page and take it with you to the paint store.

Of course, Sherwin-Williams is hoping you'll go straight to the Sherwin-Williams paint store, but any good paint shop can match shades from other companies.

Give it a spin and let me know what you think.

House in Progress: Dining Room Revamp

Remember when I said we were going to repaint our dining room -- oh, about ten months ago? Well, we finally got it done. (And, as always, by "we" I mean Nick).

Before, the room was a deep crimson hue (Benjamin Moore's Segovia Red) with dark wood furniture and dark metal, circa-1930s light fixtures. It was really dramatic, and at first I loved it. (After years spent living in beige-painted rental apartments and our first owned home with only an eat-in kitchen, we'd always wanted a red dining room and painted this one before we even moved in.)

But eventually it started feeling heavy, a bit oppressive, and altogether too grown up for our relatively young family. Plus, we really use this room -- we eat pretty much every meal in here, the kids do their homework at the table after school, and I sometimes spread out my work there or let Laurel use it as crafting central. So it wasn't just a formal nighttime space or a room reserved for company, although it looked like one.

Finally, I just couldn't stand it any more. For his part, Nick still liked the color and was reluctant to paint over the red and replace the vintage light fixtures. But I really craved something lighter and fresher. (Guess who won?)

I'm incredibly fortunate to have a partner who has strong opinions about our home, but who's usually willing to give my ideas a try. And lucky for him, he had a little helper for the priming and painting, since I no longer have the patience for it.

It took two coats of gray-tinted primer to fully cover the red. Nick used Mythic primer and paint, which is formulated without VOCs. The paint was mixed to match Benjamin Moore's Sonoma Skies, which I'd loved as a paint chip.

Once the paint was on the wall, though, the aqua color was really intense. In an attempt to lighten it up to a more subtle shade, we wound up dumping an equal amount of white paint into the bucket before rolling three coats onto the wall. The final color is still a bit brighter than I was expecting, but it's fun and cheerful. (And Nick will kill me if I make him paint it again, so the color will stay -- at least for a couple of years.)

After the painting was finished, it was time to redecorate! I'd been lusting after David Trubridge's Coral Pendant forever. It was a big splurge (and a big statement), but I love it.

The table, which we already had, is the Basque from Crate & Barrel, and the chairs were a craigslist special; the slipcovers are leftovers from the room's red incarnation. I found the flatweave rug at Urban Outfitters ($40 on sale!).

I turned a blank expanse of wall into a gallery for (mostly) Etsy prints in IKEA's white Ribba frames.

The antique oak sideboard and hutch is a family heirloom. Painting it isn't an option, but I did want to lighten it up a bit.

Orla Kiely's Blossom wallpaper taped to the back of the shelves, plus my collection of vintage white ceramics and a set of Lisa Solomon-Aurora Robson "Couplets" prints in white Ribba frames, does the job nicely.

More light-colored accessories. Left: A white-painted vintage garden urn displays a sea "bouquet" made up of white and purple coral, purple-and-white barnacles, and sea fans. (All purchased for a few dollars apiece on eBay; check the "Rocks and Fossils" and "Aquarium" categories for similar.) Right: Salt and pepper shakers from Heath Ceramics and a trio of vessels from Portland's Life + Limb; I'm planning to fill them with petite succulents.

On the opposite side of the room, a white IKEA Expedit unit laid on its side with stainless steel Capita legs attached fits perfectly under the window, offers storage for fabric and craft supplies, and provides a handy surface for extra dishes during dinner parties and large family gatherings. The white storage boxes and linen curtains are also from IKEA (although this particular pattern is no longer available).

We tucked a small workspace and sewing- and crafting station into a corner of the room. I can set up here with the laptop, or Laurel can sew while I keep an eye on her. The desk is West Elm's white Parsons. I found the vintage tulip-style chair (most likely by Burke) on eBay. The IKEA Grundtal rail and Asker containers corral scissors, rulers, pens and pencils, paperclips, and other supplies.

On the shelves and wall is my prized collection of Rob Dobi photos, purchased from ImageKind, and framed in more white Ribbas.

The vintage teak sunburst clock is an eBay find. The bird mobile is from Helen Ige. A vintage Lucite bar cart holds a display of mercury glass and silver-toned accent pieces collected from eBay. The sconce is from West Elm. (And yes, I know there's altogether too much stuff in this room -- but god help me, I just can't do minimalism.)

Do you have kids? Oh, the joy of it all ...

Anyway, that's about it. I'd still like to find chairs that are a little less boring and traditional than these, but that'll have to wait. (I did win a set of cool midcentury teak dining chairs on eBay, but when they arrived Nick and the kids vetoed them on grounds of comfort, so up on craigslist they went.)

Overall, I'm really happy with the end result, except that now the camel color in the adjoining living room looks all wrong. I'm already mulling over new paint colors for that space -- keep your fingers crossed that Nick won't divorce me over it.

P.S. Want to see more? Click here for a tour of other areas of our "House in Progress."

Design Dilemma: How Can I Make This Rental Kitchen More Attractive Without Renovating?

More Ways to Waste Time reader Lisa writes: "I'm hoping you (or your lovely readers) might offer some guidance. This is the kitchen in the apartment I'll soon be moving into. I'm a renter, so major renovation is out. But I'm willing to paint, change the pendant fixture, and do anything else that can be un-done when it's time to give up the lease.

My biggest concern is paint. There's a yucky fluorescent light -- how do I compensate for the greenish cast with paint color? Any other ideas to brighten up the room? I love cooking and I have to feel comfy and happy in my kitchen. Thanks!"

Oh, the dreaded "landlord beige." Will somebody please explain to me why the people who own rentals think this will make their properties more attractive to prospective tenants? I don't get it.

Anyway, Lisa, here's what I'd do to freshen up that bland kitchen:

First, don't assume that the landlord won't let you make permanent improvements. He or she may not want to deal with them, but might be more than happy to allow you to. Hell, the landlord might even be willing to split the cost of minor remodeling with you, or let you deduct the price of materials from the rent as long as you provide free labor. And though you don't want to sink too much cash into a place that isn't your property -- it is your home, at least for the next couple of years, so it's worth fixing up a bit. There are lots of simple changes you can make that won't cost much, but that will have a big impact.

I'm guessing that you can't paint the cabinets, baseboards, or wood trim, but it's still worth asking about. (Nick and I once had a landlord who let us paint our horrible, orange-y plywood kitchen cabinets a deep teal -- hey, it was the early '90s.) A bright, glossy white on the wood would work wonders to freshen up the space. Above is the kitchen at our last house, where we painted the (again, horrible, orange-y plywood) cabinets with Ralph Lauren's Polo Mallet White in semi-gloss. It made a huge difference.

Then you can swap out the existing cabinet hardware for something crisp and clean, like the Ephram knobs above, $7 each from Restoration Hardware -- or for something sweetly vintage-y, like these colored milk-glass knobs, $3.50 apiece from eBay seller AuntiGin's.

As for wall color, I'm partial to tart apple greens and snappy pale aquas in the kitchen, but if you can't paint out that stained wood, those colors might not work so well. If you must leave the cabinets and trim as is, my vote would be for a soft sage green on the walls, which will warm up the space and work nicely with the wood. And while you're at it, just paint right over those almond-colored lightswitch and outlet covers.

To soften the Arctic glare from the fluorescent fixture -- and to help camouflage its plain old unsightliness -- you could wrap it with warm-toned rice paper or even a semi-sheer fabric stuck on with double-sided tape. And be sure to replace those cold fluorescent tubes with ones from the warmer end of the spectrum. (Without fail, landlords will buy the cheapest and ugliest bulbs available, but there are some better choices out there these days.) And while I don't mind the simple light fixture in the breakfast area so much, one of the crocheted pendants above, $224 from Rian Rae, would be lovely.

Next: Take down the metal mini-blinds (you can always put them back up when you move out). In their place, install some fresh and simple roman shades (available inexpensively in standard sizes from places like IKEA); colorful cafe curtains (buy tension rods, fabric, and heat-activated fabric tape, and you won't even have to sew or install hardware to hang them); or even pretty window film (which lets light in but maintains your privacy and blocks an uninspiring view), like Emma Jeffs' Moroccan Tile pattern above, $75 a roll from Pure Modern.

I think the orange tiles on the backsplash are kind of fun, but if they don't work with your new color scheme, cover them with these cool Tile Tattoos by Mibo, $16 for a set of six from 2Jane.

The counters aren't too offensive, but a simple butcher-block countertop would be a nice improvement that won't cost much. It doesn't look like there's all that much counter space to begin with, and (with you landlord's blessing, of course) you could have new butcher block put in for a few hundred bucks. That's what we did in part of our old kitchen, at left above. Formica is another cheap option -- and there are actually some pretty cool laminate patterns available these days, as well as solids like crisp white or deep charcoal that are understated and reasonably attractive (for real!).

And, oh -- those floors. I have a huge pet peeve about this sort of faux "Tuscan tumbled-stone" ceramic tile, which sells for about a buck a square at Home Depot. I'd happily take a sledgehammer to all of it if I could. But since you probably can't, I'd cover it. Ask your landlord if you can put down some stick-on vinyl tiles, which aren't too tough to pull back up when you move out and can be configured in fun patterns, like a checkerboard. Carpet tiles are another option; FLOR makes some great ones in a variety of poppy colors. The beauty of those is that if you spill on one of them, you can simply pull it up and rinse or replace it. Even better: You can take the carpet tiles with you when you move on to your next place.

At the very least, throw a couple of colorful area rugs over that frightening floor. These plastic floor mats by Koko are just $36 each from 2Modern. They're bright, fun, and can be taken outside and rinsed off with a hose if you drop a casserole on them.

Gerbera photo by Cinnamon

Now for furniture: You need something compact and round for that breakfast corner. I'd get a white Docksta table, $149 from IKEA, and a set of colorful chairs (like IKEA's Snille chairs, $15 each), and then splurge on some happy supermarket Gerbera daisies for the table every week.

Finally, pick up some cheerful table linens and tea towels (like Fractil, above, $8.50 from Tikoli), and hang some colorful prints or even a grouping of thrift-store plates on those bare walls. I love the collection below, for instance, from San Francisco artist Lisa Congdon's home.

Photo by Lisa Congdon

And then I think you'll have yourself a pretty stylin' kitchen -- even if it is a rental.

Readers, what say you? Add a comment to share you own advice for fixing up Lisa's kitchen!

(P.S. Have a design dilemma of your own? Send it in, along with a photo or two, and I'll put it up here for a communal brainstorming session.)