Making it Lovely

Tag: Painting

  • Color Quiz

    Color Quiz

    How do you find color schemes for your home? I think it happens somewhat intuitively for me at this point, but I know I used to have to see all of the colors together before moving forward. I do still pull from fabrics, like from a really awesome throw pillow, or wallpaper. Even if I’m not actually using wallpaper in the space, it could be a good jumping off point. What about you?

    I write for My Colortopia, and they’ve just put out a fun color quiz. I took it and my results were pretty accurate! No pink, but they’re probably not recommending that to anyone (because I’m the only adult that wants pink walls, ha). I’ve embedded the quiz below in case you want to give it a try. Let me know if it was accurate for you too (I’m curious!).

    I have partnered with Glidden/ Akzo Nobel Paints to participate in the My Colortopia program but the thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

  • Painting My Office

    Painting My Office

    This is how I spent the long weekend (when I wasn’t parading around with a bunch of ladies in sparkly hot pants).

  • Working on Where I Work

    Working on Where I Work

    I’m working with Sherwin-Williams to redo my office. I’ll have a $1000 budget to use, and I’ll be trying out the new line of HGTV® HOME by Sherwin-Williams color collections and paint. I also have two giveaways to tell you about too! But first, let’s discuss the office.

    I started to make some changes to it last year. I rearranged the furniture, brought in a pretty mirror and a crazy zigzag rug, but that’s where the progress stopped. I was going for a kind of granny chic look, remember? Then I found out I was expecting (and I had zero energy), and we also started on the basement remodel (yes, I still need to finish my studio and the playroom too). Then I had my baby (sweet little August), and well… work on the office kind of stalled.

    The room is more than just an office though. You’ll see in the video below that it’s also where Eleanor and August spend much of their time playing, and I would like the room to feel cozy and happy. Want to see how it looks right now?

    To recap, these are the main issues I’ll be addressing.

    • Either the rug needs to go, or I need to reupholster or replace my office chair. They don’t match, and since I do like the rug a lot, I’ll probably switch out the chair. The Eames Management Chair is still the chair I dream of owning, but they’re very expensive and I don’t want to buy a knockoff. I’ve been watching eBay and Craigslist, but I may have to keep looking for an alternative.
    • I need to move the redundant computer and clean up the cords on my desk.
    • Storage and organization: Yes, please.
    • I’ve had a curtain for a closet door since we moved in to this house in 2007. Our house is 100 years old, so nothing is standard. We’ll need a custom-sized door, which is why we’ve put off fixing it for so long.
    • The window needs curtains and a new shade.
    • I’ll be painting the trim white, and painting the walls. The HGTV® HOME by Sherwin-Williams colors are grouped into 8 collections to make it easier to choose colors that will work from room to room in your house (I liked the Livable Luxe and Traditional Twist collections). There are a lot of nice greens, but I’m leaning toward a light, creamy neutral for the walls, along with painted white trim.
    • It’s time for the ceiling fan to go. It’s not terribly ugly, but it hasn’t been working well lately and I’d like to replace it with a prettier light fixture.

    Now, about those two giveaways…

    • Need some color and design help in your house? Enter the What’s Your Color Now? sweepstakes for a chance to win a $5000 home makeover from BHG.com and HGTV® HOME by Sherwin-Williams!
    • I also have a 4GB Flip MinoHD camera to give away (so you can make stellar videos like mine, ha). Just leave a comment on this post to enter for the camera (one entry per person). This giveaway is open to US and international entrants, and will run through June 30 at midnight CST. One winner will be chosen randomly on July 1.

    Good luck to you in both giveaways!

    p.s. How much do you think it would cost to reupholster an Eames Management Chair? Say, if I found one from 1986 with really awful fabric?

    July 1: Congratulations to Jennifer, winner of the Flip camera! And remember, there’s still time for everyone to enter the What’s Your Color Now? sweepstakes.

  • Basement Floor Paint

    Basement Floor Paint

    I’m having second thoughts about using Benjamin Moore’s ‘olive tree’ for the floor paint. Maybe I should go a shade or two darker? Brandon said the basement color palette was looking a little Easter basket-like, complete with the green Easter grass on the floor! I think going a shade or two darker might be the way to go to keep things from floating off into pastel territory.

    The other two greens (‘mossy rock’ and ‘okra’) are both from the Martha Stewart line at Home Depot, but I’d have them matched in Benjamin Moore’s floor paint. I’m going to use IKEA’s Stockholm Rand rug for a little punch too. As you can see, this paint decision has been weighing heavily on Eleanor as well.


    (unedited photo here)

  • Laundry Room Paint Color

    Laundry Room Paint Color

    And the winner is… pale blue! As I had mentioned, I’m not normally a fan of blue. I like certain shades though, so I’m willing to give it a shot. This laundry room may have tipped things in the color’s favor.

    Plus, I do love blue with red, so I think the color will look beautiful with our red washer and dryer. I’m having Martha Stewart’s “Cumulus Cloud” color-matched to Benjamin Moore, but if you’re looking for an existing B. Moore color, it’s close to “Fanfare.” A nice grayish blue.

    I’m also painting the storage/tool room in this color. It will look great with the olive painted floor! The only room I have left now is the half-bathroom — I have no idea what color I’m putting in there.

    *Update*
    Benjamin Moore’s “Whirlpool” is an even better match than “Fanfare.”

  • Basement Paint Colors

    Basement Paint Colors

    We’re tiling the half-bathroom and laundry room in white Octagon & Dot with charcoal gray grout, and we’re going to paint the rest of the basement floor. Since it’s just paint, I figured I’d pick a fun color (as opposed to tan/brown/gray), so I’m going with “olive tree” by Benjamin Moore. The studio is getting my favorite shade of pink (“wild aster”), and I think the play space will get “sweet pear,” a lighter version of the floor color.

    I still need to choose colors for the laundry room (something that will work with our red washer and dryer, which you can kind of see in this lovely picture), and the half-bath (with its very short ceiling and lack of windows). I had a dream that I painted the bathroom orchid, like the Crayola crayon color, but I don’t know if that’s the way to go in reality. And maybe a creamy white for the laundry room? I think a robin’s egg blue would look nice too, but I’m not normally a big fan of blue.

    Any suggestions?