Making it Lovely

Tag: Sherwin Williams

  • In the Bedroom

    In the Bedroom

    I’m attempting to make the bed more often. Is it a New Year’s resolution? Not really, but I’m sure I’ll end up breaking it, so let’s go ahead and think of it as one! Make the bed every day in 2014. Two days down, many more to go.

    How many pillows on a bed are acceptable? When does it cross over to being an obnoxious number? I’m testing out the idea of a row of euro pillows with some of the larger throw pillows we already have on hand. They’re 22″ and 24″, versus the euros’ 26″ each, but it’s a good approximation if you imagine that they’re in matching white shams. Yay? Nay? Seven pillows seems excessive, though I suppose they could replace two of the standard pillows in front.

    August, Rumpling Up the Bed

    I’ve never been very good at making the bed, so I assume euro pillows will magically make it look magazine-shoot-ready at all times. That’s how that works, right? To aid in this quest, I chose white linen/cotton bedding. It’s perfectly rumply, but not disheveled, and the bed looks artfully undone in the mornings instead of messy. It’s an arbitrary (and likely all-in-my-head) distinction, but one that I like nonetheless.

    Check the wall color: Sherwin-Williams’ Comfort Gray. So much better against the woodwork than Sea Salt! I shouldn’t have second-guessed it. And I for sure shouldn’t have third-guessed it, having tested an unfortunate greenish color that didn’t even last to the light of day. I hated it and painted over it as soon as it had dried enough. Comfort Gray, FTW. Look how pretty it looks with Brandon’s favorite painting, Dying Flowers.

    Sherwin-Williams Comfort Gray Paint in the Bedroom

    The bedroom needs more artwork still, and better lighting. I did just thrift a vintage yellow banker’s lamp for one corner of the room, and it’s awfully cute. But did you notice in that first photo how the two bedside lamps we have don’t actually match? Isn’t that a nice touch? I bought the white one for our library ($10 at the time, from IKEA) when we first moved into our old house in 2007. Then when we were expecting Eleanor, I stole it for the nursery and went to buy another to put back in the library, but by then they were only available in silver. They’re fine lights, but a mismatched set of floor lamps is not quite what I had in mind for our bedside lighting. Even if I spray painted them, their bases would still get in the way. I usually like sconces flanking a bed, but the windows and layout of the room aren’t going to accommodate a pair, so I’m on the lookout for table/task lamps instead.

    Besides painting the room and changing the linens, I’ve added a jewelry armoire. It is the most ridiculous piece of furniture I’ve ever owned, and also my favorite. Perhaps that deserves its own post.

  • My Newly Redone Office

    My Newly Redone Office

    I’ve spent the last month working on redecorating my home office. I partnered with Sherwin-Williams, using the new HGTV® HOME by Sherwin-Williams color collections and paint and a $1000 budget. Want to see how it turned out?

    I think it’s looking really cute. Let’s take a closer look at each of the issues I addressed…

    The Rug Vs. the Chair

    The existing zigzag rug stayed, and I managed to find an affordable used Eames Management chair. In pink, no less! I would like to reupholster it someday, but I can rock the eighties’ dusty rose for a while.

    The Computer (and the Wall Behind it)

    The old computer that was sitting behind my new one (a silly thing to do) is now in the basement, and I’ll be setting up a desk down there for it eventually. I cleaned up the cords beneath my desk and from the desk to the printer behind me as well.

    I chose art to go above the computer that could actually be seen, and moved the mirror (that was half-blocked) to the adjacent wall. The bird painting is by Amy Ruppel, the portait was from Paul Ferney, and the wall sculptures were discussed here.

    Storage and Organization

    I had to empty the huge shelving unit to paint the wall behind it (what a pain in the rear that was). The good thing about that though was that it forced me to rethink the way I put everything back. I was able to go through a lot of the books and things that I had on the shelves, and I pared it all down. Then I added some matching baskets along the bottom to make the toys look nicer, and I didn’t need to do anything further to organize my things.

    The Curtain as a Closet Door

    The curtain is gone! A door was fitted and hung for the closet, which cost more than I had anticipated and took a third of the budget. I love it though! A curtain for a door is fine, and a lot of people like that solution, but a true door feels more polished and keeps the kids and cats out. I painted the door the same color (“Snowbound,” #SW 7004 / LL17, semi-gloss) as the rest of the trim .

    The Window

    I painted the window white as well and chose to hang simple curtains from IKEA that match the wall color. I also planned to add a sheer roller shade, but my usual go-to (Enje shades) are unavailable right now.

    Painting the Trim and the Walls

    I used the new line of paint from HGTV® HOME by Sherwin-Williams for the office. The walls are “Contented” (#SW 6191 / LL12, flat finish) from the Livable Luxe collection, and I painted all of the trim “Snowbound” (#SW 7004 / LL17, semi-gloss), a white from the same color collection. The wall color is that hard to define color between green, blue, and gray, and it seems to be popping up everywhere these days. The color was a bit of a departure for me, but as I narrowed down my paint swatches, I kept finding myself drawn to it.

    Lighting

    The old ceiling fan that came with the house had seen better days. I still love the Jonathan Adler light that I chose for my former studio (now Eleanor’s room), so I picked up another to swap the office ceiling fan out for.

    A Place for the Kids

    I spend a lot of time in my office, so I was sure to include space for Eleanor and August to play. The small table and chairs are light enough to move them out of the way, but Eleanor loves coloring or playing there.

    There you have it!

    I love the way the office turned out. The office in our old apartment was pink, and when Brandon and I moved here, I chose the exact same color to quickly get my office ready. After nearly a decade with a pink office, I’m still getting used to the new color but I’m loving the white trim and the closet door. It feels good to have the space freshened up.

  • 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.