The Fifth Wall

Ceilings are getting the attention they deserve

Ceilings have typically been painted white to allow the light to come into the room, bounce off the ceiling and illuminate the space.  But we are missing a great opportunity to decorate another surface.  There are a number of great ways to spruce up this often overlooked space from punched tin tiles, beadboard or just a new paint color.

Pressed tin tiles or Anaglypta wallpaper can give a small bathroom great depth by adding texture to the ceiling.  This paintable wallpaper can be painted copper, silver or faux finished to give the illusion of old tin.  Pressed tin tiles are great for the average DIY person especially in small spaces.  The panels or squares are nailed onto furring strips that have been attached to the ceiling.  Seal with a clear polyurethane or paint with any oil based paint.  Latex will make it rust for sure!

Paint is the cheapest, fastest method to give a WOW factor to that 5th wall.  Decorative, metallics, hand painting, decals or just a great color.  Many master bedrooms have a tray ceiling that can be painted  a contrast color to coordinate with the master bathroom.  Pulls the spaces together and gives punch to an otherwise overlooked space that you spent good money on.  High ceilings also get a cozy feeling if you carry the wall color up and over,  as the lighting will slightly darken the ceiling shade.  Unless its a metallic finish you are going for, stick with a matte or flat paint as sheen enhances imperfections as well as roller marks.

Ceiling medallions, faux beams and paneling will get you attention so use them where they are mostly seen by your guest.  Dining rooms, living and family room and kitchens get lots of traffic so you will get "Ohhs" and "Ahhs" with any of these treatments.  Ceiling medallions look great in a dining room as most people are seating and can enjoy whats above their head.  These can be painted any color to coordinate with the trim or pull out the cobalt blue from the rug.  Faux ceiling beams work with high ceilings as they are usually distressed to give the appearance of old timbers and painted a dark wood tone.  This look is great with a cabin or cottage look but even traditional spaces gets lots of drama with this heavy horizontal detail.  Paneling is a classic cottage look and easy to install.  I like paneling in a bathroom or front porch. In the Southern tradition, I paint porch ceilings the palest shade of blue to repel insects or to keep ghost and evil spirits from entering the house.
Happy Decorating, Ya'll!

Cheap, quick and recycled

Cheap, quick and recycled

We all are looking for ways to make the things we have look better.  Move the furniture around, change out the lamps, move in the dining room rug to give the family room a new look.  Tried and true!  But what about some things that we think are too expensive so we keep putting off buying because of the fear of making a mistake.  Here are a couple of my favorite fixes.

Window Treatments- Layering is always the first thing I do in tackling a window.  Privacy being #1 and I love bamboo shades.  Everyone is selling them and some places even have them with liners.  Great if you are close to neighbors or people walking their dog outside your door.  Many come in a huge range of sizes and you can even fit some windows with inside measurements.  This allows pretty molding to show and when you are ready you can easily move to the next phase.  #2 Functional would  also be decorative in a lot of homes.  Drapery panels hung with pretty hardware.  Love the look of bamboo shades and long gorgeous pinch pleat panels hung a foot outside of each side.  The leading edge of the drape covers the mechanics of the side rails in the window and pushing the panels out give more drama to the width.  Hanging them higher, 1/2 way between molding and ceiling, gives height and spaciousness to your room.  Great places like Bed, bath and beyond, Home Goods, even J C Penny have pinch pleat drapes (make sure they are lined) and if they aren't long enough, they can be banded at the bottom.  Panels make great insulators as well as black out for bedrooms.

Recycle your own stuff- You already know that I am an advocate on painting anything!  So first paint it, distress it (love tinted wax for a great patina), wallpaper it, whatever makes something look new and unique.  Bookcases are great display pieces and I like to wallpaper the backs to give everything on the shelves some pop.  One roll of wallpaper gives plenty of punch!  Old end tables that have seen better days can be covered in black and white(copies) photos and a sheet of glass cut to finish it for a new look.  When on vacation, instead of picking up another tacky souvenir, pick up a map of your area and frame the different areas for great visual memories.  Maps can be cut up and used in a variety of ways, covering those bookcases or multiple other things just lying around the house.  Think outside your box.

Happy Decorating

Horizontal band of paint to give drama to 1/2 bath

Industrial cart was in the kitchen and was moved to a sofa table

Family room has it BIG for Scrabble!

REDO, REFINISH, RECOVER AND REPAINT

The easiest way to get the fastest return on your money is to repaint something.  For under $100 you can't ask for a better bang for your buck.  Even if you just paint one wall in your home the change is amazing.  I love to add a chalkboard wall, sometimes framed in like a piece of artwork with wood trim, in a busy families kitchen.  Great impact if you never use it for anything other than the kids doodling or the weeks menu.  I also think it has tremendous PUNCH in a teen's room as their headboard wall.  Their friends use it to write funny things, homework due?, Mom's To Do List, whatever makes them happy.  Most teens want a "black" room if for nothing more than the shock value.  A black chalkboard wall solves this debate.

Recovering furniture, even if it's just the desk chair you are reading this blog in, makes a welcome change.  If the furniture is easy enough for you to do yourself, great!  If it has sentimental value or it is well made, 8-way hand tied, kiln dried piece of furniture, it would be worth the investment to have it recovered.  A chair runs about $350 in labor and averages 8-10 yards of fabric.  I don't like slipcovers as much as reupholstering because of the constant adjusting you have to do.  If the family is very young and a white slipcover is the desired look then think painter's drop cloths.  They are cheap, easy to use and you just throw them in the washer to clean.  Make sure you preshrink them before cutting!

Refinish something!  Maybe the top of the dining room table has seen better days but the rest of the piece is in excellent condition.  Try gold or silver leafing.  Easy to do, it is basically adhering the foil to a sticky surface and filling the space up till its all covered.  Change the hardware and you have a new piece of furniture to show off.  

Redo all the above and you are on your way to that great space you have only dreamed about before.

Happy Decorating!

How to relax on your day off!!!!

Decorating Everywhere!

Even on a Saturday, I just can't stop.  The outside has been neglected (not to mention the dirt inside) because things have been crazy!  It's time to spruce up the 2nd most used space in our home.  The deck!  I love being outside almost as much as I love my inside.  Everything was looking shabby so it was time for some update.  First, everything had to come off the deck and cleaned.  Power washed the deck, the furniture and the grill.  I went to the shed and pulled out the bright red cushions that I got from Target at the end of summer last year and plopped those down.  Next were the hard items for the deck, area rug, old galvanized wash tub for a side table, plant stands and 4 chairs( 2 with the new cushions) to make a cozy seating arrangement.  

Next was a trip to WalMart for some brightly colored accent pillows, planters and tiki torches.  We already had chinese lanterns that I strung around the handrail so lighting was taken care of.  Some new flowers to fill the pots, steak and margarita makings and we were ready for decorating.  

Back home, everything went in its new home and I had just increased my living space by 320 square feet.

Bright red cushions and pots, orange and yellow pillows and cobalt, yellow and red smaller pots and everything is ready for the steak, baked potatoes and margaritas.  Who doesn't love SUMMER!

Margaritas anyone?!!!!

Happy Decorating!

Life Changing Paint Colors- Color your world!

Crazy busy and no time to blog so I am keeping this an easy one!  I get asked my favorite colors ALL the time.  Here on the East Coast, these colors have served me well.  I know Benjamin Moore colors, ONLY and have painted with them for the last 20 years.  If you paint with their product you will always get amazing results.

Favorite Life Changing Colors

Red- Caliente AF-290

Blue- Admiral Blue 2065-10 (dark)

Gossamer Blue 2123-40 (light)

Green-Dill Pickle 2147-40 (bright)

Soft Fern 2144-40 (soft)

Yellow-Hawthorne Yellow HC-4 (bright)

Philadelphia Cream HC-30 (soft)

Purple-Autumn Purple 2073-20 (cool)

Wenge AF-180 (warm)

Brown- Hasbrouck Brown HC-71 (warm)

Beige- Shaker Beige HC-45 (light)

Alexandria Beige HC-77 (medium)

Black- Black Bean Soup 2130-10

White- White Dove (warm)

Decorator's White (cool)

Cream- Linen White

Gray- November Skies 2128-50 (cool, light)

Flint AF-560 (dark)

Orange- Harvest Moon 2167-30 (mellow)

Calypso Orange 2015-30 (electric)

The great thing about Benjamin Moore's Color Preview fan deck is the 4th color down is the true color and they lighten it 3 as you go up the chart and they darken it 3 as you go down the chart.  If one doesn't fit you then move up or down on the chip and you will find a happy color!

Happy Decorating!