Apartment Update: Bathroom Paint Reveal

About two months ago I decided I couldn't handle all the white walls in my apartment any longer. I begged my boyfriend to help me paint the bathroom, since it was the smallest room (baby steps, right?!) and he happily obliged. Lucky for me, I'm actually allowed to paint in my apartment, which I know is something a lot of renters aren't able to do. When you rent, you're stuck with whatever finishes are in the apartment (like the dark wood bathroom cabinet), so painting the walls a soft gray really made a huge difference!

I took a poll on Instagram to help choose the color:

The top color is Benjamin Moore Stonington Gray, the bottom is Wickham Gray. Most people went with the darker of the two colors, Stonington Gray, which is the one I decided on! I actually had it made at 75% opacity, so it was just a touch lighter than the true color. 

DETAILS | Bath Mat / Towel 1- similar here / Towel 2 / Art in gold frame: vintage / Painting / Cabinet Knobs / Jo Malone Cologne / Shower Curtain - similar here

I was a bad blogger and completely forgot to take a "before" picture, but what I can give you are just a few tips for all you renters.

1. Change out knobs on kitchen and bathroom cabinets. You'll be surprised to see how easily this updates the look.

2. Paint if you're allowed. It adds depth and color to an otherwise boring space. I can't get over how much even a light gray helped my bathroom. I can't wait to paint my bedroom the same color soon!

3. Put down rugs, hang art, and curtains. All these things add personality, layers and texture to your little abode, making it feel less sterile.


What have you done to make a rental feel more comfortable and unique?
Happy Tuesday!
xoxo

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How to Decorate on a Budget: Part 1

On Monday I had the pleasure of seeing my 3 easy ways to decorate on a budget up on Style Me Pretty Living!  A few months back, my talented photographer friend, Nicole, came over to take these beautiful images. I love her photography style, so it was a delight to see them up on SMP the other day.

In case you missed it, I wanted to share the decorating on a budget tips here, too! 

Goodwill & Consignment Shops: I’m not sure about you, but I love some unique and vintage pieces of furniture. What I love even more is finding them on the cheap. I’m not normally a bargain or thrift store junkie, but there’s something about finding a piece of furniture with good bones to then take home and repaint, that really makes me smile. I found this buffet for $13 at Goodwill (amazing, I know!) and refinished it for under $50. Once you find the perfect dresser, buffet, nightstand, or dining table, follow these instructions to refinish your furniture…

Step 1: Remove all hardware and sand the piece of furniture, then wipe down with a damp cloth to get all the dust off.
Step 2: Prime. I used a spray primer. Cover Stain Oil Base Primer is the best primer, so I’ve heard.
Step 3: Paint. I used Annie Sloan’s chalk paint for a farmhouse look. This paint is so great—you can even write directly on it with chalk if you want. I mix Floetrol in my paint which helps to prevent visible brush strokes on the furniture.
Step 4: Seal it. You can choose to seal it with Polycrylic or a wax if you used this chalk paint.
Step 5: Hardware. Everyone loves a cute pair of knobs! You can find these at World Market, Anthropologie, or charming antique stores.

 

Photography: Nicole Dianne 

Within no time, you have a new one of a kind piece of furniture for your home. And all done on a budget! I'll share the other two ways in a different post.

What ways do you decorate on a budget?
xoxo

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Bookcase Styling & Evelyn Henson Giveaway!

As I've mentioned before, styling my bookcases is more of an obsession than anything else. I love doing it, and I'm always finding new things (sometimes from around my house, sometimes purchased) to add to my shelves. I am lucky and have a great set of built-ins above my bed and it is here I display all my favorite things. 

Recently I added my new favorite painting by Evelyn Henson to the mix. I am in love with Evelyn's bright color palette and what seems to be a modern approach to impressionistic subjects. More than anything, though, it's her joy for life, passion for painting and art that make me fall even more in love with Evelyn's work. 

Besides a ton of gorgeous paintings, she also has the cutest (and super affordable!) prints. I have this Audrey Hepburn print and can't wait to put it in my bathroom someday in a future apartment. (For now it's on my dresser where I get ready in the morning.) Check out her map prints and all the fun art for your bar cart, too! 

Here's how I styled my EH original painting:

To me, the perfect mix on a bookshelf is many of your favorite books (turned all different directions), a frame or two, art, and a few objects. 

One lucky reader will receive $120 to Evelyn's shop, which you will be able to put towards any of her paintings or prints. Enter below using the Rafflecopter tool:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thank you for entering and have a beautiful day!
xoxo

Disclaimer: I received this painting courtesy of EH in exchange for this post. All opinions are, of course, my own, as I genuinely adore this art and hope to pass along talented artists my blog readers will enjoy.

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My Favorite Paint Colors

I hope you all had a wonderful long weekend and fun labor day! It's always fun to have a "short week" ahead, and I thought I'd start this week off with some of my favorite wall colors. We're not getting into the nitty gritty with specific paint names, but I will show you my favorite hues to paint all over your walls. I'm a simple girl, so there's only a few!

Gray:

 via

Light Blue/Gray:

via

via

Seafoam/Mint:

 via

via

White:

via

White is also my favorite exterior paint color. Especially with black, gray or navy details.

via

Our family is gearing up to paint our entire house a more neutral shade. Almost every room (minus my room, the master bedroom, my brother's room and the bathroom) will be the same color. I'm so excited to get a fresh hue on the walls, jump on the neutral train and let the decor shine.

What are your favorite colors for the home? Or tell me what colors you have in your home, even if you're not in love with them!

Happy Tuesday!
xoxo

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Announcement: Abstract Paintings on Lulu & Georgia

I'm so excited to let you all in on something I've been working on as of lately. I just did a collection of abstract paintings, being sold in the adorable online home decor boutique, Lulu & Georgia! You can find them over on the site under the Wall Art section, and while you're there, check out all our adorable mirrors, too! 

Emmaline & Lorelei 

Emmaline
  

Lorelei

 Lucy

 Nola

These are perfect for for gallery walls, above your desk, buffet, dresser and more. And yes, there is a touch of gold leaf detailing on each painting for the gold obsessed gals :)

Hope you enjoy your weekend! Mine will be sent exploring San Francisco with one of my best friends who's in for a visit. What are you up to?
xoxo

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Bathroom Paint Reveal: Serene Sky Blue

A few months ago {wow-- where does the time go?!} I mentioned we needed a bathroom refresh. I showed you my vision through a mocked-up-photoshop picture of the bathroom, and after going back and forth on colors, I helped my client {who happened to be my mom!} choose this soothing and fresh blue paint, called Spray by Devine Color. We wanted something that would be less loud than the previous color, which was a yellow, and something to go with the cute knobs. When we originally moved into this house, the bathroom had a floral wallpaper that was less than desirable, so my first year of college, I spent a week tearing that down and painting the walls yellow. Turns out we grew tired of the yellow color fairly quickly, but I'm SO glad we made the change to a soft blue. It's a huge improvement! 

Here's the before (sorry for the picture quality!):

And here's the after:

*all images by Nicole Dianne, God is Good print: SS Print Shop, Knobs: Found in India but similar here. 

We're really happy with it! And you know what we loved about Devine Color? It has zero VOC and low odor.  The paint is creamy, true to the swatch color, and the finish is durable and wipeable.  It's no wonder we have this paint in other areas in our home as well. 

The room still isn't totally finished, as we're waiting on this garden stool, these hand towels  and I need to pick out new light fixtures for above the sinks, but it's getting there.  Any sconce suggestions, I'd gladly take!

Do you like the color change? Have you painted any rooms in your home lately? It's the most inexpensive way to change up a room, I think. 

Happy Thursday!
xoxo

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On My Desk No. 6: Room Inspired By a Painting

There two kinds of students in design school: those are who free spirits, who can see an object and do an entire room inspired by the feeling of that object. I don't just mean "decorate" around it, I talkin' come up with a whole theme, concept, with meanings, hidden meanings and bizarre / awesome thoughts to support their design. This type of student functions better without parameters. 
Then there's the type of student who needs a print out of the project with a checklist of details to turn in, freaks out when there are no guidelines (and is told "the sky is the limit") and is paralyzed if you give her something and say "design an art gallery space around this painting."

I'll give you one guess as to which of the above prototypes I am.

Ah, yes. I'm the second. What can I say?! I'm creative, but really like guidelines, a checklist, and would rather not be given a painting, sculpture, or object to be create an entire room around. Well you guessed it, that painting up there is the painting I chose for my next design assignment.  I have to design an art exhibition space, or gallery to hang this painting in, inspired by the feelings, emotions, concepts, and meanings found in this painting.

Here's where you come in. If you have any awesome ideas, I'd love to hear! I'll tell you my initial idea and see what you think of it.  Luckily I'm an art nerd and actually love Nighthawk by Edward Hopper, so I was glad to have chosen this painting (if I haaaddd to do the assignment ;)) My plan is to create an art gallery space that looks very similar to the diner seen in the painting. I will use a lot of glass, mimicking the glass wall in the painting, and have metal stools lining the gallery for people to sit and view the piece.  One of my favorite things about this painting is the fact that there's so much mystery. Who are those people? What are they doing there? Why aren't there any people out on the street? 

My idea to make the art gallery space resemble the diner in the painting then lends itself to ask the same questions of the people viewing the art.  Who are we? What are we doing there?

Deep, huh?! ;) If you have any other ideas or suggestions for me, leave them below!
Happy Friday:)
xoxo

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