Living in New York!

The past few months have been a crazy time for me, moving my home, my cat and my office but I've finally settled in an adorable apartment on the UWS and I'm ready for life to get back to normal!

I thought my room in Virginia at 10x11 was about as small as a room could get but I was wrong!  My new room in NYC is just 7.5x10 and I still insist on keeping my queen sized bed!  However, I found a wonderful new roommate to apartment hunt with and we just couldn't resist the tall ceilings, big windows, and spacious living room and kitchen of this apartment.  I thought rather than try to fight a losing battle against the size of my bedroom I might as well embrace the miniature aspects and make a cozy little sleeping den out of it.

The whole apartment came painted white which I actually like for increasing the effects of the natural light.  I decided in my bedroom I wanted to increase the charm a little, though, with a accent wall of trellis stencil done in a very light grey.  I basically wanted to copy the look here so I bought the Moroccan Stencil, spent a Saturday covering myself in paint and got this:

Another thing I love about my new room is the big window, which I cute-ified with gauzy white curtains tied back with big navy polkadot ribbons.

Benjamin Moore Razzle Dazzle

I just love this pink.  Not sure I could handle it in a full room, but in an entry hall I think it is very Razzle Dazzle!

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My salmon pink dining chairs DIY!

I can't really remember the last time I was this excited about a set of dining chairs.  Perhaps never.

I have to say I was pretty nervous about this move...painting my mom's old dining chairs bright salmon pink in extra high gloss was a bold move.  But now that they're finished and amazingly reupholstered by my mom in Ralph Lauren chintz, I don't know if I've ever loved a piece of furniture more.

Pairing with a glass-top table I think helps prevent too much going on in a small space.  I also love the way my grandparents' silver tea set looks, lending some polish without adding any additional color saturation.

Adding some wall decoration is the next step.  Perhaps the cat portrait from my post below...?

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The view from my kitchen

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And the before...

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The chairs were a whitish cream color before.

Here they are set up in my parents' front yard, ready for a good sanding!  Emily is going to help...

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Yes, this is the upholstery color from before.  No, it did not ever appear this way in my mother's house.

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Source: picasaweb.google.com via Sarah on Pinterest

I ended up doing all the painting with a flat oil paint brush. It allowed me to apply an even layer around some of the trickier turns and corners. Plus, I sometimes like when you can see some brush strokes (as opposed to spray painting) because I think it gives things a handmade quality.

DIY Navy Blue Lattice Dresser

They said it couldn't be done!

My mom tried to convince me to not take her hideous old washstand (her words!) to my house but I was sure I could give it a new life with a coat of paint.  Plus, it had my all-time most favorite attribute - it was free.

I forgot to take a "before" picture so here is a "mid-project" picture:

 You can sort of see evidence on the door of how beaten up it was to start with.

And here is the "after":

The drawers used to have pulls instead of knobs so I hid the extra holes inside a criss-cross...

Yup, it needs a little decor help but, hey, I'm just getting started!

I got some inspiration from these lovely dresser DIYs - so many fun ideas to choose from!

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Pink Dining Chairs

This weekend I started painting my dining chairs a pink/orange/red color.  I am fully aware that this will embarrass me in about 15 years or fewer but right now I think it's pretty great.

I'll post pictures when they're all done.  In the meantime...fabulous or decor disaster?  I think FABULOUS.

PS to my mother and sister:  See the grey couch in the second photo?? I told you it would match!

Elle Decor

House Beautiful, January 2011

And speaking high-gloss paint on ceilings...

My last post was rattling around in my head when I came across this photo in my files.  I love the dark grey walls and ceiling that do not look dark and depressing at all when combined with the fun colorful rug and pillows and cheerful white furniture!

And the reflective surface of the dark paint amplifies light and reflects the light colors of the furniture, also helping keep the room far from gloomy.

This photo is one of my older ones, from before I was keeping track of my sources.  If anyone knows where the credit goes, let me know!