Early one morning last week my feet took a detour from ordinary life to dig toes into sand, slosh through gentle waves at the shoreline and bask in the early morning ambiance that can only be found oceanside.
Showing posts with label Color. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Color. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Then and Now: A New Aqua Aesthetic
Color decisions are behind me. What was - is no more. I did what I had previously only dared, taking something pleasant enough (albeit too dark for a sunny south Florida locale) and gave it a bright and colorful new outlook. I'd probably be freaking out right now if I hadn't already lived with these items in their previous state since the mid to late 90's. Yes, it's hard to let go of what I've enjoyed, but I was, after all, growing weary of the heavy hues. So I'm going to give myself permission to say goodbye to the old and embrace the new brighter aesthetic of my living room.
THEN - Traditional Table Trio
I cannot even believe how empty this room looked before the Pier 1 lamps!
The room looks like we just moved in. We hadn't.
I know...it's a perfectly beautiful table. I really did love the end tables as is, except for the fact that they are large and between the three of them in the small space, they covered half the room in brown. Combined with the dark green couch and the previously brown wall, it was time for an overhaul or they would have to go. New furniture was out of budget, so I turned to my paint stash for a little help.
These two were mixed at about 2 parts green to 3 parts blue. The blue is really kind of dull and the green was just too green. Together, they became my new aqua accent.
As I said, what WAS, IS no more...except that under the new slipcover, the dark green couch remains. I'll need to take the cover off to enjoy it fully when it gets cool out again, only I just realized that when I do, the couch will clash with the newly painted tables. Figures! I didn't even think of that before! Oh well, one day and one design problem at a time.
NOW - Today's Triumph!
Here it is while I was in process of deciding about pillow placement and before testing out a bit of burlap as a table runner. This love seat still needs a raspberry, tangerine or coral pillow.
If it was brighter I was after, I got it, no?
Color and light
By the time I put the burlap on the table, I had already taken a zillion pictures and didn't feel like taking many more, so here's the aqua in all its glory.
The burlap got tucked around the seat cushions for a minute to give an idea of how this chair would look with neutral cushions. The chair is really too big for this room with the ottoman; it may end up back in the Florida room if it starts to feel too crowded in here.
So there you have it. The brown has taken a dip into the aqua/blue/green design pool and I'm perfectly happy with the result.
Next up, the fireplace needs a long awaited revamp and the chair needs the cushions recovered or replaced. The cushion color doesn't work in here or the family room, but that could be an easy fix.
Then again, I could show you how the dining room has taken on a lighter and brighter outlook or share with you the little tray table I discovered in a nearby trash pile. It has also recently been given a paint revamp.
Decisions, decisions. Oh, the never-ending decisions...
I'll be sharing this at:
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Color Woes
In some ways, the great outdoors can be so much easier to decorate than indoor spaces. The greens of the leaves and of the grass combined with the vibrant colors of the blossoms are never too flashy, forever coordinated and always appreciated.
Well, it's not that easy. On chairs, these all ended up either looking garish or like a baby pastel. On the wall, almost all were either the wrong shade or too intense. One of these did finally become my living room accent wall color. It's the one on the upper left with hardly any left in the can. Even that I'm iffy about at certain times as the light changes. Morning light vs evening light is a never-ending source of consideration, right Lynette and Paul?
You can find the post about that Easy Breezy Table Redo HERE. For that one, I primed first and did a slight distressing so some wood and some white showed through.
Some of that paint mixture was left over and I used it to paint these end tables recently:
You can see the before and after of these HERE. I painted three coats on these and didn't distress them at all. The result was different but the color was still pleasing to me. However, I wasn't finished. Yet I was out of that paint.
So I got to work mixing colors again to try and match that color combo. The two I used were running low, so I knew I had to get it right without a lot of trial and error. I know the name of the green but the print on the more blue aqua label has faded. With no intention of buying any more paint, since I have such an aqua collection as it is, I just wanted to get the mix right and be done with it, using what I already have.
You see, these end tables are related to a mack daddy coffee table that belongs to their family. They used to be a tight-knit group until I separated them.
Daddy-O has been tipped on his side hugging the wall in the Florida room, trying to stay out of my way until I could decide his fate. While he's been off to the side, he has certainly not been invisible. I mean, look at him. He's a hulk and he's been in a few scrapes. He, in all his brute, was hard to ignore.
Inside, color tends to cause us a whole lot more angst.
Take this assortment of aquas and greens, for instance. One would think that among them would be a perfectly suitable color for painting chairs or the occasional table top or other furniture piece, or dare I suggest, a wall?
Well, it's not that easy. On chairs, these all ended up either looking garish or like a baby pastel. On the wall, almost all were either the wrong shade or too intense. One of these did finally become my living room accent wall color. It's the one on the upper left with hardly any left in the can. Even that I'm iffy about at certain times as the light changes. Morning light vs evening light is a never-ending source of consideration, right Lynette and Paul?
With all this aqua goodness in my possession and cluttering up my storage space, I should certainly have what it takes to mix up a happy hue.
Some time last year I had done just such a thing when I painted this little end table:
Some of that paint mixture was left over and I used it to paint these end tables recently:
You can see the before and after of these HERE. I painted three coats on these and didn't distress them at all. The result was different but the color was still pleasing to me. However, I wasn't finished. Yet I was out of that paint.
So I got to work mixing colors again to try and match that color combo. The two I used were running low, so I knew I had to get it right without a lot of trial and error. I know the name of the green but the print on the more blue aqua label has faded. With no intention of buying any more paint, since I have such an aqua collection as it is, I just wanted to get the mix right and be done with it, using what I already have.
You see, these end tables are related to a mack daddy coffee table that belongs to their family. They used to be a tight-knit group until I separated them.
Daddy-O has been tipped on his side hugging the wall in the Florida room, trying to stay out of my way until I could decide his fate. While he's been off to the side, he has certainly not been invisible. I mean, look at him. He's a hulk and he's been in a few scrapes. He, in all his brute, was hard to ignore.
Meanwhile, the trio was constantly begging to be reunited. Even though Mack-Daddy is too big for my living room (especially in brown), I figured if he got the aqua treatment like the end tables, I might be able to live with him in the space again.
So I started mixing. Oh, joy. These blobs represent the various attempts to match the previous color. From the image, they look the same, but one was more green and darker, one was too dull, etc. I finally pretty well nailed it, and I put brush to brawn (the brawn of Mack Daddy) and helped him get in touch with his feminine side.
I was also on a hunt for pillows for the love seat. The colorful ideas I had did not pan out. Not one store in all of creation had the colors I was looking for. They seem stuck merely on red for some reason or inappropriate designs in unacceptable multi-shaded fabrics. The fabric store did not have the color I was looking for either.
It looks like I will be fertilizing the heck out of my flowers for a while in the hopes I can get them to produce a never-ending supply for my tables. They will have to supply the final raspberry or tangerine or coral accents in the room. (Although I do have my little metal bird. He's also going to be a big player in giving me that color pop.)
Come back tomorrow and I'll show you how my color woes turned to color joy.
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