Coming Soon!!!

I can't believe it's been almost a year since I've posted.  I've been so busy with my real job that I haven't had the inspiration to blog.  I always have a lot of ideas floating around in my head, but I just can't seem to get them out of my head.

So, I've been thinking about redecorating my master bathroom.  Believe it or not, I have painted my bathroom twice since I've been in this house for almost 8 years (October 21, 2013).  The original color started out as SW Latte--in the taupe family.  You all know how I feel about taupe.  Don't get me wrong, taupe is a great neutral, but for me everything looks so bland with this color.  A few years ago, I saw a stripe painting technique on the HGTV's Rate My Space.  I painted horizontal stripes using three colors from my color chart.  There was a white space in between each color.  All three colors were in the taupe family--from lighter to darker.  I lived with this for about a year.  Then I decided to paint over the stripes with a darker color on the color chart--SW 6110 Steady Brown.

Steady Brown is a rich, dark brown.  I like darker colors because artwork looks best against a darker color.

A friend of mine built a new home about three years ago.  Her master bathroom is painted baby blue with stark white painted trim work.  I love this look--it's very beachy.  Her bathroom inspired me to step outside the taupe family of colors.

I have a few colors in mind for my bathroom and none of the colors are in the taupe family.  Here's a sneak preview of what I'm looking at:

I've already purchased the artwork that is going to hang on my bathroom walls:

Stay tuned and be sure to check back!

The Finished Product--Almost

U P D A T E:  I updated the blog post to showcase the artwork that my neighbors picked out.  See the artwork at the end of this post.

I went by my neighbor's house to hang the artwork lower on the wall.  One of my pet peeves, among many, is artwork hung too high on walls.  My neighbor and his fiancé are tall so he thought it should be hung to match their heights.  I lowered the artwork by 1 ft and it looks so much better at the lower height.  Tip:  Hanging artwork lower on a wall really grounds the room.  I really love this space.  I turned a beige/taupe space into one that is vibrant.  I brought in accessory pillows with pops of red in them and changed the lamps to ones that are the correct scale to his furniture.  The lamps look fantastic!  I am finding out that the stripes are a love/hate look.  The good thing about the stripes is that it is paint and can be painted over.  But for now, my neighbor has no plans to paint over them. 

The next thing my neighbor purchased for this space is a rug.  I initially suggested a rug with pattern and red, but I thought that would be a little too busy with the stripes--too much texture.  So, I suggested a sisal rug with a red band or a nice wool rug in taupe with a red band or border.  I met my neighbor and his fiancé at a rug gallery in North Little Rock.  I found a sisal rug with a red border, but my neighbor's fiancé thought that the rug surface was too rough. She found another sisal rug that had a much softer surface, but it didn't have the red band.  However, the rug still works because it is a neutral and it blends in with the taupe color on the walls.

Notice the wall behind the sofa is bare.  My neighbor's fiancé wants to hang a mirror there.  The sofa is about three feet from the wall.  I envision hanging a grouping of mirrors there instead of one mirror.  I think this would be more dramatic and it will also help to fill in the wall.  I also suggested to my neighbor that they purchase a narrow-depth console table for the wall and hang a grouping of mirrors above the table.  This is similar to what I envision hanging on the wall.

Update:  My neighbor sent me a picture of artwork he and his wife selected to hang on the wall in back of the sofa.  I like his choice.  It's not the mirrors that she wanted, but the artwork pulls in the colors in the room.  

"Big as Texas" Artwork

I am so excited about my recent art purchase.  On a Thursday afternoon in December, I wandered into Dreamweavers in Downtown Little Rock during lunch.  I took a co-worker along to see the selection that Dreamweavers offers.  When we walked in, I hadn't noticed the artwork at the entrance of the building.  When we got ready to leave, something made me turn around and it was instance love!  But, I didn't immediately purchase the painting.  I fell into the trap that most people do, "I already have artwork on that wall and I don't know what to do with what I already have."  I thought about that painting for the remainder of the day.  The next day, I decided that I had to have it.  So, when my boss released us for the day, I went straight to Dreamweavers and was hoping that no one else had purchased the painting.  It was my lucky day. The painting was still hanging at the entrance of the store.  I told the man at the counter, "I've come to purchase the painting!"  It took two attempts to get it home.

The best part of my purchase is that the painting was priced at $179!!!  I think it is either an acrylic or oil-based painting.  It measures 57 inches wide by 70 inches long.  You can't buy a frame this size for $179.

My rule about purchasing artwork is that you should always purchase artwork that you love, if it's within your budget.  

Christmas 2012

I haven't been keeping up with my posts lately.  I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas holiday.  Since it is Christmas season for 2012, I wanted to share this year's tree.  As always, my 18 year old great-nephew, Ka'Run, decorated my tree.  I told him I wanted it in red and gold and to use the netting this year.  I told him I didn't think this was his prettiest tree he had decorated for me, but I still appreciate his efforts!  

This year I added sweater pillows I purchased at Target for a fall/winter look for my sofa.  I paired the pillows with the red reindeer pillows from Pier 1 purchased last year.  

I found the cutest candle jewelry at Pier 1.  I've seen candle jewelry at Kirkland's, but this was the first Christmas-themed candle jewelry I had seen.

Good Example of Mixing Patterns

I wanted to share this picture of a sofa with accessory pillows.  I love mixing patterns.  I think it makes a space look more interesting than just using a solid and a pattern.  You have to be careful when mixing patterns.  A rule of thumb to follow is to make sure your patterns have a common color.  In this example, blue is the common color.  Pair a smaller pattern with a bold pattern that have common colors.  All of the patterns in this picture are different, but it works.  If this is too much pattern for you, then feel free to use a solid color.  You could place a sold blue pillow on each end of this sofa and add the patterned pillows in front. 

Fall is Here!!!

It's my favorite season of the year!  I get so excited when fall finally arrives.  I love the hues of fall--the reds, oranges, yellows, browns.  As with clothing, I prepare my house for fall.  The front door and porch have been decorated for fall, pillows on the sofas and chairs in the living room have been changed to fall colors, and I have changed the comforter in my bedroom to darker hues.

I need a new look for my front door for fall.  I've had this same look at my house for 7 years.  Next year will be time to change it up.  But for now, this will have to do for the fall of 2012.

Now this is what I would like for my front door to look like at fall.  This is the front door of Chris Olsen's house.  For those who don't know Chris Olsen, he is the owner of Botanica Gardens in Little Rock.  Chris has the most fabulous house and grounds.

I found sweater pillows at Target to place on my living room sofa.  Nothing says fall like a sweater.  The bolster pillow was in the chair in my bedroom.  The shaggy gold pillows are from Dreamweavers.  I purchased them for $5 a pillow, so I couldn't resist.

The Proper Scale for Accessories

This has to be my top decorating pet peeve--accessories that are too small for the space they are in.  Everybody is guilty of this--even me.  To quote Maya Angelou, "When we know better we do better".  

When selecting accessories for your space, you need to consider the type and size/scale of your furniture.  Tiny artwork and lamps that are too small are typical mistakes that a lot of people make when decorating a space.  For example, notice the lamps I used to have on my nightstand.  The lamps were clearly too small to be paired with my night tables and bed.  The size of the furniture suggested that I needed lamps with a more substantial base. (Notice that I purchased a new bed since the one shown in this photo.  That's another story and blog post!). 

I searched for lamps and came across these at a local furniture store in Little Rock.  I was hesitant to purchase the lamps at first because I thought they were too modern for my traditional bedroom.  On the advice of a friend who is a decorator, I decided to purchase the lamps and I am glad I did.  Here is how my beside tables look with lamps that are better scaled for the room:

The lamps have a larger, more substantial base.  Also, the lampshades are larger.  The other lamps had a more delicate base and also were done in a shiny brass finish.  It was definitely time for more updated lamps.