On the Hunt For a New Color

I spent some time at Sherwin Williams today looking at paint colors for my master bath.  I think I have talked myself out of painting my bathroom red.  My study is red (SW Red Barn) and I want that room to be different than the other rooms in my house.

I keep going back to my friend's master bath in Louisiana.  I love her bathroom.  Yes, it is a pastel color, but I love the look of it.  I always tell people they should go with their emotions when picking out art work and paint colors.  If you have a strong reaction to what you see, go with that reaction.  You'll know it when you see it.

On my latest trip to Sherwin Williams, I narrowed down my search to three shades of light blue--SW Aqua Sphere, SW Rain, and SW Interesting Aqua:

I chose these colors because they had a smokiness to them.  Since my trim color has tan in it, I didn't want a blue that had a touch of red or purple in it.  I needed a blue that had a touch of brown in it so that it would look good next to my trim color.  There are a lot of things to consider when picking out a paint color.  You want to have a connection with that color, but you also want to make sure that it blends well with your trim color.  My master bath also has crown molding, so it is important that my color choice works well with the trim color.

I am leaning towards SW Rain.  It is the color shown in the middle.  It is also on the same color chart with SW Interesting Aqua.  

Stay tuned.....

I think I know what the problem is...

I've been thinking about my bathroom color and realized today why I'm not in love with it--the color is a cold color and I gravitate to warm colors.  I enjoy looking at rooms with pastel colors, but I don't want pastel colors in my house.  I equate pastel colors with little girls' rooms.  I have seen lots of photos of elegant rooms done in pastel colors, but pastels are not a hue that I am in love with.

So, now I am on the hunt for a new color for my bathroom.  The space started out painted Sherwin Williams Latte.  I picked this color for the entire house.  After living here a few years, I decided I needed a change.  I would say that the SW Maxi Teal color is definitely a change.

My best friend in Louisiana built a home about two years ago.  Her master bathroom is painted Robin's Egg Blue.  I am in love with her bathroom.  I didn't think the color would work in my space because my trim work is not painted as white as hers.  Also, my ceramic tile floors have more tan/brown in them than her floor.  So now I am wondering if I should paint my bathroom in a pastel shade?

Or, should I go bold again with a warm color palette?

Decisions, decisions....

A Woman's Perogative.....

I painted my master bath November 11, 2013.  I went outside the box and picked a color that was not typical for me.  The color I chose--Sherwin Williams Maxi Teal--is a deep, rich color, but I'm not sure if I want to live with it for very long.  I liked the color after I finished painting my bathroom, but now I am unsure about it.

The main problem with the teal color is trying to find accessories that will go with the color.  I was afraid that by painting my bathroom teal that it would look like a kid's space instead of an adult space.  I am dangerously close, if not already there, to my bathroom looking like a kid's space.

So, you know where I'm going with this.  I already have a new color in mind for my master bath.  It's still not in the taupe/tan/brown family.  It's another "outside the box" color, but I think it will be a color that better represents my house.

Stay tuned.....

Beautiful Christmas Trees--Just Not at My House!

Just because I didn't put up my Christmas tree this year doesn't mean I don't enjoy looking at other beautiful trees.  I was in Dallas December 2-3, 2013 and I stayed overnight at the Fairmont Hotel in the heart of downtown Dallas.  The Fairmont doesn't have any of the business traveler free amenities (complimentary breakfast, free WiFi, free USA Today), but the hotel offers killer views of the Dallas skyline at night.

I was fortunate to be in Dallas during the Christmas season.  Dallas is a city that is known for extravagant Christmas displays.  The hotel was fully dressed out in  Christmas decorations.  There were numerous trees displayed throughout the lobby and beyond.  The main tree in the lobby was decorated with various sizes of ornaments in the colors of fuchsia, bronze, and gold.  I never would have thought to put those three colors together, but the colors worked great together.  

Here are other samples of the Christmas trees throughout the hotel lobby.

There were several commercial buildings in downtown that also displayed beautiful Christmas decorations.  One of the bell hops brought this beautiful wreath to my attention.  The wreath was displayed high up on the outside of this building located on Akard Street.

Enjoy!

All Wrapped Up!!

I put up my first Christmas tree in 1987 when I moved into my very first apartment.  Since that time, I have put up a Christmas tree every year--except for this year.  Womp-womp...

I decided earlier this year that I was not going to put up a Christmas tree.  I wanted my decorations be very minimal.  A lot of work is involved in putting up my tree.  My Christmas tree and accompanied decorations are stored in my attic.  When I was younger, it was no big deal to go up and down the attic ladder pulling the tree down and about a dozen plastic bins along with it.  For the past three or four Christmases, my great-nephew volunteered to bring my tree and boxes down from the attic.  That was great!  Now that he has moved to Dallas, that duty returns to me.  

So for Christmas 2013, I didn't put a Christmas tree up, but I did decorate my fireplace mantle.  What I did is very easy to duplicate.  All you need are small boxes in various sizes, ribbon, wrapping paper, snow (I used cotton balls), and ornaments.  I also removed my artwork and placed a mirror above the mantle.

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas!

Mr. Christmas!!

My nephew, Ka'Run, has been decorating Christmas trees for several years now.  When he was in grade school, he started decorating Christmas trees for his bedroom.  A few years ago I started letting him decorate my Christmas tree.  I love looking at Christmas trees, but I don't enjoy pulling the tree down from the attic and the dozens of boxes with all of my ornaments.

This is Ka'Run's first tree for his new home in Dallas.  He was so excited to show me what he did.  In fact, we did FaceTime because he wanted me to see his work live.  I am so proud of him and I wanted to share his work with others.  Enjoy!

Can you see the snowflakes?

Breakfast bar

Things I Love!!

Another installment of Things I Love!!!

I subscribe to five decorating magazines and several online publications.  When I see pictures of something I like, I save it to iPhoto to share later.  Here are two examples of spaces I wanted to share with you.  I picked both of these spaces based solely on the wall color.  I am partial to dark walls.  Dark colors add a certain richness to a space.  Don't get me wrong, I like lighter hued walls as well but I lean more to darker shades.

Courtesy of House Beautiful

These colors are so cozy to me.  Even though the colors are dark, there is still a lot of light in the spaces.  I really love how the ceiling is painted the same color as the wall in the bedroom photo.  I imagine at night time this space is like a cocoon.  Looking at this makes me want to paint my bedroom walls and ceilings dark.  Stay tuned!!