Beige-ing it Out

Like I’ve said before, a homeowner’s work is never complete. I have the luxury of being a double threat – designer AND super indecisive? I’m doomed. My co-worker and I share the same sickness: designer-itis. We spend hours, no wait, DAYS, discussing our curtain selections (that we’ve no doubt bought and returned 5 times) and constantly changing wall colors. I’m sure our ever-changing moods will continue to flourish for decades, much to the chagrin of our dotting husbands…who unfortunately don’t share our sickness. So, last weekend, I got a fever… a fever to repaint the guest bedroom.

Above is the happy little guest room, stripped down and ready for its neurotic owner to once again dress it up. Now mind you, Scott and I painted this bedroom a nice cheery yellow about 6 months ago. I was happy with the color choice, but felt like it wasn’t so cohesive with the rest of the house. The more I think about it, our bright green den isn’t quite on par either, but that’s another day. I wanted my guests to feel more relaxed in this bedroom, not invigorated, so I decided to tone it down with a nice gray toned beige.

Notice the more soothing beige coming to life, sans painters tape? Scott and I are self proclaimed non-tappers and proud of it. My sporadic heart is starting to feel a little more at ease with the new color. And now for the after shots.

Beige is not one of my favorite words. I’m normally not a fan of beige because I see it as “commonplace” or “boring”, but I think in my wise old age I’ve come to appreciate the power of beige. As long as the beige has some weight to it and adds a bit of contrast to the space, it’s something I can get on board with. This beige was a nice selection for the space because it worked off of the existing paisley bedding and also tied in nicely with the gray walls in our adjacent living room.

Here’s another view of my new beige paradise that probably hasn’t been shown on the blog before. Ooo I’m revealing so much – watch out! Next post I’ll be showcasing my medicine cabinet and underwear drawer. Our guest bedroom is far from complete (which is apparently my new mantra) but I think the more soothing color is the perfect jumping off point to future alterations down the road. Possibly some new, funky pulls on the old school dresser, or a girly new side table/lamp combo? What are your thoughts on the new beige-tastic wall color?

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Carpet Tile Land

There are perks to being an interior designer, I must say. One of my favorites (as well as my co worker’s) is our access to free shizz that we can use in our homes. We constantly order samples of products (carpet, tile, stone, fabric, etc) that we use on projects or in the planning process, which leads to tons of leftover samples that can either be returned to the manufacturer or used for our own devices. Thus, the free carpet tile rug was born.

My co-worker and I came up with the brilliant idea of using leftover carpet tiles samples to make rugs in our homes. A non-perk of our job is the smaller paycheck, so the free rugs are a necessity in our home decor budgets. It also gives us the flexibility to change out area rugs in our house without worrying about spending another $500 when we change our minds…which happens a lot.

I plopped down a carpet tile rug in our guest bedroom one day with some leftover samples from a project I was working on. Said project then proceeded to stab us in the back and go with a larger firm, so the sight of the rug brought chunks up in my throat. Not really on the chunks, but the rug just wasn’t cutting it for me. The dark espresso color just wasn’t meshing with the cherry wood floors and was too dark for the tiny room. I decided to contact one of my flooring reps and ask her to send me a few other samples of a carpet I had seen installed recently so I could try it out in place of the other rug (which may make an appearance elsewhere in the house…goody!)

Ahh, that nice khaki color really brightens things up a bit, don’t you think? I needed something to bring some contrasting colors to the dark floor and I think this does just the trick. Now, I know that everyone doesn’t have access to an unlimited library of commercial carpet tiles, but don’t fret! Interface, a commercial flooring company that we use often, also has a residential line called FLOR that provides carpet tiles that anyone can purchase. The beauty of carpet tile is that if one tile gets stained, you simply replace it with another – pennies less than if you’d have to replace an entire area rug. Beautiful.

Don’t get me wrong, I love a plush, wool area rug as much as the next person. But until I discover an ingenious product like post its and make a bazillion dollars, it’s free carpet tile rugs for the majority of my abode.

P.S. I really do love post scripts. It’s a sickness. I have been MIA from the blog because my best bud was visiting and I was enjoying hanging with her and not thinking about blogging. So sorry for being so absent… did I just apologize for having a life? I think I need to get my priorities straight.

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DIY Abstract Attack

A friend of mine recently sent the first ever request to the[artful]abode for some advice on DIY abstract art for her long, barren hallways. Of course, I had to oblige in the best way I could to keep my loyal (5) readers sticking around! Awhile back I took a stab on some quick, easy artwork for our guest bedroom. It took about 10 minutes, minimal supplies and zero talent. Seriously, Charlie could whip up this painting in no time if I trusted him with a paint brush.

First, I started with picking up a stretched canvas from my local art supply store. These come in an insane amount of sizes, so really the sky’s the limit with your creativity. Just figure out how much space you’re trying to fill and decide if you’d like one huge canvas or a series of smaller ones (odd numbers are always more pleasing to the eye). Try mixing up multiples in different sizes for a collage effect!

Next, I used the wall paint in my guest bedroom as a starting point (because I had some leftover) and picked up two other small tubes of acrylic paint in the same color family. You can basically buy whatever paint you’d like, but I chose these $2.00 paint bottles from Michael’s to do the trick. I decided to go with 3 colors that would gradate nicely from the lightest color in the room (the yellow on the walls) to the darkest color in the bedding (coral red). A nice, warm, peachy orange seemed to be in between the two, so I used that to help the progression in this piece from light to dark not be so drastic. You could definitely pick up 4 or 5 or 6 colors if you’re feeling ambitious – take a risk!

I started with the wall color at the top of my canvas and painted a third of the way down. Looking back, I probably would have divided the piece up into three non-equal parts, but I’m still happy with the outcome. I then mixed a bit of the yellow paint in with the orange (right on the canvas) to blend the two together, then brought in the orange for the 2nd portion of the canvas, then followed with the red. I used my handy dandy paintbrush, but you could certainly pick up a cheapo foam craft brush from Michael’s to take you over the proverbial goal line.

I continued the paint on the front of the canvas around to the edges to make sure any of the white canvas wasn’t exposed. I’m all about a crisp, white frame, but in the case of a canvas “painting”, I think the allure of it is that the painting exceeds the frame. I use the word “painting” loosely because hey, this is basically preschool type artwork – but you’d be amazed at the reaction I’ve gotten from this simple project! This is by no way anything new or innovative, but I hope this shows you how incredibly easy it is to create lovely, abstract art a la Rothko for under $30. Love it!

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