Living Room Color Change

So, it was bound to happen sometime. I'm bored with the living room and kitchen paint colors and ready for a change! Today, I figured I'd focus on my living room. Take a look and let me know what you think!

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The color we wanted was a rich coral like the one on the left. What we got was pink.

The color currently on the wall was never what I wanted. The living room was supposed to be more of an orangy coral but came out a deep pink that looked red at night. I hated it. A year later, I decided to repaint and had a custom color mixed that I thought was going to be THE ONE! But as we finished the 2nd coat, we noticed it wasn't much different than the last color. Ugh. My husband gave me that "I told you so" look and I was forced to admit that, while the new color was slightly lighter, it still was too dark and too pink. So we were stuck with a color that I still didn't like. Now, I'm ready to change all that. Maybe my nesting instincts are kicking in since the weather is getting colder or maybe it's just that the upcoming holiday entertaining season has me wanting my house in tip-top shape. Either way, I'm ready for change. Below are quick mock-ups of the living room in various shades of gorgeous color, along with inspiration photos.

By the way, the green couch is the one we have now. I (quickly) Photoshoped it to make it orange in some of the pictures because we have an orange couch in storage that we're thinking of switching in to replace the green one. Sorry for the crappy editing...I just wanted something to give you a gist of what an orange couch would look like since I don't have any pics of it yet.

(For more gorgeous pictures and color inspiration, don't forget to follow us on Pinterest.)

GREY & BLACK

I'm a HUGE fan of charcoal and grey. We did our last apartment in charcoal with black accent walls. Is it dark? Yes, but when the sun hits it during the day, it creates this gorgeous, stormy glow with pops of color splashed throughout and at night it feels sleek and swanky.

Inspiration

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GREEN

I'm a sucker for green. From avocado to olive to hunter, I can't get enough. Several of our apartments have had avocado green accent walls, but I have yet to pull the trigger and do a whole room green. Maybe now's my chance! We would of course switch out the green couch for the orange if we went with green paint.

Inspiration

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TEAL

I love me some teal. If you look at the top of the page, you'll see that teal and avocado is my go-to color combo. We did our dining room in Boston a dark teal blue, but this time I think I'd add a little more green to the teal and choose a lighter shade like the ones below. Though I love teal and green together, I actually think the orange couch looks better with the teal since it pops more.

Inspiration

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MUSTARD

Yellow is my absolute favorite color. In Boston, I did a yellow accent wall in our master bedroom and loved it, but it's a tricky color to do. Even on pinterest, I had a hard time finding just the right color for the inspiration photo. I want something vibrant and rich but also soft enough that I won't go blind. The yellow we used in our bedroom was perfect but sadly I don't have any pictures. Just look at the pictures below and imagine them about 2 or 3 shades lighter and you'll know what I'm talking about.

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NAVY

I suggested navy to my husband and he got super excited. He's a boy so of course his favorite colors are navy and grey. I like navy for the same reason I like grey and black...it's moody and stormy and looks magical when the light hits. I like the dark, though I'm also thinking a softer, more dusty shade would be great as well.

 Inspiration

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So, which would YOU choose?

By the Book: Dining In

So I'm still flipping through my 1968 BH&G Decorating Book. I just can't get enough! Last time I was all about technicolor living rooms and this time I'm madly in love with this bold dining room. The table and chairs, the lighting, the credenza, the paneling, the art; it's all great! Even the checkerboard floor, which is normally reserved for casual kitchens and diners, seems perfectly at home here. Major swoon!

Image via Better Homes & Gardens Decorating Book, 1968

By the Book: 1968 BH&G Technicolor Livingrooms

I'm kind of addicted to vintage decorating & woodworking books. I've amassed quite a collection and am always on the lookout for more. They're not just a look back into the past, they're also full of amazing inspiration for modern decorating, especially if your taste leans towards retro modern or MCM like mine. Just look at the cover to the left...nix the green carpeting (and the green paneling if you're so inclined) and you've got a gorgeous modern room.

Since I can't possibly use all these awesome ideas in my apartment, I've decided to stop being selfish and share them with you! Every week I'll post some of my favorite pictures from a one of my books. Currently, I'm stuck on the Better Homes & Gardens Decorating Book from 1968 so don't be surprised if all the pictures come from here the next few weeks! Out of all the books I have, this one has the largest amount of great pictures. It was a birthday present from Leilani of the Thriftaholic blog. It's nice to have awesome vintage-loving friends who will buy you retro goodies :)

All images via Better Homes and Gardens Decorating Book, 1968

I like the geometric prints on the rug and wall tapestry. I wish I could see what is in the lower right corner. Looks like some kind of platter with a tribal print.

This is one of my favorite rooms. The multi-colored pillows, blue rug, worn wood floors, and art on the walls are amazing. Oh, and look at those colorful bowls on the coffee table. I'm not a fan of the arm or rocking chairs, but other than that I'll take it!

Till next week...

A Flickr Christmas: Walking in a Vintage Wonderland

I LOVE the holidays! The smells, the gatherings, the FOOD. But my favorite part (aside from the birth of Jesus of course!) is the tree! There's nothing better than drinking hot chocolate, listening to Nat King Cole on the hi-fi, and decorating the tree with all sorts of colorful ornaments, both new and old.  What's your favorite part of the holiday season?

(yes I know these are handmade but aren't they just the bee's knees?)

{All images via Flickr. Hover over image to view source}

Paint by Numbers

We're currently trying to figure out what color to pain the master bedroom.  There are so many awesome colors out there that I can't narrow it down.  Here are some of my favorite color ideas from my Paint by Numbers Pinterest board.  What are your favorite boudoir colors?

Blue and purple.  This is the most peaceful backyard/resort!

Turquoise, orange, purple, and wood.  I know they're headphones (by House of Marley) but the color combo is perfect!

Plum, mustard, navy, brown.  This is such a soft, pretty pallet.  I think I'd leave the blush out...I like deep moody colors.  Jerome will love the navy...he's a typical guy who loves blue!

Orange.  If you pick the right shade, it can be awesome!

Mustard.  I did yellow accent walls in our old master bedroom but never done a full room.  Like orange, you have to get just the right shade for it to look right.  Loving this mustard color.

Charcoal.  Reminds me of our last apartment where we had bright furniture and grey and black walls.  I still have some charcoal paint leftover so this is a STRONG contender, as long as we find a bright, vintage bedspread to keep things light and happy!

Around the World

I've been totally obsessed with maps lately.  I think it started after our wedding when my mom gave us an old framed chess board with a map of Boston as the background.  We had the chess board for years growing up in the midwest, never knowing that one day I would wind up living there as an adult.  Whowouldathunk?!

Then last month, we came across a US map at the Vintage Bazaar.  One of our booth neighbors was selling it and gave it to us after they saw how much I liked it.  Over the past month, we've found a few more maps at random garage sales and thrift stores.  Now we're slowly building a collection!  All we need are maps of Ireland and Italy to represent Jerome's heritage and one of my namesake India.  Until we find the perfect ones, I'll be drooling over these awesome maps.

{via LeSueur Interiors}

Map cut and modge podged over canvases {via Little Birdie Secrets}

Map wallpaper {via Decor Pad}

Framed map hearts {via Everything Fabulous}

Hanging map.  LOVE the lamp too. {via Design Sponge}

Old map covering French door panes.  Great idea! {via Pink Wallpaper}

Chalkboard Globe {via Design Sponge}

India Map Pillow Cushion, $55, My Bearded Pigeon

Hand-Stitched India Map Necklace, $54, Il Gatto Selvatico


For more awesome maps, check out my "Navigate" Pinterest board.

Are You Pinterest-ed?

Have you heard the word about Pinterest?  It's a social sharing site where you can create inspiration boards by pinning all your favorite photos from around the web to your own custom albums.  You can create boards (albums) for whatever you want...food, fashion, decor, travel, or whatever.  It's a great tool for gathering decorating inspiration, recipes, or party ideas, or just admiring all the great things in this world.  Like other social sites, you can follow people and the pictures they pin will show on your home page.  If you like one, you can like it, leave a comment, or repin it to your own board.

"In the Kitchen" - I have so many ideas for the day when I finally have a kitchen of my own to remodel.

"Getting Dressed" - Deep down there's a part of me dying to go back to wearing dresses and pumps instead of sweatshirts and sneakers!

Let me tell you right now, once you get started, YOU CAN'T STOP!!! Pretty soon every time you see a new picture you'll have an urge to pin it to a new board.  Pinterest auto-updates so your home page is constantly filling with new pictures from all the people you follow.  The most addictive pins are food.  Seeing all the yummy pictures that people post almost sends you into a food coma!  It's also inspirational...you can click on the images to go to their original websites.  That's how I found the S'Mores in a Jar recipe!

"Yum" - Hungry yet?!

The best part about Pinterest is that you often find your true sense of style through your boards.  After pinning several pictures, you usually start to notice a certain furniture style pop up multiple times or that you continually pin rooms that have deep blues in them.  It's neat to see how you subconsciously put things together.  I've learned that I'm definitely color obsessed and that industrial decor and graphic patterns tend to catch my eye.

"Work Work Work" - I think I'm addicted to work spaces.

Don't forget to follow me on Pinterest.  I've got 34 boards going so there's always something new coming up!