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?

Studio Makeover: The Doors

The doors are (almost) done!!!

After stripping, sanding, and staining for what seemed like an eternity, I finally got the doors kind of done. For now, I've only worked on the front. I got so tired that I didn't do the inside of the door. I think I'm going to go the lazy route and just leave the inside painted white since the only person who's going to see it is me anyway. I still need to get curtains to hide the mess and find some awesome antique doorknobs, but other than that we're done! 

Oh, and did you notice? WALLPAPER!!! I really wanted some old, retro wallpaper to decorate the outside of the room. I searched Etsy and Ebay looking for paper with red in it to bring out the red pipes above the room but couldn't find anything, especially in a full roll like I needed. But on a thrifting expedition Monday, I came across a FULL ROLL of groovy wallpaper. It looks like something straight out of The Brady Bunch! There's no red but I love the pattern and there was tons of it. Best part...it was $2.69!!!! Does it get any sweeter :)

Wallpaper up, time to paint!

I ended up stapling the wallpaper to the wall instead of pasting it. I constantly change my mind so I figured this was a better decision, that way I can easily switch it out for something else down the road. The pattern is busy enough and the staples are far enough apart that you have to look hard to find the staples. I did glue the wallpaper on the right side of the door because I was at the end of the roll at that point and had to put together several small pieces that didn't want to unroll. The paper is pre-pasted so all I had to do is wet it and smooth. If only everything was so easy!

Next on the list: finding door knobs, finally painting the green above the workshop, and finishing the taping and painting of the drywall inside the room. Almost there!

Studio Makeover: The Beginning of the Workroom

This weekend we built our new work/paint/sanding room. When I say "we," I mean Sam and Jesus from Property Comfort Interiors built the room while Jerome and I painted. Sam is our landlord's nephew and has been a huge help as we've taken on various projects around the apartment. Thank God they had a free weekend to help us out and were able to get our room up in just seven hours!

BEFORE 

Jerome and I took care of painting while Sam and Jesus did the building.

All done!!! (try not to laugh at my drywall taping)

The green paint is going to extend over top of the workroom.

At 12' x 6', it's not the biggest room but it's just the size I need to work on furniture and store my tools. Unfortunately we couldn't add a ceiling due to fire codes; the room must have access to the sprinkler system in the rest of the studio and paying for sprinklers to be brought down and added was NOT in my budget. That means we'll have to come up with some clever ways to work around having an open ceiling, such as using more water-based products to deal with smell issues or using plastic tarps over the ceiling of the room when doing smelly/messy work.

My favorite part of the studio so far? Our new doors for the workroom! Instead of paying for boring standard doors, we decided to go vintage. I wanted something wood with glass panels so I can see outside of the room while I work. I searched craigslist but couldn't find what I wanted. Then as we were loading drywall into the freight elevator, we found FREE old doors on the loading dock. According to Sam, these doors would go for several hundred dollars if we tried to buy them. MAJOR SCORE!!!! They were just laying there waiting to go out to the trash. They even have the glass panes that I wanted. Talk about awesome! I'm currently in the process of stripping, sanding, and staining them dark walnut. I can't wait to see how gorgeous they look when they're hung on the workroom!

I'm also in the middle of taping the drywall. By myself. This could be bad! So far, most of my taping has gone well and there have only been two pieces that didn't turn out right but I'll get those fixed in no time. The final coat of joint compound goes on today and tomorrow I'll be able to start priming and painting. Sam will be back on Friday to install the doors and then the room will be finished. YEAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!

Studio Makeover: Painted Floors Part 1

We started phase one of our studio remodel this weekend...painting the floors! The original floors were just bare plywood subfloor, not something I wanted to keep. We considered a lot of options like laminate or wood floors but in the end painting was cheaper. It was also easier than our original idea of pulling apart shipping pallets and using the planks to make wood floors. Be warned, that's NOT a project you want to take on until you've thought through how you're going to remove all those nails and plane and sand the boards. It's a LOT of work!

While part of me really wanted to stain the wood, using the building-required low VOC stain and sealer was too expensive for us. So we stuck with paint. After two days of PAINFUL floor painting that killed our back, shoulders, and arms, we're happy with the results! We used five gallons of Behr Porch and Patio paint in Gentle Rain to cover a 1200sf area and it turned out perfect. I'd highly recommend painted floors to anyone looking to do something a little different with their space. My suggestion though: use primer! We didn't because we were trying to save ourselves from having to paint any more coats than necessary. Instead we did one full coat and then thinned the paint with water to do a second coat. We also didn't seal it. Because this is a work space and there will constantly be furniture moved around, leaving the floor a little "imperfect" was fine for our needs. If you're painting floors in your apartment, I'd definitely use primer, do two full coats of paint, and use a floor sealer to keep your floors fresh.
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Ready to be stenciled!

Next on our list - stenciling. We're on the prowl for a retro-inspired design to stencil on the floor. I have no clue what I want but thanks to pinterest, I have tons of inspiration to pull from. What do you think?

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The Big Move 2011 - The Negotiation

So yesterday you used all those awesome apartment hunting tools to find some apartments you like, now it's time to get into the nitty gritty.  I know I said we'd talk about moving out tips but I left out something super important.  Negotiation.

There are people out there who don't care about things like what color the walls are and who think you're nuts for fixing up a place you may only live in for a year or two.  I am not one of those people.  As a person who LOVES the thrill of renting a new place and coming up with new ideas, I think everyone should put their personal stamp on their apartment. No, you don't need to blow money on expensive, time-consuming improvements and you don't have to be a designer.  But you should surround yourself with things you like so that when you come home at night, you're happy to be there and when you have people over, you're proud, not embarrassed.  Whether you hang a few pictures, buy a gallon of paint, or buy a piece of furniture that you like, just do something that makes you happy!

Our first apartment together.  We went with a soft grey for the living room but punched it up with bright furniture and records on the wall.

That said, some landlords are a little touchy about tenants personalizing a place.  Many of them have had tenants before that were anything but careful and left the apartment full of nail holes and paint on the ceilings.  If that's the case, do your best to ease their fears.  Let them know you're responsible and give examples of past work if necessary/possible.  When negotiating, don't be pushy.  The last thing you want to do is start out with a bad relationship.  It's still their apartment so they have a right to say no.  If you're really passionate about something and the landlord won't budge, consider alternative solutions like hanging things with removable 3M strips instead of nails or adding color in your furniture instead of on the walls.  Still not happy?  Move on to a different place where you'll have a little more freedom.  I've done this before when landlords wouldn't let us paint.  It sucked at first to let go of a place I liked but in the end, I was ten times happier when I found another apartment I loved that I could also make my own.  If your landlord is great about letting you express yourself then awesome, you can skip this post.  Either way, make sure you let them know how appreciative you are and don't take advantage of their generosity.


The Negotiation...

Painting - If painting an apartment colors you like is important to you, ask the landlord if painting is allowed BEFORE leasing the apartment.  I've fallen in love with apartments only to be told that the landlord doesn't allow painting of any kind.  Thankfully we didn't sign the lease so I was able to back out.  If the landlord is on the fence, offer to paint the apartment back to a neutral color before moving out.  You can also ease their minds about your painting skills by showing them pictures of your last apartment if you painted, that way they can see your work...most landlords don't mind the actual paint colors so much as the horrible paint job that some people do, getting paint allover the ceilings and trim.  I've also run into landlords who let you pick the color as long as a professional does it.  If they foot the bill for a pro, awesome.  If not, check group deal sights like groupon.com and Living Social.  They always have discounts up for painting services.

Our Boston landlords were happy to let us paint our once-neutral apartment as long as we painted back in the end.  They even reimbursed us for the neutral paint at move out.

Fixtures - I've seen some tacky apartments on craigslist.  Gold fixtures. 80's wallpaper. Sea shell toilet seats.  Um, no.  Other times, it's not so much about tackiness as it is efficiency...our bathroom has a small bird bath sink with no room to put the soap.  Not cool.  Instead of letting it bother you, check with the landlord to see if it's an improvement they'd be willing to make.  Don't be afraid to ask.  Often, landlords have things on their to-do list that they just don't get around to.  They're human too after all!  If they think you don't care, they most likely won't bother to fix it, so make sure you put in your two sense.  We asked our landlord if we could add shelving in the bathroom for toiletries and a small shelf above the sink for the soap.  Not only did he say okay, but he installed the shelves for us and we didn't pay a dime!! If it's a fix you know how to do yourself, ask if they'd be fine with you doing it.  In some cases, they may be willing to pay for the cost of materials.  If it's a temporary fixture that you plan on taking with you when you leave, like a light, store the original in a safe place with all its parts so you can replace it when it's time to move.  I hate the ceiling fan in our kitchen but my husband didn't think our landlords would let us change them out for a pair of vintage pendant lights.  I asked anyway and got the go ahead.  Yea!  Now all I have to do is find the perfect lights and I'll have the kitchen I want.

Originally the trim in our bedroom was unfinished pine but our landlords let us paint it a neutral white that would stay even after we left.

Reduced Rent - This doesn't have anything to do with reduced rent but falls under the negotiation umbrella.  At our last place in Boston, we were able to reduce our rent by mowing the lawn.  Though our landlords already had a landscaper to keep things looking nice, letting us take care of the weekly lawn mowing saved them big bucks.  We only earned $25 for each mowing ($75-$100/month) but it was better than nothing, the lawn wasn't that big, and it was an excuse to get outside and walk around for a bit. Win-win all around!  If you're a hands-on person, you may be able to negotiate similar deals in return for your handiwork.

Our first apartment together.  I fell through the glass top of this table hanging this light in the dining room but it was all worth it to get rid of the ugly wicker basket cover that was there originally!

So, your landlord said yes.  Awesome!!  Now it's your responsibility to do a good job and not start projects you can't handle.  Don't forget that you may have to put things back when it's time to move.  No landlord wants to get stuck with bright red walls when you said you'd paint them back or tons of nail holes in the wall.  Yes, your security deposit is for fixing mishaps and mess-ups but that's worst case scenario.  A good renter is a renter who leaves the place in good condition with only reasonable wear and tear left.  It's the irresponsible renters who make landlords uptight and paranoid.  Don't ruin it for us all!

Our last apartment.  The landlord let us do black walls as long as we agreed to paint them back.  The couple moving in liked the walls though and asked us to leave them black.  Awesome!

HAPPY NEGOTIATING!!!

The (Belated) Weekender: Make Your Own Chalkboard Paint for under $5

We spent the weekend painting.  First we painted our kitchen an awesome turquoise blue and then we started painting our dining room rug.  If you're considering painting a rug, let me tell you right now that it's hard work!  With all the projects we have going on, I didn't get a chance to post last week's DIY...chalkboard paint!

Before I give the details, I have to state my position on chalkboards in the kitchen.  I think chalkboards (and dry erase boards) are a super handy way of jotting down notes in the kitchen.  We had a dry erase board in our last apartment and loved it.  The thing I DON'T like is that every house tour and magazine spread seems to have a big, black, chalkboard wall in the kitchen.  It's time to add some color!

That's why I was thrilled to find this super easy chalkboard paint recipe from Martha Stewart.  It takes about two minutes to mix and costs less than $4.  Because it's so easy, I didn't take any pictures...I think you're all smart enough to figure it out!

LAZINESS SCALE: 

TIME: 2 minutes
COST: less than $5

SUPPLIES:

• paint
• 2 tbs non-sanded grout (per cup of paint)
• 150 grit sandpaper (UPDATED 10/17/11)

MIX your grout and paint, making sure there aren't any lumps.  My paint got a little thicker with the grout added.  Once mixed, roll/brush on like normal.  Do a couple of coats so that it's evenly covered.  Let dry.

Once it's dry, (I let mine dry about 45min) rub a piece of chalk across the whole board to condition it.  Erase with a damp (NOT WET) sponge and you're all set!

The un-sanded grout ($4.50 at Home Depot, Lowes, etc) comes in a pretty big box.  You only need a few tablespoons of it depending on the size of your project so you'll definitely have tons left over to share with a friend or for future projects.

The paint doesn't store well so make sure you only make as much as you need.  For the green chalkboard (20"x24), I used a full cup of paint and had a lot left over that I threw away.  For the orange board (same size) I reduced the mix and used 1/4 cup of paint and 1/2 tbs of grout.  I just barely had enough so next time I might try 1/2 cup of paint and 1tbs grout.  Remember, you can always mix more if you need it so it's better to start off with a little so you're not just throwing paint away.  The green paint I used was actually glossy, gloppy paint from years ago.  I thinned it with water but it was still pretty thick.  In the end, it came out with a more chalkboard-like feel than the orange eggshell paint.  Both erase well so I don't think it matters what kind of paint you use.

Have fun :)

UPDATE 10/17/11 - WAIT!!!!  I forgot to mention, you need to lightly sand the board with 150 grit sandpaper when it's dry.  Afterwards, condition the board by rubbing a piece of WHITE chalk sideways across the whole board.  Erase.

After having our board for two months I've learned that you should NOT use dark chalk on light colored boards.  I tried using red, green, and blue chalk on the yellow board and it left a faint stain.  It's only noticeable if you get close to the board, but if you used the dark chalk continually you'd definitely end up with a ruined board.  Stick with lighter colors on lighter boards.  We use yellow, orange, and white on the yellow board without a problem.  The other two boards are fine with colors and erase well.  Every now and then, clean the board with a damp, NOT wet, cloth. 

PICTURE UPDATE 10/17/11 - The yellow board is fine as long as we use white and yellow chalk.  The other two boards erase fine with all colors.

NOW, have fun :)

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!