It's time to break out the paintbrush and embrace some new colors in my home.
Traditionally the beginning of the year is a slow work time for me. For some reason the stars align and my financial work, my painting and my freelance writing all slow down after the holidays and I'm left with nothing to do. This year I've decided to tackle and wrap up the 17 different decorating projects I began a few months back.
First up, the master bath. I painted this room soon after I moved in, the oompa loompa orange had to go but I'm afraid my faux finishing solution was muddied and unattractive, so it was top priority. I selected a buttery yellow, a color that looks good on me, and now I'm in love with the bathroom. There is still some work but it's such a happy color and it compliments me when I look in the mirror, which is actually very important in a bathroom that contains the main vanity.
The next room, the office. This is such a pet project because it's sort of dictated the direction the rest of the upstairs will take. I already laid Pergo flooring in the room (Installing Hardwood Laminate Floor) and I've now decided to do the entire second floor, except master bath, in Pergo. I'd also decided to paint the trim in the office white and this of course means that all the trim upstairs must follow suit. So in a way the office is directing the flow of decorating ideas.
But the very best part of the office is the color. Initially I wanted to paint the room white and add little pink touches here and there. I like the color pink but didn't want to make a "baby's room". I thought the touches would soften the office feel of the room and make it more inviting. This room will also be serving as a guest room and I'd like an office that make me feel cozy and happy.
Well those logical plans flew out the window and I painted the entire room a soft but rather bright pink and I couldn't be happier with the results.
The previous owner had painted the walls and ceiling a neutral tan or a deep flesh tone color. The effect was you weren't sure if the room was painted or not. My first step was to paint the ceiling white. I know painting ceiling and walls the same color is a trend but what it does is bring the ceiling down and in a standard, small, mass-produced room a low ceiling is confining. It also makes the walls seem to come in and meet the ceiling in a claustrophobic way. If you haven't guessed, I personally do not like the same color ceilings. The white lifted the room and was like a cool breeze coming through.
The previous walls were a warm tan color and I erased that with my cool, fresh, girly pink. It made the entire room seem so much bigger. Then I accented a window cut out with a very deep pink. This dark color will also be used to behind book shelves so a little color pops through behind the books, but it's not overwhelming.
Pink is VERY popular right now, expect to find dark, deep pink accents all over the place. This is the reason I chose this color for an accent, but not the reason I selected pink. I think you really have to love pink to commit to the color, it's not for the faint of heart but the results can be amazingly pretty and cheery.
Traditionally the beginning of the year is a slow work time for me. For some reason the stars align and my financial work, my painting and my freelance writing all slow down after the holidays and I'm left with nothing to do. This year I've decided to tackle and wrap up the 17 different decorating projects I began a few months back.
First up, the master bath. I painted this room soon after I moved in, the oompa loompa orange had to go but I'm afraid my faux finishing solution was muddied and unattractive, so it was top priority. I selected a buttery yellow, a color that looks good on me, and now I'm in love with the bathroom. There is still some work but it's such a happy color and it compliments me when I look in the mirror, which is actually very important in a bathroom that contains the main vanity.
The next room, the office. This is such a pet project because it's sort of dictated the direction the rest of the upstairs will take. I already laid Pergo flooring in the room (Installing Hardwood Laminate Floor) and I've now decided to do the entire second floor, except master bath, in Pergo. I'd also decided to paint the trim in the office white and this of course means that all the trim upstairs must follow suit. So in a way the office is directing the flow of decorating ideas.
But the very best part of the office is the color. Initially I wanted to paint the room white and add little pink touches here and there. I like the color pink but didn't want to make a "baby's room". I thought the touches would soften the office feel of the room and make it more inviting. This room will also be serving as a guest room and I'd like an office that make me feel cozy and happy.
Well those logical plans flew out the window and I painted the entire room a soft but rather bright pink and I couldn't be happier with the results.
The previous owner had painted the walls and ceiling a neutral tan or a deep flesh tone color. The effect was you weren't sure if the room was painted or not. My first step was to paint the ceiling white. I know painting ceiling and walls the same color is a trend but what it does is bring the ceiling down and in a standard, small, mass-produced room a low ceiling is confining. It also makes the walls seem to come in and meet the ceiling in a claustrophobic way. If you haven't guessed, I personally do not like the same color ceilings. The white lifted the room and was like a cool breeze coming through.
The previous walls were a warm tan color and I erased that with my cool, fresh, girly pink. It made the entire room seem so much bigger. Then I accented a window cut out with a very deep pink. This dark color will also be used to behind book shelves so a little color pops through behind the books, but it's not overwhelming.
Pink is VERY popular right now, expect to find dark, deep pink accents all over the place. This is the reason I chose this color for an accent, but not the reason I selected pink. I think you really have to love pink to commit to the color, it's not for the faint of heart but the results can be amazingly pretty and cheery.