#HappiMess

Last night I attended such a fun event hosted by Delta Faucet and designer/stylist/person Tiffany Pratt. A bunch of bloggers got together to have fun and make a #HappiMess - what a great idea!! We spent a few hours getting our creativity on with a blank canvas clutch, painting up a storm and letting the glitter fly. There were so many awesome ideas (that's my creation up there^^). Sometimes it feels good to let your inner artist out.

Mega Bonus: I got to take home one of the oh-so-gorgeous floral centerpieces created by bloom stylist
Becky De Oliveira of Blush & Bloom. Isn't that just the best?

Project Add Character, Part I: The Dining Room

It was months in the planning stages. Not so much because it requires an exorbitant amount of preparation, but because I tend to procrastinate on intimidating projects, especially when it's something I haven't done before. I posted about the idea to add character by adding trim to my builder's basic condo in this early November post where I put together all of my favourite inspiration photos and came up with the preliminary sketches.

Last week I completed the dining room wall, and I couldn't be happier with the end result. The trim adds so much character, and the dramatic navy blue paint really sets it all off. Small details like the gold foil highlight along the ridges of the ornamental trim make it extra special.

 

I've put together a guide for anyone who wants to try this kind of trim project, and believe me, if I can do it, you can do it too! There were multiple steps and I tried not to do too much at any one stretch, which I think really contributed to the overall success.

The first step is to plan!! I can't emphasize this enough. I knew exactly which trims I wanted to use, but all of my measurements were sketched out before I purchased any materials. I decided to mix it up a bit and went with two different styles of mouldings - one half moon and the other ornamental. You need to know the dimensions of the trim before you can calculate the exact layout and lengths to be cut.

I purchased the trim in 8 foot strips from Home Depot, and took them home to get started by sanding and smoothing any rough edges and applying primer to each piece. You can purchase moulding that has already been primed, but I decided to use raw pine which meant that a primer coat was required. After that, it was time to start the cuts. I didn't want to invest in an expensive mitre saw, but I found this Empire Level precision mitre box for $55 which did the trick:

I did all of the cuts one Sunday afternoon, carefully measuring (measure twice, cut once!) all of the pieces required to form the inner and outer frames. When it came time to attach pieces to the wall, I started with the outside frame, referring to my original plan for the starting point. I decided to leave the bottom right corner for last, since it would be the least visible and any mistakes would end up relatively hidden. The cordless Ryobi brad nailer worked perfectly for this project and did most of the hard work. I can't imagine trying to hold trim, nail and hammer with only two hands.

Believe it or not, the trim went up in about 45 minutes - it was incredibly smooth. I attribute the lack of difficulty to the fact that a lot of time went into the planning and measuring stages. Using a 24" level, I marked points every few feet to keep each piece straight and aligned. Most of the nails went in perfectly, and any that weren't sunk far enough I tapped in a little bit further with a hammer and awl.

Once the trim was up, it was time to finesse the look of the finished product. I filled all of the tiny nail holes and small corner gaps with DAP Drydex spackling. Once dry (this product goes on pink and dries white) I sanded off any excess and "Voila!", the holes and gaps disappeared.

 

To ensure a smooth finish before painting, I needed to caulk along all of the inside and outside edges between trim and wall. You can see the difference in the Before (small gap) and After (no gap) photos below. I tackled this one night after work, but not before watching enough You Tube videos to give myself the confidence to give it a go. As it turns out, I'm not bad at caulking, but I am a bit messy. Because I knew I wanted to paint out the trim, I made sure to use a tube of paintable white DAP Alex Plus caulk.

With the trimwork done it was time to start painting. I was a bit relieved when I opened the can of paint and saw that Para's Marine Bay was the dark and dramatic navy that I remembered (I chose this colour last September), and once I got started there was no turning back. The rich, dark ultra paint in an eggshell finish covered perfectly in just 2 coats.

The final step was to add a gold leaf detail along the ornamental trim with a Krylon 18kt gold leafing pen. This small detail took just a few minutes, but it makes a huge difference to the overall look. I love this final flourish!!

 

Thank you to The Home Depot for supplying the Ryobi brad nailer for this project. This tool really helped make the trim application super easy!!
Thank you also to Para Paints for supplying the paint for this project. I was honestly so happy that their Ultra paint covered beautifully in just 2 coats - often a colour this dark requires a third coat.
I also want to thank everyone who "liked" my Twitter & Instagram posts along the way, especially Chris who offered encouragement and advice.

Next... Part II: Adding Character in the Living Room...

Just Launched: Jeff Lewis Colour/Color

Designer and star of the HGTV series Flipping Out, Jeff Lewis has just launched his own palette of 32 paint colours. The spectrum is comprised of neutrals, touching on greens, greys, blues, beiges and browns. Currently available in a limited release to stores in the southwestern United States, I have a feeling this is the beginning of something big. It's so hard to get just the right shade of a neutral and Jeff's palette consists of so many good looking choices!!

Here are some of my personal faves from the online gallery:

Carbon

Dirty Martini

Inkblot

Clay

All photos via www.JeffLewisColor.com, and visit the website for more information.

Oh, The Possibilities!!

As the final closing date for the new condo draws closer, time seems to be slowing down. Fourteen months have passed since I signed on the dotted line, and these final 2 months are going to feel like a lifetime. To pass the time I'm thinking about how to decorate the space, and this week I'm considering the dining area.

The dining area is one of the few spaces with its own wall. Most of "walls" in this condo are floor to ceiling windows, so this real wall is prime real estate!! The current idea is to install chair rail 36" from the floor, with panel molding below and wallpaper or paint above. I have a few pieces which must be used here because (A) they make sense in the dining area and (B) there are no other wall options. The dining wall must accommodate three items I already have: a white console, a pair of aqua glass lamps and a sunburst mirror.

Here are mockups of the possibilities I've considered so far, but since I've just started brainstorming, the options are wide open:

Above Option: Thibaut Shangri-La (White)
Verdict: The combination of the sunburst mirror
and the busy wallpaper is too overwhelming!!

Above Option: Thibaut Shangri-La (no mirror)
Verdict: The wallpaper is great without the sunburst,
but I really want to use the mirror in this space!!

Above Option: Thibaut Shangri-La
Verdict: Love the wallpaper surrounded by half round
trim, but this still doesn't work with the sunburst mirror.

Above Option: Thibaut Fusion Trellis (Aqua)

Verdict: This is a strong contender, since the mirror &
wallpaper work well together. But is it too much aqua?

Above Option: Harlequin Elite (Duck Egg/Gilver)

Verdict: A clean look, and the metallic stripes are
appealing, but it feels underwhelming.

Above Option: Galerie Fresh Floral (Green & White)

Verdict: I like this look!! It's clean & fresh with just a
hint of aqua. Plus I love the fabulous quatrefoil motif.

Above Option: Navy Paint (Such as BM Admiral Blue)
Verdict: It's dark. It's dramatic. It's paint, which
makes it the most inexpensive option.
But it's kinda boring, isn't it?

Above Option: Aqua Paint (Such as BM Glacier Blue)
Verdict: The panels created with half round molding
make this a much more interesting paint option.
(Colour options will ultimately be determined by
the area rug in the adjoining living room.)

PLEEEEEASE tell me what you think!! Any thoughts on the above options? Any ideas to add?

Paint Guide Recommendation

Now that I've started considering fabric and paint schemes for the new condo, I've been spending a lot of time researching potential colours. One of my favourite go-to guides is this inexpensive little paperback compiled by House Beautiful:

Colours for Your Home:
300 Designer Favourites

Purchase via Amazon
Purchase via Indigo

This compact volume is full of insider advice from a distinguished group of designers. Every swatch includes the manufacturer, name and number, so you'll know exactly what to ask for when you get to the paint counter. The hard part is narrowing down the 300 choices!!

DIY Weekend Extravaganza

This weekend went by super quick, but I had enough time to finish several of the DIY projects on my list. It will be hard to go back to the office on Monday knowing how much more I could be accomplishing at home.

Does this corner look familiar?
I posted this photo on January 18, 2009:

No more dead orchid perched precariously on top of a cable box, in turn perched precariously on top of a vintage television. It took just TWO YEARS (?!?!) to give this hidden corner a 21st century update. I mounted a new LED tv in the corner, then painted and ran a wire concealer down the edge of the wall to the outlets. Now I can watch tv from bed without getting a kink in my neck.


I also gave the 20 year old table a coat of fresh white paint. I'm planning a bit more DIY work for the table, so stay tuned for the final results.

Remember these yellow urns?
I posted this photo on March 2, 2010:

I thought the urns would look fabulous outside, one on either side of the balcony, with a pair of coordinating toss pillows. I bought a pretty yellow and white floral fabric last year, and finally sewed the pillow covers today. Not bad, this project took only ONE YEAR to complete. Now I am fully ready for spring weather!!

What did you do this weekend?

Job: One

As the saying goes, "It's not What you know, it's Who you know." My brother in law, who has spent several years in the construction industry, recently purchased a property with plans to renovate the home for resale. Guess who gets opportunity to choose the interior finishes and colour scheme? You guessed it, ME!!! This will be my first official design job, and I am looking forward to a great learning experience.

To date, the colour scheme for the interior rooms has been selected. Since the home is being prepared for resale, the scheme will be a neutral palette which will appeal to most buyers. These are the colours we will be working with:

Benjamin Moore

Manchester Tan HC-81

Benjamin Moore
Palladian Blue HC-144

Benjamin Moore
Bennington Gray HC-82

Benjamin Moore
Classic Gray OC-23

Benjamin Moore
Ranchwood CC-500

Benjamin Moore
Florentine Plaster CC-520

Benjamin Moore
Wedgewood Gray HC-146

Can't wait to show you the final results, the scheduled completion date is less than two months away!!