I love a good restoration project. Life at Style at Home means you’re always thinking of ways to renovate and DIY your home to make it that much more beautiful and fab. But what about your community?
Think about your neighbourhood. Do you ever pass a community service or historic building that could use a little TLC? Benjamin Moore has. And they’re doing something about it.
Exterior of the Boat and Heritage Centre in Muskoka, ON.
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Yesterday I had my bedroom painted and I was a little nervous about the colour – it was looking really white, when what I had chosen was a pale grey. But once all the coats were finished and it dried, it looked amazing! The colour, Pegasus (D30-1, Olympic Paints), is soft and refreshing and such a nice change from the dark colour I had before. I was also impressed with Olympic’s Colours of Inspiration line, which I used in my bathroom as well. The colour selection is lovely. I had a hard time making my choice out of the 1,200 colours in the palette but I’m thrilled with the final results. Even better, the paint is zero VOC and very low odour. I couldn’t smell the paint at all, which was fantastic. If you’re considering painting a room, you should check out these colours. Here’s how my paint job turned out:
Pegasus from Olympic Paints is a soft, feminine grey and the perfect colour to lighten and brighten my bedroom.
More photos to come as I decide on new accessories!
Here we go again! Renovating and redecorating – it’s a slippery slope! Having just finished my bathroom renovation, I can’t help but continue to look around and see what else needs updating. First, I shopped around for inexpensive accessories to add some colour to my living room and foyer. Now I’ve turned my focus now to my bedroom. (And I will be updating the backsplash in my kitchen but one thing at a time!)
The bedroom is being painted as I write this and I’ve got my fingers crossed that it turns out as lovely as I’m hoping. I selected a light, dove grey paint from Olympic (Pegasus, D30-1). Right now, it’s looking really white – I’m nervous that it won’t look like the warm grey I was planning on. But I’m trying to breathe. It needs multiple coats to cover the mid-tone brown that’s on the walls and it needs to dry. I’ll keep you posted but here’s how things are looking … and welcome to a candid look at my bedroom, messy bed and all:
I loved this brown paint when I chose it years ago – it made the room feel really cosy. But now it’s time to lighten up and turn my bedroom into a space that’s more cohesive with the rest of my place. Whites and greys dominate now – so stay tuned to see the changes I decide to make in here.
OK, I know it’s only one coat of paint but it’s looking really white. I hope it dries to look like the lovely grey I chose!
After choosing all of the fixtures for my bathroom renovation – the tub, toilet, vanity, mirror, lighting, shower tiles and flooring – the final element was the paint colour. But with SO MANY COLOURS to choose from, how do I narrow it down to just one? This is what I’ve been sifting through:
I have finally made my selection and you can actually see the chip I chose in this photo. Any guesses? You’re going to have to wait for the final reveal to find out, but I will tell you that I chose a colour from Olympic Paints’ Colours of Inspiration line. I liked that all 1,200 shades of the Colours of Inspiration palette are available in zero-VOC and low odour. After much debate and looking at chips in this light and that light, I love the shade I FINALLY settled on. Now I just need to see it on the walls!
Our designer secrets special issue is out on stands now and I love all the tips inside from some of our fave design experts. I always get stuck trying to choose the perfect paint {hey, some shades just look too darned alike}, so I really enjoyed the paint section of the issue with designers sharing their fave shades. Here are the earth tones that are making the experts swoon.
1 Split Pea 16-28, Pratt & Lambert
“I use this yellowy green in bathrooms and bedrooms to create a serene ambience.” -Michelle Mawby, Lucid Interior Design
2 Floating Islands P5127-34, Para Paints
“”think Florida home circa 1990 meets Mies van der Rohe. This ‘blush’ adds a light, soft hue to any space and looks amazing when paired with charcoal, cream, navy or white.” -Angela Robinson, AR Design
3 Never Land P5026-85, Para Paints
“I’ve always had a weakness for jewel tones! I recommend painting this green on walls in a semi-gloss finish to create drama, elegance and sophistication, then accenting the colour with accessories in burnt orange, electric blue, eggplant, black or white.” -Angela Robinson
4 Granny Smith SD008, Style at Home Collection, Beauti-Tone Paint
“When used to create a feature wall, this shade provides a gorgeous pop of colour that doesn’t overpower a room. It’s a huge trend right now to use a chartreuse or citron.” -Jessica Kelly, Jessica Kelly Design
5 Folly Green 76, Farrow & Ball
“This green, one of my most asked-about colours, looks great on library walls broken up with lots of bookshelves and neutral elements.” -Stacey-Litwin-Davies, Litwin-Davies Design
6 Willow CC-542, Benjamin Moore
“This rich wall colour adds dimension to any room. I’ve used it on the walls in a panelled library, a dramatic dining room and a tiny jewel-box powder room. I love pairing it with brilliant colours like indigo blue or saturated colour.” -Samantha Farjo, Farjo Design
7 Rockies Brown 2107-30, Benjamin Moore
“This colour, best in a pearl finish, pairs well with one of favourite David Hicks wallpapers called The Vase, which was actually inspired by his famous Coca-Cola-coloured walls.” -Timothy Mather, TM Design
8 Kendall Charcoal HC-166, Benjamin Moore
“We’ve used this warm grey to make a bold statement and give rooms weight and depth. Whether it’s used on a piece of furniture, built-ins, interior doors, or to accent a handrail, that bit of darkness creates a layered effect.” -Cindy Bleeks, Feasby & Bleeks Design
9 Black Blue 95, Farrow & Ball
“This paint colour, which has a hint of blue, looks great on exterior doors.” -Cindy Bleeks
There’s really not a whole lot that I don’t love about our June 2011 issue. It’s so bright and fresh and filled with amazing decorating ideas. And that cover? Oy. Our design editors amaze me on a daily basis.
One interior I particularly fell in love with was the high/low feature of the dressing room. I mean, what woman wouldn’t love to come home after a long day and get changed while surrounded by a sea of Tiffany blue? The stripes are what really stand out in the room, and you can get the look with paint instead of buying pricey wallpaper. Contributing design editor Christine Hanlon gives her top 6 tips for painting perfect wall stripes.
1 Pick your colours. Aim for high contrast hues, advises Christine.
2 Use high quality painter’s tape. It will ensure less bleeding and smudges as well as avoid bubbles.
3 Paint the full wall in the lighter of your chosen colours.
4 Measure the width of your entire wall and divide into equal parts to determine the width of your darker-coloured stripes.
5 Use a pencil to mark each stripe at the top and bottom of the wall.
6 Place the tape on the outside of your markings for each dark-coloured stripe.
Paint colours: Cabbage White 269, Arsenic 214; Farrow & Ball.
{Photography by Nina Texeira}
While flipping through the pages of our April 2011 colour issue, I got so excited about introducing some bold hues into my own space. I was particularly drawn to the paint palette that drew inspiration from an exotic china plate. The story, produced by section editor Catherine Therrien, features paint colours that perfectly match the hues on the plate. I love this idea, because I’m constantly inspired by things I see around me everyday, whether a shape or a colour, and look to mimic it in my home.
The inspiration (Wedgwood Pashmina salad plate, $44; williamashley.com)
Try this palette in your own home!
Have you ever taken palette inspiration from a shopping find?
According to the colour experts over at Sico, colour-zoning is going to be a big trend in 2011. Done in moderation or in a tasteful palette of muted tones, I’m a fan. Plus, it can help solve your dilemma when you just can’t choose between two or three shades for a particular room. Why choose? Use ‘em all! But super-dramatic is not for me. For instance, the colours in the living room below work well together.
Featured colours: Sico Call of the Loon (6183-41) grey and Egyptian Rose (6080-31) pink.
And while I like the idea represented here, personally I’d opt for softer colours.
Featured colours: Sico Impatiens (6033-63) pink, Ming Red (6052-65) and Dynastic Orange (6065-64).
If you love the idea, here are some colour blocking tips to help you get the look.
So, what do you think? To colour zone or not to colour zone? Leave a comment and tell us what you think!
So, you may recall that I just recently finished making over my condo. Working with designer Lisa Canning, we transformed my home into a space that’s totally unrecognizable! Watch the video here if you want to see the before and after.
Anyway, here’s the thing about makeovers: It’s hard to stop! Now that my living room and parts of my kitchen have been given new life, everything else seems shabby by comparison. Let’s take a closer look at the kitchen. This is what it looked like before:
I know, right? Not so hot.
So, with nothing more than paint, we updated the kitchen. Simply painting the cabinets (thanks to Tim at Beresford Inc. who lacquered them beautifully) and painting the backsplash, the kitchen looks like new.
Well, the kitchen looks sort of like new. The problem is that now, my old appliances look outdated. Sure, they blend in to the white scheme better than they did before but now I can’t stop thinking about how fabulous some new stainless steel appliances would look. And the fact that my fridge just conked out on me (unbelievable!) makes the search for new appliances even more desperate.
So, I’m off to do some window shopping on the Whirlpool website to see what I can find. I’ll keep you posted!
A lot of times when I head out shopping, it’s rare to find exactly what I’m looking for. I’ll fawn over a great duvet cover, but it’s only available in King. I’ll spot a fabulous chair but it has a big stain on the upholstery. More than often, I’ll find a fantastic patterned throw cushion, but it won’t be available in the colour I need. As you can imagine {since most experience the same frustration}, this can get tiring.
Lately though, I’ve embraced imperfections — it becomes an improvement project rather than just a pretty purchase. Below are two pieces I’ve bought because of their shape, but I’m not crazy about the colour. Both are HomeSense purchases (love, love, love) — the mirror was $35 and the table was $50. By default, I immediately thought to spray them white, but now I’m rethinking — should I paint them a bold hue to add a pop of colour to my place?
So this is where I need your help — what colour should I paint them? Most of my walls are a light grey {‘Clamshell’ from the Style at Home Colour Collection} so use that as a starting point. I’m thinking maybe a plum for mirror and a deep navy for the table.
Let me know what you would do!
xo,
Lauren
P.S. You’ll notice there are two random pink tiles in our bathroom. They have been there since we moved in and they are the bane of my existence.
Médias Transcontinental
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