Another Room Off the To-Do list!

I've been working on the dining room ... decided to go with an unexpected wall color!

Believe it or not, this Behr Ultra color from Home Depot is called Ocean View (also a beach neighborhood here, in Norfolk!). Below the chair rail is another Behr Ultra paint in Ultra Pure White. I would not have tried a color this bold except that the amount is reduced: only above the chair rail, three door openings, a set of triple windows and a large china cabinet and lots of white. So, the blue, while bold, is in pretty small amounts.

 

And, it is a compliment to the light blue-gray that is our main wall color in the living room, foyer, stairs and hall. Other than paint, the only things I have added to the dining room are four new blue and white salad plates for the china cabinet, the place mats and the two blue hydrangeas in the tall vase.

 

 

By-the-way, this is a great tip for staging and for young adults building a household. Buy a big set of all white dishes - you can find some great deals at the discount stores for about $1 per piece! Then, invest in colored and printed and themed salad plates only. Mix those salad plates with the all white inexpensive set. They'll look great and you'll save tons!

 

Only one big ticket item in here ... the chandelier (top picture). It might possibly be my favorite purchase so far. I love that it is traditional in color (brass) and  concept but contemporary with the square arms and the drum shade.

 

 

Also the blue walls in the dining room reflect the blue in the painting over the fireplace.

 

 

This is where we were just four months ago. The sage green colors were pretty originally but ...

 

here's to lightening and brightening!

 



Top Down!

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Just in the nick of time, we finished a kid's room! Well, it's mostly finished. Finished enough? Yeah, finished enough.

Top floor bedroom - fit for a prince!

I'm really proud of this room because we did relatively little and made a huge difference. Here is what we did:

 

1. The windows in this room were replaced with new ones. The old window air conditioner was removed and we had a hot air return installed to help the HVAC system work more efficiently.

 

2. "Clear the room." Isn't that what they say on TV? Yes, we moved all the "stuff" out or to the middle and we PAINTED!

     

This turned out to be a little more challenging than you would think. I am a home stager and I have an associates degree in Interior Design. In theory I am proficient at selecting paint colors, right? I am embarrassed to say, "NO!"

Right after Christmas I ordered the duvet cover for this room when it was on sale at a favorite place to shop, West Elm. Then, as soon as our offer was accepted on our new/old house I started looking a various paint colors including the one for this room. So, like a good Girl Scout I was prepared when we went to  Home Depot (I love their Behr Ultra paint with primer). Here is what we came home with:

 

 

I hope you can see what I am trying to show you -

it is a very lovely shade of lavender! Perfect for a young man ... Ugh! 

3. Second trip to Home Depot then completed painting the room this time.

4. Put the furniture back in place, unpacked the remaining boxes and cleaned the carpet.

 

5. Visited another favorite place, IKEA in Woodbridge, VA and purchased this awesome Mandal queen size platform bed.

 



I chose this bed carefully and for lots of reasons. First the size. Our son is 6'3" and probably still growing, so he really needs a queen bed or larger. This bed has no head board or foot board which is less confining for people with long limbs. And, the room is smallish with low ceilings so the low profile of the platform is great because it takes up less vertical space. The color is perfect because we already had all the other birch colored furniture, also from IKEA, that we used in another room in our last house. And, lastly, the Mandal has drawers providing us much needed additional storage. 

 

6. Put the bed together, filled the drawers and made the bed.

 

7. Accessorized.

 

  

One of our son's favorite things is this LeRoy Neiman poster, Golf Champions. Since the bedding, carpet and walls are neutral the poster is the color inspiration. I am using the most dominant color in the poster, green, as our accent color. I ordered the pillows from Wayfair, bought the basket at  TJ Maxx and I will gradually replace other items in the room with similar green ones.

 

Here is where we started:

 

 

Still to do: the window trim, window coverings and a new light fixture. We will also add roof vents for additional help with heating and cooling.

 

Top room down, several more to go. Progress feels sooooo good!

 

Paint color: Behr Ultra in matte finish, Wheat Bread, 720C-3