Slinky Inky Blue Walls..The Quiet Room

Finally, we are in the last stages of the living room..

not that any room is ever really finished, is it?

Finished is an awfully strong word. One that leaves me feeling rather penned in.

Lets say we won't be needing anything changed for a while..

except for a wee bit of lighting!

This room was meant as a dining room, and we tried using it as such,

 but our two chocolate brown labs love to sneak up on the sofa, which means it's better off in this space.

Also, now our dining room is right off the eating area for the kitchen, 

which means the kids can have their own dinner party on weekends when we have friends in,

 while we get to visit in relative peace (and still see them flinging peas at their siblings :)

This chandelier is from the previous owners - don't hold it against me!

I have tried to unsuccessfully give it away to several people who need one, to no avail -

not that I'm really surprised..

Haven't found exactly the right light to replace it yet, but I'll show you when I do.

Here's the view from the front hall.

I have always scoffed at people who had formal living rooms, thinking they were wasted, roped-off spaces that simply gathered dust and admired themselves.

Now I have one! Almost twelve years of child-proofing has led me to want a grown up room.

ONE ROOM where it's always clean, and devoid of toys :)

A quiet place to read.

After we reclaimed this space as "adult", a funny thing happened - 

I started finding the kids in here. A lot.

There's no tv, radio, etc.

So what were they doing in here?

Reading, just like I was.

Perhaps there is something to that overstimulation theory :)

The darlings were craving peace and quiet just as much as we were.

The palette came from my vintage leather chairs, my favourite glamour girls, 

which were my first real furniture purchase so many years ago.. 

I considered changing them out for something more practical this spring, but couldn't :)

I bought these when I was still sleeping on a futon.. priorities!

The wall colour is Ralph Lauren's Urban Loft, a deep, inky navy that verges on black.

This room has western exposure, and I snapped these pics in the afternoon,

 so this is the brightest it gets - I love it! 

Don't be afraid to use dark / saturated hues in small spaces.. it enhances the ambiance.

Light tones often accentuate shadows, and highlight the dimensions of the room,

making it actually feel smaller.

You may recognize the bookshelf, I bought it at a garage sale this spring, 

it was previously in our bedroom - 

and I'd just like to say -  D, you are a prince for moving furniture all over the house, again and again :)

This room had been lacking a focal point. 

Since we aren't putting in a fireplace anytime soon, the bookshelf takes the place of the mantle,

 and provides storage for the heaps of books that are always finding their way in here.

A thrift store landscape and dollar store owl (he followed me home, really) 

live here with a carved wooden screen from a hazy vacation long ago..

Although I prefer quirky art, D. prefers the realism of naturalist Robert Bateman and the like.

This black bear print was an early investment piece for us, a compromise..

I surrounded it with some art cards I have been toting around for quite some time.

I'm sure you recognize these famous Japanese works.

Mounted on hand painted japanese paper, they have found a perfect home.

On the other wall is a couple of old frames from the Sally Ann, painted black and filled with some DIY fern art, more pics at the end of the post on that.

Another print, this one by Paul F Gauthier, who painted alongside the Group of Seven. 

Although his work did not achieve the same noteriety as theirs, I am drawn to it.

My father found this print for me, and so it will always have a special place in our home.

My charming little owl..

Paisley is my favourite motif, it runs through the house, popping up here and there..

Cameron and I have begun playing chess together regularly..

he is eight and I have to really watch him!

A natural strategist.. grinning as he claims my pieces, one by one.

There you have it, guys.. if there is still anyone reading after all that hope you enjoyed!

The fern art you saw is probably a placeholder until we find some other things,

 it was made really simply.

I wanted a botanical influence here, a hit of green with navy always works,

but something unique, a different way of presenting ferns.

I pressed some fern leaves between paper towels and left them under a stack of books to dry.

 Repainted the empty frames black, then rubbed to allow a little of the gold to show through.

Then I cut two pieces of foam board to fit the empty frames,

covered them with some navy linen (leftover from my curtains) which was secured on the back.

I coated them in spray adhesive, gently laid the frens on top, and let dry.

 A generous coat of Modge-Podge sealed the ferns.

I popped them into the frames and voila, art under $10!

I think I may trim them with some black velvet ribbon, just to add a layer,

 but I love the texture they add.

This room has some new, and some old, but it's all the things we love..

and in creating a quiet space for ourselves we spend more time being quiet, together.

It's funny how homes evolve to suit the needs of their occupants..

 sometimes needs you didn't even know you had :)

til next time..

Holiday Decoration..Let the Games Begin!

Starting to think about Christmas, the holidays, and decorations..

 I am loving the deer (?) sculpture here, 

so refreshing to add a single large element rather than bedecking the halls..

and of course that's not all I love - the inky walls and saffron velvet are tres chic.

Wouldn't a boldly patterned rug have grounded this spot?

Perhaps it would not have worked with the other side of the room, which remains a mystery.

Cannot find the source for this one, if you know it please let me know!

Had a great day with my sis on Saturday, thanks for all your well wishes :)

She is not completely sold on all of my suggestions,  but she has made a few solid decisions, 

and that is a start. Took before pics and will show you the afters when it's completed..

Hope you are having a lovely Monday.

til next time..

Hello friends!

It's another Monday, and another fabulous Crushing on Color post!

Todays treat for the eyes is brought to us by the ever-inspiring Carol,

from The Design Pages.

If you haven't been over to Carol's blog, you're missing out on an absolute goldmine of DIY ideas.

She not only posts the finished products, 

but there's always step-by-step instructions for those of us who may not be as crafty as she :)

Let's see what color Carol is crushing on these days, shall we??

Hello to all the 10 Rooms lovely readers.

I'm Carol from The Design Pages.

It took me only a split second to decide after being asked by Anne-Marie to be part of the

Crushing on Color series.

Peacock blue has become a favourite for me in both fashion and design.

This is my favourite shade for furniture or walls.

My favourite shade is one that is right in the middle

 of the light, almost turquoise, and the deep royal blue.

This shade can look fresh and hip.

It can also look calm and sophisticated.

It works paired with other bright, bold colours.

It also looks amazing with neutrals.

A little pop can go a long way with this very versatile colour.

If subtlety is not your style,

you could go all out with this wallpaper.

My very favourite of all the combos is the peacock blue and yellow mix.

There is definitely a peacock blue room in my future...

 but for now I'll settle for a bit of this...

1 2 3 4 5 6 

So, what do you think?

Do you love peacock blue or is it a bit too much of an attention hog for your liking?

Thank you, Anne-Marie, for having me over today.

Carol

Carol, your post is gorgeous!

Such a rich, lush color, yet it's so versatile... we're completely on the same wavelength, hon.

(when Carol sent over this post I had just taken my daughter fall shopping

 and bought her THREE peacock blue tops and matching nailpolish!)

And the peacock and lemon mix?  LOVE!

Thanks so much for taking the time to guest post... and as always, 

I'm looking forward to swinging by your place and

 seeing what shenanigans you've got going on - x

Anne-Marie

Coco's Room: Turquoise and Pink.. and Horse Love!

Last year we moved into this house,

and I gave the kids the go-ahead to choose their own color schemes for their rooms.

My eldest, Natasha, ended up with a black white and yellow room

that you can see and read about here..

My son, Cameron has a real boy's room, 

which is next on the list to be finished off..

 the only thing I will tell you is it has been a challenge to create some interest in there - 

he has a complete set of matching furniture that we aren't changing for a few years.

Chloe, our youngest daughter, adores Natasha.

We had just finished painting Natasha's old bedroom

Refreshing Pool by Behr

and purchasing a huge amount of upholstery fabric

 (to appease Tasha's request of turquoise and white polka dots)

to use in the space, when we decided to move.

So naturally Chloe wanted a turquoise and white, polka-dotted room in the new house - 

 just like her big sister.

Natasha wasn't having any part of that, so gave Chloe her fabric,

and slyly decided on a different design direction.

Chloe adores animals, any and every one.

She has copious amounts of "stuffies",

which live under her bed in three storage bins.

Coco aspires to be a "dog trainer, horse rider or animal doctor" when she grows up.

She is still a bit young, but is gearing up to begin taking riding lessons as soon as she is able..

spends all her spare time with our dogs or drawing pictures of animals.

So this room had to incorporate horses, and Chloe decided it had to incorporate pink, 

because it's really still her favourite ;)

This is what we came up with.. hope you like it!

Coco and Tash have matching furniture, it is lovely, solid wood and so pretty.

It was very generously given to us years ago,

that story is included in the post about Natasha's room..

My darling Mum helped me make the curtains for overs Chloe's bed..

I love that fabric - polka dots can be subtle!!

Found it at fabricland for five dollars a metre - ha!

I bought the whole roll, there's still oodles left over :)

I made some pillows and trimmed the too short bedskirt

(did I mention that I despise ironing? perhaps I don't have to!)

Last weekend I slipcovered the "snuggle chair" -

this is where we snuggle and read, tell secrets, chill out together..

Coco loves to read and draw in bed at night before light's out..

her bedside table is crammed to the gills with paper, colored pencils and books.

The lamp came form Ikea, 

the vase has been kicking around a long time - not sure exactly where we got it!! 

 Coco chose those tulips (from the dollar store :)

 expressly to stick in her vase on her night table,

 so there they are!

The photo wall was done with frames we already had, a few pics, and some horse images Coco loved..

the only thing I bought new was the wood panel with the horses painted on.

It was $1.99 at the Sally Ann, but was dark brown and the paint was bright pink -

so I white-washed it with diluted white paint and rubbed off the excess.

Now it's softer and fits here. 

The carpet is a light, cool brown so bits of wood reference it and help it blend in.

Chloe painted that butterfly at her fifth birthday party held at a ceramics studio.

The large C and the horse picture below it are both re-dos from Coco's previous room..

I'll show you the "befores" and the end of the post..

So a cozy place to sleep and read, but what about a place to play?

Our front door is a revolving blur of children..

a never-ending parade, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

This rooms hosts tea parties, barbie extravaganza's, make-overs galore..

Chloe needs storage, and a table and chairs..

The dresser contains all the small toys, dress-up, etc..

All Coco's clothes are in her closet where a smaller dresser fits in under her clothes rail perfectly.

Coco's favourite doll, Emma, with her horse, Chocolate.

Two other dolls standing in for girlies, the sprinkler was on so no one would volunteer for pics :)

This corner looks a little spare, 

but down the road we will be tucking a desk in here under the shelf/corkboard,

 and then it will be just right.. as for now - 

there's plenty of play space, usually there are A LOT more toys around!

Each of the kids has one of these.. their great-grandfather was Chinese..

these were given to them by his wife, their Great Nana, who was Japanese.

The kids (and I) adored her, and although she left us two years ago we still talk about her all the time..

 I hope the kids can remember how special their Great Nana was when they are older.

Chloe has been drawing our newest dog, Mocha, daily for a month..

this one made me laugh - "the real one"..

Opposite Coco's bed are two shelves 

where she keeps jewelry, hair bands, her purple hair (doesn't every girl need that?!!)..

Chloe is super-lucky, probably even a bit spoiled..

but we are luckier :)

This little one brings a ray of sunshine wherever she goes..

the chair before and after:

The slipcover comes off for washing.. 

I will have this chair re-covered for Chloe when she is older

 (it's been in our family a long time, I had childhood snuggles here, too),

 but for now this is a better option.
See the Slipcover Party at the fabulous Pink and Polka Dot blog for loads of slipcover ideas..

the C and the horse picture, before and after:

 

The C got a fresh coat of white paint, and the rose painted picture was white-washed, then I decoupaged a horse pic over the floral painting.

that's it guys..

hope you enjoyed, Chloe does!

til next time..

Crushing On Color: Sarah from Flourish

It's Crushing on Color time, ladies - yay!


I promised you a fabulous post from a fabulous blogger and here it is - 
Sarah from Flourish Design + Style
has graciously agreed to share her current color inspiration with us....

It's been some time since being asked "what's your favorite color? " 

The first that came to mind was white. 

Creamy white and true white and any shade in between. 

Crisp cottons and wrinkled linens. But maybe that's just because I'm thinking summer. 

What about a creamy white with a pale grey undertone? 

Now I'm thinking about interior walls and woven blankets. 

Top it off with some injections of crisp blue, and there it is! 

My color crush! 

What I'm loving right now...blue.

The awe inducing Smythe blazers bring a fashionable edge to the simplest of outfits-

I think of bright royals, worn chambray and crisp denim. 

My go to shorts this summer are a short, cuffed tailored pair of soft denim that tie with a bow. 

There's nothing that doesn't look great with these shorts.

These images from Style at Home show a lovely blue,
and just how to mix it in to a neutral interior. 

It appears traditional with some spunk, tailored and crisp. 

It evokes a feeling ( for me ) of clean, crisp and fresh.

So thanks Anne-Marie for asking the age old question, 

the answer to which changed almost daily as a child, 

and to which I can answer now as blue.

Sarah, x

Thanks so much, Sarah!

I thought we may have a white post there for a moment!

Blue in all it's glory will always be near and dear to my heart -

it's such a versatile hue - 

ranging from energetic (cobalt)

to stately (navy)

to perfectly restful (pale tints)

and more...

how could anyone resist it in some form or another?

Be sure to pop over to the ever-charming Sarah's blog,

it's filled with gorgeous inspiration daily,

always very tasteful and ultra-chic,

and sometimes you get a glimpse of her gorgeous home

(which I"d love to see more of - hint hint!!)

Feeling very ambitious this morning, lol...

hoping to finish restoring the desk today, in between consultations...

it's our fourth date - next time I post about refinishing something antique 

please just tell me to give it a gorgeous coat of paint and let it be :)

xx