Good morning! I almost forgot about doing this month's View Outside My Window post! I spent all of yesterday afternoon at my art table working on my Country Diary painting, so I've decided to show you the view from my art table. By doing this post first I'll have a little more time to work on my painting (which I'm not pleased with yet) before I have to show it in the Country Diary post.
The sun is just beginning to appear between the bare trees above the cliffs (the dark area above the snow line) . . . .
The reason I forgot about doing this post is what I've been thinking about all month.....we're having new flooring put down in our dining room and kitchen week after next. I've decided to paint the walls while the furniture is out of the dining room. Plus, because we're having a wood floor put down in the kitchen I'm going to paint the wood cabinets because they really need refurbishing. Last year I tried to spruce them up by sanding and staining the worn areas, but they still look bad to me. Since we'll have wood on the floor (and we're going with wood for the countertop) I figured painted cabinets would be better for that small room. The reason I've been so busy/distracted is I can't decide which shade of yellow I want for the walls in the dining room and what color I want for the cabinets. I have a red plaid wall paper and white appliances, so I'm leaning towards a taupe color. Then I have to decide between satin or semi-gloss for the finish. So many decisions! I've never been good at visualizing a finished room. I've been to several paint stores to get paint chips and used Sherwin-Williams' Room Color Visualizer tool, but chips always appear darker than the paint does on the walls. I love deep, rich colors and am always disappointed when they come out lighter than I thought they would.
These are the colors I'll probably use for the dining room. . . .I think. . . . the darkest (on the bottom) will go on the fireplace wall, the middle on the baseboard (the trim around the window and doors will remain white), the one on top on the walls. Or I might use the middle on the walls and the bottom on the baseboard and fireplace! If you click on the "Our House" tab at the top of my Blog you can see my rooms as they are now. The dining room is already yellow, but it's not a deep enough yellow for me. Tomorrow I'm going to get quarts of these colors and test them out in the room on a piece of foam board. . . .
So my question this month is this: What is your decorating style? Eclectic, traditional/classic, country, modern, etc. Do you like pastels on your walls or deep colors? Or no color? Can you visualize a finished room, or do you make decisions as you go along? Do you have any tips for me?!!
Here is the view out the window on the other side of my art table. . . . .
There are three windows in this room (our bedroom) and because the house changes angles here I get the same view from a slightly different perspective from my bed. That's Poetry's and Gabriel's entertainment center (birdfeeder) in the window. You can see the line of the top of the cliffs with the pink sunrise just appearing. . . .
You see why I chose "Ocean of Color" for this post's song....it's very relaxing, which is what I need right now. Making decisions is hard work! Here it is again so you can listen while you comment....
.•*¨`*•. ☆ .•*¨`*•
Take Joy!
Cathy, first off let me say your peacock stained glass piece is very pretty. The sun light coming through it is lovely.
ReplyDeleteI'm a gal who loves color! Deep rich tones are what make my heart sing. I think color is a personal choice. In most of our home we have traditional furnishings. In our Florida room, where we spend most of our time, it is kinda country casual. You have great ambitious projects brewing. I would love to paint our kitchen cabinets as they are stained also and are showing their age. I'm afraid I'm not a big fan of painting--so I've vowed to hire someone next time it's done. It is so expensive to hire out---so this year we decided to spend that money on travel instead. Good luck with your decisions and as they say --"It's only paint --if you don't like it you can repaint it." I know, I'm no help! ♥
"It's only paint...I'm no help" ha ha ha☺ This phrase was first coined by someone who doesn't do the painting themselves! But this is why I'm going to buy a quart and test it out first. I've never done that before and is probably why I have several rooms I'd like to repaint! I may have to open up a "Paint by the Quart" shop by the time I get done buying paint samples. Sherwin-Williams doesn't sell the smaller jars of samples because she said it's hard to get a true color sample in that small amount. They have a 30% sale going on right now, so this is my incentive. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on painting!
DeleteI love the deep yellow colours, choosing paint is so hard isn't it, we have had many wasted samples over the years.
ReplyDeleteI will be like you soon as when the weather warms up we will be decorating our bedroom. We just had it plastered & did the old floor boards so we could move in but it was never painted & we still have some old Victorian wallpaper on the beams & wall boards, a lot of mess will be made I am sure.
I can't wait to see your finished rooms, it will feel like a new kitchen, so exciting.
Love the view from your windows.
Fondly Michelle
I can't wait to see my "new" kitchen, too, because then I can relax about it---that is, if it turns out as I hope. Thanks for sharing about your decorating plans.
DeleteWe are in the midst of a Kitchen redo, ever since Christmas, long story. I love these yellows you've chosen, My keeping room has an ochre yellow ceiling and the bead-board and cabinets in our redo kitchen have become "Brown Mustard" which is actually quite yellow. Your question about decorating style.. We have NO plain white walls in the house, stenciled white walls, yes, but mostly we use COLOR, even on ceilings. Some of the paints we use are Spring like, pastel greens, but in other rooms are warm yellows and reds. I love several styles. Early American-primitive AND English and French Cottage. I use these styles in separate rooms but they blend together by using common connecting colors. I can visualize what i WANT a room to look like, but we also do a lot of improvising. Have fun!
ReplyDeleteYou'll have to show us your kitchen when you're done, please. In your charming farm house it will surely be extra special with your artist's touch. I love all the same decorating styles you listed. My dining room has French Cottage touches....as much as my 1950's rancher will permit....and the dining table and Windsor-style chairs and Early American hutch! My decorating is definitely eclectic since I had to keep the house and the furniture as my tastes have changed. That is where paint and wallpaper and fabric can help.
DeleteOh, and what a view it is!
DeleteI don't envy you the painting though. It isn't that I don't like painting, I just never can make up my mind what I want. I have rooms that are well overdue for a change but each time I set out a mood board and I think I'm done, something new catches my eye and away I go on a fresh tangent. Sighs.
~~~Deb in Wales
p.s. I have three rolls of beautiful Famous Grouse wallpaper that I won in a competition, valued at around £450 that are just sitting here waiting to be used. EBay?
Hi Deb. What is a mood board exactly? I looked up "famous grouse wallpaper". Is it just a repeat of the grouse with the bottle of whiskey? Perhaps a pub would buy it from you.
DeleteMood boards are large sheets of card where you accumulate your ideas in images, clippings, words, samples of paint, fabric, trims etc that you have gathered to help you convey the meaning of your project. Often used as presentation tools, I use them to help me keep track of a theme I am working on. I like to work on A2 mostly.
DeleteThe Famous Grouse wall paper was commissioned by the distillery and it is a blue~ish back ground with grouse on it, but not a whisky bottle in sight. I have a plan to use it in my entrance. The design is big and bold and the entrance is not that big and I just like the thought of the big design in a smaller space for impact, with wood panelling on the lower part of the walls. Still a WIP ~~~Deb
Deb, I wondered if that was what we call a vision board. Mood board actually would describe me more--the vision I come up with depends on my mood! The wallpaper sounds quite nice. I'm glad you are considering using it for yourself.
DeleteI always love getting a glimpse out of your windows, Cathy! I have no advice about choosing paint colours. I am horrible at that kind of thing. I can picture what the colours would look like on the walls, but that doesn't always translate into knowing if it is something that will be pleasing or, rather, end up looking like the dog's breakfast. :-)
ReplyDeleteI'm off to the paint store now. I know what I'm getting for the dining room--at least for the samples--but I have no idea what I'll be bringing home for the kitchen cabinets. I told Ken if I'm not home in 5 hours, come look for me.
DeleteHello. Your kitchen redo I'm sure will be lovely. I used to do all the painting in the home but when we moved five years ago, all the walls in my home are basically the same tan color. I love decorating in an eclectic style of French decor. I have a lot of faux French furniture made in Egypt (Louis XV with gold leaf). As my daughter says, my home is not Pottery Barn decor! I'm sure your having a fun time with your redecorating. Have a wonderful day :)
ReplyDeleteLilly's Mom, I WISH I could say I'm having fun. I get anxious about choosing a color, then I get upset with myself for being anxious! There's a part of me that wants to cast all caution into the wind and just jump in and EXPRESS myself! I bought the paint this morning. Am loving the kitchen cabinet color I bought. It's called Sand Trap. (Where do they come up with these names!?) But the 3 colors above in different shades of yellow are having to grow on me. When I start painting on Monday I may be running out to the paint store again!
DeleteWell, first I love that you're doing yellow in your dining room. Yellow always looks wonderful there - no matter what shade is used. Now my own decorating style I'd describe as "traditional/casual/comfortable." Although eclectic is probably what a designer would call it. I'm not too good at visualizing a room but I know what I like when I see it and have been saving photos of things I've liked for years [with the digital age, this is now even easier - yay]. Since retiring I've spent MANY happy hours browsing the Web's home design sites, saving or pinning everything under the sun - and I've come to see real themes and patterns in what I like. Most definitely traditional. Upholstered furniture [sofas, wing chairs, club chairs with ottomans etc]. Grandfather clocks, gingerjar lamps, wicker baskets, comfy throw pillows. Hardwood floors with area rugs. Lots of built-in storage [because basically, I like things put away]. Not a fan of knick-knacks everywhere, but collections displayed behind glass, to cut down on dusting, are fine and add a lot of interest to a room. Beadboard!! Wainscoting [white on the bottom, colors on the top]. Favorite decorating colors are taupe, cool whites and grays, slate blue, navy, sage green, yellow, dusty rose. Plus every so often, a piping of navy blue or black to add some graphic pop. Plantation shutters on all the windows. All-white kitchens with dark countertops, Shaker or Victorian cabinets, wood floors, lots of natural light and great views from the kitchen sink. Bathrooms with pedestal or console sinks, large-format tile [white or light-colored for cleanliness], a big roomy curbless or low-threshold shower [preferably with steam], a separate soaking tub. Restful bedrooms done in blue, grays or sagey greens with comfy upholstered furniture and big organized closets. Dining rooms with fireplaces, wainscoting, round tables, Windsor chairs, old-fashioned lighting. Porches, preferably wrap-around. Lots of big old shady trees in the yard [the kind that you just KNOW could tell some great stories - LOL]. Tidy flower beds near the house [violets, pansies, petunias, Shasta daisies]. Lots of ornamental grasses and sedges [I love to see them moving in the breeze]. Rose bushes [wine, burgundy, rose, every shade of pink and white]. Sigh - I could go on and on. Very fun "assignment" question, Cathy. A real pleasure to write... Enjoy your day!
ReplyDeleteJanet, you've certainly thought a lot about what you like! So, when do you start making it happen? I wish I could get all my knick knacks behind glass. Because of focusing so closely on my house right now I'm seeing just how badly it needs a good cleaning. At these these two rooms will be thoroughly clean by the time I finish this project.
DeleteThat's for sure. Some little girls dream about their weddings from the age of seven on - I dreamed about my home. So we're talking 40 years of planning and saving photos [and swatches and paint chips etc\. Too much fun. If and when I win the lottery I will be ready to go! All I'll need is a lot and an architect. My two sisters and I play the Dream House game all the time. They've pretty much got most of what they want and can afford up to this point, and overall I'm still happy renting because it definitely has its advantages. When my furnace conks out or my faucets are dripping, the office here sends over a very nice person who fixes the problem and scurries away again. That is so nice - and wouldn't be happening if I had a house, so I weigh the plusses and minuses. And I agree - each year towards the end of February and look around and see how badly a good cleaning is needed. I guess we don't see the cobwebs and dust so well in the dark winter months. Can't wait for sunshine and blue skies this year. Two brutal Winters in a row are depressing to say the least. And we don't have close to the snow Boston's got!
DeleteJanet, I think my husband would agree with you....he spent two days this week down in our pit well replacing the pump.
DeleteThis is FUN Cathy!! I enjoyed reading everybody's comments!! You are going to have a beautiful finish to your home!! It always feels so gratifying when it's all done! And nobody ever really knows all the work that you have put into it!!
ReplyDeleteI love yellow and green and red too! I have red doors and I love them! It seems that I pick either a shade of green or yellow for all my walls, but I like wall paper too. I'm trying to think of what my style is... I guess country with a bit of primitive thrown in...or perhaps cottage style would be more like it because it is a lot of antique hand-me-downs and flea-thrift stuff! :-) I do seem to have before vision, but I always listen to the room and follow that direction.
I can't wait to see your finished rooms!!
I just finished re-doing my laundry room and I am soooo pleased (posted it to FB) and soon we will be re doing an UGLY bathroom make over!!
Many many blessings dear, and much warmth, Linnie
Hi Linnie. I went to your FB page and found your photos. I love that red wallpaper in the outer room. I start painting next week!
DeleteMy decorating style? Wouldn't I love to say French Country, but in reality, traditional/classic/cottage country, lots of antiques. As my granddaughter tells her friends, "My grandma knows a lot about really old things." I don't envy your paint decision. Or the work. But you will love it when it's finished. I like that you will have wood countertops. I'm partial to white kitchens and with your white appliances have you thought of painting your cabinets white? I can imagine you are distracted thinking about all of this. I hope it goes well.
ReplyDeleteI nixed white because I felt it would be too much white for me. I bought the paint today. It's called "Sand Trap." It is a slightly taupey tan. I also bought the 3 yellows for my dining room and now can't decide if I like it or not! Will probably have to get a section of wall painted first before I'm sure.
DeleteIt's probably worth all the work so you will be really happy with your color once you know it's right! Happy painting ...
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