Girl’s bedroom makeover: the dramatic conclusion

January 10, 2011 9 Comments

When we first moved into this house, our twin daughters were 6 months old.

Floor being refinished

(They’re fraternal, not identical, but they go through stages of looking very, very similar. Age 6 months was one of those times; try as I might, I have no idea who this kid is.)

Wallpapered bedroomWe decided to keep the girls in the same room as long as we could – heck, they shared a CRIB for several months when they were first born, so sharing a room was a no-brainer.

We decided – after much deliberation, actually – that we’d give them the largest bedroom, which the previous owners had used as the master bedroom. The wallpaper was quite sweet; little blue-green flowers on a white background.

But you know that leaving well enough alone isn’t my strong suit.

Shutters

So we painted that room yellow and blue. You’ve seen pictures of that, but I don’t believe I’ve ever been bold enough (stupid enough?) to share these particular pictures, from when there were cribs in the room:

Yellow and blue kids' room

Shutters in yellow bedroom

The cribs were on your left as you entered the room. (Holy cow – the MESS!)

Then they got older, graduated to beds…

Messy kids' room

2089-60 Peach KissThen we were sucked in by the vortex that is the color pink – you remember that makeover, with  Benjamin Moore’s 2089-60 Peach Kiss:

Girls' pink bedroom

Cubitec in pink room

AND THEN Ruthie wanted her own room. You remember that, too, I bet.

Light blue bedroom

Well, poor Georgie had to wait a while until the pink bedroom became her room. I think her patience paid off.

Pink bedroom with bunk bed

Pink bedroom with bunk bed

The order of things was a little backward, but that’s how life is sometimes, right?

1. Wall color/paint. We KNOW that ideally, that comes last :)

2. Window treatments. Roman Shades require so little fabric – usually about 2-1/2 yards – so splurging on fancy material is an option. This fabric was NOT a splurge, though: $7/yard on Fabric Row in Philadelphia.

3. Ikea Hemnes dresser. I’ve always loved this dresser, but some colors – gray, blue, red – are now made of SOLID PINE, not that horrible but often unavoidable MDF / particleboard.

Ikea Hemnes dresser

4. Bedding. Cotton coverlets from The Company Store, 1 pink, 1 orange – it’s the Veranda Matelasse, which I LOVE. We have it in white on our bed in the summer.

5. Bunk bed color. The bed itself is from Ikea, and we used unopened Farrow & Ball paint from our LR fireplace (a loooonnnng time ago) to personalize it. It’s too expensive to waste!

Gray flowered shade

Despite the pillow, the top bunk is Ruthie’s when we have guests and she’s kicked out of her bedroom. It was part of the “ok, ok, you can have your own rooms but…” agreement.

View from top bunk

Thankfully, the client is very happy with the way things turned out.

Green bunk bed

Annie Elliott, aka bossy color, is an interior decorator and design blogger in Washington, D.C. She’s been doing more remote consultations as of late, so if you’re in Florida, Washington state, or Australia, help is just a phone call away.

Filed Under: Bedroom, Before and after, Benjamin Moore, Ikea, Kids Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Benjamin Moore’s AC-26 Ozark Shadows (and a bossy basic) saved this meeting room!

January 7, 2011 10 Comments

I love small businesses. I mean, I know I am one, so that makes sense, but when a professional photographer and a letterpress owner /graphic designer  said they needed a bossy basic for a new meeting space, I jumped at it.

They each have their own offices, but they decided to go in on a nice room in a central location where they could meet with clients. This is the room before. Not huge.

Bare windows

You can see from the view what an adorable neighborhood lies outside. It’s really a brilliant spot for a meeting room. Bare roomIn the upper left picture, you can see a little anteroom. We had to deal with that, too.

The look we wanted: sophisticated but not stuffy. Expensive (professional photographers and personalized stationery aren’t cheap; the room had to convey that). Modern but not scary. Stylish. Minimal. The last one was no problem, since space and budget were limited.

We set the priorities as:

Benjamin Moore's AC-26 Ozark Shadows1.    Floor
2.    Paint
3.    Rug
4.    Meeting table & chairs
5.    Sideboard (for anteroom)

I suggested replacing the icky carpeting with a super dark brown hardwood floor. We lucked out: there was a lovely, weathered old floor underneath that revolting wall-to-wall, which we (the royal “we;” the clients did the work themselves) stained.

Paint colors were the next order of business. You know I’ve been gray-obsessed as of late, but even so, I thought a rich gray was the right move for this space. Fresh but sophisticated, soothing, not overwhelming. Allows clients to focus. Benjamin Moore’s  AC-26 Ozark Shadows was the big winner, with OC-17 White Dove trim.

All I did was make recommendations, and they implemented them. That’s the beauty of a bossy basic; it’s a lot of bang for the buck if you’re willing to buy things on your own.

Here are the afters. The anteroom:

Stylish anteroom

The client thought to use Ikea cable hanging systems on the wall That makes it easy for the designer to display sample invitations and stationery. There will be some kind of coffee thing on that white piece, which is Italian.

Pictures on cable system

And the meeting room:

Grey room with green rug

I love it! After we hit on dark brown for the floors, gray walls and an apple green rug popped into my head. A key with gray is to balance it with warm tones so it doesn’t get too cold. Thus the Natural Woven Roman Shades from Smith + Noble.

You’ll recognize the table and chairs, of course: the Saarinen Tulip table and Eames aluminum management chairs. (Knockoffs, I believe, but I have mixed feelings about those, so I didn’t pry.)

Gray meeting room

The George Kovacs aluminum pendant light and was extremely well priced – around $200.

Etched glass door

The final touch – which the clients thought of themselves – was to have the door etched in a pattern similar to the Madeline Weinrib Brooke rug. The light through this door makes such a beautiful pattern on the floor of the anteroom that I suggested replacing the animal print rug with something solid (or with an overall texture but not a large pattern). The shadow will become the pattern.

Best wishes, guys! I don’t know how anyone could NOT hire you once they’ve seen your gorgeous meeting space. Oh yes, and your work, too :)

Before picturesAnnie Elliott – aka bossy color – is an interior decorator and design blogger in Washington, D.C. She’s also the creator of the “bossy basic,” a one-time service that jump-starts the interior design process in your home.

Filed Under: Art, Before and after, Benjamin Moore, Client project, Color, Contemporary, Floors, Lighting, Paint, Rugs, Wall-to-wall carpet Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Built-in bookshelves – and Ben Moore’s AC-34 – MAKE the space

December 17, 2010 11 Comments

You say, “hallway,” I say, “library.”

This area a master suite was woefully underused. It’s too wide to be considered a true hallway, but it’s too narrow to be treated like a room.

Wide hallway

Hallway before built-ins

Since this client is a GENIUS with photographs and has roughly a gazillion, we thought it might be handy to have some shelves where she could store completed albums as well as unframed pictures in boxes. Open shelves and closed storage, in other words.

First, we met with the carpenter to talk about the design.

Built-ins elevation

Then we added a wool flatweave rug from Rugman.com.

Wool flatweave

Benjamin Moore AC-34 Cape Hatteras SandAnd THEN we painted the walls Benjamin Moore’s AC-34 Cape Hatteras Sand in a matte finish. Aura paint, of course. It’s a lovely warm gray. (Hmmm, should have tried THAT for my dining room. Ah, well.)

The trim is OC-18 Dove Wing, semi-gloss, and the ceiling is OC-17 White Dove, matte finish.

And finally, the built-ins were installed.

Cherry built-in bookcases

Don’t they look beautiful? We’ll put a wall-mounted swing-arm reading lamp over by that little chair eventually, but this is where we are right now. (You know I don’t have the patience to wait until it’s ALL finished to show you the pictures!)

Annie Elliott – aka bossy color – is an interior decorator and design blogger in Washington, D.C. She has been quoted in publications from The Washington Post to Real Simple and is considered an expert on color, residential space planning, and telling people what to do in the nicest way possible.

Filed Under: Before and after, Benjamin Moore, Bookshelves, Built-ins, Cabinetry, Client project, Color, Paint Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Remember my client’s gray DR? It has an art wall now!

December 11, 2010 18 Comments

Not so long ago, I spoke with you about “art walls.” We started with WHAT to Hang, then moved on to how to FRAME it, and then how to HANG it.

Seems I got one of my clients all riled up.

There’s a gigantic blank wall in her cheerful gray dining room…

Gray dining room

…(remember this room? It’s painted Benjamin Moore’s AC-28 Smoke Embers, with a Thomas Paul Roman Shade)…

Thomas Paul fabric Roman Shade

…well, that big blank wall was starting to get on her nerves.

So she went on kind of an art bender. She gathered up every framed picture in her entire house AS WELL AS stacks of pretty cards a dear friend sent her over the years.

And then she called me to come make sense of it.

Postcards

It was a little overwhelming at first. But pretty quickly we decided to group the larger, already framed pictures in other parts of the house, and feature these postcards – which were not only pretty, but meaningful to my client – in the dining room.

Postcards

The postcards weren’t all the same shape or exactly the same size, but we determined that most of them would fit into an 8 x 8″ frame.

So we chose 16 cards with the idea that we would hang them in a grid: 4 up, 4 across.

8x8 picture frameChoosing was no small task. But we based the decisions on how well the cards worked together as well as how much we liked each one individually.

Then we ordered 16 square frames from a random online source. (Worked out fine.)

THEN – and this was the most expensive part of the project – we had an off-white mat cut for each postcard. I think it cost about $11 per mat. It was CRITICAL, though: the mats and the frames are the unifying element. Et voila:

Art wall hung in grid

There’s 1-1/4″ between each frame, in case you’re wondering.

We hung these while the client was at work, and later that evening I got a voicemail that said, “ANNIE! I just got home and I LOVE LOVE LOOOVVVEE lovelovelovelovelovelove the art wall!”

So I think she likes it  :)

Art hung in a grid

Annie Elliott – aka bossy color – is an interior decorator and design blogger in Washington, D.C. She’s also the creator of the “bossy basic,” a one-time service that jump-starts the interior design process in your home.

Filed Under: Accent wall, Art, Before and after, Benjamin Moore, Client project, Dining room Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Fireplace makeover

December 6, 2010 5 Comments

It’s COLD here. I don’t know exactly when it happened, but fall seems like a distant memory now.

It’s the perfect time to tell you about a recent fireplace makeover.

Before my clients moved into this house, the family room fireplace wall looked like this:

Fireplace with shelves

Tres bizarre! Obviously the house’s previous owners had had a TV in the large box to the L of the fireplace. But how strange! The room had 2 compteting focal points. At least.

We had the contractor eliminate those shelves so the fireplace could take center stage. We felt the mantel was a bit too high, but we decided to leave it for a while.

Much better. But we still wanted to add some character and make the room feel cozier. A full-on fireplace makeover was in order.

Enter Tom Gross from Fireside Stone & Patio in Clarksville, MD. (His business card identifies him as “head honcho.”)

Blue tape around a fireplace

We disagreed about the overall mantel height, but because this is the PERFECT client and always defers to me :) , I won out and we brought the height down a little bit. The blue tape was SO helpful in determining the overall dimensions.

Blue tape around a fireplace

A few short weeks later, after we’d visited the showroom and selected the stone and mantel and hearth slabs…

Stone fireplace in family room

…ta DA! I know it’s a little hard to get the full effect with the Christmas decorations, but I just couldn’t wait to show you. (And have no fear: we know that chair and ottoman doesn’t belong in this room. We’re in transition.)

It looks great, and the client loves it. I’ll show you more pictures later, after we re-paint the walls. And change the window treatments. And possibly the sofas…you know what a slippery slope decorating is!

Stone fireplace

Annie Elliott – aka bossy color – is an interior decorator and design blogger in Washington, D.C. She has been quoted in publications from The Washington Post to Real Simple and is considered an expert on color, residential space planning, and telling people what to do in the nicest way possible.

Filed Under: Before and after, Client project, Family room, Fireplace, Living room Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Benjamin Moore’s AC-31 Hot Spring Stones, I love you

November 22, 2010 44 Comments

It looks beige in the color wheel. I have used this color as beige before. It’s pretty.

But I never thought of Benjamin Moore’s AC-31 Hot Spring Stones as gray.

Hot Spring Stones vs. Revere Pewter

Nonetheless, eternal optimist that I am, I was hoping against hope that somehow, in my south-facing-but-still-doesn’t-get-a-ton-of-light-thanks-to-the-porch-roof dining room that it would read as a warm gray, not beige.

Annie painting

I’m delighted to inform you that after much painting…

Annie and Uncle Jimmy painting

And a little goofing off…

Annie goofing off

Uncle Jimmy painting

It IS gray!

Gray dining room with floral drapes

A WARM gray!

Yellow painting in gray dining room

And I LOVE IT!!

Gray dining room with red and gold

The best part might be that we used Benjamin Moore’s Aura paint – which I usually do, these days – but it really only took one coat! We used a super cushy roller and were liberal in the application, and we made it with one gallon, one coat. It was awesome.

Anyway, back to Hot Spring Stones, the color. I  think it looks great with the ceiling, and the art,

Yellow painting on gray wall

Andrew Turner church painting

And that challenging rug. The wall color ends up looking like a light version of the dark grey/brown in the rug, not like the camel in the rug. Does that make sense?

Gray dining room with striped rug

What? What’s that you ask, Thanksgiving guests? You want to know why you’re being served Stouffer’s turkey pot pies and frozen peas that are still frozen? Well, look around you! Isn’t it obvious?! And wasn’t it worth it?!?!

On second thought, don’t answer that.

Annie Elliott – aka bossy color – is an interior decorator and design blogger in Washington, D.C. She has been quoted in publications from The Washington Post to Real Simple and is considered an expert on color, residential space planning, and telling people what to do in the nicest way possible.

Filed Under: Art, Before and after, Benjamin Moore, Best of bossy's colors, bossy color's house, Color, Dining room, Paint Tagged With: , , , , ,

Bossy color’s living room, part we’ve lost count: Benjamin Moore’s 343 Sunrays and a new art wall

October 4, 2010 39 Comments

Gentle Readers, how bossy color has missed you! What with the blog migration (nearly finished), client projects (exciting), a new assistant (fabulous!), and, as you know, personal decorating trials and travails (often frustrating), life has been unusually hectic.

Let’s catch you up on bossy color’s living room. Here is the most recent “Before:”

Art wall / salon grouping over blue sofa

Yellow drapes

Do you notice a new piece of furniture? That’s correct: a small sofa in desperate need of recovering. It’s worth doing, if we can select a fabric…

But I digress. Here is the room now, most decidedly “After:”

bossy color's yellow living room art wall

bossy color's new yellow living room

It’s a little intense in the pictures…oh heck, it’s a little intense in real life. But you know what? WE LOVE IT!!!

(The white shroud, by the way, is so that we can see what a white sofa might look like in that spot. Upholstery is next, for that piece and for “those darn chairs,” aka “the bane of our existence.”)

Chair upholstered in Schumacher's Pearl River

Let me remind you, Gentle Readers, that it was one of your own who left the comment saying that the previous incarnation “wasn’t very bossy.”

The truth hurts. But it must be told. That commenter was absolutely right. The room was acceptable (or it would have been, once those darn chairs were recovered).

But it wasn’t fun. It wasn’t that interesting. And it certainly wasn’t bossy.

Matthew Tischler photograph

Annie Elliott – aka bossy color – is an interior decorator and design blogger in Washington, D.C. Look for her in the November 2010 issue of Real Simple!

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Filed Under: Before and after, Benjamin Moore, bossy color's house, Color, Paint, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , ,