by Jennifer Farlin | Aug 19, 2014 | Art, How To, Interior Decorating
Tweaked.
This poster was ripped. I didn’t like all the black. It needed custom framing because of its nonstandard size. And so it has sat in a poster tube for several years.
This was a framed article that was no longer relevant. So it has sat in a box. But–I loved the green custom mat, plus it had glass and a decent frame.
So I combined the art from the poster and the nice mat and frame of the article and made new art–for free. Thus, eliminating the need for custom framing, a poster tube, and a framed article taking up storage space.
Tweaked.
by Jennifer Farlin | Apr 26, 2014 | Fun Style, How To, Inspired Style, Interior Decorating
Well, Hello.
I have not posted for awhile.
I went to Detroit for Easter.
Awesome art I bought from local artist in Ferndale, Michigan.
Our house is still being shown to potential buyers…
…which is having A LOT of activity. We’ve been busy with many house guests. I’m torn between whether I am maintaining a museum (for the showings) or a bed and breakfast (for the friends and family). Of course a whirlwind trip to Detroit and bajillion other things happening isn’t really helping. It’s ok.
Birthday Card that I Love.
We’re all healthy, “wealthy”, and wise so I won’t complain. I only wish I had a tiara and a tutu–and rainbow striped rain boots. That would make it all so much easier.
My head has been in a fog trying to maintain momentum for the 6,000 directions I am running in. But I haven’t been too busy to scavenge. I just bought this cool chair for our next house in DC.
And I just bought a fern for my favorite chair which lives on the front porch. Hopefully, the new front porch will have an empty welcoming spot for it.
I’ve got a thing for chairs. I don’t spend more than a few pennies on every chair I buy (more or less). An interesting chair gives a little something something to every room.
This one sits by my front door. It is hinged and if you open it up and flip it over the chair turns into shelves.
This, my friend, is the Spanish Conquistador Chair. It has a title. I paid $25 for it at Edlin’s Auction in Corpus Christi, Texas, 1999.
This lady was a redo. It was also bought at Edlin’s in 1999, but by my friends. They reupholstered it, got sick of it, I took it, painted it, and then modge podged it with pages from a book. Sadly, it had a twin that still lives in Virginia Beach.
This is one of my favorites. I love the shiny enamel white chipped paint, the pink that is on the underside. It is so solid. It has stories. Someone else painted it other than me. It has age. It is sturdy. I love the lines. I love the back of it.
As I type this I am looking at my Chair Art…
I love chairs.
www.squarestate.com
Most homes I go into don’t have good funky chairs. You need at least two. Chairs, I have found, are expensive if they are already decked out. Junk stores, thrift stores, garage sales etc… are good places. Look for one with a nice shape and a seat that (if upholstered) lifts out easily (easy to take some new fabric and a staple gun to) and disregard the color. Scrub brush, sand paper, and/or paint can transform many a chair.
www.designloversblog.com
www.thewhitedresser.com
www.mrkate.com
LOVE this room.
Chairs to you! Get it? It’s like Cheers only Chairs because this post is about Chairs…
~Jen
by Jen | Apr 14, 2014 | Art, Happiness at Home, Home Staging, How To, Interior Decorating
www.squido.com
Today I hauled out a desk I’ve had since college and painted it white. I’m getting ready for our new home in DC. The to do list that I’ve been staring at suddenly doesn’t have me beat anymore. I’m ready for some change. Sunshine and warm weather do that after a long, long winter. I’m ready to tackle some projects and ready for action–says the sedentary girl sitting on the couch with her laptop with a cup of coffee and the Today show… I’m currently living in a house that is up for sale. Last June I was living in a different house that was up for sale. Golly, it would be awesome if I can spend every spring prepping for buyers. Not to brag, but I sort of kind of a little bit always have a nice house. I follow my own advice. At least I do. My kids, not so much.
EVERY single house I stage the owners always say the same thing—I wish we had made these changes earlier so WE could have enjoyed them. I make it my mantra to NEVER say that about my own houses. I want it to be nice NOW, not just when it’s on the market.
So here are my Top 10 Spring Staging and Redesign Decorating Tips that are the backbone to any good looking house-and well, what I do inside my house.
1.Pare down. Declutter. Remove. Purge. Pack it away. Abolish. Dispose. And stage a coup of your stuff. Here are some links to previous posts I’ve written on the subject: The Home Purge Game, Prime Real Estate–Inside Your Home. Remember that an organized home sends a positive message. If your knick knacks are smaller than a football rethink them. They just add to the visual clutter factor. Bigger is better. If it is something that brings you joy and is teeny tiny then by all means keep it out. There’s a difference between a room full of meaningless stuff and a room that makes your life better/happier.
www.apartmentherapy.com
2.Clean it. Buyers and even yourself may excuse dated if everything is clean and bright.
Real Simple
3.Open your curtains and blinds. Sunshine makes everyone happy.
www.ninainvorm.punt.nl
4.Add greenery and flowers. This is HUGE. Pretty flowers and plants in trendy pots (go to TJ Maxx) can work miracles towards making a room more inviting and cheerful. Game Show Decorating–What Do These Have in Common? And, Plants Make It Pretty.
Southern Living
5.Get rid of dingy throw/scatter rugs. Show your floor off.
Bread and Olives
6.Spruce up your front door. Clean it up. Scrub the area around the door bell and the moldings. If you want to take it up a level try to polish the metal. Really feeling crazy? Paint it.
Southern Living
7.What about your front hall? Take as much out of your front hall as you can. A table, mirror and nice vase of flowers are perfect.
www.thenestinggame.com
8.Be greeted with style. What door do you enter from? (What Door Do You Use? And One Door’s Journey, Or…A Follow Up) If it is through the garage does it depress the heck out of you because there are so many piles and so much chaos? You deserve to be greeted with love. Make this is a priority. Set the kitchen timer and give yourself 20 minutes a day to work on this until it’s “done”. No excuses! Less is more.
www.centsationalgirl.com
9.Think spa when it comes to your bathrooms. Fluffy white towel, a white fabric shower curtain, white accessories–keep it fresh. Then add a plant. Sick–Or A Tour of Bathrooms.
10.Hang big art on your wall. Bigger is better. Less is more. It’s easier AND it’s less visual clutter. You Gotta Have Art.
Benjamin Moore
Happy Spring!
Joy to You~Jen
by Jennifer Farlin | Apr 13, 2014 | Fun Style, How To, Inspired Style, Interior Decorating
Go Get Some Flowers!
~Joy To You! Jen
by Jen | Apr 10, 2014 | Art, Fun Style, Happiness at Home, How To, Interior Decorating
It’s time for the Top 5 Decorating Tips for Fabulous Rooms that Look Like YOU—or how to not be boring. I so hate boring. Who has time for boring? Life is too short for boring. Let’s put some zip in it. Let’s put some fun with it. So without further ado…
5. Something Old. Ever walk into someone’s perfect house and feel like you are in a furniture showroom? Or a model for new construction? I get the willies just thinking about it. You know what would shake that off? Something old. Something old and painted with chippy paint is awesome. Something old and quirky is awesome. Something from a junk store or flea market that is random and old is awesome.
Something with some history…something with layers and time and grit and experience. Something that says I have seen life man and I have survived. Got it?
Great grandma’s chest and old toolbox from junk shop make for great office storage. That’s Leo on the right.
Second (or third) hand table and my 19th C stick back desk chair a la chippy paint.
www.sydandharper.com
I had a treasure map painted on this dresser for my boys.
My House. Something Old–the snow shoes and the apothecary. Old and quirky;)
4. Something New. Now if everything in your room was old and gritty and chippy and quirky–it would just be weird. It would be too much. It would be the opposite of a furniture show room and just as bad. It would be a room in a junk shop or in an antique store. You need balance man.
So a little trendy is absolutely perfect.
West Elm
This is nice. But it does kind of look like a furniture show room.
But what if you added Something Old? Like below.
The picture above does a nice blending with Something New/Trendy (the chairs, sideboard, and chandelier) with Something Old (plate rack.)
Home Office by New York Interior Designers & Decorators Katie Leede
The above picture is definitely Something Old and Something New. It’s got style. It reminds me of someone…YOU, you stylish devil. Where have you been hiding?
3. Something Black. I think I heard Nate Berkus on Oprah say this years ago. I like it. So it’s on the list. Every room should have at least one black accessory in it. Black gives some depth. Some class. Some foundation to all the oomph. It’s just baaaad (meaning good.)
www.sageatelier.com
I just love this room. And you know what? The black makes it bad ass. This room rocks. Above and below.
2. Art. I really can’t talk to you if your walls are bare. You might as well be naked. For the love of Pete hang something on your walls. If you are overwhelmed I’ve written about a bajillion posts on it. You can start reading here, or here, or here, man.
Thrift store frame. Art cost $3.50
Thrift store. Vintage travel poster.
Bowls. They aren’t just for meals.
This is beautiful art waiting for a frame. Original photograph by Parul Patel captured in India. Love the title~ Morning Prayer.
1. Something that Tells Your Story. Who lives in your house? YOU do. Live authentically and let it extend outward. Every room should have something in it that speaks to you. It could be a picture of your favorite place. Maybe an ashtray that you nabbed from Old Glory in Georgetown when you were 21 that says ELVIS LIVES~OLD GLORY (Ok I’m not proud but it was over 20 years ago). That ashtray made a super soap dish. Maybe it’s a Barbie board game from when you were a kid that you use as a placemat on your desk. Maybe it’s something simple like a pretty plant that your little son planted for you for Mother’s Day and the masking tape with his name is still on the pot. It makes me smile every time. Framed photographs of fun memories is an obvious choice~but where are yours?
Picture of one my favorite places, Mackinac Island. Mackinac Island From Above 2, Kathleen Chaney Fritz
Barbie Board Game doubling as my desk blotter.
These are my wooden shoes, obviously.
This little plant was started by chubby hands and a teeny cutting.
Good times.
So that’s my Top 5 Decorating Tips for Rooms that Look Like YOU. What do you think? What’s one of your favorite things that tells a story about you?
by Jennifer Farlin | Mar 19, 2014 | How To, Interior Decorating, Popular
I get asked all the time really specific questions about paint colors. “I have an open floor plan, with this color floor, and this color furniture, and the pillows are this color—-so what color should I paint the bathroom?”
I really don’t know. I’m not in your house. But I can tell you what NOT to do.
Rhode Island School of Design
IF you are super challenged with these type of things then here is a list of Do’s and Don’ts.
Courtesy of Bubba Makes 3
If you are Candace Olsen or Nate Berkus (read Professionals or someone with a great eye for design) then you can disregard this post and do what you want…you’ll figure out a way to make it all work.
Otherwise.
If you want a yellow room, don’t pick a yellow.
Do pick a white with a tint of yellow. Same goes with all the other colors. Blue? Pick a white with a hint of blue. How do you do this? Go to Lowes or Home Depot and pick up one of the “Whites” pamphlets. There’s like 70 “Whites” all with a hint of a different color. Once the white with the hint of yellow hits all four walls the color intensifies and it will look yellow–albeit a light yellow. This is called playing it safe. If you are terrible at picking paint colors and you want a bright yellow room and you are ok with something that looks like mustard exploded on your walls…that’s on you.
If you are determined to have a deeper yellow room (that isn’t mustard exploding off a hot dog) then do this–TEST A SAMPLE on the walls. Be prepared to buy 4 (or more!) different sample colors (most paints now have small testers you can buy) and try them all. Paint a 10(ish) inch size spot on inconspicuous places on the wall.
They didn’t really choose an inconspicuous spot-but you get the idea.
Know that whatever one you choose will end up being about 1-2 shades deeper/brighter once you paint the whole wall with it.
Also, if you buy the small testers–they only come in a FLAT finish/sheen. If you are not planning on using flat paint and want a satin–the color will look different in the satin (or the semi-gloss etc…)…It will be brighter. The more the sheen the brighter it will appear on the wall. If you don’t know what the difference between Flat, Eggshell, Satin, Semi-Gloss, Hi-Gloss click here (Sherwin-Williams) or here (Apartment Therapy).
When you test the color keep in mind that the color will look completely different at night with incandescent lighting than it does during the day with sunlight. Also, fluorescent lighting (like the kind in the paint store where you are picking the swatches) will make the color look completely different than incandescent lighting (regular old light bulbs). COMPLETELY DIFFERENT. Like two completely colors different.
If you look at a paint swatch the darkest color on the end will help give you a hint as to what the lighter shades on the swatch will lean towards. So if you pick a grey and the darkest color on the paint swatch is deep purple–chances are when that grey goes on the wall it is going to have a purple undertone to it. Or that soft beige? Did you look at the bottom color? It might look very orange once it hits the wall. See below. Look at the the lightest colors and then look at the deepest at the bottom of each strip to give you an indication of what direction it may take once it goes on the wall.
When picking colors for an entire house please for the love of Pete pick 3 or 4 colors that go together and stick with that. Say you pick green, grey, and khaki. Make sure all the rooms are in this color family–they are a green, a brown, or a grey.
Courtesy of Joey and Janice Buy A House
Bedrooms can break this rule. You close the door. It’s probably upstairs. It’s ok. BUT the bathroom that opens off the bedroom needs to match or at least coordinate with the bedroom. Got it?
Consider how paint colors will flow from room-to-room; and if it’s a small home or you’re at all worried about it feeling chopped up or chaotic, it doesn’t usually hurt to err on the side of fewer colors within your whole house palette (even if there are some bold ones in there, just make sure they mix well together to avoid that random rainbow effect). (From Young House Love–They have a great post called Bad Painting Decisions. If you want to read more from Young House Love click here.)
Here’s a few random “facts” about color:
Red revs a room up, draws people together, and stimulates conversation. Great for dining rooms. However, dark red can create conflict.
Orange is excitement and energy. No surprise there. Maybe not a good color for your kid’s room… How about an exercise room?
Yellow energizes and is uplifting. Great for kitchens. Some studies have shown that yellow can also cause people to lose their temper and make babies cry more?? It stimulates nerves. Maybe not a good color to use a lot of?
Light blue is considered calming, relaxing and serene. Great for spaces where we relax. Dark blue, however, can create feelings of sadness.
Green is refreshing and is a great stress relieving color. It promotes comfort and togetherness. Consider painting your entire house green??
Deep purple is dramatic and sophisticated. Luxury and creativity. Lavender and lilac are restful.
Houzz.com
And if all else fails–you can always repaint. Or hang wallpaper:)
If you liked this post check out The Paint Store , Decorating with COLOR!, and Why Wallpaper is the Coolest.
