Fabulous Rooms Friday - Nifty Navy

Some may say never to navy when it comes to wall color, likely due to fear of dark walls. For those that avoid this gloriously rich color, I have inspiration for you that may help you overcome your fear.

There are ways to do navy well, in any room. Regardless of which room you're considering, make no mistake about it - painting your walls navy is a bold choice, and leaves you with a dramatic look.

The first room I lean towards when it comes to dramatic impact is a powder room. This is a room that is smaller than any other in your home and people spend the least amount of time in. So if you are hesitant to commit to color in your home yet want to try it out, this is the room to do it in.  You can go dramatic on the walls or ceiling, or both!  Check out this magnificent powder room

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You could either do wallpaper on the ceiling, or a stencil. I would likely lean towards a stencil since it's a small space and would be easier to lay the stencil, paint, and be done.

When it comes to dinning rooms, you could go all dark, which is very intimate once the lights are dimmed and candles are lit. But if you want to keep some brightness to the space, you could have the best of both worlds

I love this dinning room. It's crisp, clean, and a great balance of modern and contemporary, with a hit of traditional.  Check out the silver leaf ceiling - LOVE. And the chandelier is amazing.

Moving to the sleeping quarters, I would always pair navy with a camel / brandy brown color - the combo of the two is nothing short of classy and sophisticated, while incorporating the white keeps it from being over the top and 'stuffy'

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Last but certainly not least, is a main bathroom. I'm not sure I would do this color in a smaller main bathroom, actually I'm confident I wouldn't because we have a smaller main bathroom and the previous owners painted it chocolate brown. It doesn't work for me, personally. This bathroom however, looks great. Definitely makes this a more gender neutral bordering on masculine room, but I never have issue with that.

Life is too short to never at the very least try something bold. So don't be nervous...it's just paint. 

Better to have painted and lost than never to have painted at all!

Fabulous Rooms Friday - Fifty Shades of Grey

I started reading Fifty Shades of Grey last week, I'm now 1/4 way through the final book. I. LOVE. THE. TRILOGY. It was the perfect way to get myself out of the Winter rut that is lingering into Spring.

Inspired and reVamped by the books, I have deemed this series of Fabulous Rooms (more than one this time) Friday to be all about Grey.

When I saw these bedrooms, I knew right away they would be the new inspiration for our Master Bedroom - bring as much Fifty Shades of Grey (minus the goes-too-far stuff) into the bedroom as you can, I say!

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And since some of the other 'scenes' in the book are in the bathroom, I thought this would be a great inspiration for a grey bathroom that isn't a cold look/feel

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Last but not least, some Kitchen's that have done a great job with grey (the second image below cabinet color is Benjamin Moore "Fieldstone")

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Hope everyone has a great weekend. I'll surely be finishing the final book...I'm already anticipating the withdrawal!

Laters, baby. ;-)

Chair Matters

The time finally came for me to re-do our dinning room chair (seats, not the whole chair).  We've had this set for about 6 years now, we like it, it's not love but certainly no reason to get rid of it just yet.  We bought this when we were 'just a couple' (no Taylor yet), living in Toronto, and cream fabric chair seats were fine.  Then along came our little one, and it was pretty much downhill from there. I'd say within a week of Taylor eating solid foods, we knew our seats were becoming victims of toddler mess. That said, I consciously chose not to redo them yet, as I knew we had a few years of her getting used to sitting at the table, eating properly and neatly (enough).

Here is what they looked like after 4 years of Taylor. The cream part is where her booster seat used to sit, the front was the casualty area (that spot on the right is a stain from a piece of banana that we didn't know was there for a few hours).

Suffice to say...we were due for a revamp of these puppies.

I set out to find fabric, and decided to go with outdoor fabric since it's water resistant. I love this one as it's dark enough not to show everything yet has a crisp look with the stripped pattern.

 I removed the seats from the chair frame, making sure to label each seat and each base so I would put the same seat back once I was done.

I laid the fabric out on the floor, and placed all 6 seats face down, making sure they were exactly centered along the vertical stripes. This would ensure the final product would have the same pattern location.

I then set out cutting all the fabric for the 6 seats at one time, and stacked them in a pile for me to set forth on my first "reupholstering" project.

I used a staple gun, and started by stapling each side at the center (note, this takes putting all your weight into the gun, to be sure your staple goes right in.)

Unfortunately my corner shots didn't come through properly. But what I did was pull the fabric corners towards the middle, staple, then cut off a significant amount of excess fabric before I continued. This was key to ensuring I didn't have bulky corners. Then I just 'played' with the positioning of the corner fabric, until I had the least amount of wrinkles on the front of the seat. This was definitely the hardest part, and some looked better than others...but only to my critical eye based on my Chris' perplexed look when I pointed it out.

I then made sure to put each seat back on its corresponding frame. Taylor found it particularly fascinating to see a chair without a seat.

One lesson I learned, is to ensure you try to be consistent with how taught you pull the fabric before you staple it. I realized after I put them back on the frames, that some were consistently taught, some not as much.

Inconsistent:

Consistent:

All in all, they turned out great. They will certainly hold us over until we decide what new dinning room chairs we want to get...I'm thinking leather, but we'll see!

Fabulous Room Friday - Cottage Splendor

This weekend, 'the ladies' are going to a cottage in the woods to celebrate one of the ladies' 40th birthday. I. CAN'T. WAIT. We have ladies night dinner's about once a month, but we have never done an overnight. So tomorrow morning we are packing up, and spending 24+hrs away from our hectic lives. Eating great food, drinking wine, sitting by the fire...and the best part, having great conversation. It always shocks me how wide our range of topics gets. Between 7 of us, there is ALWAYS something to talk about, ranging from mini therapy sessions, to complete 'silent laughter'. Best.

Which brings me to this week's installment of FRF, inspired by the coming weekend's cottage extravaganza. This is not just a fabulous room, it's overall fabulous. All encompassing fabulousness.

I initially saw it on Apartment Therapy, which has quite an extensive posting about it. But I loved going to the Wandawega Lake Resort website - and I officially plan for our family to take a trip here one day, and stay in this tree house. Click on the resort link, and when you get to the landing page, top right, click "take a tour". This particular tree house is the very center "dot".

Have a great weekend everyone...I know I will!

Fabulous Room Friday - Crisp & Serene

Sorry for the lack of posts lately, I've been swamped in life & work.

I came across a house designed by William O’Brien Jr., and just exhaled. It's not necessarily a room-decor direction I would normally go in (and I don't love the outside of the house, not my taste). But the inside - to die for.

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The uncluttered, fresh, open feel of the room left me feeling serene - helped of course by the view of Fall on the outside (my favorite season).  Love it.

Happy Thanksgiving to all my fellow Canadians!

Happy New Year! (1st day of Fall)

Fall has always felt more like the start of a new year for me, compared to January 1st. The season changes, new wardrobes come out, was the start of school (hello new school supplies!). It's still my favorite season, as it is for Chris as well (football...need I say more?).  So to celebrate the first day of this "New Year", I thought I'd share the Fall 2011 color trends, as presented by Pantone. The colors  are based on fashion...which is where decor takes it's cues from most of the time. And really, when you are decorating, you are dressing your room. So most places you read "wardrobe" you could replace that with "decor", and it would still be valid and make sense.

Since it's based on fashion, there is a women's and men's version - they don't differ all that much other than three colors. But I feel they are worth noting:

Women's

Men's - same as above other than 2nd & 3rd & 9th, colors

“Designers take a painterly approach to fall 2011 by artfully combining bright colors with staple neutrals, reminiscent of how an artist would construct a stunning work of art,” said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute^®. “Much like a painter's masterpiece, there is a certain romance to this season's palette.”

Bamboo, a surprising fall hue, brings a warm, exotic flavor to the season. Like a filtered sunset on the waning days of fall, Bamboo is a standout yellow with a subtle green undertone. This dappled shade pairs dramatically with several of the top 10, including Phlox, Teal and Honeysuckle.

Radiant Emberglow, a traditional autumnal tone, emanates the warmth of a glowing fire – the perfect panacea to the crisp air of fall. Combine Emberglow with Coffee Liqueúr for a classic look, or with Honeysuckle for something a bit more retro. Add a spark with shoes or a handbag in Emberglow, or perhaps a patterned scarf combining purpled Phlox or Deep Teal.

Offering a sense of continuity from spring, dynamic Honeysuckle adds a bold punctuation point. This playful, reddish pink works with any other color in the palette, especially fall staples like Coffee Liqueúr and Nougat. To add some intensity, pair it with complementary Bamboo. Flirtatious and festive, Honeysuckle produces a healthy glow – great for cosmetics and holiday soirees.

Phlox, a magical, deep purple with a hint of mystery, is an outstanding statement when worn on its own. Add Phlox to this season's neutrals to create a bit of drama, or combine it with Cedar, Deep Teal or Coffee Liqueúr for something extraordinary. To add even more excitement, pair Phlox with Honeysuckle or Bamboo against a Cedar background – a combination inspired by Mother Nature.

Evoking the freshness of a cool mist in a dark forest, Cedar is a versatile, mid-tone neutral green. It is a natural with Deep Teal, and sophisticated and timeless with Phlox or Orchid Hush. Deep Teal, a strong, blue-toned green, suggests ocean depths and the color of the sky as daylight descends into darkness. A great standard when used with Cedar, its color-wheel neighbor, Deep Teal is also a unique counterpoint to Honeysuckle.

Consumers continue to add stability to their wardrobes with neutrals. Rich, decadent Coffee Liqueúr brings a sense of elegance to fall, and is a savory alternative to basic black. A deliciously warm camel tan, Nougat is tastefully embellished by Phlox, Emberglow or Honeysuckle. Orchid Hush, a unique tone of gray with complex orchid undertones, blends well with any other color in the palette. Quarry, a reliable medium gray, remains, as always, a practical, dependable staple.

When looking at the three differing colors from the more masculine palette -Taking orange in a more masculine direction, Burnt Sienna serves as the standard, fall classic. Accent pieces including ties, scarves and pocket squares in this warm orange are a must. Providing men an alternative to Honeysuckle, Raspberry Wine has more sparkle than a merlot, making a statement with its vital red characteristics. The assemblage of Deep Teal, Cedar and Raspberry Wine is a spectacular composition.

Cadet, the perfect marriage of blue and gray, is another indisputable classic, serving as a dependable backbone that can be worn from season to season. Magical purple Phlox blooms against a neutral background of Nougat, Coffee Liqueúr and Quarry.

For over 17 years, Pantone, the global authority on color, has surveyed the designers of New York Fashion Week and beyond to bring you the season's most important color trends. This report previews the most prominent hues for fall 2011.

I've had a few people ask me about repainting rooms with warm colors, that don't overpower you when you walk in. I would say that sticking with a neutral backdrop for the walls, such as Nouget from the Pantone colors, but many other neutrals would work as well (even white). Then, bring in hits of colors on the drapes, pillows, table accessories, art, even the lamp shades. Another trick, consider painting your ceiling - bold move for sure, but it can make a statement without overpowering you. ALWAYS test a ceiling color, because the light hits the ceiling much differently than a wall, and colors tend to read much darker. So if you find a color you love, I suggest buying a tester pot and asking them to mix the color at 50%.

With subtle hits of your favorite color(s) of the moment, you can enjoy them without it being a shock to the eyes when you walk in. And the best part, when you get bored of the color (like I often do), or you want to change it up when the seasons change, you don't have to repaint the whole room!

Happy Fall everyone!

Pantone Report via  

Tips & Tricks

Who doesn't love some tips & trick? I know I do! Whether it's decorating, cooking, cleaning, parenting - you name it, I love info that's quick to process, and easy to put into action. In the realm of decor, many of these have been asked of me or I've seen spaces that don't have them incorporated. The few I've listed below, if given the right attention, will help your space look more polished, even if it's a casual environment.

Beside Table Height: I always ensure bedside table height is in line with the top of the mattress. So if you have a very high bed, then you need an equally high table. Conversely, if you have a lower platform bed, then look for a low table.

Hanging art: This is a very common one. I so often see pictures and/or art hung far too high. When it comes to hanging one piece of art, or if you are doing a grouping - 64 inches from the floor to the center of either your one piece or the center of the grouping, would be ideal. That is actually art gallery height, which is ideal for looking at and enjoying your art. This of course may not work when it comes to above a sofa, since all sofa heights vary. The best idea is to hang it a little lower than the center between the sofa & ceiling (assuming standard ceiling height). You don't have to have equal distance between the top of the art & ceiling as you do between the bottom & sofa.

Hanging a large mirror: Always note what your mirror will reflect. The most common mistake I see is hanging a large mirror above a fireplace in a room that also has a ceiling fan. What are you left with? The impression that you have 2 ceiling fans in the room.

Area Rugs: There are two common challenges with area rugs.

1. Living room - always make sure the rug is large enough to fit just under all legs of seating-furniture pieces. Doesn't have to go way under the sofa, or chair - but just enough for each front leg. Then it should extend past the coffee table by a good 10 inches or more (it shouldn't stop just at the edge of your table).

2. Dinning room - your area rug has to fit all chair legs when the chairs are pushed in (not in use) as well as when someone pulls it out, sits, and pulls it back in. I've seen many that are the right dimension to fit the chair while not in use, but then if it's too short on all sides then when it's pulled out to sit down the legs go off the edge, and when you sit & pull in, it will pull up the rug with the back chair legs.

Vanity lights: I know this one will cause some 'controversy' (as much controversy as a decor comment can bring, anyway). I am strictly against seeing (non chandelier) light bulbs in any light fixture, which is most often an issue when it comes to bathroom vanity lighting. I don't think light bulbs are aesthetically pleasing enough to command the attention they do in a downward-light-bulb-facing-fixture. This doesn't mean you need a specialty light, it's simple a matter of switching the fixture's orientation. Any fixture that is meant to face down, can be turned to face up.

The only (and important) challenge which you must, above all decor consideration, adhere to: If the ceiling is too close to the bulb once it's turned in the opposite direction, then don't do it. It's a fire hazard. There are other options besides lights above a mirror though, such as sconces, pendants, or horizontal fixtures that you can still put above the mirror.

Dinning Room chandelier height: Hanging a dinning room table light too high is another common mistake. The ideal is to have 30 inches between the top of the table and bottom of the light, but if your ceilings are more than 8 feet high, then go for 34 inches. Again, I prefer not to see downward facing light bulbs, otherwise even if you are looking at the person across from you, there is still peripheral sight of a bulb. And always have a dimmer for dinning room lights. It is most common to have more than one light bulb in a dinning room fixture, so it's best to have control of the brightness.

Now before y'all think I have all of the above taken care of in my house...think again. What's that old saying about 'the cobbler's children have no shoes'? We moved into our house last year, which was in "fine" shape - but certainly not fully our taste. I focused on buying a few key pieces of furniture first (new sofa, King size bed, TV for the basement/man cave). And I don't want to do little pieces in each room, I want to do one full room at a time, then move on. The next priority is Taylor's room , so that will be the 1st before & after you'll see on The Reveal. Anyway, I digress.

As usual, I'll be fully honest with you, and let you know that of the above "no no's", my house is currently 'guilty' of following:

• All bathroom fixtures (not purchased by me) light bulbs are visible in my house. GASP! In my powder room I actually have the frosted round bulbs (image below). I feel like the fixture is "Kramer" from Seinfeld, and every time I turn on a light I'm in the "going commando" episode, and the fixtures are speaking to me about their bulbs, saying "I'm out there Tannis, and I'm lovin every minute of it!" (for those who aren't Seinfeld fans, that will make absolutely no sense).

• My chandelier is too high, but I didn't hang it. I haven't decided what direction I want to go in the dinning room yet - but suffice to say my new chandelier will likely cost between $300 - $500. So I'm not buying an interim one, since even a $100 temporary one could be money towards the larger purchase. (But no bulbs showing here! So I get 1/8 of a check)
• I don't have any area rugs in my house. I may get one for the living room, but won't for the dinning room. So I'm safe on that one.
• I shamefully don't have any art on the walls. So I am safe there too...but I'm not proud of that. This will be fixed very soon.
• My bedside tables are at the right height. Check!
• I don't have a large mirror hung above my fireplace, I have a large roman clock. I do have a large mirror above my bedroom dresser, and the positioning is great. Check again!

There are many more tips & tricks out there, which I'll share as time goes by. But in the meantime, are there any things around your house that you have always wondered about, or looked at and thought it doesn't look quite right, but you can't place what it is? Let me know, I'm happy to help!