Nook Cottage: Bedroom paint selection

So, as I posted last week, I'm planning the decorations of my new little cottage by the river which I've dubbed Nook Cottage (it's in Rocky Nook). The bedroom is currently beige, which will not do! Luckily the landlord is fine with me painting.  I suppose if he weren't, I'd have to come up with some creative solution to all the beiginess. 

So, this is my basic plan - a custom headboard upholstered with Aerin for Lee Jofa's Watersedge in green, which is a cut velvet in a strie'd chevron pattern on a burlap colored linen ground. 

My general inspiration is this Charlotte Moss space which I loooove. My original plan was for it to inspire my living room, and it still will, but now also my bedroom - because I do love it just that much.

We'll get to my living room, it is teeny-tiny, but am very excited about my new sofa which I just ordered yesterday!  Okay, so back to the bedroom.

I went over to the cottage yesterday to check some measurements and also to look at paint chips in the natural light. One thing that is very important to realize is that a photograph taken on an iPhone, then uploaded and shown on different screens will not render the paper paint chip color in the same way it does the fabric color. So, while in person, this strip in my Ben Moore paint chip palette looks perfect with the fabric, it's less so in the photo.

I posted this to Facebook saying that I was leaning towards Grenada green, but thought Forest Hills might be really dramatic.  Because of course I'm friends with a lot of designers on FB, I received several alternate suggestions. So, I thought I'd check them all out and share the process.

Grenada Green #432

I often like to look at other spaces that have used a paint color and Houzz or good old Google images is my "go-to" resource for this.

Traditional Kids by Minneapolis General Contractors Stonewood, LLC

Any my rendering with Ben Moore Grenada Green #432:

Ben Moore Forest Hills Green #433

Probably a little too dark, I'm thinking.


Ben Moore Central Park Green #431

Contemporary Bathroom by Mountain View General Contractors Harrell Remodeling

Central Park is slightly lighter than Grenada. I like this one too!

This is Ben Moore Landscape #430

Traditional Powder Room by Seattle Design-Build Firms RW Anderson Homes

A little too pale, but very pretty.

Benjamin Moore November Rain

Contemporary Bathroom by Boston Photographers Mary Prince

Definitely too pale.


Ben Moore Castleton Mist HC-1

I used this color in my New Hampshire Farmhouse project. It was very pretty and lively in that space, but it's not right for my bedroom. 

I usually default to the Historic Colors on the chart, but I think that for this space and fabric, they are too muted.

(Again, the photo isn't rendering the colors correctly, but in person, the fabric is not as yellow.)

So, do you have a preference? I'm going to move onto paint sampling Grenada and Central Park, I think. Or just Grenada, the color my eye goes to first is usually my favorite one anyway...

I am still looking for fabric for the drapery. I thought I had one picked out, but it's no longer in production and the alternative they sent doesn't work. But, I need to get going on paint selecting so I think the fabric for the windows will be a later decision.

btw - it took me longer to create this post than it did to render the different colors in my design.

Product Review: Simply Spotless Cleaning Products

Interior designer Meryl Santopietro and her daughters Joy and Alessandra have developed a line of cleaning products for interiors that are all natural and made in the USA. The Simply Spotless line includes cleaners for Wood, Fabric, Glass & Surface and Hand. A couple of months ago, they sent me a box of full size products to try out.  The packaging is very simple, not over designed and though the bottles are plastic, they are nice enough to leave out if necessary. The products contain not harsh chemicals and have a very subtle scent that dissipates quickly.

I haven't had a chance to use the Fabric cleaner yet, but have used the other three products extensively. The Hand soap is very nice and I keep it in the kitchen. My hands feel clean, but never dry. I have sensitive skin and am prone to contact dermatitis with certain products, so the soap is a big winner for me.  Plus, unlike a lot of pump bottle soap dispensers, the soap hasn't gunked up the nozzle at all. The Glass & Surface cleaner works really well for light cleaning of stainless and glass top appliances, tile countertops,  and leaves a sparkling non-streaky shine while disinfecting the surface. It's not as effective, however, for truly greasy cleanups - like after you cook hamburgers and the spatter is all over the stove top. But for quick sparkle, it's a nice, non-toxic product to use on a regular basis, keeping the harsher things for big cleanups only. Similarly, the Wood Cleaner is great for picking up dust without adding waxes or harsh chemicals, but I tried it on an old wood piece that is probably a little grimy and there was no sign on the cloth of any real dirt cleaned off. So, as with the Glass & Surface cleaner, it's a good product for regular use and then for deep cleaning, something else may be needed.

The products retail from between $14-$18 for a 16 oz. bottle and the set of four is $49.

Bathroom makeover project - a very belated finale

So, a year ago I started giving the main bathroom in my Mom's house a quick little update. It had been looking pretty rough as it hadn't been updated since the 1980's.

So, this was the {sort of} before:

I say {sort of} because there was a faded blue wall-to-wall carpet that I pulled up before these photos were taken.  It was pretty gross. One of the few actual design missteps my parents every took. Luckily it pulled up easily to reveal a not too terrible vinyl floor, though it was discolored.

This was inspiration, which is a montage I did of a bunch of pretty bathrooms found on Pinterest. It's probably one of my post pinned images.  

While I would have loved to really re-do the bathroom, it wasn't in the budget, so a "cheap and cheerful" ensued.  These were my main elements that I planned on using.  My original plan was to paint the vinyl floor a glossy white and put a custom cut sisal overtop.

I did do the sisal, courtesy of the Natural Area Rug company, which offered me a free rug to try their service.  I never got around to painting the floor or swapping out the faucet, though I did install a fab rain shower head in the shower.

One of the biggest changes was painting the dark wood cabinet and mirror.

And here it is...

(real estate shot above)

 And a better shot of the rug. I definitely made a mistake not ordering it right to the walls especially since I never painted the floor. But, oh well, life has a way of intervening.

Thanks again to the Natural Area Rug company for the offer of the rug.  There ordering process was day and it's now a year old and has worn very well and gotten many compliments.

Decorating for myself: Nook Cottage

So, progress is being made selling my parent's house. Things are moving fast! Since my Mom passed away, I've been scouring real estate listings for properties to rent or to buy. I felt more like renting at this stage in my life versus all the issues associated with owning, but then renting isn't always a bed of roses either. A big issue with renting of course is the inability to make big decorative changes to the space. Plus, bringing RoyRoy into my life cut out at least 50% of the rental market. I was beginning to have a little panic, but I tried very hard to believe that when the need presented itself, the right place would come along.

And it did. Within twenty four hours of getting an offer on my parents place, this cute little {dog friendly!} was listed on Craigslist.

Cute, well maintained, perfect location, and size of about 950 sq. ft. Plus, working fireplace, water views, washer/dryer and ac. Yay! I've dubbed it "Nook Cottage" due to its location.

This is the front door. The fireplace works, though is narrow so there's no chance of putting a sofa or chairs there.

So, I've decided to keep it as an entry that moves right into the dining space.  Naturally, I have the whole place decorated already. I wanted to do complete design plans before I move in next month so I could be assured that everything I bring to the house will fit and have a place. The owner (my new landlord) is fine with me painting and said he's excited to see what I will do with it. Not sure what he'll think about the pink walls! I'm going to keep most of the open spaces the existing beige, but add in some pink accent walls. The cabinet by the door across from the fireplace is the stereo cabinet that I'm turing into a bar cabinet - discussed here. I am pretty sure that the armoire will fit next to the fireplace (was my parents) which will hold my china and silver.

I already have two slipcovered parsons chairs in a cotton velvet and have ordered two more with casters for my office, and use in the dining room when I have guests. The pedestal table will have a leaf for dinners with guests. The settee will be this one I recovered a few years ago seen in the photo below.

photo by Michael J. Lee

The house is a little oddly configured inside, but I really like that about it - it's not cookie cutter.  The dining space opens up to this middle space from which the kitchen goes off to the left, between the two walls (center of the image) is a small living room and the bathroom is back there as well. The closet on the right is substantial and will probably make a great pantry closet. There is a hall leading to the back of the house with a laundry closet and out to a deck. 

I am hoping I can lay a custom cut sisal in the middle section of this space because it will get cold in the winter!We'll see about that. The green blob on the left is meant to be my antique desk that my Dad refinished for me when I was young. I'll be able to use it for keeping my bills, stationary and maybe linens in the drawers. And it's so pretty. 

The kitchen is basic, but has all the important things and I can pretty it up. 

The bedrooms are fairly small. This one will be my bedroom and is in the front of the house. It's the larger of the two and I still won't be able to fit a dresser. Oh well. The closet is quite large so I will trick something out in there. Meanwhile...

This is my plan. A big repaint job to green. Custom upholstered headboard covered in Aerin for Lee Jofa's Watersedge velvet. I've been drooling over it since I first saw it. All white bedding, artwork on the walls. The side tables are from my parent's living room. I have new crystal lamps ready to go. 

The arm chair on the left is from my parents. It's currently covered in a green striped velvet but  I will recover it to match the headboard. The oriental rug is antique from my grandparents.

And, of course, there's got to be a little place for RoyRoy!

The second bedroom is a bright blue and is very pretty, but not me. It's also very small - 8x11 and a few inches. It will be my office. 

The planning is still a work in progress.  I think I'm going to paint it beige (I know, the other room is beige why not just use that, but this room is better for an office). The armoire is coming from a friend and has beautiful wood on the outside and is painted pink on the inside. While it's probably too big for the room, it's so beautiful I have to have it!! And, it will provide a lot of storage. My desk will be in front of the window which has a water view. 

I'm going to take the doors off the closet and put in shelving to hold samples and whatever else I need to be holding. I'll bring in the pink by painting the closet. 

The living room is teeny tiny. I'll be putting a sofa in the nook in the back facing my green upholstered settee and a small cocktail table. Still figuring out where the tv will go. The saving grace of this space is that the ceiling is vaulted. 

This is another approximate view. You can see the back hall, which has a large closet and the stacking washer/dryer. Out the door is a small deck and cute back yard. 

And, did I mention the water views? This is the picture window in the front room/entry/dining space. It's the Jones River that empties out into the ocean. 

And a closeup.

So, that's my intro to Nook Cottage. More to come! 

Meanwhile, I have a house to sell and a book deadline. Yes, that's right. I have a book deal. It's not a true author deal, I'm doing the 6th edition revision of a business of design business book while working from home. More to come on that. Meanwhile, I have a strict July 15th deadline!!!