Weekend Project - Paint Your Porch Ceiling

THIS POST IS FROM ROOM REMIX - THE BLOG .

Country Living photo credit: Steven Randazzo

You've probably noticed that painting interior ceilings is definitely "in" right now, but have you ever thought of painting your porch ceiling?

Not that you really need me to find projects to keep you busy on the weekend but just in case you have nothing on the schedule (does that ever happen?), this is definitely worth considering, don't you think? :-)

It really doesn't matter if it's your front porch...

Coastal Living Photo Elizabeth Glasgow

Country Living photo credit: Lucas Allen

or your back porch...

Coastal Living Photo Deborah Whitlaw Llewellyn

or sunporch...

House Beautiful Photo Simon Upton

Southern Accents Photo Tria Giovan


or patio...

Southern Accents Photo Tria Giovan

And even though blue seems to be the favorite color of porch ceiling painters, you could definitely do black...

Southern Accents Photo Pieter Estersohn

or green (or any other color that suits your fancy) Country Living Photo Laura Moss

Have a great weekend!

Creative Window Treatment

THIS POST IS FROM ROOM REMIX - THE BLOG .

I thought designer Frank Roop's take on the striped window treatment in this room was really creative.

If you can't find the striped fabric that you want for your own window treatment, could you just use three different colors of the same window panel to create a striped effect? A complete panel of each on either side may be too full, so could you split them in 1/2 and sew them together? too much work? Might be easier to just buy the fabrics and sew them together. Either way, it's a creative idea... :-)

292 - Electrical

 Wires all over the place.

 Nick the Electrician wiring the future kitchen.

 New Living area windows and doors.

Waiting for the glass.

It is action station at 292. The electricians and plumbers were onsite today getting all the essentials done before the new insulation goes in tomorrow. These apartments are going to be so snug this winter with new insulation under the floor, in the walls and ceilings. I've lived there when there wasn't any!!

Euan the builder has returned to the building site this week with a beaming smile. His son, Deegan was born last week so he happily showed the baby photos today. Proud Dad.

After some hold-up, the new sliding doors and windows for the Living area arrived yesterday and are propped in place. Hopefully the glazier will be through soon once Euan has properly installed them.

Also, my joiners will be coming through on Friday to measure up for the kitchens and bathrooms joinery. Exciting!

Photographs by Charlotte Minty.

Creative Decorating for a Tuesday

THIS POST IS FROM ROOM REMIX - THE BLOG .

Use two (or three) tablerunners horizontally across a table. Gives you a different look and they can double as placemats.

marthastewart.com

So let's just say that it's Tuesday (because it is :-) ) and you're looking around your house wondering what little thing you could do today to shake up your decorating a bit. Just a little. Not much. Just something fun or different that you may not have tried before. The list of things you could do is actually unending, but here are some ideas...

If you've never layered art on your fireplace mantel, why not try it for a different look?...

myhomeideas.com

If your artwork is too small, make it bigger by attaching a thin piece of painted wood to the back like Just A Girl did for her spring mantel...

Paint a chalkboard on a door...

Country Living Photo Keith Scott Morton

We've talked about painting the backs of bookshelves and papering the backs of bookshelves, but why not make it a little more interesting by doing a little of both and mixing up the patterns?...

idealhomemagazine.co.uk

Arrange your books by color...

Style At Home

Paint a funky mirror a fabulous color...

marthastewart.com

Add some lace to your favorite pillow...

Style At Home

Mix up your bar stools with different finishes or paint colors...

Style At Home

Update your family photos and make them a focal wall in one of your rooms or hallways...

myhomeideas.com

Think outside the box on a new way to accessorize your dining room walls. This dining room wall would be a great one to use for inspiration!...

Photo by Michael Partenio via House Of Turquoise

Paint your front door a bold or just different color...

houseandhome.com

There was a question in the comments on my decorating with mirrors post on whether I knew how to make a new mirror look old. I actually didn't, but found some sources that do....

e-how article How Do I Faux Antique a Mirror?
marthastewart.com How to Antique a Mirror
HGTV.com How To Distress a Mirror

Have an awesome day!

Removing Vinyl Lettering from Walls

THIS POST IS FROM ROOM REMIX - THE BLOG .

I've had this saying on one of my walls for a while now and, even though I love the saying, I decided I was tired of having it on the wall. I assumed that removing it would be a no-brainer type of project that would take two minutes to do and that would be that. Hmmmm... not true.

I heated the letters with the blow dryer as I was pulling them off (I had heard that this was the best way to ensure that they would come off easily). This worked well, but still left a sticky residue with a clear image of where each letter had been. By the time I got to the last letter, the large H in Home, I was on a roll and got a little ahead of the blow dryer in pulling off the letter. Unfortunately I was left with exposed sheetrock as it pulled the paint off in the form of a large part of the letter. :-( At this point I knew I would be re-painting that section of the wall. I used sandpaper to sand around where the letter had removed the paint to smooth and blend it, and then used rubbing alcohol to remove the sticky residue of the rest of the letters (again, I had read that this was the thing to do). It worked, but the rubbing alcohol removed some of the paint from the wall.

After repainting, the wall looks good as new so it turned out fine, but I have to admit I was a little frustrated during the process.

I would probably use vinyl letters again at some point but not before knowing that there is a way to remove them without having to repaint. I do have flat paint on my walls, so I think this may have been the source of some of my issues? Any experience, comments, ideas on the best way to remove vinyl lettering from walls?

Blog Inspiration - Eat Drink Chic

Here is a beautiful blog to be inspired by (my sister, Amelia found this one for me).
Eat Drink Chic is by Amy Moss, a former Graphic Designer from Melbourne, Australia who now calls herself a 'Style Blogger'. She blogs about all things stylish and shares her own graphic projects with free printable stationary for readers.
She has recently posted photos of her Engagement party, at which she and her fiancee surprised their guests with having their wedding ceremony right there and then. She wore her mother's vintage rose wedding dress and had a rustic themed table setting. Read more about the wedding, the preparations and all other things Amy finds lovely here.
In keeping with the theme, this morning I sent a list of wedding blogs (there's heaps!) to my brother's fiancee, Amy. She is brainstorming for ideas for her wedding to my brother, Dorian, later this year. It was a rather long list! Anyway - I'm excited to have a family wedding to attend later this year and have a new sister-in-law.
Photographs via EatDrinkChic.

Window Backed Kitchen Cabinets

THIS POST IS FROM ROOM REMIX - THE BLOG .

When I saw Nicole and Andrew Sheehan's kitchen in this month's Traditional Home magazine (photographer: Werner Straube), I was immediately in LOVE with the window backed kitchen cabinets. (The photo in the actual magazine is more of a close up of the cabinets so you can see how amazing they really are.)

Unfortunately, if I did this in my kitchen it would only offer a view into the garage, the mudroom or the foyer, so it's not an option for me. What are your thoughts on the idea? Would it work for you?

You can see the rest of their home on the Traditional Home website.

Mood Board Monday

THIS POST IS FROM ROOM REMIX - THE BLOG .I don't think I've mentioned Mood Board Monday since the gracious Sarah at Pewter + Sage agreed to start hosting it on her blog. She's been doing a great job with it, and has some very exciting news about the one scheduled for this Monday, April 26th. Click here for the details!

Table and Beverage Tub

THIS POST IS FROM ROOM REMIX - THE BLOG .

When I saw this table and beverage tub in the latest Frontgate catalog, I was immediately struck by how clever it was! It starts out as a nice little side table for every day use...

but when you need a place to keep your beverages cold, the tabletop telescopes up and locks. Table + Cooler = Perfect! Wouldn't this be great to have on the deck or patio? Love it!

Have an awesome weekend!

Decorating With Mirrors

THIS POST IS FROM ROOM REMIX - THE BLOG .

Coastal Living Designer Jill Johnson; Photographer Grey Crawford

Mirrors can be a great way to expand a space, add interest, make a statement, reflect light or a great view and generally add sparkle. Here are some ideas for incorporating mirrors into your space...

Designer Jeffrey Billhuber layered an antique mirror over the window for use with this floating dressing table.

Architectural Digest Photo: Peter Vanderwarker

Stylist and designer Amy Beth Cupp Dragoo of ABCD Design created this huge dramatic wall with black paint and 48 rectangular mirrors (via Canadian House and Home)

Framed mirrors also make a dramatic statement in this bedroom...

Coastal Living Photo: Jean-Philippe Piter

House Beautiful photo credit: Lisa Cregan

Designer Vincent Wolf likes using massive, over-scaled mirrors leaning against walls, as you can see in the bedrooms he designed above and below. This is some of what he told House Beautiful about that. "It's taking an architectural approach to a decorative object — like cutting open a wall onto a space beyond. It's also more casual and interesting to lean something than to hang it. Once a mirror is hung, it's isolated on the wall. But when it leans, the floor runs right into the glass."

I love the idea of layering mirrors like designer Mary McGee did in her living room. You could also just layer a great frame over a mirror and it would work just as well.

House Beautiful Photo: Miguel Flores Vianna

The mirror used in this bedroom designed by Gary McBourne (House Beautiful - Photo: James Merrell) was too small so they added what Gary calls a "sash" to give it scale. I'll admit that, even though this room is beautifully designed, it isn't my style but that doesn't matter. The basic idea can be used in any room from casual to formal and contemporary to traditional and there are a variety of items (fabric, ribbon, rope, etc.) you could use to make your "sash". Just hang the mirror on the wall and then attach the "sash" to the back of the mirror and the hook.

In this Coastal Living idea house they mirrored the doors of this dual vanity which draws your eye to the detail. (Photo: Tria Giovan)


This is much more subtle but these vanity doors and drawers are also mirrored.

Coastal Living Photo Dominique Vorillon

Mirrored night stands are so pretty, aren't they?

BHG.com

The next four images are from Homes and Gardens. You can see the rest of their slideshow, How to Decorate Using Mirrors, on their site. (Photos: Carolyn Barber)

Displaying a variety of mirrors on ledges is a creative and fun idea to punch up your space.

Adding mirrors to an armoire in a bedroom is a great idea, especially if you're short on space to add one anywhere else.

Reflective drum shades could be stunning in the right space!


Using a mercury glass mat for a centerpiece. I've used a framed mirror in the same way in the past, which also works well.

Just for fun... Can you tell what this frame is made from? I'm sure you probably can. Colored plastic spoons! :-) Country Living


Cute tennis racket mirrors from Country Living. Imagine how many different things you could repurpose as mirrors once you start thinking outside the box...


Hmmm... Any ideas on how I can get my mirror to reflect the same view that this mirror is reflecting? :-)

myhomeideas Photo Keith Scott Morton

If you're interested in more inspiration for decorating with mirrors, check out the mirror image post that I did back in August.