Going Gray

Dark gray & brass. A nice combination

Kitchens, Paint, Restoration Diary,

We holed up in a hotel for a week while having our cabinets painted and some other final work done on our kitchen. There is nothing quite so absurd as walking into a really swanky downtown LA hotel with a 4 day old baby! As we got into the elevator a guy asked us which floor the bar was on…and he was entirely serious…I guess 4 days after a C-section I looked like I could really use a drink. Yup, that’s how we roll!

The truth is that David found us an amazing discount through his FoundersCard and the hotel was conveniently located close to home. He could swing by the house while Juliet and I stayed at the hotel.

The cabinet color is Benjamin Moore Graphite. It’s a gorgeous dark gray color. I had a hard time finding a dark gray that wasn’t too blue. Graphite is a true gray. I was nervous that it would be too dark or make our kitchen seem smaller, but I am absolutely in love with it. The brass hardware looks amazing against the dark cabinets.

The countertop is Caesarstone in Misty Carrara. I wrote about our countertop selection here. It is lovely in person. I like it even more than I had imagined I would. Misty Carrara has the tiniest hint of gray flecks that look great next to the cabinets.

Please, forgive the pics. They were taken with David’s cellphone at night. The color is darker in the photos than in real life. Better pics coming soon!

Comments { 4 } February 12, 2013

Mauve by Any Other Name

Why is choosing a paint color so difficult?

Bedrooms, Paint, Restoration Diary

My friend asked if I would consider this color mauve. Once she asked that I started liking the color a little bit less and having flashbacks to 1986. Maybe I am in denial, but I think this is a softer, more elegant color. If anything, it is mauve’s third cousin twice removed.


I am still deciding if I like the color, Dunn Edwards Chocolate Milk (DE6059). We decided to lightly sand and refinish the Douglas fir floors.

I found silk curtains for sale on overstock.com that match perfectly. Although, they do need to be ironed.

Comments { 5 } October 14, 2011

Paint Color

Decisions, decisions

Bedrooms, Paint, Restoration Diary

Paint color creates the mood and makes a huge impact in any room. I am looking for something that feels peaceful and soothing for our bedroom, which led me to search for a soft, faded grayish-pinky-tuape color.

After deciding to go in this direction, I found the above photo of a room designed by renowned decorator Windsor Smith. This was enough to convince me that I am going in the right direction. Hey, if it is good enough for Windsor…

I have decided to go with the paint color on the far left, a very pretty color from Dunn Edwards called Chocolate Milk (DE6059) with a soft blue-gray color on the ceiling.

Comments { 2 } October 12, 2011

Home Office Renovation

Walls painted, light hung, floors refinished

Paint, Restoration Diary,

It feels so nice to get this room almost finished! We have a few touch ups here and there…but we are so close. I don’t even want to remember where this all started.

The floor has been refinished. Now we’re just waiting for it to dry before we start moving into the office.

We already owned this George Nelson Bubble Lamp. I purchased it soon after we married to hang in the dining room of our apartment. It’s been sitting in a box in the garage for years. It is nice to be able to repurpose something from our pre-bungalow lives.

Comments { 7 } March 24, 2011

It’s No Longer a Secret

We have a paint color

Paint, Restoration Diary,

I have decided on the dark gray paint color; Benjamin Moore’s Secret AF-710. I loved the color as soon as I saw the paint sample on the wall. Our contractor really didn’t care for it and it wasn’t David’s first choice, but I’m going with it! And hey, we can always repaint.

The ceiling color is the same hand-mixed soft gray used in our bathroom remodel. We are using the same bright white trim color throughout the upstairs to keep things consistent.


Our contractor is rebuilding a salvaged door for the closet. We enlarged the opening and added another door to provide easier access to our very narrow closet.

Jack, the project supervisor, seems to be making himself right at home on the new window seat.

Comments { 3 } March 22, 2011

Decorative Ceiling Idea

This ceiling is a WOW!

Inspiration, Paint, Wall Treatments,

Last fall I had the pleasure of visiting the Ruthmere House in Elkhart, IN. I couldn’t get past the gorgeous ceiling in the foyer. I snapped the photo you see with my cell phone, but in person the ceiling is absolutely stunning. The colors and design are historically accurate to 1910.


Detail of a painted ceiling design. The colors are gorgeous!

I would love to paint something like this on our dining room ceiling.



Detail of the ceiling stencil.

The Ruthmere website has an online reproduction of the 1910 Souvenir Booklet featuring photos of the house when first opened to the public upon completion. It is fascinating to see how the home was furnished.

See photos of stained glass windows, wall murals, floor tile and more.

Update
If you enjoy touring homes, Copshaholm is located in near-by South Bend, IN. Have lunch or dinner at Tippecanoe Place. There are also two Frank Lloyd Wright homes in South Bend, although I don’t think they are open to the public. Both South Bend and Elkhart have many older, beautiful homes.

Comments { 4 } March 21, 2011

Choosing a Paint Color

So many choices...

Paint, Restoration Diary,

No matter how long I have been doing this, selecting a paint color never gets any easier. Sigh…I like to see the paint color on the walls to see how it looks in the light of the room and at different times throughout the day.

There is something about the lighting in our house where color goes completely wonky. Grey colors turn green, green colors turn grey, blue colors turn purple…Thank God for sample pots!

No matter how a color looks in the store or in photos, it looks nothing like that in my house. And I’m the kind of person who spends hours at the paint store, taking the samples out side to see them in natural daylight.

I’ve finally narrowed it down to two choices. David and our contractor like one color and I prefer the other. Now I am starting to doubt myself! Which color should we pick?

Comments { 6 } March 18, 2011

Bungalow Bathroom Remodel

Small, Happy, Clean & White

Bathrooms, Paint, Restoration Diary

Finding the right shade of white paint can be a very difficult process. After trying numerous whites that were too blue, too green or too just not right, I hand mixed my own color. It is a pretty, soft white with a gray undertone. The bright white trim makes the wall color stand out.


We still have lots of little touches to finish up, but the tub, toilet and sink are installed. Oh, happy day!

We have been asked why we didn’t use refurbished antique or vintage plumbing fixtures. I think they are lovely and worth every penny if you can afford it. But, this is a bathroom remodel on a budget where every penny counts. It was more important for us to put our money towards desperately needed storage space.

Truth be told, after living with our old bathroom for 7 years, I just wanted everything to be brand new and to feel clean. No matter how much we cleaned the old bathroom, it never really felt clean.

Whether you decide to go with antique plumbing fixtures, modern fixtures in a vintage style or something completely modern, get something that you love and that makes you feel happy whenever you walk into the room.

See more: Our Bathroom Fixtures, Inspiration Room

Comments { 11 } August 16, 2010

Wall of Inspiration

Soft, Faded Text

Inspiration, Paint, Wall Treatments

We were recently at a restaurant and I fell in love with this wall! I love the color, texture and large faded text.

The vintage industrial lights are perfect with the wall.

I can’t quite see this look in my bungalow…but the wall color and industrial lights are amazing.

Comments { 2 } July 27, 2010

House Color Inspiration

Historic Shingle Stain Colors

Inspiration, Stain,


Shingle Stain Colors from 1912, OldHouseColors.com

I recently stumbled across OldHouseColors.com, a site that provides information on historic paint and stain colors. Boy, would this have been helpful a few years ago when we were painting the exterior of our house!

Our house was originally stained a bright green color very similar to the brightest green stain sample.

I particularly enjoyed Restoring the Colors of a 1912 Arts & Crafts House: Shingle Stains of 1912, an article on the exterior restoration of a beautiful Arts & Crafts home designed by a Pasadena architect.

Comments { 2 } June 18, 2010