"I See a Red Door and I Want It Painted Black."

 ...well not really.  "I saw a white door leading to the basement and I wanted it painted black" would be a more accurate (and less poetic) title.  However,  this is probably the only chance I get to quote the Rolling Stones in my blog  so I went for it!

For a couple of months I was really busy at work.  I felt like all that I did was work, hang out with Kiran after his preschool and then work some more during the night (you may have noticed the lack of posts).  Sometimes even when I went to bed I kept thinking of things that I needed to get done at work.  Well during those days and nights I really needed an outlet for my anxiety.  Some people eat and some people exercise to blow off some steam...but I like to do house projects.  One day I called Scott and told him that he had to pick up some Benjamin Moore Studio Finishes Chalkboard paint on his way home from work.  Well that night instead of spending another sleepless night laying in bed thinking about all the things that I had to get done I spent a couple of hours cleaning the basement door downstairs and then painting it black.  I loved it so much that I decided to also paint the door to the downstairs bathroom black, before going to bed.  Scott and Kiran woke up the next morning to the black doors and they both loved it.

 Door leading to the basement.

A close up of the basement door.

A close up of the bathroom door downstairs.

A close up of my favoite door knob .

The next night I painted Kiran's bedroom door and the second floor bathroom door black.  The next night it was our room door and the door downstairs that leads to the backyard.  Well now all the doors except for those on the third floor and the front door are black.  I love the way the doors look.  They are very dramatic and unexpected.  What do you think?

The door to Kiran's room to the left and the bathroom door on the second floor to the right. 

A close up of the Kiran's door (it is actually black and not at all bluish like in this picture).

The second floor bathroom door.

I had originally planned on using chalkboard paint so that Kiran could draw on the basement door but I may never let Kiran draw on any of these doors...I haven't decided yet.

I need some color!

While I love the juxtaposition of lots of colors, textures and prints (more is always more) I sometimes love the serenity of all white rooms.

I recently came across these two beautiful images on Decor8 and I can't help but drool over the this beautiful home. I love the crochet covers on the bed.  I especially like the contrast of the white cover with the beautiful cream cover.  I obsessively searched eBay for a while for vintage crochet bedspreads. I wanted one that I could dye black but they all ended up being too granny-ish that I didn't end up buying anything.  Seeing this picture  has re-sparked my eBay search for crochet blankets!  The bright clothes pop nicely against the all white decor.  I think the light fixture is a Tord Boontje garland that I have been lusting after for ages. I have no where to put it so I have resisted the urge to buy it.

Speaking of lamps I have also been lusting after a Bourgie lamp like the one below.  I prefer the completely clear one and once a lot of the major renovations are done I may buy one.  It is sort of way out of the league, in terms of cost, compared to all my other thrift store lamps.  I am not sure  if there were ever a time that I didn't have any major renovations to do that I would actually spend that kind of money on a lamp.  For now I am quite content thinking that I may buy it.  I  love the mix of high and low in the picture below,  the amazing lamp is sitting on an inexpensive Ikea cabinet and looks stunning.  

There is no chance that I am going to paint my walls white (any time soon) but I love adding lots of white furniture and accessories to the room.  White makes it easier to live with lots of color.  

I shall go to bed tonight dreaming of the Bourgie lamp.

Still Dreaming of a Black Room.

A while ago I posted some pictures of chalkboard paint and black walls.  Well my obsession with black walls just seems to grow in leaps and bounds.  I am seriously on the verge of painting the office room black.  What's holding me back? I have always loved color and black is sort of the absence of any color so it is a huge mental hurdle for me to overcome.  I feel that my black room may seem depressing, dark and dull.   However, all the black rooms I've seen online are rich and decadent.  Here are some of the fabulous black rooms that are really pushing me towards actually buying the paint and painting the room black!

Dining Room of Victoria via AT

Breakfast Nook of Victoria via AT

Jenna Lyons' Bedroom via Living Etc.

Anna at D16's newly painted black wall

I think that sometime in late January I will tackle the office room.  I need to, spackle, fill in all nail holes,  prime the walls,  paint and then rip out the carpets.  I've already picked out the perfect black from Benjamin Moore. Also, I've decided to paint everything black, the walls, molding, doors and shelves.  I am not sure whether the floors under the carpet can be refinished.  I am hoping that they are in perfect condition like those we found throughout the house.  I hate carpets and I hate carpeting from prior owners even more. 

Color Therapy.

So this weekend I managed to fix this frame and paint it a very bright glossy red.  My father-in-law cut a piece of glass for the frame and it was very easy to transform the frame into something stunning.  It is amazing what a coat of bright paint can do to an old frame or even and old piece of  furniture.  I love everything about the photograph and the frame.  Now I just need to decide where I am going to hang it.  Click here to see what the frame looked like before I painted it.
 

Flea Market Finds.

Recently, on a perfect Fall day, we spent the day thrifting at the Golden Nugget Flea Market in Lambertville New Jersey.  It was sunny and warm and Kiran's first real thrifting expedition  (not counting the countless trips when he was a baby in the stroller where he had been blissfully oblivious to the treasures around him).  This time however, he enjoyed touching everything much to the dismay of the vendors.  While Kiran didn't find anything to buy I found tons of stuff but I limited myself to only a couple of things.   

I found this fabulous vintage wood and plaster frame for $7:

The frame  is not in great shape and the plaster is crumbling in places.  I need to super glue the plaster back,   cleaning it thoroughly and paint it a bright glossy red.  Scott took that picture of me and Kiran in the Summer.  I love the roughness of the concrete and the chain link fence against the ornate details of the frame.

 I also  found this amazing painting (it is not a print) for $15:

We left the flea market around noon and went to a picnic area by the lake for lunch.  I can't wait to go back to this flea market.  There were lots of vendors and lots of great items at good prices.

More About Books in the Fireplace.

The two main reasons that I decorate, renovate, rearrange and work on the house (constantly) are because: 1)  I enjoy being in a beautiful space and 2) I enjoy being creative.  Ultimately life is about the creation of beauty and perception of beauty through our senses is it not?



What does this have to do with the books in the fireplace? Well Kiran and I were sick and stuck at home recently.  So I decided to color code the books in the fireplace (something I have been meaning to do).  It was a fun project for us to do together and the result is fabulous (at least it looks a million times better than it used to look). 

Being sick is never fun, but being sick and taking care of a sick child is so much worse! Little projects like this kept us sane and it was a lot of fun.

Organizing Some Books.

While the fireplace is the the major "bookcase" in our house, I also have some of my favorite books on the shelves in my room.  These books were stacked randomly and always looked a little messy.  Yesterday evening while Scott was working upstairs I decided to organize them. Yes they are color coded and they look fabulous!

I am now wondering if I should try to color cordinate the books in the fireplace as well...