A few weeks back I introduced you to the hallway/entryway to my new apartment. (Remember?) I still like what we have done, but I’m considering making an upgrade to the two closet doors directly off the hallway. I want to paint them a glossy dark gray or even black. What do you think? Vote or leave me a comment. And check out some examples of black doors below.

From Living Etc.

Photo by Richard Smith

From Domino

Thomas O’Brien

Nate Berkus vis Desire to Inspire

Here’s a sneak peak of the living room in our new apartment…remember the “before” shot? Its not quite ready for a full unveiling, but once we paint, we will be much closer to a finished room.

We have chosen our color: Stonington Gray by Benjamin Moore. Its a nice warm gray so it should work with all the other colors we already have in this room.

So here’s the question…

Should we paint the walls a solid gray or should we highlight the molding by painting the walls gray and the molding white?

I’ve done a quick photoshop mock-up (emphasis on quick!) of how the room would look with and without the molding in white. Let me know which you prefer! VOTE BELOW! I’d love some help deciding!

Recently I bought a pair of lamps that were on sale. They were being sold for $64 but were originally priced at $219….I couldn’t pass up a deal like that! The only issue was that they were um….too white. So I took inspiration from Jonathan Adler’s Grand Tour lamps (pictured below) and transformed the white lamps into something a bit more interesting.

First I bought square black lamp shades. I’m a big fan of black shades because they are so dramatic. This is the first time I’ve ever bought any though. I ended up getting linen shades which means that light shines through them, but you can also get shades that are more heavily lined or made from heavier material (like a thick paper stock) that will be completely opaque. Basically it just comes down to taste and how much light you want the lamp to provide.

Next, I bought some spray paint in Himalayan blue and sprayed down the lamp bases. It was pretty easy and within an hour of painting them, I had these totally original table lamps!

By the way, the white shades that came with the lamps have been transferred to some Ikea lamps I have. So nothing was wasted in this makeover!

I LOVE PINK ROOMS! Ever since I saw The Royal Tenanbaums I have been a fan. It used to be that pink was considered a girl color (remember elementary school?), but in more recent years I think it has become more appreciated by both sexes. I’m still not sure if my boyfriend would let me paint the living room pink, but he was ok with the bathroom so that’s a start.

Painting of course, is one of the cheapest and most effective ways to decorate a room. However, I always have trouble picking the best shade of paint. It is so hard to tell from a paint chip what a whole wall will look like and I am usually too impatient to test a paint sample. Happily, I discovered that House Beautiful has a great slideshow of the best shades of pink paint. Check it out here.

And here’s a random fact -  pink is a very complementary color and according to House Beautiful it makes you look younger. Just food for thought.

Here are the paint colors for the rooms pictures above. Clockwise from Top Left:

Valspar's Paris Pink MS037

Pantone's 705-C

Benjamin Moore's Coral Pink 2003-50

Glidden Checkerberry 32RR

Project 1: Parsons Desk

Prep: Sanded surface
Paint: Glossy White Latex + “a little bit of turquoise and brown acrylic craft paint” for the color (3 coats)
Post Paint Treatment: Two coats of Wipe On Poly. “Yes, it’s as easy and awesome as it sounds. Polyurethane sealer that you wipe on.”

Project 2: Credenza

Prep: Primed the top of the credenza (since it gets the most wear) with Zinsser primer
Paint: Rustoleum’s ‘Saftey Red’ Spray Enamel applied with a spray gun
Post Paint Treatment: Two coats of Wipe-On Poly

So, looking back at my DIY sideboard project, it seems like my paint choice (a mix of latex enamel and latex paint) was fine, but I should have primed the top beforehand and used some of the ever-so-helpful Wipe-On Poly to seal the deal. Next time, I will feel much more confident . And hopefully this will help you too!

Here’s some of the products Jenny used in these projects:

Would you ever paint a room or an accent wall black? Sounds scary doesn’t it? But sometimes black can really be a show stopper. Depending on the shade you use (yes there are shades of black!) and the finish of the paint (glossy, satin, etc) you can create many different kinds of moods. For instance, glossy black walls can make for a very rich and elegant feeling room, while a dark gray or warmer black in a matte finish will have a cozier feel. Check out these examples of black rooms and take the poll afterward. Also, for tips on how to paint with black, check out this article from Sherwin-Williams.

Image Credits: Fresh Home, Decor Pad, Monica Biering Hammer’s Norwegian apartment (photo by Maria Reme), Maria Claire Maison, The New York Times, House to Home

This past weekend I decided to paint an old West Elm sideboard I have in my apartment. I just wasn’t crazy about the dark wood finish anymore and I wanted to paint it a color that would be more complimentary to my new gold lamp. I’m still learning when it comes to painting furniture, so I was totally prepared for this to be a failure, but lady luck was smiling down on me and I am actually pretty happy with what I ended up with!

I think I probably broke a few rules when I painted this. First I mixed two colors of glossy latex enamel (blue and white) which gave me a pretty straight forward light blue color. As far as I know that kind of mixing is totally fine. Where it got a little iffy for me was that I added in a little bit of satin latex paint that I had under my sink…probably a no-no, but I don’t claim to be an expert! I added in the extra paint because I wanted to make the blue a little more interesting. And I am happy with the way the color turned out. Now we just have to wait and see if this paint job will last.

Anyway, the new color definitely works better with the gold lamp. And it also inspired me to swap some of my wall art and put my horse anatomy poster over the sideboard. I like where this is headed. I need to work on a tablescape for this, so I’ll get back to you on what I figure out. Tablescapes are definitely a topic I want to touch on as it is something I’ve always wanted to be better at.

Anyway, lemme know what you think of my latest DIY exploration. Am I a really bad girl for mixing those paints?