There is really nothing more beautiful to me than the elegance of a room design incorporating glorious colour and the changing winds of home decor are bringing colour back!
Warm. Cozy. Timeless
I can’t imagine anything better than that.
Lovely Florida home by G.P. Schafer featured in Luxe Magazine.
Designers who create rooms incorporating traditional looks with a few clean contemporary accents or some wonderful vintage or antique pieces take my breath away and make my heart beat. Beautiful design can always do that to me.
Obviously colour is a major factor in the design of all beautiful rooms. Although I enjoyed the grey/whites and accompanying pale palette that was trending...it is cold…Brrrh! I think that everyone staying home during the covid pandemic spent a lot of time looking around and deciding to make some changes in their homes especially related to reintoducing colour…putting the colour revolution on the fast track!
What do you think? Are you ready to move on to some great color and tradition? or will you holding on to the cooler palettes?
Change on the wholesale level is already in full swing so you are going to find less of the outgoing trends and colours.
Have you ever looked for home decor and accents in colors that have recently passed out of favor? Then you know how hard it can be to find them. When the market starts to transition it is always wise to finish a room before home accents become scarce.
Personally, I am wholeheartedly embracing the return of color!
Magnificent beach house foyer by interior designer Jack Philips. Photo by Brantley Photo
I love the way Janelle of Janelle’s Designs made this vanity stand out by incorporating Gold!
A touch of gold on gray makes this vanity stand out! Photographed and Painted by Janells Designs. You can find Janell on instagram @janellsdesigns
There is really nothing like a beautiful Traditional
room design.
Warm. Cozy. Timeless.
I can’t imagine anything better than that.
Amazing family room by Alexa Hampton Inc. Love the use of Color!!
Designers who create rooms incorporating Traditional looks with a few clean modern accents or maybe some wonderful vintage or antique pieces take my breath away and make my heart beat. Beautiful design can always do that to me.
Obviously color is a major factor in the design of the warm, cozy Traditional room. Although I enjoyed the greys and accompanying pale palette that has been trending...it is cold…Brrrh! So I am not so sad to see it trending down and away.
What do you think? Are you ready to move on to some great color and tradition? or will you be trying to hold on to the cooler palettes?
Once change starts on the wholesale level you will start finding less and less of the outgoing trends and colors. It takes a little time to transition and longer still for the retail customer to embrace the next trend.
Often customers will look for decorative accessories and accents in colors that have recently passed out of favor and they become extremely hard to find…sadly I’m sure that on occasion you have experienced this.
When the market starts to transition it is always wise to finish a room before accents become more scarce.
Taken from designer Michael Smith’s book “The Curated House: Creating Style, Beauty and Balance”.
Personally, I am wholeheartedly embracing the return of color!
I’m getting to be such a sissy. I think I used to enjoy the winter….now I only like it if I am skiing…
Well, at least it is good for getting those indoor projects accomplished.
Chest painted with Baltic Black Paint Couture!™ and glazed with Black Walnut
I just finished putting the hardware back on this pretty chest. It was a medium brown stain when I started and of course I forgot to take a “before” picture. My client brought it in for refinishing…
We decided it needed to be black so I used my Paint Couture! Baltic Black then glazed it with Black Walnut. It really looks very elegant and the hardware which was a rich brassy gold looks perfect – I didn’t even embellish it!
Sometimes refinishing a piece doesn’t call for a lot of fuss…there really is nothing like Simple Elegance!
Simply elegant chest
Chase Away the Winter Blues…
Make plans to take a paint class at The Whistling Elk!
I always had so much fun Finger Painting when I was a kid and now I get to do it again…
with The Couture Collection – they have a great selection of Gilding Waxes which I love to use to accent a painted finish – any painted finish…even one I didn’t paint! (heehee)
This cute frame was pretty before I started but now I like it even better. It had an all over copper look and now it has touches of green moire and the gold lame that I finger-painted on which gave the original finish a lot more depth.
Gilding Wax adds depth to a finish
That is the beauty of the Paint Couture line…you can paint something one color, OR paint and glaze, OR paint, glaze and gild for a finish that has deep, layered and elegant dimension!
We will be happy to teach you all of these techniques at our Paint Workshops!
Call for the date of the next scheduled Class and make a reservation to attend. You will have so much fun! I guarantee you will leave class contemplating all the objects around the house that you will be painting or glazing or gilding or maybe all three!
Paint Couture Gilding Wax
To enhance a painted finish you simply apply the gilding wax with your finger or with a small artist brush! and voila the perfect way to accent your finished paint project! If you decide to finger paint – a little coconut oil will clean up your talented fingers.
I used the Van Dyke Brown Glaze today over Imagine and I’m diggin it!
Paint Couture!™
While I was painting the pedestal the other day with IMAGINE I painted up some paint sample sticks too.
Paint Couture!™ Paint and Glaze on sample sticks
Today I glazed/painted them 10 different ways – I used a new philosophy when glazing these sticks…all the other ones I have done were glazed/removed pretty evenly. This time I decided show different degrees of removing the glaze…all my paint students have different ideas of how much/little glaze they would remove…so these samples look uneven but I did it with purpose to show variety!
Paint Couture!™ paints and glazes in Chester NJ
I also used 3 of the gilding waxes on some of my Paint Couture!™ samples.
So all the samples were painted with 2 coats of Imagine and part of the stick was finished with Matte Lacquer Couture!™. (The glaze does not bite in as much over the lacquer and gives you more flexibility to work with the glaze.)
So from the left here is how I finished each stick:
2. Brilliant White Paint/Green Moire and Silver Taffeta Gilding Wax
3. Verde Glaze
4. Black Chiffon Glaze
5. Zinc Glaze
and in the 2nd group photo:
6. Black Walnut Glaze
7. Champagne Glaze
8. Amber Honey Glaze
9. Lite Brown Sugar Glaze
10. Van Dyke Brown Glaze
So after making all the samples I decided to glaze the pedestal with the Black Chiffon. The pedestal was an older piece and had a lot of marks and texture (which I kept because I liked the character) and I love the way the black chiffon kinda highlighted the “age” of the piece….so here is the finished pedestal with Imagine, Brilliant White, Rich Gold and Black Chiffon Glaze Couture!™. (Also in the photo collage is a before the glaze photo).
Paint Workshops at The Whistling Elk in Chester NJ
Still having fun! Call and join one of our Paint Workshops!
For many years the 1st floor of my home was bathed in jewel tones…very rich. In January I had the 1st floor painted Benjamin Moore Stonington Gray which I am loving. But it is a whole new ballgame now! Fortunately for me all the furniture works (and that’s good because I love every piece I have and would not give any of it up!!!). The drapes in my Breakfast Room had to go though. I didn’t want to spend a fortune on replacing them right now…so I confess I made them. Now I am a girl with a workroom and a taste for very beautiful expensive fabric and trim so this is a real departure for me to admit that I did this…Oh my! and worse yet I can sew beautifully! Oh oh my!
I bought some very inexpensive fabric in a soft gray slubby solid that drapes beautifully. I measured then cut four panels from the fabric, got out my trusty iron and used glue tape to hem all around…then turned over the top to form a pocket and glued that down with the tape…Oh my! It took me about 3 hours to make all four and cost me about $100. Oh my!
They are simple rod pocket drapes, unlined and will not last like the ones that I could have had my workroom make for me…but that’s ok cause if I get tired of them I can throw them away without guilt. Oh my! They are quite elegant draping nicely with a couple inches of break on the floor. I am loving them!
This is a Do It Yourself success. I am thinking of having a workshop on this…no kidding! Oh my!
painting architectural details to stand out
I am working on a table right now with nice architectural details…cant wait to see it finished!
Tomorrow is the spring Chester Craft Show…We are going to showcase some of our painted furniture during the show. You can also sign up for our Paint Workshops…the next one is June 13th at 5:30 pm. Call for more information 908-879-2425. Space is limited so you must register and leave a $50 deposit.
These are fun informal workshops! The June 13th class will cover chalk paint paint finishes and introduce Paint Couture! our new acrylic paints…in total you will learn 5 different finishes and leave thinking about all the great things you are going to do with furniture you have in the garage or basement. You will be creating masterpieces…
The top of this piece is actually going to be black…and i have a lot more gold to apply. Its going to be stunning! And to think it was stashed in the basement…
painting architectural details to stand out
I am working on a table right now with nice architectural details…cant wait to see it finished!
Tomorrow is the spring Chester Craft Show…We are going to showcase some of our painted furniture during the show. You can also sign up for our Paint Workshops…the next one is June 13th at 5:30 pm. Call for more information 908-879-2425. Space is limited so you must register and leave a $50 deposit.
These are fun informal workshops! The June 13th class will cover chalk paint paint finishes and introduce Paint Couture! our new acrylic paints…in total you will learn 5 different finishes and leave thinking about all the great things you are going to do with furniture you have in the garage or basement. You will be creating masterpieces…
The top of this piece is actually going to be black…and i have a lot more gold to apply. Its going to be stunning! And to think it was stashed in the basement…
While i worked on painting the little stool I was also painting on some small boxes…then as i had the Annie Sloan paints open i decided to experiment with the inside of my pantry closet. I am working up to painting all my kitchen cabinets but that will have to wait for another day off from The Whistling Elk.
On the back and side walls of the closet i used provence and then on the shelves used duck egg. Love the subtle contrast! (I think my kitchen chandelier is throwing an interesting pattern on the shelves for a little play on light and shadows.)
I only did one section because i only had a very little Provence…but i will have to get more because i love the way it turned out. The room is Benjamin Moore Stonington Gray so these two colors work wonderfully well as an accent.
I still have plenty of the duck egg so i guess i will finish this project after i go shopping for more paint. Meanwhile i was also working on my old pine bookcase. More pix on that later!
This wall mounted bookcase is in my guest bedroom. It’s from Elden Collections. I have always loved the architectual feeling it brought to the room. Since i just finished painting the room Ben Moore Adagio i decided to give the bookcase a facelift. Since the room is going in a shabby chic direction i went with Decorator’s White advance semi gloss. This is a fairly new trim paint from ben moore that is water base but it paints on like oil base…love it and the finished product!
As you enter our new shop you are greeted with an elegant design vignette that showcases our sofas, art, lamps draperies and carpets…
The paint is Ben Moore Silver Mink – its one of my new favorites!
Every time i walk into this room I feel surrounded by beauty. The details please the eye and create an atmosphere of comfort and warmth. I love the soft color scheme…it makes me want to curl up with a book amongst the pillows on the sofa.
The bottom legs/skirt etc has been coated with Annie Sloan “Paris Grey” while the top has an old coat of a beige tone benjamin moore paint on it.
Originally this table had a dark stain on it. It has been hanging around for a while and was pretty beat up.
When i selected it to experiment with i thought it might be fun because when distressed it would show the dark stain thru the beige…and the Paris Grey.
Annie Sloan Paint
I also selected this table because it has nice detail for painting. The top has a raised pattern to it around the edges which
is separated from the center by two circular grooves which i plan to gild. And, the little finial
at the bottom of the leg stretchers is screaming out for gold…
So with my design plan in my head and the brush in my hand, the Annie Sloan paint went on easily and covered well…waxing was easy too.
Painted Table with Fleur de Lis
After sanding the table and distressing it to the level i desired i painted a fleur de lis on top with some antique gold paint i had around
and also put the gold in the round grooves and on the outer edges of the table.
Then i waxed it again…
The next day I sanded it down again, distressing the gold paint and the fleur de lis.
I sanded some spots down to the very dark stain but decided i didnt like what i had so repainted/waxed some spots and re-distressed.
I actually really like the soft beige coming thru the Paris Grey.
I also decided not to distress to strongly overall as i liked the softness of the look. So, when i was satisfied with what i had i waxed it one last time. The next day i buffed it out.
Annie Sloan Paint – Table and Chairs
I had these two upholstered chairs so i painted and distressed the chair legs to go with the table!
It was easy – paint, wax, sand/distress, wax….Voila!
So Very, Very Shabby Chic and perfect for Little Paris!!
Painted Table and chairs
here’s what the chair legs looked like before…
Annie Sloan paint on chair legs
So the bottom line is that i am enjoying the whole process and having lots of fun with the Annie Sloan Paints!
Stay tuned because i hateto waste time so have been painting on other little projects which are coming along…
Here on my desk is my lastest project for a client. We are going to paint fleur de lis designs randomly on her office walls. I cut this Fleur de lis stencil when i painted the Paris Boudoir in Little Paris shop.
In order to give my client some choices for how the fleur de lis will look i first painted some copy paper with the wall color (2 coats)…
fleur de lis stencil with modern masters 14k gold metallic paint
Then i stenciled the fleur le lis design over the paint three different ways. The first (above) is stenciled with just full strength modern masters 14k metallic gold paint.
For the 2nd sample of the wall design i mxed the 14k metallic gold with glaze to make it more transparent.
fleur de lis stencil with modern masters 14k mettallic gold mixed with glaze for a room wall design
Lastly, I added some paint crystals to the 14kgold/glaze mixture (below). This gives the fleur de lis a glittery effect.
The glitter will catch the light and sparkle – its a faint effect so you actually wonder if you are really seeing it! Love it!
fleur de lis with paint crystals
Voila ! Beautiful effect -so easy to do and painted randomly around the room makes a completely original wall design!
PS….I have little sparkles all over me (from the paint crystals)….its like fairy dust maybe it will bring me luck today at The Whistling Elk.
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