Good Lighting makes a huge contribution to the beauty and functionality of a home. And the addition of beautiful fixtures – chandeliers and lamps – creates delightful design elements in any room. Whenever someone tells me they have recessed lighting and don’t need any lamps the designer in me just cringes at their lost opportunity.
Having just received some new lamps in the shop got me to contemplating lighting and thinking about my own home so I thought I would share some lighting information with you.
Beautiful Lamps at The Whistling Elk (The red damask shade is opaque and you can see that the light shines down)
10 Lighting Tips
A truly beautiful room will tend to have soft pools of light that come from a variety of sources – Use lighting with different wattages and and place light sources at various heights.
Picture found on Geisen Designs website – shows well balance lighting all around the room and at various heights.
Position lighting all around a room to dispel dark corners.
Table Lamps are excellent decorating tools…use them even if they do nothing! They are not actually doing “nothing” because they are creating great verticals which enhance the beauty of any room filled with horizontal lines.
In a lamp that has double bulb sockets use two different wattage bulbs and you will create a medium and low setting!
Lamp shades that are opaque will create a more dramatic atmosphere as they throw light up and down and emit little side light.
Fabric shades will create the warmest most glamorous light.
Picture from Homedit.com shows the warmth of light emited by fabric shades
Paint your outlets to match the walls to minimize the distraction of cords and outlets. Have lamps wired with clear or fabric cords.
When placing a reading lamp the height is lower than seems intuitive: it should be below eye level so it lights your page, not your head.
Albert Hadley said “I personally try to avoid all ceiling lights because i think that overhead light is a tragedy.” Well I agree with that in reference to recessed lighting…but as to chandeliers – What could be more beautiful? A general rule of thumb for a dining room chandelier is 30″ above the tabletop. Bulbs should not be bright…lower wattage is better for creating ambience around table gatherings.
Dimmer switches go where you want to be able to create ambience.
The bottom line is that lighting needs to be functional but it can take a room to another level if you think in terms of ambience and beauty. It’s an essential design detail!
I have been posting a lot about painting lately! I guess I am pretty fascinated with Paint Couture™ products so I am really enjoying using them and teaching about them….but don’t be deceived there are always other things going on at The Whistling Elk. It’s the usual juggling act!
Freight coming in, new merchandise being unpacked and lots of garbage….grrr not my favorite activity. Lots of beautiful art though!
Art at The Whistling Elk
While I was painting the vanity … pictures to follow … I was also working on hanging new art that showed up…and my first hit of Christmas items…yes! Christmas…So anyway I’ve been working on this little vanity in between unpacking new goodies for the shop.
Of course the Christmas is “blingey” as usual!Ch
OK… Here is the little vanity…it is actually laying on its back on the floor….when I first looked at this picture I was thinking why can I see my feet….haha ! as usual I almost forgot to take the before picture and was starting work on it….
Paint Couture!™ at The Whistling Elk
I wanted the vanity to say “pink’ and I wanted to use Paint Couture “LOVELY” but I was afraid it would be to faint….so I decided to undercoat it with French Polynesian Pink…hmmm that really did the trick.
Paint Couture French Polynesian Pink with some embossing started
I did a lot of embossing on this piece and in addition added just some plain stenciling later to fill in some of the designs. I wanted a lot of embellishment on this piece.
Vanity with the Lovely over the French Poly then embossed and gilded with pale gold
I did distress this piece somewhat to show just a faint hint of the French poly pink. I also lined the piece wherever I could with Angelic Paint Couture to make the pink stand out even more.
Close up of the side detailVanity Finished in Light Brown Sugar Glaze Couture and Matte Lacquer
Heres a nice frame with a shabby worn finish…it’s O.K.
But that is just it – for me its just o.k.
Frame before Paint Couture Black Walnut Glaze and Pale Gold Accent
I know I can change it and make it better than just o.k.
What has happened to my humility????
Pale Gold / Black Walnut Glaze – Paint Couture!™ products used on this frame
I really love this about the Paint Couture Collection. Not only can you paint something that needs to be refinished but you can also transform ordinary objects into something more lovely, something that works better in your current décor environment.
Paint Couture!™ is like having a Toolbox Stuffed with Tools to Create Lovely!
I have always advised my clients: “If you run into the right object but its the wrong color and you can paint it….buy it – you could spend 10 years looking for the right object in the right color and never find it.”
Come and participate in one of our Paint Workshops at The Whistling Elk in Chester NJ and learn how to Paint, Glaze, finish, stencil, gild and more. It’s fun and I guarantee you will put the knowledge to good use!
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.
At The Whistling Elk we can provide you with beautiful custom window treatments BUT if you just don’t want to make what is sometimes a huge investment…Ready-Made Drapes can be a real life saver
Linen Drapes on Sale at The Whistling Elk in Chester NJ
Currently two different styles of 100% Linen Ready-Made Drapes are on Sale so take 20% off the below listed prices!
Style No. 1 is an unlined 100% linen drape which presents as a gauzy/sheer texture…like air. They drape beautifully and will frame out a window nicely at minimum expense:
$75 per each 96″ panel
$99 per each 108″ panel
The Whistling Elk has beautiful draperies!
The colors are soft and earthy: Ivory, Natural, Light Brown, Wheat, Antique Gold
Style No. 2 is a lined 100% linen drape which drapes beautifully and is a heavier linen drape that offers more privacy.
$135 per each 96″ panel
$149 per 108″ panel
100% Linen Drapes at The Whistling Elk
The colors are Ivory, Natural, Wheat, Brick, Blue (light/icey), Antique Gold, Light Brown, Chocolate, Almond
All drapes have 4″ rod pocket, 2″ header and back tabs.
We have color swatches at the shop so come in and shop for the colors that work in your room! Drapes do make an incredible design statement in a room and you will love the look you can achieve for very little investment!
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!
This adorable little pedestal/table got a make-over
this week at The Whistling Elk.
Paint Couture!™ Painted Table at The Whistling Elk
In our Paint Workshops you will learn how easy it is to create beauty where there was none (or little) before! Not kidding here!
This little pedestal table was painted white and in a very chipped condition…it was cute…I mean looking at it I knew that it had POSSIBILITIES…and that is the key!
So with really very little effort on my part and my Paint Couture!™ products it’s lovely! It looks rich and expensive! (I want to take it home ;))
You don’t have to be a Do-It-Yourselfer to use this paint or to create a great piece.
Come to one of our Paint Workshops and see for yourself how easy it is!
Call and register for one of our next scheduled workshops:
Thursday, April 10th – 5:30 pm – 8:30 pm
Sunday, April 19th – 9 am – 12 pm
You will learn to paint, glaze, gild, stencil and emboss…also to distress so that you can create masterpieces with an aged European style finish!
Learn to paint furniture at The Whistling Elk Workshops
At The Whistling Elk you will find everything to make your house a home. From furniture to home accents to personal items…everything with design and quality in mind.
I had a fabulous day today…I really love what I do and now I can even say I am a bit of a contortionist!
My client had an armoire that was a nonedescript green and she wanted to jazz it up but she did not want to (couldn’t) move it. So I gilded and glazed it in place…talk about getting into tough positions in tight spaces…hahaha…I am smiling just thinking about those back legs… Glad no one was there with a video camera…
Here’s the before picture…although as usual I started gilding before I took it!
Armoire Before Glazing with Glaze Couture!™ Amber Honey
and here is the finished product!
Amber Honey Glaze Couture!™ was perfect for the job.
Several new mirrors have arrived at The Whistling Elk – The mirror pictured is one of my favorites and I set it up behind a little cabinet I was planning on painting. Sitting at my desk I can look out and appreciate the mirror – the chandelier reflected in it and now the little cabinet that I just finished painting. Love this little vignette!
Paint Couture Paint and Glaze at The Whistling Elk
The cabinet started out just a mousy brown and it is actually a new piece (not old) – I bought the piece with the specific intention to paint it. I painted a faded blue on the inside glazed it with champagne and stenciled some small Fleur de Lis randomly on the back panel. (sorry didn’t photograph that)
I embossed the stencil so it stands out nicely and the zinc and brilliant white that I used on the piece make the stencil design shimmer.
Silver Star is dabbed on the hinges and on the teardrop door handles. I took almost all the glaze off the top as I wanted it to look slightly different than the body of the piece.
It’s a lovely little French cabinet now!
The Whistling Elk Paint Workshops – Learn to transform your furniture!
Our next paint workshop will be March 20th…that is also the first day of Spring!
I can hardly wait. Sign up now and learn how to paint your own Masterpiece.
New merchandise arrivals always make me happy! La Vie est Belle! At The Whistling Elk it seems that all the new shipments include a lot of bling. I confess I am always into beautiful, sparkly bling! Just a little bit in a room adds a little something…We just received a lot of pretty crystal…there are candlesticks, vases, pitchers, salt & pepper shakers and salt cellars with little tiny (very cute) spoons! Even the new artwork has bling! There are tiny crystals embedded in the prints which add just the right element of ooh la la!
Crystal Cream & Sugar and Salt Cellars
There are four of these chic lamp prints all with embedded crystals. Love the carved gold frames…and the bath print below is the most gorgeous shade of green…there are three prints in this collection.
Great Gifts at The Whistling Elk in Chester NJ
The “red” vase I just finished painting this morning even expresses some bling. It has a certain richness – it was a nondescript cement color before I gave it a coat of red paint and followed up with some gold stenciling and a bit of Black Walnut Glaze Couture!™. Now it is quite elegant! Ahh, La Vie est belle at The Whistling Elk!!!
Paint Couture!™ French Polynesian Pink with Various Glazes
This beautiful, vibrant color was the perfect choice to be painting on Valentine’s Day…its just perfect!
For these Paint Stick Samples I used Glaze Couture!™ Verde, Black Walnut, Lite Brown Sugar, Champagne, Zinc, Copperhead and Red Mahogany. I glazed 2 sticks with Brilliant White Paint and then put Red Mahogany glaze over the Brilliant White on one of them to show a layered glaze effect.
The last paint stick I coated with Micki’s Magic (an accessory paint). I love the Micki’s Magic over the French Polynesian Pink – it adds so much dimension and variation – like a shimmering rainbow of color!
I think that a very sheer coat of Brilliant White under any of the glazes would create a beautiful specialty finish.
Angelic
Paint Couture!™ Angelic with various glazes
For these Paint Stick Samples I used Glaze Couture!™ Lite Brown Sugar, Red Mahogany, Verde, Black Walnut and Copperhead. On these paint sticks I glazed and wiped off. I used the Champagne Glaze but with this one I glazed the piece twice and as is often the case with Champagne I did not wipe it off. I also painted two coats of Micki’s Magic on the paint stick sample.
Paint Couture Brilliant White and Zinc combinations
I did one paint stick with zinc glaze and 2 sticks with Brilliant White. On one of these Brilliant White paint sticks I applied Zinc over it. You probably cant really see it in the photo but this sample with the triple treatment is my favorite – it’s very rich and has a lot of depth to it. (its the one in the middle)
Paint Couture is such a great product for all those paint projects you have around your home! And, its a lot of fun on these snowy winter days when you are stuck inside!
Don’t forget we offer great workshops at The Whistling Elk and will teach you how to create a beautiful piece of furniture using Paint Couture!™ products.
and I did get snow/iced in yesterday! Sigh…but I was prepared! I painted almost all day – a little snow wasn’t going to keep me down!
Snow/Ice Storm…
So previously I had painted two coats of Paint Couture on my signs…then I stenciled a background design on some of them and distressed it so it was faint. I used Paint Couture’s Embossing medium over top and stenciled on different Paris configurations.
Paris signs at The Whistling Elk before glazing
Later after blowdrying the Embossing Medium with my hairdryer I used Glaze Couture!™ or Brilliant White to glaze over the entire sign. I am not finished with these yet though…I may apply a second glaze to some of them (like verde over the blue sign) and I know I am going to use the Paint Couture Gilding Wax to enhance them…when I do I will post the finished product!
Here are my Paint Sticks showcasing Paint Couture!™ Madagascar Mocha with various Glaze Couture!™ finishes on top!
Paint Couture!™ Madagascar Mocha with various Glaze Couture!™ finishes
The glazes used (left to right): Little Black Dress (Metallic) with the left edge glazed again with Micki’s Magic, Baltic Black over Madagascar with Black Walnut Glaze, Black Walnut Glaze, Micki’s Magic (Accessory Paint), Lite Brown Sugar, Red Mahogany, Verde Glaze, Copperhead Glaze, Champagne Glaze, Zinc, Brilliant White (Metallic Paint).
I used the same design for these sticks as my other posts…that is the end of the stick is the Mocha with just glaze over it, then the next area is mocha-lacquer matte-glaze, the next area is just mocha-lacquer matte and the top of the stick is the mocha alone.
Little Black Dress – Black Walnut over Baltic Black/Madagascar Mocha – Black Walnut Glaze over Mocha
I prepared an extra paint stick this time showing Madagascar Mocha with Baltic Black…wet and dry distressed on top – then the Lacquer Couture Matte and Black Walnut Glaze…I like this combo a lot! I like the aged woody warmth the Black Walnut gives to the sample (its the middle stick above).
On the topmost stick above with the Little Black Dress (metallic black paint) over the Madagascar Mocha I coated the outside edge with Micki’s Magic just to see what it would do over the Madagascar Mocha/Little Black Dress. This was just an experiment that shows how many different directions you can go with this paint by layering glazes.
Below is shown a grouping I am calling my “red/brown tone” collection of glazes over Madagascar Mocha….left to right Micki’s Magic – Red Mahogany – Lite Brown Sugar – Copperhead. They almost give the appearance of wood stains.
Paint Couture Madagascar Mocha with various glazes
These paint sticks are really invaluable when you are looking at a color and wondering what it could look like or when you are trying to relate a paint color to something else that is going to live near it… Sometimes it is even surprising when a glaze color that you don’t think will look good does…these sticks are such a invaluable visual tool!
Paint Couture Madagascar Mocha with Glazes
This last grouping shows Verde, Champagne, Brilliant White (metallic paint) and Zinc. Although the metallic don’t always translate well in the photos the Champagne and Brilliant White are beautiful over the Mocha.
But that is not surprising because I have loved everything I have put the Champagne or Brilliant White over…
At The Whistling Elk we offer Paint Workshops…learn how to use this amazing paint to paint your furniture and accessories and create works of art!
Here’s my latest set of paint sticks showcasing Paint Couture!™French Putty.
I painted these sticks using the same approach as with the “Peace” samples….one section is just the paint, the next section is the paint with Lacquer Couture!™ Matte on top, the 3rd section is Paint with Lacquer Matte then with a glaze on top and the last section (end of stick) is just paint with Glaze Couture!™ over top
….phew…that was a lot of words…but you get it – just a bunch of really beautiful finishes!!!
Paint Couture!™ French Putty with 10 different glazes/metallics
The 10 “overcoats” I chose to use over the French Putty were: Glaze Couture!™ Lite Brown Sugar, Pale Gold (Metallic Paint), Verde, Champagne, Black Walnut, Brilliant White, Amber Honey, Micki’s Magic (Accessory Paint) Copperhead and Red Mahogany!
(This is the order in which they are shown in the picture above.)
The reason I applied the Lacquer Couture!™ was not only to show you how it looks over the paint but in addition to show how it changes the way a glaze looks…specifically the glaze does not grab as much over the Lacquer Couture!™ as it does over just the paint. So bottom line you have more control when you glaze if you apply the Lacquer Matte first. Savvy?
I cannot wait to get the GILDING WAXESwhich will be here in the next week or so…then I will have to embellish yet again my lovely little paint sticks! How much fun is this….
Ok, I admit right upfront that I am prejudiced because as a painter this is my paint of choice but for all the reasons I list…you just gotta love this Paint! Here’s why:
Top 10 reasons why Paint Couture!™ is the best Furniture/Cabinet Paint Available
1. Paint Couture!™ is a low VOC, self-priming acrylic paint available in 50 colors (and counting)
2. Paint Couture!™ has great adhesion capabilities over existing painted or varnished surfaces (which means usually no sanding or priming is necessary) and paints on smooth and flat with little or no brushmarks.
3. A quart of Paint Couture!™ is $29.50 (wow) and it is available in gallons!
4. Using Glaze Couture!™ over the paint colors gives you the opportunity to increase the color possibilities to around 450 (and counting!) and creates either an antiqued or metallic finish – you get a beautiful protected finish with no waxing!!
Paint Couture!™
Paint and Glaze Couture are both available in half pints (giving you the opportunity to sample without spending a lot of money)
Paint Couture Accessory products like the metallics – Pale Gold, Rich Gold, Silver Star, Antique Silver and Brilliant White, Micki’s Magic and Little Black Dress offer even more possibilities for creativity!
Paint Couture Brilliant White Paint
Paint Couture Gilding Waxes give you the opportunity to accent your finishes! Really? Oh yes with 10 colors! – Black Velvet, Pink Cashmere, Gold Lame, Gunmetal Tulle, White Silk, Blue Organza, Green Moire, Copper Charm, Silver Taffeta and Bronze Brocade (oh my!)
Paint Couture Gilding Waxes
Lacquer Couture!™ is a clear and very durable topcoat which enables you to protect surfaces…with little or no odor – available in 4 sheens! It dries fast too!
First it snowed, now its really cold…grrr…but it is perfect weather to stay indoors and PAINT!
I used my snow/cold downtime to paint up some samples…with Paint Couture!™ thereby creating 10 Ways to Make Peace!
Paint Couture!™ Peace with 7 glazes and 3 paints on top!
step one…paint two coats of peace on paint sticks (24 hours between all coats)
step two…taped off and painted a section with Paint Couture Lacquer Matte.
step three…chose 7 Glaze Couture colors: Lite Brown Sugar, Champagne, Red Mahogany, Black Walnut, Copperhead, Zinc, Verde – and three accessory metallic paints: silver star, micki’s magic and brilliant white
step four…applied the glazes over a portion of the lacquered stick and a portion of the “Peace” only section
VOILA Beautiful Paint Sticks showing Peace (alone) – Peace with Lacquer Matte – Peace with a Glaze over the Lacquer Matte and Peace with a Glaze
This way you get to see how the glaze looks over lacquer (not to mention how nicely it slides on) and how it looks over the un-lacquered paint!
The Whistling Elk 
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