Levende Kunst

It's funny where some Google searches can lead. I was looking for more information about the owner of the chic coat closet and ended up on a Dutch website called Knack with some very chic interieurs! The Google translation leaves something to be desired but from what I can make out, it's owned by San Ming who enjoys mixing up his furnishings and art. Apparently, he also designs custom furniture including his work table. He is also fond of the artwork of Franz Kline, Robert Motherwell and Walter Leblanc, as well as "Oriental Art." I love not only his art collection but the dark walls that seem to be everywhere lately including Jenna Lyons home that was just featured in the November 2008 issue of Domino. I especially love how the white upholstery in the library pops against the dark background. Enjoy!

Habitually Chic Redecorates: Making Progress

After - September 2008

Before - March 2008

It's been a whirlwind week of painting and redecorating at Casa Chic and serious progress has been achieved. I'm so happy with the wall color, Benjamin Moore Cedar Key (OC-16) and White Dove (OC-17) trim. It better reflects my style now and coincidentally my closet. I repainted the television cabinet in Midnight Dream (2129-10) which pops off the tan walls now. I like how the black television disappears in it so I am debating whether to put the doors back on. I may look for new knobs though.

I also moved my computer to the other side of the room in order to have space for a new bookcase (Ikea Billy $59.99. Gotta love it!). I own a million books and needed more organized storage space. I also now have room for magazines and storage boxes for my tear sheets and work projects. Of course, after I styled the whole thing two new books from Rizzoli arrived today! More about those later. I still have more to do including hanging all my artwork and priming and painting all the trim in the bedroom. But now I think I might take a nap! Decorating is exhausting!

Paint by Numbers

It's a terrible photo but Benjamin Moore Cedar Key (OC- 16) is wonderful! I'm so happy I decided to repaint my apartment! Of course, I'd be happier if it was completely finished but I still have half of the living room to complete. I also painted the front door in Benjamin Moore Midnight (2121-20). I thought black would be too harsh so I wanted a very dark blue to compliment the other colors in the room and apartment. A good rule of thumb is to choose a color on the paint chip that you have and work either lighter or darker. The other colors on the Midnight chip in the fan deck match the other colors in my apartment which is why I chose it. If I had choose one of the dark blue colors from the chip with more lavender or green tones, I don't think it would have worked so well. Now, I'm off to get a manicure. I don't mind getting my hands dirty but I do mind ruining my nails!

Do You DIY?

I've spent the weekend so far hitting Home Depot, Gracious Home and Janovic Plaza for the supplies to makeover my apartment and now I can't wait to get started! I love getting my hands dirty and doing things myself, probably because I'm a perfectionist and an Aries. I also grew up in a house with parents who stripped and hung wallpaper, painted and renovated all by themselves so I know what I'm doing. The Bachelor was amazed that I could repair the hole under the tv myself when all it took was a little spackle, sanding and painting. But then he grew up in Manhattan with maids so that might be why.

Oh, and I choose Benjamin Moore Cedar Key (OC-16) the top left color for my living room walls. It was actually one of the colors I almost chose for the Bachelor Pad. I liked some of the others but they were either too grey or too dark or looked like liquid make-up. The space is small so it needed to be a little lighter. First though, I have to strip the yucky trim. Not really sure I am excited to do that myself but it will be worth it in the end! So how many of you DIY (do it yourself)?

Bachelor Pad Chapter 3: Painting Predicament

I hate choosing paint colors. I think it's the hardest part of design. I've had a lot of people email for paint color recommendations and I always tell them that paint looks different in every space and in different light and at different times of the day. It's really a crap shoot and on my bachelor pad gamble I did ok but I wasn't perfect.

The painters started yesterday and I could already tell that Horizon (OC-53) from Benjamin Moore was going to be too light in the bedroom. Then today I stopped by and realized that perhaps Collingwood (OC-28) might also be a little too light but Middlebury Brown (HC-68) in the entry looked amazing. The bathroom in White Ice (OC-58) looked fine, as did the kitchen in White Dove (OC-17).

It was decided that we had to go darker in the bedroom so I spent most of my Saturday at the Janovic Plaza/Benjamin Moore Paint store where I am on a first name basis with my helpful salesperson Shawn. I picked out three colors that I had made up in quart sizes to try on the wall and Smoke (2122-40) was declared the winner. It works very well with the other colors so there will be a nice flow through out the space. Luckily, the painter said he would repaint the bedroom for a reasonable rate so it didn't turn out too bad in the end.

The moral of my story is that everyone makes mistakes with paint. It's not the end of the world but mistakes do cost money so it's sometimes best to try the sample pots or have quart sizes made up first. This probably also means that people will stop asking me for paint advice which might not actually be a bad thing!