Painting a Fireplace...

Now that my family room with the fireplace has been remodeled the tile really bugs me.  I'm not sure what the solution is, I haven't quite worked it out yet. 

Someone I know just bought a house and said she is thinking of painting the beige brick.  I kinda wish my fireplace had brick because after looking at photos of fireplaces that were painted, it seems like a pretty cheap and easy fix!  Much easier to solve than tile problems.  So if you have  brick fireplace and were thinking of painting, here are some nice inspirations (hint: white usually is a winner...it's far and away your safest bet, but there ARE other options if you're brave)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Memorable Movie Interiors & Architecture

Sometimes a favorite movie of mine will also feature some great interior design or fantastic architecture

- or just a space that I love.  Other times, I will remember a movie because the interiors were so interesting - here are some that I never forget:

The movie "Somewhere" by director Sofia Coppola is one of my favorites - I love the movie, but I also loved how much of it was set in the Chateau Marmont.  During filming Stephen Dorff actually lived there so that it would feel very comfortable and real.  The hotel was almost an extra character in the movie.

 

 

 

Another Sofia Coppola movie with excellent interiors is Marie Antoinette - it was filmed in the actual Palace of Versailles (it's hard to be that interior decor)...

 

 

The house in the movie "The Ghostwriter" is ridiculous.  It's awe inspiring and so fitting for the tone of the film. 

Nancy Myers is the queen of good interiors for her movies

The Holiday:

Something's Got to Give: 

It's Complicated:

And another personal favorite Amelie:

Up Next - A lady room

I don't know what to call this next project I want to get started on - I'm calling it my "lady room" (she said, in voice that sounded a lot like Amy Sedaris).  My goal is to get this finished by Christmas.  I have this random room in my house - it used to be my master bedroom.  But after my divorce I needed a change and I switched my master bedroom to a room far at the back of my house that used to be - well first it was an office, and later an art studio.  It's small - but it's cozy.  I love it because it feels secure and rather cocoon like in there (I've blogged about it before - here).  Adjacent to that bedroom is a small walk in closet and next to that is a large master bathroom.  And before you walk into the master bath you pass into this other room that USED to be my master bedroom.  That room is full of a random assemblage of things right  now - an old clothing rack, cedar chest, chair, old desk sewing machine and a books shelf mostly full of jewelry plus a bunch of other odds and ends mostly related to crafts or sewing.

I want that room to be an extension of my bedroom to some extent - like part of a "master suite".  I want it to be comfortable, I want to be able to leave my sewing machine out (I use it more than I ever thought I would and I don't even really sew), I want more room for books that I am currently reading - and books I'm using for grad school and after, I want a comfy area where I can read or write, and I want enough comfort that I could have a friend over and we could sit in there and chat without having to go to my bedroom and sit in my bed all the time (with the somewhat open floor plan of my house it seems I often end up having to drag my friends to my bedroom if we want to have a private conversation away from children.

So I don't know exactly what I want this to look like.  Step one will be to get new carpet in there and paint.  I think I should paint before carpet - so painting is probably next.  Then carpet.  Then figuring out books shelves, seating, etc.  But I feel like I don't know exactly what I want which is handicapping me from starting.

Here are ideas I like:

tons of books!  Looks comfy!  Looks like a used bookstore or something!

so chic, and I love the books displayed like that

Just a small little nook for the sewing machine - I'd like to accomplish something like this 

I actually like the dark paint here - I wouldn't mind having a little desk but I plan on keeping my main computer desk where it is in the kitchen area - I like being around everyone else in the house when I'm on the computer 

I like the interesting chair - I would love to find some affordable cool chairs

SO MANY BOOKS

I have a chalk board wall in one room in our house and I love how I'll find cute things the kids drew 

In my bedroom I have a dresser I painted yellow and I really would love to do something like this again - I think I may paint my cedar chest a bold or pastel

I like the idea of the wallpaper in the bookcase

I'm probably not patient enough to do the Chevron's but they are cute.

when I see stuff like this I just swoon over it - I would LOVE to create something fantastic like this next to to the window

this would be awesome - and I totally dig that neon

this feels very sophisticated 

this looks like closer to what I was imagining though

Again, if I have a desk, something smallish like this

I feel like I know guys who could build me something like this...I'm really feeling the idea of a window seat

I just aesthetically love this chair

I like the idea of lots of random stuff on the wall that sort of represents me - which is what I did in the bedroom too 

Decisions Decisions!

Peacock Room Remodel

I have had this idea rolling around in my head for a while.  But then my ceiling in my family room started to leak.  Which required it being ripped into.  Which meant we would have to paint it.  (you know that book...if you give a mouse a cookie?...it feels like that).  So we had to repair and then it would have to be painted, and as long as I'm painting we might as well do something new right?  (and by "we" I mean more like my handyman...because let's face it, I didn't really paint this time around).  And if I'm going to do new paint that is going to require a whole new look somehow, which meant moving art work around my house, repurposing some things, and new pillows or re-covering old pillows.  And in the end, I'm pretty happy with it!


Before:

(and what you don't see in this photo is how dingy the paint had gotten - it really did need to get re-done, especially the cream which I think I avoided doing when I did the green, I think the cream paint was going on 10 years old)

And AFTER:

Yes, it's a bold paint project, and not to everyone's taste.  I get that.  But I really like it.  It's definitely fun and I like the red and blues together.

But remember that whole "if you give a mouse a cookie" thing?  Now I need new tile around the fireplace and on the floor leading out the doors and also - the room adjacent to this one absolutely has to be redone as well now too!

It's never ending.