Day 17: Pictures

Day 17 (or this weekend) is designated on Style Cure as painting day. Technically I did do a bit of painting this weekend -- one watercolor, and one canvas project I've been meaning to get to for quite some time now -- but because I'm not painting the room itself, I set aside today to finally get some pictures posted, so I can share what's going on in the space.

 

So far the futon is still uncovered. The cover it came with was the same Santa Claus crimson you see in the leftover pillows, but J loathed it so much he chucked it before we could order a new one. I was quite fond of that candy apple look, but I agree it goes terribly with the rest of the room's rich earth tones. I'm hoping to bring a softer, more feminine color (like the Rosemary or Chelsea Gray shades shown earlier) to the futon eventually.

I'm so pleased to finally see my James Dean poster in a frame. Technically this belongs to J (thrifted a while ago at Goodwill), but he's graciously let me borrow it. The headless Boy Scout (left) is his own work, and I love how bizarre it feels hovering over the room. Even when he's just messing around, J's talents seem to be endless.

The beast of a bookshelf.

A rather blurry shot of the little London pictures I found at Salvation Army. Such a happy find!

J's camera collection -- I just love how these look beneath Mr. Dean!

These old fashioned accents are my favorite part of the room so far.
They make me feel like I've fallen into an episode of Downton Abbey -- or an Oscar Wilde story.

No bedroom shots to share just yet, but here's the bathroom, which is just about finished! I like the simple black and white happening in here, but I'm hoping to introduce some teals or lime greens soon.

The party was a great success, and everyone assured me the living room looked just fine.
As my brother assures me, "You'll learn to love the black furniture look. It always looks clean."
I hope he's right, because dusting is just about my least favorite thing to do!

Thanks for reading! More soon.

Style Cure Day 15 & 16: Catch Up

Thank you, Style Cure, for recognizing I was in the throws of stress-city getting everything organized in time for today's dinner. To be fair, J's handled all of the food -- but last night I reached my wit's end when it came to the living room and our bedroom closet.

My visions for the living room being a place of masculine-meets-feminine were quickly foiled when we made the decision to buy a 7-foot tall black bookcase. After all J's books were on it, it towered over the room like an enormous bird. Add the predominately black oriental rug, three more black shelving units, the large black TV, and a black side table and the whole space is exactly what I feared: a man cave. A man cave to the nth degree!! The futon, meanwhile, has lost its bright red color (this wasn't working anyway, but the exposed whiteness just makes the room all the more sharp), so everything is very deep and brooding in here.

Luckily I have a little corner to myself which I'm now calling my "femspace." My brown wooden desk and high-backed dusty-blue-and-pink-striped chair sit quietly beneath three framed photos of London I found at the Salvation Army. If I were sitting there now, I would be facing away from the ultimate yang space that all that black has created.

I let my yin expand westward to the bedroom, and I'm growing more proud of it as the room takes shape. I found a beautiful antique-looking Basset dresser at Salvation Army. It's cream colored and looks like it walked straight out of Downton Abbey -- on a direct path from the inspiration board! The bedroom has adopted more of the soft atmosphere I thought the bedroom would, with muted blues, neutrals, and woods. In a way, I'm glad the rooms have a distinct personality of their own. Even though its been hard to relinquish control of the living room, I realize eclectic was what I was going for in the first place -- and there's still plenty of time to make it more eclectic.

Pictures coming soon folks, I really promise.

Style Cure Day 12, 13, & 14: Shop, DIY, and Layout

Well, we had quite a weekend loading and unloading, driving back and forth between three districts of Seattle. I finally picked up the leftovers from my room at the old house -- and found a (temporary) new home for my beloved trundle in the same day! With the deep cleaning and roommate goodbyes behind me, I finally feel like I'm really starting fresh. J and I still need to bring my desk over, but we're finally getting to the light at the end of the tunnel.

Now that I've gotten to spend some quality time with the living room, the color palette is starting to take shape in my head. I managed to match the wall color to a Benjamin Moore shade: "Palace White":

Off the computer screen, it has a slightly warmer tone.... Something similar to the flower petals in this picture. (Thank you, Design Seeds.)

Going off the colors of what's definitely going to be in here -- shelves, walls, flooring, and rug -- I think we're looking at something like this for a color palette:

I'm delighted at how cozy some of these colors sound.

So, going back to my earlier list, I've made a few cuts and additions:

To Purchase:
-1 bookshelf, probably black, probably from Ikea; shorter than J wanted, perhaps, but loooong, to fill up northern wall space
-1 mini end table for futon; hopefully vintage & funky
-entry mat; something with "Fireweed," "Bracing Blue," or "Rosemary," perhaps
-curtains (3 for living room)
           *Thrift Find: 2 secondhand Target Home brand long curtains in "Studio Taupe" shade
-1 futon cover; will likely order online -- "Firewood" or "Bracing Blue" to pick up entry/oriental rug hues
-2 or 3 throw pillows; I think these will be my DIY -- that way I can be exact in my color choice. I can't start this very easily without my sewing machine, so that'll have to wait another week or so. By then I should have a firm idea of what hues will work best.

There are, of course, a variety of other odds and ends I need to pick up today as J and I traverse the thrifting fields. Value Village, The Salvation Army, Goodwill Outlet, local antique stores... I just can't wait to do what I love best: shop on the cheap! God as my witness, I will resist Ikea as long as possible. I certainly feel the temptation to buy new, but underneath it all my true feelings align with Phoebe's. It's more interesting when there's a history behind it.

J surprised me yesterday by unpacking the majority of our items -- including hanging up what he thought was the entirety of my wardrobe (oh, honey...) in our closet, setting up most of the kitchen (he's claimed this as his project, and I've happily stepped aside), and positioning the futon in the place we agreed it fit best. I was glad for it: after playing around with full-sized furniture by myself all afternoon yesterday, I've decided I like the floor planing part much better. So I guess layout is pretty taken care of!

I'll get some pictures up as soon as I can. Internet doesn't come to our place for another week, so I've had to make do with coffee shop and lunch break cramming to keep updated.

More soon!