Gray & Yellow

I am really warming up to the idea of gray, especially when paired with yellow. I don't like glaringly bright yellows unless they are used sparingly for just a pop of color. What I really like are warm buttery yellows and light & airy pale yellows. As far as gray goes, I love the warmer shades, though I must admit, I have seen some blue gray shades that have been very pretty. I have been searching for examples of gray & yellow rooms and I am sharing these with you today.                                                                                           

 







Dwell Studio





alkemie.blogspot





Pottery Barn



Pottery Bran



colorindesign.net







Weat Elm, Benjamin Moore Chelsea Gray





West Elm, Benjamin Moore Shadow Gray




Decor Pad




Decor Pad




Martha Stewart




Living Etc.







More inspiration from a great designer

Another designer that I love is Elizabeth Martin. What is interesting is that I had copied about 4 pictures of rooms into my Dream House folder before finding out that the rooms were all designed by the same person! I came across an article on Elle Decor.com which featured the homes of Alli Wentworth & George Stephanopolous (2 of my favorite people). Look at these beautifully decorated rooms. Elizabeth is so talented. I love how she seamlessly groups old and new together for a fresh, yet timeless look.Go to ElizabethMartinDesign.com to see her work.

Something's Gotta Give & James Rabin

About 4 months ago I started looking for rooms I love. What first came to mind was the Hampton Beach house in the movie Something's Gotta Give. Turns out lots of other people fell in love with that house too and there is plenty of info and pictures out there. These photos are on the designer James Radin's website, though I have read that Beth Rubino was the set designer. So maybe they worked together, I don't know. Radin's portfolio is beautiful. Rooms filled with air and light and serenity. I especially love how he uses artwork for a pop of color. I think about the beach when I look at his designs, and that's my favorite place to be. Here are a few other rooms in his portfolio.

My inspiration

                    


I tend to decorate with warmth in mind. It gets cold up here in the mountains! It is not unusual to see the temp go down to 20 below in the winter, so you can understand why I look for warmth in my home decor. However, lately I have been yearning for color and a light, airy feel. I love vintage, coastal and traditional design, but there's a part of me that is drawn to fresh and modern. I guess that would put me in the eclectic category in terms of decorating style, but what it really means is that I like to surround myself with things and colors I love. When  you think about it, that is what a home is all about. I don't chase after the latest fads and trends, but that doesn't mean that I am not influenced by them. So today I thought that I would show you a few of the things that I like, things inspire my direction in decorating.

The big challenge

 

My living room is my biggest design challenge. The house was built in 1981 and is a  contemporary design.  My husband thinks it has a ski lodge vibe, but I think it looks like a big, nondescript box. No  detailing, no built-ins, no hardwood floors, no character. BUT it did come with ugly pink carpeting throughout the whole house! I didn't want to buy the house because it, but my husband promised it would quickly be replaced by beautiful hardwood floors. 8 years later I sit here looking at the same PINK wall to wall carpet. As time went by, the rug was put on the bottom on our list of priorities in spending money, but I am now at the end of my pink rope. I am thinking of ripping it up and painting the floor. I am posting pictures for you to see. These are my "Before" pictures and as I go through the process of choosing colors, painting and redecorating, I will post more.

No more beige!

That's what my family says whenever I talk about painting a room. I don't know why they think I paint everything beige. I don't. However, I do admit that our first home was painted (in every room on the first floor) Antique White by Benjamin Moore. I love that color. It has a really warm light pinky-peachy tint to it that seems to go well with everything. Then when I staged the house for sale I chose a warm beige for a neutral.

When we moved into our present house I spent almost one year living with paint chips all over the walls. We have an extremely weird shaped living room. It was painted a bright white when we bought it and severely lacked personality. I ended up choosing Benjamin Moore's Bennington Grey (which really looks more like a Taupe). So I guess it must seem like we have always lived in beige rooms, but to be fair I other rooms in the house that are drenched in color! I am ready for a change. Bring on the paint chips!

My Paint Chip Obsession

I am addicted to paint chips. It drives my husband crazy. They are everywhere in the house. Found on almost every surface at one time or another. I have even passed on the affliction to my 13 year old daughter, who also loves to go to any home store and seek out the paint department.We can spend an hour oohing and ahhing over all the subtle variations in tones and hues, and always come home with handfuls of glorious colors to add to our collection. I definitely have favorites when it comes to paint color. Farrow & Ball (way too expensive), Restoration Hardware (there isn't a store anywhere near Beachnut Lane), Benjamin Moore, and Sherwin Williams. I tend to love muted shades for home decorating and these Restoration Hardware colors just warm my heart! http://www.restorationhardware.com/catalog/category/products.jsp?categoryId=cat1017001

Blogging Beginnings

I have lots to say, lots of ideas and lots of unfinished projects. So what's a girl to do? Blog, of course! I am a home decorating and design addict. I spend countless hours on the computer drooling over pictures of good design, beautiful homes and creative DIY projects. I have created many folders packed full of inspiration and I am here to share them with you. I also have a 9 room house nestled in a mountain valley in Northern New England. It's in need of updating and I am short on money, so I am taking on the challenge of redecorating on an extremely tight budget. Hope you come along for the ride and find some inspiration too!