Faux Distressed or Slick & Glossy?

Folks around these parts are ga-ga over painted furniture with that "distressed" look.  It seems that the magic formula is a flat painted finish with the edges sanded and a few nicks and scratches thrown in for good measure.

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I have to admit that the distressed finished is not my favorite way to reinvent a vintage piece, but I'm not above a little sanding and nicking if that is what the buyers are looking for.

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In most cases, and certainly for my own home, I prefer to finish my vintage pieces in a shiny, high-gloss finish.

Two images above from here

House Beautiful

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which I'm sure has the distressed furniture fans shaking their heads.

So, do you have a preference for how you finish a vintage furniture piece?  Or do you think it depends on the mood of the room and the style of the piece?  

Discuss.

Need some help pulling your style together?  The Green Room Interiors can make your home a beautiful place to be!  Call Kim Lemmon at 423.653.3186 or email thegreenroominteriors@gmail.com.

One More Reason to Give Thanks

Just when I was about to give up all hope that I would ever see a Campaign dresser in this town ...

there it sat out on the sidewalk of my favorite thrift store, with a lovely green "Sale" sticker on it! 

Taking delivery today and adding it to my "Things I'm Thankful For" list.

See you back here Monday, hopefully with another Project Dollhouse update.  The husband has the whole week off and I have a long list for him!

Hope you have a safe and happy Thanksgiving holiday!

Paperwhites in the House

Last week I potted up a bunch of paperwhite and amaryllis bulbs to sell in the shop and give as gifts.  Paperwhites are so fragrant and I love the natural element they bring to holiday decorating.


You can find the bulbs at Home Depot, Lowe's or Wal-mart and they usually come boxed with a plastic pot, potting mix and the bulbs.  I usually buy them in the garden center where you can find bags of bulbs. I plant them in vintage containers and use regular old potting soil.

Red Lion Amaryllis in blue & white porcelain pot with Nandina berries

White milk glass container planted with Paperwhites and blue and silver ornaments

Vintage elephant planter with Paperwhites and acorns

Potted bulbs make great hostess or teachers gifts, or keep them for yourself!  They're beautiful when used en masse on a mantel or on your dining table.

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Martha Stewart

Christmas bulbs in pots available at Merchants on Main.  607 E. Main St., downtown Chattanooga. Priced from $10 - $32

Have you started your holiday decorating?

Need some help pulling your style together?  The Green Room Interiors can make your home a beautiful place to be!  Call Kim Lemmon at 423.653.3186 or email thegreenroominteriors@gmail.com

Project Dollhouse - Master Bath Wallpaper Options

Originally I had planned to paint the master bathroom over at Project Dollhouse in stripes of white and Benjamin Moore's Spruce Green, which is the paint color in the master bedroom.

I have decided to also consider wallpapering the bathroom for a few different reasons.  First of all, the idea of measuring, marking and taping the space is a little overwhelming - especially considering I have to work around a window, some doors, a toilet, a vanity,and a shower in a very compact space.  Also, the walls have many imperfections.  There are already a few layers of wallpaper under the paint and I'm just not sure it will look good.


So, I'm leaving the wallpaper option open, and I found a few prospects that look promising.  They are all from Design Your Wall.  As a reminder, here is the plan for the Master Bedroom I posted a few weeks ago.

And the wallpaper options:

Sticking with the stripes here - with a side of polka dots.

This one may be too pink - is that possible?

This one is called Fountain.  Kind of zebra, kind of marbleized.  Zebralized.

This one is a real contender.  Love how it picks up on the Chinoiserie feel of the bedroom.  And I think a big floral could be really exciting in a small bathroom.  We'll call this Floral 1, because

Foral 2. Equally lovely.

Beige stripe.  My attempt at restraint.

Which would you choose?

Need some help pulling your style together?  The Green Room Interiors can make your home a beautiful place to be!  Call Kim Lemmon at 423.653.3186 or email thegreenroominteriors@gmail.com

A special shade for Lampzilla

So recently I blogged here about the trend for using oversize lamps.  And, if you recall, I showed you a few of my own oversized lamps.  The biggest of the bunch is this guy I like to call Lampzilla.  He's big and gold and certainly no shrinking violet.

You really don't get a sense of the scale of this thing - trust me, it's huge.

Anyway, just any old lamp shade won't fit a lamp of this size.  Luckily I had purchased a few big shades months ago and as luck would have it, this shade was a perfect fit.

Okay, so it fits, but somehow this shade just isn't, well, enough for Lampzilla. Not only is it crooked, it just doesn't  have enough pizazz to do Lampzilla justice.

Enter this big old ugly shade I've had hanging around for ages.

and, as is true in so many cases, it's paint to the rescue!

Next I broke out the glue gun and added some super special manly ribbon and now Lampzilla has a shade that is tall dark and handsome, just like he is!



Gosh I just love a happy ending!

Need some help pulling your style together?  The Green Room Interiors can make your home a beautiful place to be!  Call Kim Lemmon at 423.653.3186 or email thegreenroominteriors@gmail.com.

Going out on a limb with purple

The last few issues of Elle Decor and House Beautiful have been full of beautiful color schemes, and many of these have featured the color purple.  Maybe it's just a sign of the change of seasons, but personally I hope it sticks around.  I love a muted lavender, it's so soft and it adds a subtle dash to neutral spaces.

Designer Amanda Nisbett featured at Knotting Hill Interiors blog

Interior Designer Grant K.Gibson in Elle Decor

P.S. Would you have the courage to paint your door and trim that color?

The two unfortgettable images above are from John Saladino in Veranda

Madeline Weinrib's ads feature a purple palette

and Nick Olsen delighted us with this purple accented apartment in House Beautiful.

Hmmm... when Pantone announces the 2012 color of the  year, my money's going to be on a shade of purple.  What do you think?