ORC Ming Coffee Table Makeover and a New Rug

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

If you're visiting my blog for the first time today, welcome!  You picked a good day because I have an update on the family room I'm redecorating for the One Room Challenge.

Today I'm thrilled to share with you my Ming coffee table makeover.  I bought this coffee table  a few weeks ago during a little shopping sojourn in Atlanta with my Mom, who passed along her decorating/shopping/deal-finding gene to me.  It's been useful.  

Here's where it all started.  Poor little Ming was under a pile of craptastic junque - and that makes discovering her even more rewarding. Do you find this to be true?  Apparently Ming had a difficult few years and she was wearing the battle scars to prove it.  

The damage was pretty deep and I had to break out the electric sander to prepare the surface for paint.  There are few things in life I hate more than sanding but I knew it would be worth the extra effort.

Then I primed, but you don't need to see pictures of that. 


I lightly brushed on this "Ivy Green" color acrylic paint.  Have you painted anything with this? I love this stuff because it lays down really well and doesn't show many brush marks, although by this photo you would not think so.

I decided to get creative and mixed up some acrylic paint from the craft section of Wal-Mart.  I squirted a little of both colors in an empty mac & cheese tub and mixed with a spoon until I got a color I was happy with.  We're not very formal around here. 




I very lightly dry-brushed the teal on over the green, let it dry, then dry-brushed on a little more green.  After this dried, I dry-brushed on some black - to give it some depth.



And this is Ming all finished up.  What do you think?  I'm kind of ecstatic about it.  The layering on of color has been great because in the daytime the color is more green and at night it's more teal.  How fun!


And yes, that is a new rug!  Super thrilled with it, too.  It's a high falutin' HomeGoods score. The rug is a printed maze and is heavy enough that it doesn't "creep" on the carpet.  And look, it has a fancy designer label on it.



Next Wednesday it's lights and curtains and whatever else I manage to get done between now and then. You'll come back to see, right?

Now check these out:


The Green Room Interiors provides Interior Decorating and Design Services to happy homeowners in Chattanooga, TN.. If you would like to experience the joy of living in a well-designed home, call Kim Lemmon at 423.653.3186 or email thegreenroominteriors@gmail.com

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Posted at 3:05 PM 67 comments
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New Flush Mount Light Fixtures at Home Depot

Friday, February 22, 2013

I'm sure by now you've seen this Home Depot light fixture makeover from The Hunted Interior.

I found it kind of inspiring so I took a little trip to Home Depot last week to have a look for myself.  If you don't already know, I'm working on my family room makeover for the One Room Challenge.

Here are my lovely inherited light fixtures.  Not the kind of "eclectic" I'm going for.

I've selected and purchased one of these styles for my family room.  
I've personally named each selection.  I call the one above "Simple Bling".

This one is "Simple Glass" - obviously I didn't spend much time on the naming part.

This handsome fixture is "Modern Lantern".

I call this fixture "Vintage"

And finally, there's "Geometry".

I'm happy to report that most of these lights fall into the $40 - $90 range, which can certainly help stretch the budget.

Any guesses as to which one(s) went home with me?  

The Green Room Interiors provides Interior Decorating and Design Services in Chattanooga, TN.   If you would like to experience how a well designed home can improve your life, call Kim Lemmon at 423.653.3186 or email thegreenroominteriors@gmail.com
Posted at 9:54 AM 27 comments
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ORC - Gallery Wall

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

First of all, I'd like to thank everyone who commented and emailed me about my Annie Sloan Chalk Paint fiasco that went down last week.  Let me shed a little insight for those who want to paint a piece of pine furniture with ASCP. Apparently pine releases a substance that will bleed through any paint, and a coat of shellac (primer will not be sufficient)  should be applied to pine before you paint it.  I found this out after my 7th coat.  Did I stop and run to the hardware store and get some shellac and start all over again?  No.  I've decided to embrace the streaks for now. You'll see. 

In other happenings in my family room project, I've been giving a lot of thought to the wall of art that I have planned for the nearly 20-ft. wide wall that serves as a corridor along the north side of my family room.  There are lots of different ways to approach this type of project.  


This is probably my least favorite type of installation for a wall of art.  I get that  the concept behind all the black frames is to unify the collection, but I think it looks too contrived.  I also think that because the all of the pictures are small it looks busy.



Here's an instance where I love the matching frames, because the art displayed is actually a true collection of a single theme - the horses.  I think in this instance the grid installation shows off the art in the best possible way.


Source: google.com via Kim on Pinterest

Here's the look I'm going to try and create.   I like the scale of the art and I like that it looks like a collection that's been added to over time. None of the frames match and the only common theme shared by the art is that it appealed to the owner. 

As luck would have it (if you're a glass-half-full sort of person) my unfinished living room is directly behind the big white wall, so I'm able to use that space to lay out how I want to arrange the pieces of art I'll be using.




See the mirrors in there?  If all goes according to plan, I've done the math correctly and I hold my mouth just right, the mirrors should line up with the sliding glass doors on the opposite side of the room, increasing amount of light into the space and reflecting the view of the trees in the back yard.  If nothing else trying to get this installed should make for some colorful banter between me and the Mr. 

Now I've got to see what the over-achievers have accomplished.  




The Green Room Interiors provides interior decorating and design services to happy homeowners in Chattanooga, TN.  If you would like to experience how a well designed home can improve the quality of your life, call Kim Lemmon at 423.653.3186 or email thegreenroominteriors@gmail.com
Posted at 4:04 PM 34 comments
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Annie Sloan 911

Friday, February 15, 2013

Hey, does anyone out there know why this is happening to a piece of pine furniture I'm painting?
I'm using Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and I did sand it slightly before I started painting  but for some reason there are pink streaks throughout the paint. 


This photo was taken after 4 coats of chalk paint.  Really Annie Sloan?  $35 per quart and this is what I get after 4 coats?

 Any advice? Leave me a comment or email me at thegreenroominteriors@gmail.com

 Have a great weekend - I'm headed out of town for a little family time. 

Posted at 7:11 AM 20 comments
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ORC - Long and Narrow Family Room Layout and Design Elements

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Yet another long name for my post.  First things first - form follows function, particularly when you're working in a challenging space like my super long and super narrow family room.  
My plan?  Divide and conquer the space.  Because it's such a long room I felt it best to divide into two distinct areas.  One area is for tv viewing - and let's be honest, this is the area that sees the most action.  The second area is my little "library", and I use the term loosely because it basically consists of a table with my favorite books on it flanked by a few chairs.


As you can see, I've had my beloved Lemon Tree fabric made up into a tablecloth for my library table.  More on that later.

So,  my new sofa is what divides the space into the two separate zones.  My sofa is so new I haven't even taken delivery of it yet.  Here's a photo from the web. 
 Is it my dream sofa? It's not the sofa of my biggest, grandest dreams,  but it met size, color and price requirements (50% off because it was a custom order the vendor got wrong)  - and I liked it well enough to pull the trigger.

True to how I usually pull a room together in my own home, there will be lots of repurposed pieces that I've owned for a while and new "finds" that fit my aesthetic - which is mostly classic, but in a modern way.

Another challenge I face is this:

A very long, very white wall - with a hole in it where the 1972 cutting edge intercom system control center was.   Since this wall is, in effect, a corridor that connects the kitchen to the foyer and hallway, I'm thinking it's an excellent opportunity for ceiling to floor art.  Like this

And, finally, here's a little snapshot of how I'm hoping things will come together over the next 5 weeks.


Furniture makeovers and diys start next week.  I feel bad for my crock pot.

Let's go see what the other ladies are up to.


The Green Room Interiors provides Interior Decorating and Design Services to happy homeowners in Chattanooga, TN.  Call Kim today and find out how a well designed home can improve the quality of your life!  423.653.3186 or email thegreenroominteriors@gmail.com
Posted at 6:14 AM 45 comments
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Alternative Headboards

Sunday, February 10, 2013

Today I want to share some alternatives to using traditional headboards.  Upholstered headboards are still going strong, and it's hard to beat the great look and comfort they provide.  But if you're like me and enjoy doing something a little different,  why not consider one of these options: 

1.  Enormous and gorgeous piece of art.  The bigger, the better.






2.  Architectural fragment.  Again, big and dramatic.







3.  Mirror (for those with a healthy body image)




4.  My favorite, the screen - just like I did in my own bedroom

Source: houzz.com via Kim on Pinterest




Do you have any headboard ideas to add to my list?

The Green Room Interiors provides interior decorating and design services to happy homeowners in Chattanooga, TN.  Call us today and find out how a well designed home can improve your life!  423.653.3186 or email thegreenroominteriors@gmail.com

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Posted at 1:07 PM 21 comments

New at my Booth

Thursday, February 7, 2013

I'm adding a few new pieces to my space at Merchants on Main and thought you might like to see what I've been up to!

I just added this Basset dresser a few days ago.  It was a typical 70's drab brown and I painted it in Rustoleum's Smoke Gray - which is at the top of my favorite furniture paint colors list now.  It's a little darker than this picture shows, and it has the slightest blue undertone.  



This cute mid-century dresser sold the day after it arrived.


I have a pair of these vintage canary yellow pleather channel back chairs.  They have lovely carved legs and brass nail heads.


And as always, a few vintage lamps.  Hard to tell from the photo, but this one is beefy, crackled and the most amazing shade of jade green.

I love the shape of this lamp and the unusual burnt orange/ blue & white color combination.

If you're in the Chattanooga area, stop by and have a look!

Hope you have a beautiful weekend!

The Green Room Interiors provides interior decorating and design services to happy homeowners in Chattanooga, TN. Call Kim Lemmon at 423.653.3186 or email thegreenroominteriors@gmail.com



Posted at 7:43 PM 13 comments
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One Room Challenge - the Befores/Challenges/Direction

Tuesday, February 5, 2013


That's a long title for a post, isn't it?  Anyway, let's get the "befores" out of the way.  They're completely underwhelming but hopefully when I finish up and the room is complete it will make the "afters" more dramatic.

The challenges are many.

1. As you can see, it starts with an empty canvas.  And  I mean really empty, because there's nothing of architectural interest in the room.  No beautiful moldings, no book cases - not even a fireplace.  And yes, that's circa 1972 faux wood paneling that's been painted a lovely shade of peanut butter.

2. The room is shaped like a bowling alley.  It's twice as long as it is wide.  Now factor in this: the entire north side of the room can't be utilized (for furniture)  because it serves as a walkway that connects the kitchen to the foyer.  Also, my basement door is along said north wall. That means I have about 10' of usable width to place furniture.

You're getting the bowling alley effect now, right?  This  shot was taken at the opposite end of the room, showing the entrance to the kitchen and the inherited light fixtures.  Pretty!

I could go on but I think you get the scope of the task at hand. Now for the inspiration:


I want the room to feel fresh and mostly classic.

and even a little sophisticated

with lots of black & white (+ gold) - so it's a little mod, too!

And I love to build a room around a beautiful fabric.  Here's where I'm starting. This is Greef/Schumacher's "Lemon Tree", which I discovered at a small fabric store near my mom's house in Atlanta.  I had never seen it before and haven't seen it since - but I'm so happy we found each other. 

I'm dying to see what everyone else is doing, aren't you? Here are the links - be on your way!
Posted at 9:26 AM 32 comments
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