The Green Room Interiors Chattanooga, TN Interior Decorator Designer: October 2013

One Room Challenge Week Five - Kitchen Progress

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

I can hardly believe I'm typing this but we're now in WEEK 5 (aka "Panic Week" ) of Linda's One Room Challenge. If this is your first visit here, welcome! As part of this series ( which culminates in the BIG REVEAL next Wednesday) I've been making over the kitchen at my house. If you would like to see the progression thus far, click here.

So about this week. Not a huge leap forward, but a few little details have been addressed. I think "shopping" is the theme of this post.

Like I changed out my cabinet hardware. When we first moved in I used some pink glass knobs and pulls left over from another project. I replaced them with these lucite knobs and very simple drawer pulls I found at Home Depot.

And that early 90's tile floor that makes me cringe is a little less visible under my new seagrass rug from the O. Please note that if you want a natural fiber rug in the kitchen, seagrass is the way to go. Seagrass is grown in salt marshes and is naturally water/stain resistant. Why they take all that water resistance and then band it with plain cotton is beyond me.

A cute and easy storage solution was found at my local HomeGoods. The big basket is large enough to hold a 20-lb bag of dog food and the smaller stripe basket holds 4 big soft drink bottles and an assortment of canned drinks too.

I have been styling and restyling my shelves ad nauseum. "Effortless" looking styling is exhausting.

Finally, I tried out this little x- bench but I don't think it's staying. All those legs going every which-way is just too much. I think if by some miracle I can find a bench with cabriole legs similar to the table legs then I would be good with that. Or I may just end up getting another Panton chair. What do you think?

I'm still waiting for window coverings to be finished, art/framing to be completed and picked up, and over the table lighting installed. And more shelf styling. This could be a nail-biter of a week.

Wonder how these folks made out.

Shelter

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

One Room Challenge Week 4 - My Kitchen Wallpaper is Up!!

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

So here we are at Week 4 of the One Room Challenge, the one where I and 19 other bloggers/designers are making over a room from start to finish in 6 weeks sharing our progress along the way every Wednesday. All of this fun is courtesy of my hero Linda from Calling It Home . She's smart like that. Anyway, if you're just joining the series, you can get caught up on Weeks 1 - 3 here.

You may recall that I left you last week with a little tease that arrived in a cardboard box all wrapped in shiny plastic.

Curious about which pattern I chose? Take a look!

Ha ha. Just kidding.

Here's the pattern I chose.

Scalamandre's Tabore from here.

I put my own spin on it and had my wallpaper ladies install the paper horizontally. I don't know if it made much difference but it made me feel pretty clever. Here's how it looks on my walls. The color in real life is somewhere between the drabish olive seen above and the what you see below. It's vibrant without being garish. And I love it. Truly. It's transformed my kitchen!

But wait! That's not all. I also got my shelves up! Those came from Lowe's. Right off the shelf. They had the perfect size (17.7") to fit the tile where we removed the upper cabinet. Happy!

Hey, outlet just hanging out there in the middle of the wall between the tile and the window. Why are you there?

So, let's all calm down for a moment and consider the other issues that need to be addressed to make this kitchen worthy of the Dollhouse.

Two issues in this photo. 1. Lighting. The overhead lighting does not adequately light the dining area at mealtime. That little lamp sitting on the table is a band-aid. Obviously I need something better and cuter. 2. That's a big blank wall that needs some interest. I've got to figure out what to put there. Feel free to jump in with your ideas on that.

So that's all I have for this week. I'm feeling overwhelmed and under prepared because I need to have decisions made and in place to show you a finished kitchen 2 weeks from today.

Dang.

Don't forget to check in with the other participants and offer up your encouragement and kind words. It really does help!

Shelter

Art in the Kitchen

Sunday, October 20, 2013

As I make my way through my kitchen makeover as part of One Room Challenge, I'm giving some thought to how I can bring some personality and interest into my small, featureless kitchen. One thing I'd like to explore is bringing some art in my kitchen. If you recall, I have a rather large, blank wall at one end of my kitchen where the dining table and chairs are placed.

My wall is crying out for help.

But what do you think is the best scenario in this situation?

I love the idea of a large, single piece of art, maybe even a big portrait.

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I love everything in this kitchen.

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I think the portraits lend an air of sophistication to these kitchens.

But how about something whimsical?

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or dramatic, like below

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Botanical prints are also something I would consider

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Or even a colorful abstract..

So I 'd love to hear what you think . Do you like to use art in the kitchen, and what do you think the best option is for my blank wall???

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

One Room Challenge Week 3 - Kitchen Table & Chairs

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

You guys. I have to fess up. I had many comments last week from readers who were so impressed by the amount of work I had accomplished in a week. Full disclosure. The changes I showed you last week were made in 2 years time. Not so impressed now, are you? I wanted to show you the real beginning in the first post, which was truly where it all started. Last week's post showed the state of the kitchen at the start of the ORC. Got it?

Now, let's talk about my dining area. It's small. It's basically a table pushed up against the wall because if it wasn't pushed up against the wall we wouldn't be able to open the refrigerator or the dishwasher. And that's important.

I've had a revolving door of tables in here but I think I've finally hit on a winner.

It's this one. I don't know what its made of or how old it is but it's just what I've been looking for. I wanted something somewhat casual and timeworn, and this table had such nice clean lines and the right amount of wear. And it fit the space perfectly. Finally.

Remember back in July when I posted about my love of mixing traditional dining tables with modern chairs?

That's what I'm doing. I thought about using these beauties I picked up a few weeks ago.

But I'm not. These are great, and modern, but the heart wants what the heart wants. And my heart wants these.

It's a love match! Even my 15 year-old daughter approves (of the chairs only. She hates the table).

Most nights there's three of us for dinner, so I plan to add a little bench to the open side of the table. More to come on that later.

And in other news... look at the walls. They got primed this weekend!

to prepare for my wallpaper.

which I have yet to reveal. Come back next week and see!!!

Let's see what everyone else has accomplished this week. Find them here:

Shelter

The Green Room Interiors provides Interior Decorating and Design Services to happy homeowners in Chattanooga, TN. If you'd like to experience the joy of living in a well designed home, contact Kim Lemmon at 423.653.31866 or email thegreenroominteriors@gmail.com.

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Pimp My Dollhouse: designPOST interiors

Monday, October 14, 2013

Good Monday, folks! Today I'm thrilled to welcome Beth from Design Post Interiors to share her take on making over my Dollhouse!

If you recall, I've asked a few of my favorite bloggers to come up with some ideas for making over the living room and dining room of my house using five items I already own.

And so now, here's how Beth sees the makeover of these spaces:

Hello all, Beth here visiting from designPOST interiors! I am so excited to be here today pimping

Kim's dollhouse! I have been following along this series and drooling over all the designs. When

you are working without a budget, it really doesn't get much better! Maybe it was the endless budget

or the fact that I was working with pieces so different from my usual style, but I decided to go way

outside of the box for Kim. I try to always choose styles that work for my client's but since we were

going all fantasy on this, I decided to push the limit a little bit. I veered a little from chinoiserie and

brought the elements together in a more casual bohemian way. I love taking traditional pieces and using

them in an unexpected combination. And of course I believe every room needs a touch of nautical!

For the living room I decided to use Kim's dream fabric as roman shades. I love how they add a bright
punch of color! Working from those colors I was able to tie in some new patterns on the rug and
throw pillows. I love the idea of using a bold green sofa instead of a boring ole neutral. After choosing
metals and wood tones for the accent furniture, I love how the wheat sheaf table base adds the perfect
golden pop. I tied that in with the sconces as well.

I envision the dining room being right off of the living area so I wanted to continue with a version

of the same palette. This time the fabric ended up as throw pillows. Again it livens up the space

with all the beautiful colors. I chose a mixture of chairs that would bring a more casual vibe to the space.

I love the juxtaposition of the Duncan Phyfe table with laid back slip covered and rattan chairs. The rug

ties back in the navy from the living room but in a little more formal version. I wanted both rooms to

have a more casual and natural feel so I used one of my favorite wallpapers from Paperboy Wallpaper

as well as leafy topiaries and a seagrass mirror.

I love this challenge as I always love to see how I can meld different styles. Although Kim and I have

different takes on decorating, I love that we can both use the same pieces to create rooms we love. I

hope you enjoyed my take and I'd love for you to come visit me at designPOST interiors!

So, what do you think? I love Beth's idea of using my gorgeous Chinoiserie fabric to make roman shades. So smart and tailored, don't you think? I also love that little punch of yellow at the dining room table - the entire palette feels so fresh!

Thanks for participating, Beth!

What do you love most about Beth's plan??

ORC Week 2 - Some Progress in the Kitchen

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

I think I owe my kitchen an apology after last week's post. The truth is I love this little kitchen even though it doesn't have fancy pants finishes or high end gadgets. What it does have is a perfectly laid out work triangle, plenty of countertop work space, and lots of potential!

Remember what my kitchen looked like before we moved in?

Let me bring you up to date on some of the changes we've made so far.

The cabinets have been painted Sherwin Williams Dover White - its a clean, warm white, and we used an oil-based paint for durability. We also replaced the kitchen countertops and I decided to go with butcherblock countertops to add some softness and warmth. I love lots of white combined with wood, so we replaced our stainless steel sink with white porcelain. We also changed out the faucet.

After a lengthy search we found an almost counter depth refrigerator that fit the available space perfectly!

And we tiled the backsplash. White subway tile was selected for its timeless clean look and budget-friendly price.

A very poor quality photo, but we've removed one of the upper cabinets and the ugly wooden valance that was so common in homes of this era. Note new vintage light fixture above the sink. It's so sweet and the prismatic shade casts the most wonderful, sparkly light. In place of the deleted cabinet is more white subway tile, and soon I will have some shelves instead! Something like this.

What else? Well, I have a small seating area that could use some love in a large way. Between the nasty wallpaper and the 80's flooring I have 50 shades of blah going on here. Left side of the wall shows the wall repair in progress.

And speaking of walls, these are crying out for help!! I think a wallpaper intervention is in order.

Behold.

That's all I can share for now! I hope to have my dining table and chairs figured out and ready to share with you next week.

Let's head on over and see what the other ladies have managed to get done, but meet me back here next week for another progress report!!

Shelter

The Green Room Interiors provides interior decorating and design services to happy homeowners in Chattanooga, TN. If you'd like to discover the joy of living in a well designed home, contact Kim Lemmon at 423.653.3186 or email thegreenroominteriors@gmail.com

Falling for Plum

Sunday, October 6, 2013

Raise your hand if you're shocked and excited that it's October. How can this be? Here in the southeastern United States fall tends to sneak up on us because our summers linger well into September. So now that the first cool mornings of the season are upon us, I think it's high time we pay homage to autumn - and I'm loving rich shades of plum for fall.

Did you think I wouldn't open with a shot of plum with Chinoiserie?

This library looks like a great place to spend a cool evening. So warm & cozy with those plum & wine tones.

Plum walls with a lacquer finish. Beautiful.

Don't you love the colorful autumn leaves against the plum backdrop?

Do you like the color plum for fall?

One Room Challenge - I'm Making Over My Kitchen!

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

The One Room Challenge, masterminded by the brilliant Linda at Calling It Home is kicking off today and I'm so incredibly excited/honored/humbled to have been given this amazing opportunity to participate - again! If you missed my family room makeover, you can read about it here.

And I'm in good company. Take a look at the other participants. Do you know how this all plays out? I, along with the talented ladies listed above, am going to make over a room from start to finish in the allotted six week timeframe posting updates on my progress every Wednesday.

This time I've got my sights set on my own kitchen. And a sad little kitchen it is. Here's how the kitchen looked before we closed on the house.

These photos don't adequately capture the layers of bacon grease and and grime that coated every surface in this kitchen. You'll have to trust me on that.

And in case you're thinking - "Yay! Kitchen makeover!!" and imagining this type of reveal

then you should probably reel in those expectations. Because true to my typical MO, I'm working with a lot of the existing elements in the kitchen. Yep, we're going to shine up the turd - and we also have some things to address from a functionality standpoint.

1. Like storage. I have no pantry in my kitchen so all of my cookware, dinnerware, and everything (including groceries) is in my kitchen cabinets. And for the most part that's fine. The problem is that my brooms, mops, big sack of dog food and bottled drinks don't fit in the cabinets.

2. Lighting. In the second image of my kitchen you can just see the tips of the pull chains from the disgusting ceiling fan with attached light kit that was the main source of light for the space. It's an inadequate way to light a kitchen, at best.

3. Look at it. It's not the most inspiring space to cook in, so some hard core decorating needs to happen. Did you take note of those circa 1989 whitish tile floors??? Yeah, those are staying.

And so now I think you have a pretty clear picture of the task at hand. And I'm going to leave you with a few inspiration photos that I find appealing.