Night Stand Makeover for a Good Cause

Who's ready for a three-day weekend?!?  Before we part ways for the Labor Day Holiday, I wanted to share a little furniture makeover I just finished up.  

A few weeks ago I got a call from Cynthia at  the Home Builders Association of Greater Chattanooga  (HBAC).  The HBAC is putting on a remodeling show in September and she contacted me because they are including a charity auction to benefit Special Spaces Chattanooga.  What is Special Spaces?  They're a non-profit organization that helps children facing terminal illnesses by creating and implementing beautiful bedrooms for them. For such a worthy cause, I jumped at the chance to participate.  They even provided the furniture for me to re-create, which will be auctioned off for Special Spaces.  

Now this is where I hang my head in embarrassment a little.  I forgot to take the expected "before" photo.  Problem is, when I decide to tackle a new project it's usually while I have 3 other things going on at the time - like dinner, laundry, social media maintenance, and - oh yeah- I need to start that night stand project.

Here's the point at which I remembered to take a photo.

You guys are visual people, so I know you can imagine this piece in its original golden brown glory.

I honestly didn't know what I was going to do.  Just painting in a pretty color didn't seem like enough, and even though this piece is for charity, I wanted to do something with it that reflected my aesthetic, which is a little more embellished.

I started with a coat of gray paint (Benjamin Moore Gray Wisp) and taped off a big stripe down the middle.  I also painted the polished nickel hardware with gold leaf paint.

Better, but I'm a "more is more" kind of person.  Inspiration hit me in the aisle of Big Lots when I spotted these

Of course!  I was going to incorporate the sunburst design that's in my logo.  

More Gold Leaf paint was used.  I painted up a bunch of those bamboo skewers, set aside my fears and started gluing.  (Elmer's Wood Glue, if you're taking notes)

And here's the finished piece...

A big thank you to Cynthia and the Home Builders Association of Greater Chattanooga and also to Special Spaces Chattanooga for giving me the opportunity to participate.

If you'd like to learn more about the HBAGC Home & Remodeling Expo Sept 14-15, click here.  I'll also have a booth at the Home & Remodeling Expo that weekend, so bring me those paint and fabric swatches you've been obsessing over for months.

Have a relaxing, happy Labor day weekend!

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 423.653.3186 or email thegreenroominteriors@gmail.com

Pleated Lampshades

First of all, I want to congratulate you for clicking through to read this post.  You're a design geek of the highest level.

I firmly believe that it's the details that take a space from "pretty good" to extraordinary, so I tend to scrutinize rooms that I admire and make mental notes of all of the details.  One of the details on my radar right now is the use of pleated lampshades.  

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Pleated lampshades were big in the 80's and 90's, but fell out of favor for the more streamlined drum shade.  Apparently someone smarter than me thought that if brass could make a big comeback, why not bring back  pleated lampshades too.

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I think this is just part of a larger movement to more classic interiors, where the pretty details are layered on.

Nick Olsen in House Beautiful

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Are you ready to revisit pleated lampshades?  I found a  diy tutorial here and source here.

The Green Room Interiors provides Interior Decorating and Design Consultation Services in Chattanooga, TN.  Call Kim at 423.653.3186 or email thegreenroominteriors@gmail.com to find out how a well designed home can improve the quality of  your life!

Down to the Details - Hardware

Not too long ago I blogged about some easy details you can change or add to your existing pieces to give them a more custom look. You can read that post here.  When I'm shopping for furniture for clients, my booth or my own home, I'm attracted to pieces with great hardware.

 Case and point - the credenza in my family room.  When I bought it at a resale shop, it was wearing a very dull and very 1970's brownish gold wood stain finish.  I knew the piece had great lines and I already l loved the hardware, so all it needed was a fresh coat of shiny black paint. 

I also bought a pair of these nighstands for my master bedroom because I fell in love with the drawer pulls. You can read about their makeover here.

Here's a thrift store jewelry box I bought because of the lions head pulls and the nail head trim..  

And holy wow, we can't forget the original over-the-top brass hardware on my front doors. Which is not to say we bought the house because of the front door hardware, we'll just call it an added bonus. 

Here's a much larger version of some lion head pulls. Outstanding against the black doors!  Image from Bijou and Boheme

Source: google.com via Kimberly on Pinterest

The first thing that caught my eye in this image was the brass hardware. 

Source: Uploaded by user via Michele on Pinterest

Did you already see this bathroom from Brian Patrick Flynn? He cleverly used door knockers as cabinet hardware. 

Surely I'm not the only one who bought a piece of furniture because of the hardware. Have you ever done that?

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.

To learn about the services I offer, click here.

If you'd like to view my portfolio, click here.

My Ballard Designs Favorites

The day after I read this post that featured Raina's favorites from Ballard Designs, I received my very own sale catalog from Ballard's and thought I'd give it a good look for myself.   After all, it included a 15% discount offer - and I love a bargain  (but you already knew that.) 


 Here are my favorites:

The Cattail Floor Lamp - it's functional, it's sculptural, it's whimsical!

Oyster Shell Mirror - a fun variation on a classic seashell mirror

Bella Cane Bar Stool - a Palm Beach classic

Remember I posted about busts here?  I love the added texture of the plants!

Monserrat place mats - love the little shell trim.

Surprise!  Who knew I was so drawn to texture?

Do you have any Ballard faves I should know about?

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