I've Moved!

Hello friends!

I know it's been a long time since I've posted here but I wanted to share some changes I've made.

First up, I've tweaked my logo a bit

I redesigned and relaunched my website here,

and from now new, blog entries will be posted on my new website.

I also want to thank everyone who's taken the time to visit me, comment on my blog, and email me your questions and comments. Your support and your friendship means so much to me!

Please don't be a stranger!  I've already got my first blog post up on my new site and I'll be posting weekly.

See you around the interwebs,

Kim

xo

An Open Letter to My Potential Clients

Dear Amazing Potential Client,

First and foremost, I'd like to thank you for the (potential) opportunity to work with you in what is most likely your biggest financial investment - your home.  I believe that your home should be your most special, most favorite place on earth.  I also understand that it takes a pretty big leap of faith to put your trust in someone else to create a haven that reflects your personality, and I get how scary and how overwhelming the whole process seems to be.

Here are my suggestions to help you get the most out of our relationship.

1.  Get me involved in the process as early as possible.  The best possible outcome will be realized if we start working together in the planning stages, and certainly before any paint goes on the walls or any new purchases are made.

2.  If there is a significant other, let's make sure they're involved from the beginning as well.  It's a waste of our time and your money for us to come up with something you love but he/she hates.  If both parties have input from the beginning - even if you don't share the same style, the entire process will work more efficiently.

3.  I'm sure you've heard the expression, "If you love it, it will work".  While there is some truth to this statement, it's not without limits. As in, "I fell in love with this comfy, overstuffed dark brown leather sofa AND I want a light and airy space that reminds me of my perennial garden in the spring". Now I'm not one to shy away from a challenge, but clearly this would be a huge obstacle to creating the feel you're working toward.  (Refer back to #1.)

4.  It's okay with me if you want to take the slow approach.   In fact, if you don't have a lot of money set aside for decorating, you'll get better results if you decorate over time.   I work with several clients who are decorating their homes over time - as long as a few years to complete a room.  We're making changes and adding things as their time and budgets allow.  The key is to have a design plan to guide us through the process (refer back to #1 again).

5.  Trust me! This is tough for a lot of people - and I get how hard this is - but give up a little control and let me do what I do. It's my job and my area of expertise to visualize your space in a big picture sort of way, so let me lead you a few steps out of your comfort zone. Whatever it is you're unsure of  will make sense in the end.

6.  Be realistic about your budget.  This doesn't mean we're going all high end everything.  Quite the opposite. But there are some pieces that are worthy of a bigger investment.  Like the sofa the entire family will be lounging upon. And we'll want to include a few custom items.  Nothing elevates those thrifty finds like professionally made window treatments and a few beautifully made pillows in special fabrics. (Refer back to #4).

And finally, have fun with it!  Decorating your home should be an exciting and fulfilling process, so relax and enjoy the ride!

Happy Decorating, and I'm looking forward to working with you soon!

If you live in the Chattanooga, TN area and you're looking for an Interior Decorator or help with a Design project, please visit my website to learn more about me and view my recently completed projects.

When I'm not posting to my blog, you can find me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest.  I welcome you to follow along!

When Sofas Don't Match

A few weeks ago I met with a client that was looking for some assistance in  furnishing a very large family room.  During our meeting he told me how much he liked the Kensington leather Chesterfield sofa from Restoration Hardware.

He got no resistance from me - I quickly agreed that this was a great statement piece and certainly worthy of building a room upon. 

Given the generous dimensions of the family room, I suggested we add another sofa to help fill up the space and provide plenty of seating for the family and friends who would gather here. Rather than go with a matching sofa, I suggested something clean and understated that would be compatible without  competing with the leather Chesterfield.

Belgian Track Arm by Restoration Hardware

I love the slipcovered version, and I recommended a linen slipcover for the warmer months and velvet for fall and winter.

The idea of having two sofas in the same room that are completely different can be a little tough to sell. After all, many of us were raised in homes that had living room, dining room, and bedroom "suits".  Why?  Instead, consider non-matching sofas for a layered and collected look.

Does this qualify as the same room?  In any case, note black leather sofa sharing space with white fabric sofa.

This is what I'm talking about.  Have I convinced you that opposite sofas attract?  Or are you already a member of the Mixed over Matched club? 

The Green Room Interiors provides Interior Decorating and Design Services 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

Find me here too:  Instagram     Pinterest     Facebook

Leopard and Floral

Happy Monday!  First of all I want to thank everyone who took the time to stop by and see my bathroom reveal for The One Room Challenge.  Your kind comments and emails were greatly appreciated and I'm happy to report that just walking by that space brings a smile to my face.  How poetic.

Today I want to talk to you about combining leopard with floral prints.  The reason I started thinking about this particular combination came about during my last visit to my Mother's house in Atlanta.  She was asking me about updating her living room and we started talking about changing out some pillows.  I suggested leopard and her response was "with the flowers"?.

I was surprised that she had reservations about combining the two.  After all, she loves a good pattern mix as much as I do.

And clearly I have no qualms about mixing floral with leopard.

Miles Redd is no stranger to the leopard/floral mix, as seen here in House Beautiful.

Nor is Nick Olson:

So I say leopard and floral are completely compatible.  And speaking of mixing traditional prints with leopard, I'm considering adding a leopard rug to this bathroom.

Leopard and damask?  Works for me.

The Green Room Interiors provides Interior Decorating and Design Services 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

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One Room Challenge - My Hall Bath Reveal

It's done!  For the most part.  I know you're visiting lots of blogs today so I'll be light on the words and heavy on the photos.

Before we get to the "after" shots, I thought I'd share a photo of my hall bath when we bought our house 3 years ago.

Not so cute. And while we did tear out and replace the tile in the bathtub surround and the floor before we moved in, our little makeover stalled out until the One Room Challenge came around.

So, though the magic of wallpaper, paint, a little vision and the husband's renovation skills, I'm thrilled to share my hall bath "after" photos with you!

 I repurposed an antique buffet I've had for a while but had no use for until we decided to transform it into a bathroom vanity.  We only lost the use of the top drawer so not only is the piece unique, it offers plenty of storage. 

I'm so proud of myself for getting this shot (above).  I literally set the timer on my camera, held it against the opposite wall and hoped for the best.  But wait, first take a moment to bask in the glory of that flame mahogany.  So gorgeous!

The shower curtains and valance were made from off the rack curtain panels.  We added grosgrain trim to the curtain panels and my workroom made the valance out of a third panel. The bamboo shade came with me from a former house.  Lucky fit!  The palm frond chandelier is vintage - I painted it gold myself.

So you know how I love a good mix, right?  Since my buffet/vanity (buffity?) is so classic, I wanted to contrast that with a little bit of mod, and I knew this mirror would be perfect. Isn't it though?  It was dark wood when I bought it but I sprayed it gold then painted over that with Liquid Leaf.  

Thanks to all of your input I decided against the vessel sink, because lots of you warned me that they were not so user-friendly - so in this case functionality won out.  I went with a polished chrome faucet because it's timeless and transcends trends.

And I love the little glimpses of my antique mirror wall. 

Most everything in this shot I've had.  The stag sconce is antique.  I've had it for at least 5 years but never could find the right place for it.

The turquoise lamp is vintage too.  Floor tile is readily available from the shelves of Home Depot and it's budget friendly.  I chose it because I like how clean the white looks in a bathroom and the geometric pattern feels old and new at the same time. The wallpaper is Brunschwig & Fils Le Grand Palais.

Thanks for taking the time to visit today.  I'd love to know what you think about my bathroom makeover!

Thank you to Linda for creating and hosting the One Room Challenge.  You can find links to all of the participants here and here.

The Green  Room Interiors provides Interior Decorating and Design Services 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 5 - Finally Wallpaper

I bet you thought I was going to be a no-show today.  The reason I'm posting so late  is because my wallpaper ladies finished hanging my bathroom just moments ago and I wanted to wait until they were done so I could show you pictures of something more than sheet rock dust and a toilet.

But before we get to that, I want to thank you for checking in on my week FIVE (!) progress of the One Room Challenge.  In case you're not familiar, it's the internet sensation (if you like this sort of thing) where bloggers make over a room from start to (hopefully) finish in 6 weeks posting their progress every week either on Wednesday or Thursday. The entire concept for this event was dreamed up by Linda and you'll find links to all participants here and here.

Now, on to my bathroom situation.  If you follow me on Instagram then you already know I got cold feet where my wallpaper was concerned.

 Because although that damask pattern is pretty, it's also super traditional, kind of gigantic,  and somewhat formal.  So I did what any insecure, self-doubting decorator would do.  I put it in front of my Instagram followers to decide.

Yes, the damask had a formidable opponent in this latecomer. I mean who doesn't love a good bamboo treillage wallpaper?  I certainly do and apparently my Instagram followers do because they voted for the treillage paper over the damask.

And after all of that input and indecision,  I followed my heart and took a leap of faith with my original choice.

iPhone 4S photos cannot accurately capture the magnificence of this paper. And I also have to say that in this world of seamless glass and showers and understated finishes, my heart will always belong to pretty color combinations and interesting pattern mixes.  

In other bathroom news, I hinted last week that I was considering painting the wainscoting blue, yet I decided to keep it crisp and go with white. But now I think I want to paint my boring door black.  What do you think?

So there is lots left to do to get ready for next week's reveal.  We haven't even begun to convert the buffet, much less pick out  a sink and faucet. We are tired and somewhat overwhelmed.  But the good thing about week 5 is that the finish is in sight and it kind of gives you the shot of adrenaline you need to bring it all together for the reveal.  That's what I'm hoping anyway.

So I'll see you back here next Thursday.  If you absolutely cannot wait to see more bathroom tidbits or you just want to show some love and devotion, I suggest you follow me on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook.  I can't wait to show you my finished bathroom!


The Green Room Interiors provides Interior Decorating and Design Services 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 4 - A Little More Progress

Welcome to this week's installment of the One Room Challenge.  In case you're not familiar, this is the event created by Linda from Calling It Home where participants make over the room of their choice in six weeks sharing their progress once a week along the way. I have been linking up with the makeover of my hall bathroom.  Week 4 is always tough,  and I feel like I haven't completed nearly as much as I had hoped to at this point.  

Remember last week when I shared that I was planning to do a wall of antiqued mirror tiles behind my vanity?  The good news is I got all of the mirrors successfully antiqued and I'm  pretty happy with how they turned out.

The not so good news is that we haven't had a chance to install the tiles on the wall yet.  :-( .

In other news, the wall repair has been a huge undertaking.  There has been sanding and more sanding followed up by more sanding. And you know how awful that superfine sheet rock dust is. My husband came out of the bathroom on Sunday looking like a powdered donut.

Here's something positive. The box molding has been added to the lower third of the walls (Yay)

and I'm thinking that rather than painting it out white, I'm may just paint  the wainscoting a shade of blue that's slightly darker than the blue in the wallpaper.

Benjamin Moore Buxton Blue in particular.  What do you think about that idea?  Do you like the idea of painting the wainscoting blue or would you paint it white?

I'm also struggling with whether to go with a vessel sink or a drop-in sink for my antique piece turned bathroom vanity.  Originally I had planned go with a drop-in sink but after consulting with Professor Pinterest, I think the vessel sinks look so much better in this situation. Look:

Don't you agree?  I think the vessel sink looks so much better.  

This is all of the progress I have to share with you today.  Things should really start to come together next week (really!) as the mirror wall will be installed, the rest of the trim will be installed and painted, and I'm hoping to get the paper up and the vanity placed. It's an ambitious list.

Say a quick prayer for me and be sure to tune in next Thursday.  To find the links to all of the other participants, click  here and  here .

One Room Challenge Week 3 - Not Pretty Yet

Hello and welcome back!  Today I have a little update for you on the progress of my hall bathroom makeover as part of  The One Room Challenge Linking event - the one where participating bloggers make over a room in 6 weeks posting weekly updates along the way.

I've made a little progress in my bathroom and unfortunately it's not the type of progress where the pretty has started to happen.  It's the kind where we've done more of the behind the scenes work that will allow us to layer on the pretty.

You may recall my bathroom still had the original 1972 vanity complete with it's limey green cultured (fake) marble top. Well, that thing is so out of here!

and soon will be replaced by this old sideboard as new vanity.

That's the best pic I could get since it's currently somewhat buried in my holding area. And no, the flame mahogany will most definitely not be painted upon.

But before the buffet/vanity can get installed, I've got to finish up this project-let that's underway

Those are 12x12 mirror tiles purchased from The Home Depot that I'm attempting to antique so they'll look something like this.

If all goes according to plan, this antique mirror wall will be happening on the wall behind my vanity.

So that's all I have to share today. I'm feeling a little nervous about our slow progress thus far, but I'm determined to get this finished up in time for the reveal in three weeks!  

Thanks for checking in on my progress and please make sure you visit the other participants too!  You can find links to all of the projects on our hostess Linda's blog here and here.

Follow along with me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook!

ORC Linking Event - I'm Doing My Hall Bath

It's time to clear the cobwebs off of the ol' blog and start cranking out some serious decorating posts.  As you may have guessed, I've decided to join in on the internet's biggest decorating sensation - The One Room Challenge.

I'm participating in the Link-up event which airs for the next 5 consecutive Thursdays, so for goodness sake please come back to check in on my progress!  I need your feedback and encouragement! Mostly because of this ridiculousness:

Enter aforementioned hall bath in its current state.

As you can see it's crying out for help.  In a big way. Those walls.  They look like this because a few weeks ago I spent hours stripping off the top layer of wallpaper only to find ANOTHER layer of old wallpaper combined with unsized skim coated sheet rock in other areas.  Holy. Wallpaper. Hell.

This is what happened where the wallpaper was applied to a skim coat of bare sheet rock mud.

It totally damaged the sheet rock underneath.  I know what you're thinking.  "Thank goodness you have that pretty mirror".  True, but a lot of hard work needs to happen before we can revel in the goodness of the mirror.

And rather than do up an inspiration board, I'm going to drag you down this road with me one post at a time because some decisions have yet to be made.  

Before you go, let's have a look at some bathrooms that are inspiring my little makeover shall we??

Yes, there will be wallpaper in the damask category. And it's super gorgeous because that's what Brunschwig & Fils does.   I gave you a sneak peek here.

And no ORC makeover of mine would be complete without repurpose-ing a piece or two of vintage furniture.

This is so gorgeous it takes my breath away. And it makes me wish I had been born with the "understated" gene.  But let's not kid ourselves.  We're more likely to see something with more color, pattern and layers. 

and I'm okay with that.

So, same time next Thursday???

You can find links to all of the other participants on Linda's  (our hostess and mistress of ceremonies) blog here.  And in case you missed the ORC participants that posted yesterday, find those links here.  Hours of entertainment.  Literally.

PS.  I'll likely be posting little updates on my Instagram feed so let's buddy up.