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

Pimp My Dollhouse - With My Interior Life

Hello again friends!  Today is Monday and you know what that means.  It's "Pimp My Dollhouse" day!  My guest today is Kathy from My Interior Life. 

 Are you familiar?  I thought so!  I'm very excited to have Kathy's participation.  Not only is she a fellow Tennessee blogger, but she has the most extraordinary talent for uncovering some highly coveted vintage finds.  And then styling them in the most fabulous way. 

Kathy's dining room.  Need I say more?

In case you're not familiar with the Pimp my Dollhouse Series, I've invited some favorite bloggers/friends to come up with a plan for my living and dining room using 4 things I know I want to incorporate into the space.

They were told that they had an unlimited budget to work with, that I wanted a colorful and sophisticated space, and that I love Chinoiserie.  The rest is up to my guest posters!

Anyway, I absolutely love love L O V E what Kathy put together for me.  You will too.  Here's Kathy:

Hi, everyone! I'm Kathy from My Interior Life, and I'm so excited Kim invited me over to help her "pimp" out her dollhouse living room and dining room. Working with Kim's existing pieces and knowing her love of color, pattern and traditional/mod gave me a great direction. Plus, we all know she loves some good Chinoiserie pieces. Starting in the living room, I was inspired by her green velvet sofa. I immediately thought of Tory Burch's green living room . . .

And another room designed by Jeffrey Bilhuber . . . 

I thought it would be sophisticated and rich to paint her living room walls the same saturated tone as her sofa . . .

Since Kim is not afraid of color and I know she loves green and yellow from the fabrics and accents she's used in other rooms in her home, I decided to go for it in the living room and make it into a little jewel box. Also, since it's not a room she uses every day, I decided to amp up the drama a little and give her a great geometric area rug and a beautiful Coromandel screen with a colorful pagoda scene. The brass lamps tie in with the gold in her wheat sheaf table, and the yellow and blue furniture and accents play off the colors in her fabric which I used for pillows on the sofa. With all the color in the room, I decided to go simple with cream or white drapery panels with a little Greek Key trim. 

What better way to transition from the yellow and green in the living room than to lead into a beautiful De Gournay-wallpapered dining room (it's great working with no budget, right)? With such a bright space, I tempered it with black cabinets, black Klismos chairs and black and gold knot mirrors. I brought in a few modern accents with the brass and black Sciolari chandelier and the brass Mastercraft host and hostess chairs in a beautiful blue velvet. The blue chairs and accessories also complement the blue in her Chinoiserie fabric which I used on the Klismos chair seats. A little Asian influence in the burl wood credenza and Blanc de Chine goddess lamps ties in with the Chinoiserie-themed hand-painted wallpaper. I chose to use the same drapes in the dining room to create a sense of continuity between the two rooms. 

Thank you so much, Kim, for inviting me to participate in your series. I had such fun with your "sky's the limit" budget. I hope you enjoyed my interpretations of your space and furnishings!

Jaw-droppingly gorgeous, right?  So many individual elements I love in her plan - like the Klismos chairs, the knot mirrors, the cormandel screen.  And what?  De Gournay?!?  In yellow?!?!?  I die.  But I think even greater than the individual elements is the "look" as a whole. It sophisticated, it's dramatic, it's completely lovely!

Kathy, thanks for Pimping My Dollhouse. I'm making notes!

What do you like best about Kathy's plan?

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

Big Style, Little Price

Today I want to share some stylish finds that can easily fit most budgets - even mine! 

Home Decorators "Wuchow" Filing Cabinet

I may have to find a place for this in my home office makeover, if that happens during my  lifetime.  And I'm having my doubts.  But that's a whole different post.  Back to Wuchow.  It's well-priced at $269 and I think the tomato color would look smashing against mint walls.

Kirklands Parker Cognac Settee

Am I crazy or does this handsome settee have a Ralph Lauren feel to it?  Currently on sale for $399, too!

Kirklands Crushed Glass Star Pendant

Now these lights ... wouldn't it be fun to flank your bedside night stands with these instead of table lamps? 

C Wonder Leopard Dinnerware

With plates this pretty, everything you cook could taste a little bit better.

And that concludes our shopping trip for today.  Any favorites here?

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