Bold

Living in the Giant Peach has given me a new-found love of bright, bold houses. I'm attracted to them as I walk or bike through my neighborhood. Here are some of my favorites. I think my next house might be chartreuse. (maybe not, but it is an awesome color and cool word, don't you think)

Home Design Week | Paint Day

A fresh coat of paint is on my top ten "make my day" list. There's no cheaper, faster way to make a huge difference in a room. I love making a special trip to one of my favorite paint stores to cruise the paint chips. Nerdy, I know. 

Besides walls, there's other great options to freshen up your room with paint. Wood trim, floors that are beyond repair, ceilings, furniture, picture frames...

I like to paint shop after fabric, rug, and window treatments choices are made. With the awesome selection of paints out there, you're much more likely to find the perfect color that matches your fabric than a fabric to match your paint. 

Here's a list of my favorite paint companies and colors I love. 

Devine Color: Pecan, Oat, Fescue, Glass, Macadamia, Steamer, Peanut, Reef

Yolo Colorhouse: Sprout .01 and .05, Leaf .02 and .04, Water .01 and .02, Stone .04 and .05 

Martha Stewart: Bedford Grey, Picket Fence, Stoneware, Sharkey Grey, Homespun, Deep Linen (Martha's favorite colors - Rolling Pin, Pebble Path, Soapstone Gray, Green Pressed Glass, Fern Shoot)

Benjamin Moore: Revere Pewter, Greenmount Silk, Abingdon Putty, Providence Olive, Waterbury Cream.

A few tips from my love of paint. 

1. Find a paint company you love and invest in their paint chip deck. ($15)

2. Always paint a large swatch on your wall before doing the whole room. Live with it for a few days to see how you like it in morning sun, afternoon and night. 

3. If you see a color you love in a store, house, or magazine be bold and ask what the color is. My favorite color choices have come this way. 

4. Coordinate the paint colors in your house, especially in the rooms that are visible from the room you are painting. 

5. When painting furniture, use a foam roller to get the smoothest finish. Several coats. Follow the drying time between coats. Allow it to cure for several days before using it. Polyurethane the top if you'll be putting things on it. Wait at least three days after painting before distressing it. 

6. Choose colors that you love. Don't be afraid to paint with the colors that make you feel good. 

7. Don't cry over the wrong shade. Just paint over it!

Next up....art and accessories.

a little more color, please

paint and i have a very special relationship

i love it, and it loves me 

thus, being in a rental has had it's challenges 

enter, yolo colorhouse paint

i couldn't resist

see this light blue...in my dining room

and the fabulous green above is going to be on my living room walls at approximately 7:04pm (kids are in bed at 7) 

i also bought a can of the gorgeous orange up the corner of the picture...still contemplating that one 

seriously, who buys paint before they know where it's going?