NEED decorating help! I am so depressed!

[Grace_underfire]

My house is a beautifully built house (Drees), so I am happy with my house but hate the decor. The people that lived here previously had the worst taste. The stuff they used to decorate was not even in style when the house was built in the early 90's! I am so depressed because I work from home a LOT and I hate my surroundings!! I also want my son to grow up in a put together house. Don't get me wrong... I am so thankful for the house and it is clean and uncluttered but I don't have a decorator's touch! :( How do you guys do it!?

We have not been able to fix it much but I have been saving $ and I am ready to tackle stuff now. I think I can start out with paint. We painted an off white (it was pink before! I told you they had bad taste!) it is a yellowish off white but it is not warm and I don't like it. Our trim is bright white.... another mistake :(

I want rich, warm colors.... like reds, browns, Camels, rich taupes, burnt oranges (think mediterranean), some of the pretty greens that people use now... What colors do you have in your house? Give me as much detail as you can!

Also any ideas for the master bedroom in particular? My room is so depressing! :( Just so you get an idea the wallpaper in the kitchen is navy blue with a white latice with flowers all over the place... messes up your eyes. My master bathroom wallpaper is even worse... pink and silver wallpaper with big ole flowers. :( Now you know why my house makes me sick. I wish I could post some pictures... but needless to say I don't take pictures of such ugly stuff!

[C99]

The one that I will say about painting is that if you are not an experienced painter, the color palette you have chosen will not come out correctly without 5 gazillion coats. Start off with pastels and paler shades; they are more forgiving of a new painter than a dark or saturated color.

We just had work done on about half of our house, so it's been freshly painted by professionals.

In the master bedroom, we have a color called April Mist, made by Pratt & Lambert on the walls. It's kind of a seafoam green. The previous owners stripped the woodwork in that room and then tried for a pickled effect, so it's sort of picked pine on baseboards and door frames. We have an oriental rug on the floor, and dark cherry furniture. I actually hate the furniture, since it's been my bedroom set since I was 14, but it's really good quality (it's made by Kincaid) -- much better than we could afford now -- so it stays. :)

We have Benjamin Moore Calming Cream and Weston Flax (shades of pale yellow) in the foyer, stairwell and upstairs hallway. It goes nicely with the stained oak floorboards and moldings.

In Nate's room, the walls are painted in Dutch Boy's Veradale (a pale, spring green). We used to have some murals on the wall in here, framed in Aloe Vera green, also by Dutch Boy, but they had to be painted over due to the work and I haven't bothered to recreate them. The woodwork is natural pine in here.

Our 3rd upstairs bedroom, and the one which will eventually be Nate's room, is painted in Behr/Disney Bippidi Boppidi Blue, with white trim/moldings. I also found a wooden nightstand at a thrift store for $10 and with $20 in primer and paint, painted it a deep blue. I added some clear glass knobs from Restoration Hardware for the pulls. I haven't decided what I am going to do for a bed or dresser/bookcase yet.

In our downstairs bathroom, I painted the walls in Martha Stewart Everyday's Sea Glass Green. It's got white trim and fixtures, and everything else is mirrored or chrome.

In our kitchen, I stuck with the white that is everywhere...except for 1 wall, which I painted Behr's Knockout Red. This was really hard. If it weren't for the fact that my dad was here that weekend and fixed it for me, I still think it would look streaky. It took about 6 coats! And it wasn't painted white to begin with either.

In the downstairs playroom/my office, I've painted the backwall of our built-in bookshelf in Bippidi Boppidi Blue. I plan to paint the rest in Behr/Disney's Blustery Day, which is a shade lighter than the BBBlue. And the trim/woodwork will be in white. I plan to use maps to liven up the room further.

Every other room is still awaiting final inspiration/furnishings. :) If you are interested, I can e-mail you URLs to pictures for the rooms I described above.

I read/browse a lot of home decorating magazines and watch a fair bit of home decorating shows. Those give me a lot of inspiration. I subscribe to Better Homes & Gardens, which is where a lot of ideas come from. I like it because the ideas aren't so lofty that the average person (like me) can't implement, which is how I often find MSL and other high-end shelter mags to be. The idea for our nursery came out of BHG, for example.

[MelissaTC]

I hear you about previous owners! My house was a disaster. I don't have the decorating touch either. I just know what I like and how I want it to look. Not sure how to get there.

The easiest thing to do is paint. Paint can make all the difference in the world. Luckily for me, DH is a great painter and held a part time as a teenager painting interiors. So he does a decent job. We are painting our living room and what is supposed to be our dining room (it is actually Matthew's play room) in Behr's Pueblo Sand. The ceiling is being done in Laughing Lillies. It is looking mighty cool.

We are then going to paint our kitchen in purple. Yes, purple. I LOVE purple and was inspired by the violet kitchen aid mixer DH bought me around my birthday/Mother's Day.

My advice is to keep a binder of what you like. Rip out magazine pages, store color chips (just be sure to label the company name on the back. I watched a lady at Home Depot struggle to remember where she picked up the color and they couldn't help her find it either). Watch shows like Trading Spaces or the HGTV channel to help get some ideas. Do you have a favorite piece of furniture? Perhaps a painting? Maybe an object that you love? Work from that. We have chosen the colors in our house based on our couch pillows because we love them.

Good luck!

[Grace_underfire]

Caroline,

That would be awesome if you could send me the links to the rooms pics cause I am pretty bad with vizualizing. Can you send them to the email here at the boards?

Thank goodness my DH is a great painter too and a big time perfectionist. :) When I say I will paint... I mean I will get him to paint and I will assist only minimally :)

Melissa, I think the idea of putting a binder together with my likes etc.. is terrific!!

Thanks so much for your input ladies! Keep it coming!

[urbanmama]

I definitely think it would help for you to get decorating magazines, etc. and keep a file of rooms that you like. It will help you to determine your style.

I am very traditional. My house has lots of hardwood floors, cherry wood furniture, etc. My advice would be to not be afraid of color. A coat of paint can really change the look of a room. So many people are afraid to paint their rooms with anything but white or beige. Like I said, I prefer a traditional style, so my paint choices tend to be jewel tones. My living room is navy blue. The dining room is a deep gold (mustard). My daughters' playroom is sky blue. DD#1's room is green (kind of medium, like the color of grass). DD#2's room is a buttercream yellow. The girls' bathroom is periwinkle blue. We haven't painted our bedroom or bathroom yet, but I'm thinking sage green for the bedroom and burgundy for the bathroom.

We get sooo many compliments on our house. The color and accessories really put the room together.

HTH!

Marie

[Grace_underfire]

I have the Benjamin Moore color books (HA!) so I am going to check on that calming cream and weston flax. :) Also see my reply below...

[StaceyKim]

I personally would get the wallpaper taken off and start painting as others have said. This will make a HUGE difference right away. I wouldn't commit to too many dark shades without knowing what you are going to put in your house plus you could end up hating it. You can always add color with new drapery treatments and furniture. My suggestion is to go with neutrals. Some of my favorites by Benjamin Moore is Latte 2163-60, Putnam Ivory HC-39, Linen Sand 2151-60, and Muslin. I am not sure how bright your house is so it is important to do test coats before commiting to that color.
We have floral white for our trim and it is nice.

[nicoleandjackson]

Definitely start with paint--like the others said, a shot of color can go a long way with giving a room a "personality". Plus, if you are doing the painting yourself, it is cheap decor at $20-ish a gallon. If you end up hating it, so what! Put up a different color! Also, inexpensive things like throws, pillows and especially candles are easy and fast ways to decorate (and redecorate--even seasonally).

DH and I recently repainted our Master Bedroom and Master Bath (I use the term "Master Bath" loosely, as our house was built in '64 and the bathroom is the size of a postage stamp :-)) The MBR is Behr "Squash" in satin finish--a gorgeous warm orange-yellow (seriously, like the color of the inside of an acorn squash) with all of the wood trim and closet doors painted in hi-gloss Behr "Popcorn"--a very warm white. The MBA is Behr "Sunflower" in hi-gloss (as we do not have a fan in there), again, with "Popcorn" on all the trim.

DS's room is super-cool!!! The theme of his room is John Lennon's "Musical Parade". We got the wallpaper border, but we put it up at chair-rail height. On top of the border is the green from the palm trees in the linens/accessories, and on the bottom is the purple from the hippo. So cool and so easy.

Another very chic and EASY look that a friend of mine did: Buy the same exact shade of paint in two different finishes (say, satin and gloss). Paint the wall in two coats of the satin finish, then tape off intermittent and equal widths of wall and paint every other space in the gloss finish. Voila! Stripes without nasty wallpaper. This also looks VERY cool as a under-a-chair-rail-molding look with all satin above the trim.

Good luck and have fun! :-)

Nicole
Mommy of Jackson 4/30/02

[suribear]

Hey, sounds like us!!

We are undoing all the wallpaper, wooden wallpaper borders and frilly/lacy stuff that the previous owner left behind. She will probably have a cow if she ever sees it :) Which reminds me, gotta take down the cow curtains - I kid you not :)

One thing I'm learning is that everyone has a different opinion, go neutral, choose color, etc... It gets very confusing :) I want some color, but other than the kid's rooms and one bathroom, I think I'll go lighter (not pastely, but not too dark either). You have to figure out what will go with your stuff, how much light you get, and so on. Moreover, what is your style? Look through magazines and decorating books for ideas (this is the fun part, and it helps a lot!).

If you'll have a lot of color from the furniture and other decor, maybe go a bit lighter or neutralish. I guess try to aim for a good balance.

You could also bring color in with an accent wall (in a brighter color or darker shade of the overall color) or paint a darker color below a chair rail or even stencil a design (if it's a small area - I can see that being a pain after some time).

Good luck!

Kris

[suribear]

Oh, I liked the books "Trade Secrets from Use What You Have Decorating" and "The Organized Home". Also liked the Better Homes and Gardens and Pottery Barn books. I get annoyed by the lifestyles of the rich and famous type decorating tomes and skip those altogether :)


Kris

[papal]

If it were me, i would stick to a off-white/beige color for all the walls and have colourful accents throughout the different rooms (cushions/lamps/paintings etc)... i get into a tizzy when i see each room a different colour.it would look great maybe if you had a EXPERiENCED designer putting it all together for you but otherwise, you will just get stuck forever on CHOOSING the color! LOL. Also, you might get tired of the colour after a while.
I was watching Nate on Oprah one time and he said to NOT do the one-wall-painted-one-colour that so many decorators (like on Trading Spaces) do.. you tire of it very soon.
Oh, definitely get rid of the wall-paper... that would drive me NUTS!! What were the previous owners thinking!!! NAVY wallpaper with WHITE lattice and FLOWERS?? YIKES!!!!
Wish i lived close by, i love projects like these! :)

ETA: spelling

[StaceyKim]

i agree with you.
actually nate was our decorator right before he became a regular fixture on oprah!

[papal]

Really!!! WOW!!! I love Nate's decorating style!!

[StaceyKim]

he definitely has an eye for pulling things together to create a nice look

once he started doing his oprah shows he dropped the ball... x(

[lmariana]

We don't have the Mediterranean look, more of a Monochromatic Minimalist, but I love our Master bedroom. We went with dark walls and light, rustic furniture. It's my favorite room, and always feels so soothing and relaxing. I think the warm wall color really helps that.

We bought the furniture from Crate and Barrel and the table lamps from Pottery Barn, but we did everything else on a budget. The paint we found on clearance at Restoration Hardware for $9/gallon! The drapes are 96" long and from Linens and Things at only $19 each panel! I made the white sheers myself from some cotton voile I bought at Walmart for $1.96/yard. The duvet cover is from West Elm, but I bought it at the Pottery Barn outlet for $15. The hideous leather recliner is from my husband's bachelor days and will stay until we save up for a nice new one that's not an eye sore. :)

Our whole house has white trim too, so we've picked out some soothing colors that work with it. I love ALL of Restoration Hardware's paint swatches, so that is our color pallete. Since we have a really, really open floor plan, we're only using 3 colors in the house. We've been here for about 2 years, and still haven't gotten everything painted, but we're getting there! I think the key for working with white trim is to use contrast to your advantage. You don't want to go too dark, because the trim looks really stark.

I think your could do a nice camel color on the walls and then bring in the warm mediterrenean tones with your fabrics and accents. Using black or iron furniture/accents will really bring in the warmth and still keep it comfortable. Have fun with it!

I'll take some pictures of the kitchen later, because that's my second fave room.


http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/8738.jpg
Wall color: "Elephant"
Trim: White
Furniture: Villago by Crate and Barrel


http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/8739.jpg
TV: Rolli Pollie Ollie
Messy Bookcase: mine
Clean Bookcase: his


http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/8740.jpg
Lamps: Pottery Barn (2 years ago)
Recliner: Heinz's bachelor pad...


Mariana
www.heinzandmariana.com
Mother of Gabriel, 08/14/2003

[cinrein]

I love the same colors you do. Our first floor is greens, burgundy/dark reds and beige. I love it. These are my colors that I like in everything from clothes to diaper bags. :) The color is constant throughout the entire first floor, with the kitchen/family room having more red touches and the living room having more relaxing beige and green. I want to paint our dining room red, but haven't gotten around to it yet.

Another way to get good ideas is to browse through model homes. They are put together by a decorator, so it's a good place to get ideas. We usually just tell the salespeople we're there to get decorating ideas and they leave us alone.

Also, this sounds wasteful but it turns out not really being wasteful. Before buying gallons of paint, buy the smallest size can they sell and paint as much of a wall as you can with it. Leave it there for a week or so and look at it in all kinds of light. You'll know then whether you really like that shade or not. (This from the family who painted their living room 3 times before finding the right shade!)

I agree with the PP, take down the wallpaper for starters. I think you'll be able to "see" your home better without that awful lattice!

Cindy and Anna February 2003

[AvasMama]

I am a huge fan of Benjamin Moore colors. These are some of the ones in our house:

Weston Flax (as PP said, a pretty, light yellow)

Sereghetti Sand (GORGEOUS medium taupey-brown. I don't know how to describe it but it is one of my favorites and I have used it in my last two kitchens. Looks much better on the wall than in the color book)

August Morning (incredible warm orange, not at all bright or garish, just pretty and sunny. We have it in our living room)

Olive Branch (neutral olive green -- master BR. It goes beautifully with black furniture and I have rose-pink bedding)

Hasbrouck Brown -- rich chocolate brown. I have this in my office with pale pink accents. My favorite room!

I have a great soft green in my dining room -- I will look it up when I get home and add it.

Also, I love some of the Restoration Hardware colors. Silver Sage is SO pretty and they have a gorgeous soft green too. Their yellow, Butter, is also beautiful and warm.

PM me if you like. I work for a v. popular lifestyle mag and could send you some tearsheets :)

Robyn & Ava

[Grace_underfire]

What a beautiful room! I did not know that Restoration Hardware had paint! I will have to check it out. I have been thinking about painting my master bedroom on a dark brown (not sure how dark though) and I love how it looks on your picture!!

[barbarhow]

We are in the process of decorating our brand new house. I love colorful walls and think it is a very economical way to change the look of a house. We have lots of color-the living room is Ralph Lauren's Long John Red-it is so warm and heck-I'll take a picture and post it-my window treatments aren't finished so you aren't getting a complete idea but you'll get to see the color.
Our family room and kitchen-open to each other and adjacent to the living room is Behr's Cinnamon Cake-it is an off white with just a hint of a cinnamon color-really pretty.
I am working on a terracotta/burnt orange type color for the dining room.

One thing that everyone should know!!!! Home Depot will take your paint back if you don't like the color on your walls. A friend told me about this and we have taken back a couple of colors that ended up being way off from how I envisioned them.
Whatever you do-have fun-be playful-do something a little crazy. Our last house we had a music room with DH's guitars, my keyboard, the stereo, etc. I made tie dyed curtains. It was so fun to do and always a conversation when people were over. We completed the room with a lava lamp and oriental rug and a nice couch. It was a really fun room.
Barbara-mom to Jack 3/27/03

http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/8789.jpg

[suribear]

Didn't know that about Home Depot! are you sure? I thought mixed colors were nonrefundable.

love looking at these pictures for inspiration - keep them coming!!

Definitely get a sample of the color and try it out, before investing all that effort/time/money in painting everything. You can also paint poster boards and place them in the room in different locations (change it around), just to get an idea of what it will look like at different times of the day.

ETA:

I am looking for a beigy/neutral yellow. Any ideas? Weston Flax looks good onscreen. only thing is, painter wants Kelly Moore colors. I think they get a discount from them.

Kris

[barbarhow]

I am positive about the return policy at Home Depot. We have returned several colors that were "all wrong".
I have a wonderful soft beigy yellow that we are doing our master bedroom in. I went through two different yellows and then talked to my cousin who is an artist and interior designer (she painted the picture that is in my photo above) She told me that I needed to visualize a color and then "grey it way down". So to translate-what I think will look good on the wall won't. When I took her advice and picked a very toned down version of what I wanted I got it right. It was pretty exciting. When I get home tonight I will let you know the color of our yellow for the bedroom.
Also good to know-before you buy at Home Depot-check out their returns. Many times what someone else hated and returned you might love. Certainly worth a look and the gallon is sold at a discount. I can't remember if it is 10 or 20% off.
Barbara-mom to Jack 3/27/03

[Grace_underfire]

Barbara,

That color is beautiful! WOW I had no clue about Home Depot. That is the way to go then!

[lizamann]

Nice room! Just the view from your window would be enough to relax me (says this urban girl with windows WAY above the treetops...)

[steph2003]

For what its worth I *think* Lowe's has the same paint return policy as Home Depot. DH prefers Lowe's American Tradition brand for painting - so much so that when I found a Benjamin Moore color I liked (Adam's Gold - kinda a warm yellow/gold/beigy undertones) he had Lowe's call it up in their paint color computer & mixed the color to American Tradition paint. A great way to save money too, although I'm sure Benjamin Moore paint is worth the money. We have been very happy with American Tradition. I'm lucky my DH likes to paint & is good at it after spending summers painting in his dad's factory!

I agree with another poster who said buy the smallest can & test it on a wall. The time of day really makes a difference in the way the color looks on the wall.

I'm going to try to attach a couple of photos - never attached them before so forgive me if it is wrong or too big. One is of our great room minus any window treatments or wall hangings. This is Adam's Gold on the wall during the day - much brighter then in the evening hours when it turns to a warm/cozy color. The second is our dining room in a deep wine color from Behr (the name escapes me now) not the greatest pic because it looks more brown then the true wine color it is.

I love paint colors - so much easier to change then wallpaper!

[Dcclerk]

Sometimes less is more, IMHO. One of the reasons that Restoration Hardware is great is because they have a very limited palette, and each of those colors are great and look good in adjoining rooms. (Even the silver sage and their green.) I also love Martha Stewart for that, too. She will put together some colors that you would never think of on a palette, and they look great together. Honestly, most people don't end up putting colors together nicely on their own. There are too many undertones and what not that go into each color to make them all work out. (I'm speaking as a woman who had to redo her living room 3 times to get something that worked. And I have many of friend who just ended up with something that doesn't work.) I think it is great when some one else helps you put something together, like the limited Restoration Hardware palatte and the MS cards. I like Sherwin Williams paint and they have a whole Martha Stewart collection. Or you can just get some of her cards there (or at Sears or Kmart) and have Lowes match. (FYI: Consumer Reports rates Lowes' America whatever brand as one of the all-time best, beating most higher-priced brands.) Can't wait to see the pictures!

[barbarhow]

Behr's Lightweight Beige is the color we have in our bedroom. It is a soft, neutral almost, yellow. Love it.
Barbara-mom to Jack 3/27/03

[suribear]

Wow, I think that will be perfect for our family room! Thanks for looking it up.

Kris

[pixelprincess]

hi grace_underfire (love your handle),

One of my favorite things to do...not that I am great at it. We moved into a 20's mediterranean style home which needs lotsa love. the previous owners had painted the walls with Martha Stewart colors, but not what I would've picked, I love having color on walls, after living in sterile whitewashed, rental appts- ugh. I found some really nice spanish talvera house numbers if you're are interested.

It is easier to start planning a color scheme with an object, picture or some kind of inspiration piece that you plan to use in the room. For e.g.. for DS's room I loosely decided on the Curious George in space theme so stuck with the basic yellow, red and blue color scheme. Painted the walls yellow, a ratty old dresser got reviewed in blue with a distressed finish and the trim a reddish-brown. Used PBK space bedding, star/rocket pegs and am planning to get a star lamp. Bought a lot of inexpensive stuff from IKEA to accent the room- rug and cabinet in pix below.

http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/8990.jpg

http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/8991.jpg

I am still working on our bedroom and want to incorporate hot and spicy indian colors and Japanese woodblock prints. Got our bed/dresser from a Canadian Company called Baronet with a dark, walnut finish- v. contemporary. I just got a teak fan installed which matches the bed, and am thinking bamboo blinds. Still working on colors and how to incorporate the two different styles.

Mariana- love your minimalist style. your bedroom is sooooo huge! gawd, our CA home must be about that big!! ha. i'll have to check out Restoration Hardware paint.

Step, very nice living room- love the warm colors!

Barbara, love the red walls. thanks for the tip on returning paint... I have a bunch in the garage from my trials. would they take back small cans?

Our yellow experience was a bit strange... started with a lighter yellow, and hated it. Ended up going a few shades darker! Poor dh had to paint the room three times to get it right for me! I was pg. so had a good excuse to not paint.

Love seeing the pix. keep em coming-!!

[C99]

My painter only used Benjamin Moore paints -- he just color matched everything.

[barbarhow]

I don't see why they wouldn't take back the small cans. We have only returned gallons. It's certainly worth a try. Love your yellow. Very bright and fun.
Barbara-mom to Jack 3/27/03