Color Envy

I started painting the green bedroom walls grey a few weeks ago and decided to abort mission after I realized how much I hate painting, especially a room that size. They're staying green! It was fun to imagine them as a dark grey while it lasted... someday I'll get the guts to paint the whole room. Someday (not today)! Yeah, I still have something up my sleeve, so it's not a lost cause. Think green and bright whites. More on this later.

As we sat awake at 1am with power flickering in and out during last week's tornado watch, I decided that the bathrooms deserve an overhaul. No more beige walls! So, this afternoon I went on an epic journey to find  things to make over both bathrooms, which were inspired by these two rooms below. After drooling over both of these for months, it's finally time to do something about it!

Exhibit A (via DecorPad):
I. Am. In. Love. With. This. Room.
The pink and pear-green accessories add a fun element to this entryway without being obnoxiously pink (I really don't like rooms looking super girly... I'm not the only one who lives in this house!) And the paper boxes! Who doesn't love storage?

And Exhibit B (via House Tweaking)
Yep, still digging the grey-yellow look. I have to have a grey room! ...In the upstairs full guest bathroom.

Progress!

I have been doing PLENTY with the house. With my typical OCD, projects-half-finished attitude towards nearly everything house-related, I have a lot on the burner (including half-finished posts!).

Meanwhile, things are blooming in Bloomington!

Outside, things are looking ok (besides our house getting shot up by a bunch of paintball gun-toting kids), so I've been making some inside changes. Like paint!

If you're ever in the market for low/zero-VOC paint, I've done a hefty amount of research in the past few weeks. In a nutshell, VOCs are volatile organic compounds that are ultimately carcinogens, i.e., toxic, cancer-causing agents. Prolonged exposure to any of these can be dangerous, even in paint form. I read that it takes a rating in the hundreds of ppm to register as toxic or hazardous to your health. By now, I've used this stuff myself; the noticeable bonus feature of low/zero-VOC paint is that it doesn't smell as long or as strong. I really didn't notice any paint smell in the evening when I'd painted the room during the day and left a window open for ventilation. Price-wise, a quart of the Valspar low-VOC was $13. At Lowe's, I found:

• Olympic has zero VOC. Zero parts per million.
• Valspar, sold at Lowe's, has what's called low VOC. Their paint tested at 4 ppm.

But enough of the IH lesson! On to fun stuff...
Here's a hint/shade of what's going on upstairs. The swatch doesn't do it much justice, since I'd describe it as a slate/blue color. This one just comes off as grey, but you get the idea. [I'm slightly embarrassed that I was that person, standing in front of two identical-looking paint samples and laboring over which to choose.]

For my downstairs mystery room, "soft rabbit brown." The name just kills me.

At least one of these rooms should be finished with photos by tomorrow!

The Day I Learned to Photoshop

If you've been to MochiHome recently, then you recognized our room/bunny featured in this post by the amazing Carly. Have I mentioned she is a genius?

After admiring Carly's work, I decided to try Photoshopping for myself. (Stupid joke alert: It is a much less expensive alternative to just shopping)  But now, I know enough to be dangerous!! With much Googling, I gave our master bedroom a makeover. You know the one - the green one that I could never figure out.

Here are two options: a) paint required and b) no painting necessary. This little exercise was so much fun, albeit time-consuming! It definitely saved me money in the long run and saved time in buying/returning stuff... it also got me thinking about purchasing/incorporating items I'd never have considered before. You can't blame me, though - c'mon, I'm engineer. It's been a long time since my left brain got some exercise! 

But first, the current state:

And now.... #1, with source list:

Paint, Valspar Almost Charcoal - Lowe's, ~$75

Chandelier, Lowe's, $150

Ribba frames, Ikea, $15 each and $25

Alang table lamps, Ikea, $19 each

Curtain panels, Target, $29 each

Duvet (owned), Ikea, free

Yellow quartz pillow cover, West Elm, $19 on sale!

Tulip shams, West Elm, $24

8'x10' Zigzag rug, West Elm, $479 (5'x8' -- $249)

Cherry blossom bird pillow, Etsy, $28

Total for this room: $520 + $479 rug (which I consider optional) = $999

Here's #2, the no-paint option and source list:

Above: 

Cream faux leather accent chair, Target, $110 on sale!

Bull's eye silk pillow, West Elm, $34 

Alang table lamps, Ikea, $19 each

Ribba Frames, Ikea, $14.99 each

Custom Wall Decal, Amazon.com, ~$35 

Grey pom-pom pillow, West Elm, $19

Zebra pillow, West Elm, $39 

Round red ruffle pillow, Pier 1, $24

White bedding (owned), Ikea, free!

Chandelier, Overstock.com, $134

Curtain panels, Target, $29 each

Red lantern, Ikea, $4

Total for this room: $583

So what do you think? Am I good enough to be called an amateur with my computer skills?  :)

ps- Things are already a-changin' in the bedroom. More to come!

Drumroll please...

I'm really trying to avoid painting at all costs. I would rather run the painfully hilly IU Mini (Half) Marathon TWICE OVER before I paint my room. I think it's inevitable. I am getting to the point where I can't work around the green bedroom walls any longer. So what new color gets to grace our walls?  Drumroll please.....

It's grey! I'm thinking grey with a little yellow mixed in would be "us," and after spending some time at West Elm and Ikea this week (more on that later), I was inspired by my first West Elm store purchase, which currently resides in the black-walled master bath. You know I can't resist a good zig zag pattern. I bought the one on the left, which is a gold/yellow color. This photo does it no justice!

[Photo: West Elm]

Never, in a million years, did I expect to appreciate yellow. It's growing on me, and I can't fight it anymore...
And on a side note, grey is not just grey. Here's a screenshot from the Valspar website (gotta make sure to find the non-VOC paint):

Who knows the difference between "Quaking Bog" and "Steel"? Or "Garden Stone" and "Aspen Grey"?!?! Not this girl!! (Paint color selection might be hell on earth for the indecisive!) 

Here are a few inspiration photos to add to the scrapbook, which include grey, yellow, or both:

1. Not too overhwelming with yellows and greens. Like the use of white to keep things light.
This room also shows that a taupe/beige rug can work reasonably well with the grey without looking boring.
It doesn't look staged while looking complete and warm. Well done!

2. Possibly a little much on the neutral and whites, but a great chandelier.
This one's a little too hotel-esque and need more personality!

3. Living room. I'd go a little darker with the grey because the walls seem like a

 dirty white next to the yellow flower canvas. It just seems like there's something missing here...
I don't get that warm-fuzzy feeling!

4. Ikea. I loved this room before I even knew who designed it. (Is this even grey? Let's pretend it is.)
Picture ledges are an awesome idea, and the few darker pieces/frames with yellow
accent throw and rug seem just right. I'd have to do something about those curtains,
though... too bright! Get me some thermal curtains and we're good!

5. Kate Spade. A little eclectic, but clean. This shade of slate grey might be perfect!!
I also wish I could see more of the yellow  ottoman/bench at the foot of the bed-
I bet it's the perfect amount of preppy.

[photo: Kate Spade]

6. (Left) Grey entryway. I never thought I'd like the way the red and grey go together... and I would bet that the bench was DIY-ed! Beautiful shade of grey for this space.

6. (Right) I think I'm in love with the wall hanging above the bed. Plus, the geometric Greek key pattern had

me hooked at first sight. I'm not committed enough to buy chairs or lamps that are yellow yellow, but I like
where this designer's going. The mirrors behind the lamps are an interesting idea I'd like to try.

[Photo: Decor Pad]

 7. If there was a bathroom/bedroom I could live in, it'd be this one. That is one awesome chandelier in the bathroom! (never mind the barn door)
The barn door is also genius... I found myself referring to this photo for inspiration as I was trying to
put together the bedroom. I want that shade of grey! Heck, give me this whole room. 

[Photo: Decor Pad]

But wait-there's more! Have you seen my grey and yellow bedroom designed with Photoshop? See it here.