Brandy Cream

Finally picked up my sample of Benjamin Moore Brandy Cream (which sounds truly delicious).

 

 

It is very difficult to get a good photo in the kitchen, in part because of the retina-burning yellow (though it really doesn't look as bright in the above photo). You can see that the kitchen has a lot going on. White trim around the windows, blue tile, and wooden cabinets. If I could snap my fingers and have stripped windows, I would do it. But I can't, so I'm happy enough with the white.

After painting a couple of areas with the Brandy Cream, I am super excited about painting the kitchen. It is going to be so much more of a calm space.

West Elm Wrap Dining Chair

Anyone sat in one of these bad boys? I'm wondering how comfortable they are. We still haven't bought new chairs to go along with our Saarinen table and I love the look of these.

Kitchen color

I just discovered Benjamin Moore's Personal Color Viewer with which you can upload one of your own photos and virtually paint it with BM's color palette. Ooooh, high tech.

Here's what our kitchen looks like now. Retina-burning yellow.

And with a little bit of computer voodoo, here's what it would look like in cream!

Try to ignore the yellow reflected by the stainless fridge. Okay, it is impossible to ignore. But still I can see how much better it is going to look. This was created using BM Rich Cream, but all the creams looked the same to me using this tool. I think I may pick up a small sample of Rich Cream and see what it looks like in real life.

The sconces are up!

Creme de la creme.

I'm always a bit overwhelmed when picking out a paint color. But nothing is crazier than looking for the perfect white out of a spectrum of whites. I simplified things when it comes to trim: Every bit of trim, doors, etc., will be Benjamin Moore's Decorators White. Simple. Done.

Picking a color for the hallway walls means sifting through endless off-whites, ivories, and creams hoping to find the perfect shade that is creamy but not too yellow, pink, or whatever other undertone. I'm also considering using the same shade for the kitchen. (Again, I like to simplify.)

So off to Benjamin Moore I went.

Here are the current swatches in the running (with Decorators White in the upper left). Yes, aren't they varied? Okay, they seemed wildly different until I diligently cut them out and gathered them together. Oh, well. Also, I didn't realize it at the time, but I think that I've placed them in order of current preference with Brandy Cream being the forerunner. Lambskin sounds just so cozy, but that is not the best reason to pick a paint. I will be agonizing over this selection for a few days and then I shall make my choice. Please feel free to stay perched on the edge of your seat.

Some goals for 2010.

There is so much I want to do around the house and unfortunately I lack the funds to do most of them. But there are a few spots where a fresh coat of paint will bring some quick and relatively inexpensive gratification.

1) The hallway.  This looks like it should be the easiest task, as it is the smallest. I'm going to tackle it first.

Here is a little peek into the hallway. Don't worry, I won't be touching that lovely wood trim with a paint brush. The already painted trim within the hallway is fair game, however, and will be painted Benjamin Moore's Decorator's White. I'm thinking of doing a nice cream for the walls, and plan to check out a swatch for BM's Rich Cream this weekend. Also going to check out new hardware for the linen closet.

2) The kitchen. My husband looked at me like I was crazy when I suggested wanting to paint the kitchen, mostly because it will be a big ol' pain.

The kitchen is currently a yellow which sort of clashes with everything it comes in contact with. Not pretty against the wood and not so nice with the blue tiling on the counter tops. I'm also considering a cream for this room.

3) The downstairs bathroom. For a moment I thought I didn't have a photo of this atrocity, but indeed I do! It is from our initial walk through of the house. Prepare yourself.

Barf! The weird orange stripes... the wooden paneling... the cream plasticky sink with cheap faucet fixture... Yech. But I'm thinking some paint is going to vastly improve this room. Especially if I can replace that sink. Not sure on colors yet...

4) Bedroom lighting. I received a set of these lovely sconces for my birthday, so we'll be putting these in the bedroom soon!

Let's see if we can get this stuff done.

Long-awaited photos of the built-ins

It is ridiculous that I haven't posted an update to the built-ins in our basement, but as I mentioned in a previous post, I was pregnant. And then as it turns out, babies are very time consuming! But I do have some pictures of the completed built-ins, so here we go:

 

 

 

The room itself is still very much a work-in-progress. We did get a couch and a chair, but the rest of the room is a little bit in disarray. I'd hoped to get it a bit more in shape before baby's arrival, but it wouldn't be home improvement if things went according to schedule.