Chapter 1- Paint and wallpaper diaries

You will likely be hearing a lot from me about paint and wallpaper over the coming months (possibly stretching into years) so consider this a forewarning! We are just beginning and its a long, tricky and treacherous road but when you get it just right, its unbelievably rewarding too! So there will likely be many many "chapters" in my paint and wallpaper diaries to come. 
I will NEVER forget our first apartment, after just getting married  and how I wanted it to have a country french feel (this was at the height of the shabby chic craze)  and I was adamant about going for a soft blushy pink. Instead what I got was the perspective of living inside a  bottle of Pepto Bismol, and having to stare at that hideous shade of pink all day long. I had gone to work leaving the gallons of newly bought paint for the painter to use and came home to a monstrosity of pink overload. You are probably right now thinking, "well didn't you think to do a test patch"? The honest answer to that is no, I thought at my ripe old age of 22, I knew it all...yes thought I possessed that sixth sense that can choose a paint color with the flick of a finger. Clearly I was wrong. Way wrong. Words cannot describe my reaction when I excitedly returned home from work...I was aghast, nearly fainted at the shocking almost neon pink that greeted me. Needless to say I had the painters back first thing the next morning to do "damage control". Though I did spend the previous night in a fitful restless sleep trying to convince myself it had a certain charm, it was "a look". Yea, as much charm as a bottle of Pepto Bismol. No thank you!
 Thankfully I have come a long long way since then. Learning that in fact colored walls are not really my thing (Perhaps that experience traumatized me for life). I am much more of a neutral kind of gal and softly colored walls in earthy tones is much more my speed. I have had a lot of people email me about paint colors and several wanting to know the wallpaper name and manufacturers I posted on my Thursday house updates post. So first I will give you that information and then moving onto what I have learned and am in fact still learning about paint and some "sure thing" colors.

    REAR POWDER ROOM PAPER- Scalamandre's Parapluie color Ivory, pewter on pearl gold. It looks like its a brighter yellow than it is,its actually quite soft which makes it so pretty.

MASTER BEDROOM WALLPAPER  Stark's Tracy Andrew, Grand Siecle in buff

(I photographed it upside down- just realized this)

Moving onto paint............

BENJAMIN MOORE CLOUD WHITE A soft creamy white which is a favorite amongst many decorators, magazines, HGTV and countless other design gurus.

FARROW AND BALL POINTING (For the record this is their best selling color) Very warm and creamy.

NAVAJO WHITE BY BENJAMIN MOORE. Another all time best selling white, but for good reason.  I have used this many times and its a great color, very neutral and really considerd to be a "safe white" when in doubt!

FARROW AND BALL ELEPHANTS BREATH This is a neat color, I would say it has a putty like effect to it. I saw it first at a designers showcase and took note because it was really pretty.

FARROW AND BALL These are four colors I love, soft earthy putty tones. From clockwise on the left, they are  String, Stony ground, Chemise and Satin slipper.

A GRAY GREEN. If I get the nerve up to go with a little color, perhaps in a guest room or bathroom, and I want to go the green route..these two gray greens are really pretty, they are quite and subdued but give a hint of color. The top is Narragansett Green and the bottom is Stonington Gray.

A SOFT BLUE GRAY. Love this color, Farrow and Ball Parma Gray

A MOSSY GREEN. If I was to get bold and go green I would want a beautiful muted mossy green. Something old world looking. This Benjamin Moore color, Aganthus (even the name is old world) is gorgeous...check it out in the room below.

A TUSCAN SUNSET.I have always loved rooms that look like they are part of a sunset, those that take on a gorgeous warm apricot colored glow. Its bold and brazen and I am not sure I would do it but if I were to take the plunge, one color that's a proven winner is Benjamin Moore's Soft marigold. Proof is this splendid bathroom right out of Tuscany!

WHITES AND OFF WHITES. We all need them, have them and want them. Who doesn't love the perfect creamy white wall..not too stark but not too yellow. Benjamin Moore seems to have that covered with a few best selling "whites". You think all whites are the same until you start looking, then you never look at white the same way ever again! Some of the tried and true favorites are the best selling colors below. They are practically fool proof!

1.Ivory white. 2. White Dove 3. Decorators white 4.Atrium white 5. Acadia white 6. Elephant tusk

I think Benjamin Moore's best selling white of all time is one we all know well...Linen white

Another very popular BM white is White Dove

Only when you see all these whites together do you realize how many variations and undertones there are in this color. So its wise to pick up a pint, do a "test patch" and see how it plays out in your room with your light. It can look like a totally different animal from one room to another!

So lets now overwhelm our senses..enough paint talk for today. What are your tips on choosing paint color? Do you have a favorite? Any disaster stories of your own? I would imagine we have all had one or two! Hope you have an enchanted Friday.....

Things I am loving Thursdays and house updates!!

Good morning! Wishing you all a happy, productive and great Thursday.  Well, I am once again "on the outs" with Blogger!!! First I have gotten about six emails from people telling me they are having a problem commenting. THEN I prepared this post in its completion only to wake up to see that half of it was gone!!!!! So I frantically pulled it together again but I must say I am not very happy and feel like I am just waiting for the other shoe to drop with Blogger....very frustrating indeed!! On top of that, after I was able to complete the post, blogger wasn't allowing me to publish it! Whats up with that?? Deep breath and moving on......this weeks post is house heavy. A lot is starting to happen...yippee!! Lots of finishes which I show plenty of pictures of. Exciting, a little overwhelming (actually make that a lot), fun, adventurous and stressful all rolled into one. That is precisely how I would sum this up. But I really do see light at the end of the tunnel and that right there, is incredibly amazingly wonderful. 

HOUSE UPDATES. So this week they are finishing up all the trim upstairs (and with the exception of my master) all other bedrooms and hallways are done! Started putting in plumbing fixtures into bathrooms and we got our first trickle of real running water...a thrill!! Floors in library are nearly done, family room paneling is well underway, breakfast room is basically done but the baseboards. They just finished the beams for kitchen and now are staining them, planning to put them up  next Friday! Painter has started, limestone arrived for covered porch, so plenty going on.....I will let the pictures do the talking!

Inside breakfast room

Our master finisher, made these "antiqued" beam samples, he is AMAZING!! (for kitchen beams)

Look at the all the detail he put in this new wood!

I am so impressed!!

The reclaimed floor...got the last small batch for laundry room...love it!

The Library chevron/herringbone in white oak

Our first plumbing installed in guest room!! We chose polished nickel

Latest round of beams ready for family room

Love this paper for my master, its a gray/blue and its quite beautiful......

Started putting it together with some fabrics (at the play stage) but will do the bed in all cream...thoughts?

Rocco at it again with stain samples for breakfast room, so many good ones to choose from!

The bottom are the stains with a limed oak finish

Inside of family room looking into kitchen

Kitchen powder room, has white and gray basketweave honed on floor with mini brick on walls

Our architect blows up different railings to "try" them on back stairs

Family room in full swing!

Beams in family room getting installed

I marveled at the workmanship behind the way they finished the bay in breakfast room

The stone has arrived for porch...after 4 months of waiting!

Patient Teddy on one of our many visits to the house (take note of the leash)

Here hes wondering why I dont' give him free reign to run and play...WE all know why!

That face is hard to resist though!

I like this paper, love the yellow gray and white its so fresh for the back powder room, thoughts?

Family room progress

NEWEST FABRIC I AM LUSTING AFTER. Love love love this. I am coveting it in two colors, the rich blue and elegant pinky red. Would love it on a pair of chairs, an ottoman and would even settle for a few pillows. I just love it and its even prettier in person. I have the samples in the blue and the pinky red and trust me its exquisite!! I am determnined to find a place to use this. It is so rich and luxurious, a gorgeous cut velvet too pretty for words! (It is Scalamandres Falk Manor House)

How gorgeous is it here? I know this is a very popoular picture in Blogland

SANGRIA. Yes, one of summers best drinks. It is the perfect summer drink, you can get creative wtih as much fruit as you wish and it is pretty (bonus points for being pretty) This is great to serve for a party, a small group or just treat yourself and make a small pitcher to indulge in! I was given this fabulous recipe which is really really good, in case you are interested. Again, there is no wrong way, just add however much fruit you like, I added a lot of peaches, as I love peaches and it was fantatic. 3 full glasses fantastic :)

• 1 Bottle of red wine (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Rioja, Zinfandel, Shiraz)
• 1 Lemon cut into wedges
• 1 Orange cut into wedges
• 1 Lime cut into wedges
• 2 Tbsp sugar (some people like to add more) add to taste
• Splash of orange juice or lemonade
• 2 Shots of gin or triple sec (optional)
• 1 Cup of raspberries or strawberries or peaches, or whatever fruit you like
• 1 Small can of diced pineapples (with juice) I like fresh
• 4 Cups ginger ale

Preparation:

Pour wine into a large pitcher and squeeze the juice wedges from the lemon, orange and lime into the wine. Toss in the fruit wedges (leaving out seeds if possible) and pineapple then add sugar, orange juice and gin. Chill overnight. Add ginger ale, berries and ice just before serving. If you'd like to serve right away, use chilled red wine and serve over lots of ice. However, remember that the best Sangrias are chilled around 24 hours in the frig. - allowing the flavors to really marinate into each other

MACAROONS. I practically consider myself an expert, to me the best are from Laduree then Bouchon bakery and a close contender is Payard. The great thing is they ship (overnight) and they are not only delicious,but pretty too and they make a great gift. Who doesn't smile receiving a box of these? A good friend was kind enough to send me a box recently and lets just say that it was the best kind of therapy for a rough week that I could have asked for:) Click here to treat yourself to some sweet therapy or someone you care about to some sugary sweet goodness!

A FABULOUS CANDLE BY FARROW AND BALL. Come again. Yep you heard right, its a match made in design and decorating heaven. Farrow and Ball has teamed up with scent goddess Jo Malone to come out with some of their own limited edition signature scents. Each scent has been matched up with a coordinating Farrow and Ball colored candle. Got my hands on the Pomegranate Noir and the signature scent, Lime basil and mandarin which was really wonderful smelling and burned for a heck of a long time.

A FABULOUS TRIP. You know I love my trips though my travel lately as only been of the virtual variety, not totally my kind but its the next best thing to actually going:) Went to New Orleans about three years ago and have daydreamed about going back ever since. We actually had gone for a funeral and stayed a few extra days to explore this Grand dame of a city. I have to say despite the devastation from which it is not totally recovered from, there is still some serious magic happening in this city. It is a food lovers HEAVEN. Seriously some of the best food, best meals I have EVER eaten. We stayed at the gorgeous newly done Ritz Carlton which was fabulous with a capital F. Walking down Royal St. and peering into (and visiting some) of the fabulous old world antique shops was incredible. And just absorbing the charm that is distinctively New Orleans was something I hope I can repeat again very soon!! 

This is one reason on its own to go....the heavenly beignets from the French market...yummy!! We became mighty good friends:)

So thats what I am loving this week. How about you? What's exciting you this week? I always love to know. Hope you have a wonderful Thursday!