Painting tips

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When I started caring about the way my home looked and drawing inspiration from home decor websites and magazines, I ran into a big problem. I started hating everything about my house. I looked at my beige walls, drab furniture, lack of architectural detail and clutter and couldn't see my decor vision ever happening within my own walls. I convinced myself I had to move out. Now I'm SO glad I didn't. I've learned every single space can be better and more functional than it already is and you don't need a lot of money, a car, tons of time or a new apartment lease to make it happen.

One thing that I love and hate about decorating is that it's never really done. For example, I haven't had a lampshade on my bedside table for two years. I've got a blaring 60 watt lightbult and no lampshade. Decorating is an evolving process and little steps over time lead to transformed spaces.

So lets start with the easiest thing to change...

PAINT

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If you hate the colour of your walls, paint them! Check out the mistins - the mistake paint cans that can be found on the floor of any paint store. Get the person working the cash to open up the tin so you can see the color. Sometimes they are only 10 bucks but I still suggest you ask for a sample to take home before committing.

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With any paint you put on your walls (except for white - i don't believe in the "different shades of white" thing) do a little test swatch first. Paint a bit on a white wall and observe your pick at different points in the day cause it might look peach in the morning and beigy brown at night.

If you have a specific color in mind another way to save money is to go to walmart and "color match". This is where you pick a color on a benjamin moore swatch for example, take it to walmart and they can produce the exact color with their generic no name but just as good paint. It will end up being half the price of going to a para or benjamin moore paint store.

I've known for a while I'm going to color match this blue color in at Walmart. Its Stillness by Valspar. (photo source)

Another way to save money is to skip primer. If you're painting over walls that are already a light colour (like yellow, beige, light green, grey) primer is an unnecessary step. Just do at least 2 coats of the paint. If you're painting colorful walls white, primer is a must.

If you want to paint your walls white you can get a gallon at Roblotts on Adelaide Street for like 18 bucks. I usually get a gallon per room and if I need more I'll go back.

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Take care of your painting supplies! You can reuse rollers, paint trays and brushes for a long time. Just wash them out in your bathtub as soon as you're done painting. If you have to spread out your painting over a few days you can wrap all of your painting supplies in a garbage bag (the paint tray, rollers and brushes) and refrigerate them. They will last in your fridge for weeks and the paint won't dry out your brushes or roller.

One mistake I made was to expect paint to do all the work. I wanted a vintage looking kitchen so I painted the walls seafoam green. And after I painted I was disappointed when the kitchen didn't look kitschy just seafoam green. Once we got an old school formica table and diner chairs the color looked just right. If you want your house to be minimalist for example, painting the walls white isn't enough. You have to declutter and choose minimalist pieces to complete the look.

Just do it. Painting a room can take a day and it's something you can do by yourself. I swears.

(source)  Last two pics found on Random Acts of Pastel's Pinterest

What I Got: Furniture from the Curb

Do you know the online magazine Covet Garden?  Each issue features one amazing home in Toronto and the people who inhabit them. This photo is from the July/August issue. I like it because of the wooden seating under the staircase.

Why? Because I own it too! And its even more special because my brother and I found it in someone's basement covered in dirt. 

Gross eh!? Mike was walking to the hardware store and he passed a home that was undergoing a demolition. All the left over furniture was being thrown on the curb. There was a lot! He spotted some good dressers, started talking to the person in charge of the project and next thing he was invited to come in and pick anything he wanted. He called me to come and tag along. The people in the house didn't like me as much because I couldn't hide my disgust for the filth and smell of cat piss permeating the air. 

But when I saw this piece I knew it had to be mine, cat piss and all! We walked it home in the pouring rain. I cleaned it 6 times. And let it air out for about a week. 

Actually, Mike saw it first. But he let me have it because he is a very nice brother. 

Bev Hisey

On Dundas near Ossington there is a little textiles/furniture shop that houses Bev Hisey's carpets, pillows, and some furniture that she's sourced. I love peeking in and checking out the carpets she has displayed on the wall. Not surprisingly, her home in Toronto is as punchy and artful as her designs. I especially love the gem carpets and the unique artwork.

Sigh. This scissor print is by Alanna Cavanagh.

  

These are 10" records from the 50's and 60's that have been put on wooden boxes so they float from the wall. 

How unexpected to have a yardstick in this bathroom. Random but now unwelcome! 

This is my all time favorite element from her house. The original Jansen swim signage. If I ever see one of these I will snatch it up no questions asked! 

More photos of her house can be seen over on Design Sponge! 

(My house) before and after

When I purchased a mid-century modern couch on craigslist this spring, I bargained with the girl to throw in this unit for free. She was using it to store some shirts but I knew it would make a perfect little bar...I finally got around to painting it bright green, reinforcing the shelves and sanding the legs. I'm so happy with it now! 

Molly Turners Apartment

I am just in love with this apartment that I saw on Apartment Therapy. Its uncluttered but cozy and every time I look at it, I just want to go home and clean my place! I love the simple lime green carpet, the coral painted closet, and the quirky colourful furniture with clean lines and a good comfort factor.

Envisioning Eames Chairs

For months I'd been pining after these Eames chairs but I pushed the idea of ownership to the very back of my mind (they weren't in my price range and that was that). But one day, I was on my way to do a mountain of laundry, and I spotted two of the chairs in white at a garage sale. I left my hamper full of clothes with the nice folks and went to the bank to pull out some money, all the while wondering if it was a good idea (to buy the chairs, not leave my laundry with strangers). But now that I own the chairs, I couldn't be happier. They look great and add impact to every nook and cranny of my house which makes it hard to settle on where they should live. These pictures generate a few ideas...

Putting them at the head of the table is a great option considering that I just bought four vintage floral kitchen chairs from the Salvation Army this week. 

I kind of put this picture in because it is the living space of my dreams. But look! There's an Eames rocking chair right smack in the middle (of course there is!)

These chairs are so comfortable they'd make a great office seat. Although, lets be honest, I do most of my work from bed. 

One day I'd like to own an orange one. I'm getting greedy!

FACE PILLOW!