Chaletmomma

This week I’m sharing a space I helped my dear friend refresh. Late last summer my girlfriend lamented how she wanted to scrap her entire livingroom. Of course the designer in me immediately took over. I started asking questions - the very first being - What feeling do you want the space to evoke? While I was in the car with the boys on our way to the beach - she and I were texting at the same time I was looking up rugs, and other furnishings.

I get it 5 months into Lock-down and I think a lot of us were looking around our homes and thinking ICK!!! The first thing we did together was talk about what would make the biggest impact in the room.

Some of you will have guessed what it was before I type it - PAINT - if you ever start to feel over a space - the least expensive and most impactful way to reinvigorate those happy feelings is through paint.

The Livingroom was painted in Benjamin Moore Hot Spring Stones with Linen Ivory trim. Now, It’s Sherwin Williams Snowbound on both the walls and trim.

Hot Spring Stones

Snowbound

What a difference… the space felt brighter and lighter.

The other element that changed was the rug. The previous (I wish I had a picture of it) was brown. This new beauty located through Rugsource introduced so many colors while still grounding the room because of it’s navy base. I told her to mix the pattern rug with whatever pillows she wanted and the feeling will be wonderful and uniquely hers.

Next I talked pillow covers and I turned to my favorite source: Annabel Bleu. A few pieces from the Indigo Farmhouse Collection were chosen.

As you can see there are a bunch of frames on the sectional - the family photos that had once lined the stairwell were relocated to the livingroom and new graphic art pieces were chosen for the space: Conversationalist 1 by Rikki Drotar and Blue Rapture II by Julia Contacessi through Art.com.

Conversationalist 1

Blue Rapture II

The movement and intense colors are captivating!

The refresh extended to other spaces. The front hall has a new Pottery Barn rug. The dining room’s new rug is from Wayfair. The downstairs office off the livingroom went from gray to a lovely vibrant blue with the addition of Sherwin Williams Needlepoint Navy.

The downstairs of this open airy 1929 colonial is a sea of blues with thoughtful touches of cream, tan and white.

I want to extend an extra special thank you and big hugs to my dear girlfriend Andy - thanks momma for asking my opinions and having faith when I said a few changes would accomplish what you were after xoxo!!!

What was done:

Paint
Rugs
Pillows
New Art
New shades for the fireplace sconces

This design is Minimal Traditional with a Beachy vibe and I love it!

Hi Friends after many months the kitchen refresh is finally complete!

Back in February I popped into Home Depot and came home with a sample of English Channel. I am not someone who needs a plethora of swatches. I knew I wanted a dark blue but, not navy and this color fills the bill perfectly.

On Friday July 24th we celebrated 17 years of ownership here at the Chalet. In that time all but two spaces have been redone at least once. (We like what we like and we like it for a long time! hahaha!) So the kitchen was one of the spaces that had not seen any updates since the original remodeling project in January 2005.

This is our kitchen in its full Ben Moore Pumpkin Spice glory…. I loved the color so much for so long - until I didn’t. I started talking about painting the kitchen a dark blue last fall. I saw some raised eyebrows and I get it - I really do - the space is about 9’ x 9’ and I’m being generous - the measurement from the frig to the diningroom is 6’ 6 inches.

If you follow along on IG than you never see this space. It’s small, hard to photograph and the light levels vary between barely any to being very bright thanks to it bouncing off our neighbors house.

In April I painted the trim - the problem was I didn’t have the wall and ceiling paint. This is my very sweet husband - he went to the store (during the the height of the pandemic here in New Jersey) and bought me paint. I started painting the ceiling Behr Paint Pink Prism in May but, as it is with life especially during Covid the project stalled. On July 22nd he took pity on me and gave the ceiling the second coat it needed and then my friends I was off to the races!

I painted for 6 hours on Friday July 24th (that magical 17th Houseaversary) and for another 8 hours the next day. I know you’re thinking what?1? 14 hours to paint such a small space but, I started brushing and stuck with it. I like brushes they offer me a control I don’t feel with a roller. I also used artists brushes to get in to some of the nooks and crannies.

By Saturday night there was Art! Thanks so much Christina for lending your eye!

“KP duty is “kitchen police” or “kitchen patrol”...”

— Wikipedia

This image proves the ceiling really is Pink!

This fabric was the jumping off point for the rest of the elements in the space. Originally I thought about going in a chinoiserie direction but, when I closed my eyes and asked myself what did I want to live with? What did I see in my minds eye? Something I Ask Clients To Do… I saw fun with a modern twist and this fabric is the perfect blend of color and pattern to tell that story.

I first saw this fabric on my friend and Interior Designer Cameron Jones IG feed, she was sweet enough to grab a yard and mail it from Raleigh, North Carolina. It had been sitting in a bin in my basement for a few years - I am so glad I hadn’t used it for pillows or a client! So the last thing I tackled were the cafe curtains.

I hope this has inspired you and let you see even professionals can struggle to get projects finished - for one reason or another.

This pretty space is getting a break while we’re at the beach - breathing in salt air, eating donuts, playing mini-golf - all while self distancing and wearing masks. Please know I’m here for assistance - email me - no project or query is too small!

Take care and Please wear your mask!