Bottom feeding

Remember the dreadful wallpaper borders of the '80s and '90s along the tops of walls?  Maybe you are not as old as I and have no recollection whatsoever.  Lucky you.  I confess, I was a border owner but only one room one time. 

Now on to the anti border...

This article, interview and photo-set at Style Saloniste really intrigued me. The photos are a chinoiserie dream!

The decorative art of Michael Dute is some of the finest in the world but it is the fretwork along the bottom of the walls that really piqued my interest. 

Perhaps it is that I have too much to hang on the wall that keeps me from a massive mural like this but along the base of the walls I could do fabulous things. 

I went to Stencil-library and found a few borders that would do the trick.

 

This fretwork pattern is far and away my favorite.

 

This one is perhaps a bit to lacy and feminine for my taste but still would make an extraordinary addition to a wall.

 

I can envision this one with furniture that I do not own and it is perfection just not for me, maybe.

I think this would be a fabulous way to add interest to a room in a spot that the eye normally discounts during the initial once over. 

It is like adding architecture without an obvious and literal faux treatment.

Have you stenciled anything lately?

painted chairs

Years ago, those cream colored chairs were painted royal blue with gold eagles on the backs. Yikes! I bought them at a yard sale and painted them a creamy white. They are now in my kitchen and my dining room beckons for attention.

It is the more formal space with a pedestal Duncan Phyfe mahoghany table. I will most likely have contrasting host chairs at each end and find a set of armless dining chairs. 

 

I was thinking about doing this and painting them glossy black but I'm not sure that is the look I'm going for.

I did see four chairs that needed some TLC recently and they were only $9 a piece.

I've been running through paint choices in my mind. Like red with some fabulous chinoiserie fabric on the seat.

Queen Anne chairs with cracked leather seats would be ideal.

I also imagined painting them gold and using a red cotton jaquard I already have.

After all the walls will be red, I know, I know, every blogger hates red dining rooms but I am the one living here and I love red.

I just bought this vintage chandelier for the dining room.

I think I'll hold out for better chairs.

On Paint

The past week has been a bedroom painting scramble in anticipation of our moving truck full of belonging arriving.

Above, is a before picture of my master bedroom. Can you blame me for wanting to paint it?

This is the almost finished product. The crappy venetian blinds are going away soon and furniture, instead of ladders,will fill the space.

This is actually about the paint.

I used Sherwin-Williams Superpaint in my room and the clerk at S-W promised me that two coats would cover that blood colored accent wall.

Much to my surprise, it did.

I recently used the same Superpaint in my guest bath...

but it only had to cover builder's off white walls.

Yesterday and the day before were spent painting my color-fatigued teens room's.

Much to my chagrin they both insited on having their rooms painted a bright white.

My daughter's room was that builder color with badly scuffed walls and trim.

I decided to save a little cash and went to Lowe's. I chose Valspar Super Premium flat Ultra White that promised "thick one coat coverage".

My already nearly white room required two coats.

That is a blurry before picture of my 16 year-old son's room.

It's very lavender.

This "thick one coat coverage" took actually three coats to cover and after days and days of painting and extra coat seemed like the judge added ten more years to our sentence.

The S-W Superpaint was about $41 a gallon and the Valspar was about $25 a gallon.

I would have gladly spent the money to avoid having to do so many coats of paint and I think we would have ended up using less anyways.

The moral is that, in this case, you get what you pay for.