CasaSugar

Link Time: Minty Fresh Rooms and Innovative Decor Refreshers

CasaSugar — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 10:32:21 PDT

Give rooms a minty coolness with these paint colors. - House Beautiful
Make modern updates to traditional furniture with these finds. - Houzz
Create an eye-catching vignette by wallpapering books. - Real Simple
It's hard to pick a favorite from these cool decor finds under $50. - Country Living
Have you stayed in one of these 50 best hotels? - California Home + Design
Did you know about this Spring cleaning side benefit? - Apartment Therapy
These grass sculptures are simply amazing. - Garden Design

Celebrate Spring With a Multitude of Green-Hued Rooms

Elka Karl — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 14:30:37 PDT

The color green has much to recommend it. As a cooler color, green helps to make a space appear bigger when it's used to decorate a room. It's thought to have a calming, and even healing, effect. And this nature-based hue is associated with rebirth - perfect for Spring. Whether you're determined to paint a room green in your house, or you're still on the fence, these shades - from mint and sage to evergreen and in between - may make you head to the paint store this weekend.

Introduce Color in Unexpected Places With Paint

Angela Swinderman Elias — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 05:00:00 PST

My favorite rooms always seem to be inspired by whatever colors I'm currently obsessing over. While I could happily reside in a space that's drenched in color, I realize some people prefer to use it more sparingly in their design. When we think of adding pops of color, though, the obvious route always seems to lead back to a throw pillow or accent chair. I'm preferring more innovative versions of accenting a room that involve paint and a little imagination. Click through this gallery to see some of my favorite examples for introducing color in unexpected (but brilliant) places.

Have You Painted Your Ceiling in a Surprising Color?

Elka Karl — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 04:00:52 PST

This room is so dreamy, thanks in large part to that delicious blue wall color. But the effect is also aided by the lovely lighter blue on the ceiling.

To be perfectly honest, when I've repainted my living and dining room this past time, I've skipped the ceilings - they were in fine shape, and it seemed like a major hassle, especially when I was doing all of the work myself in between wrangling a toddler. However, the cozy, cocoon-like effect that these contrasting blues has created is tempting me to rethink my lazy ceiling painting.

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Link Time: Cozy Home Tips, 25 Ways to Use Paint, and a Lovestruck Pencil DIY

Elka Karl — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 12:00:24 PST

25 orange paint ideas. - Stylelist Home
Decorate your walls in two minutes. - Real Simple
Sleep in soothing, nearly neutral bedrooms. - Houzz
See how a piece of wood was turned into a lampshade. - Craft
Seven steps to a super-cozy home. - Apartment Therapy
Tips for making an old kitchen feel new again. - House Beautiful
Create lovestruck pencils. - The Crafts Dept

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Would You Ever Paint a Piano?

Elka Karl — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 10:25:57 PDT

In Saturday's episode of Home by Novogratz, Rob and Cortney decided to paint a piano white to add more style to the aged instrument and to match the feel of the hip bachelor pad they were designing.

I think the finished piano looks amazing. Truth be told, I'm generally not a fan of painting perfectly nice solid wood furniture - or pianos, for that matter - unless they're already damaged or cannot be remedied with stripping or refinshing. That said, I love the look of a high-lacquer painted piano, and while I know I'm contradicting myself here, there's something so compelling about a glossy little spinet piano in the corner of a room. I'll draw the line at painting a grand - that's a little too Liberace gaudy for my taste, but an upright or spinet painted piano often turns out quite chic.

Before and After: A Dining Room Trades in a Punchy Yellow For a Cool, Moody Gray

Elka Karl — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 05:00:30 PDT

This weekend, I finally tackled our dining room's much-needed repainting project. After sharing some gray options with you on Facebook and carefully observing the color at all times of day and night, my husband and I decided on Benjamin Moore's Vale Mist, in the company's no-VOC Natura line. Vale Mist provided a cool, elegant gray that I thought would look great with our artwork. I also wanted to use this gray to add a modern look to the traditional wool carpet that my mother-in-law kindly gifted to us. I couldn't be happier with the transformation. However, I know that gray paint isn't for everyone - take a look and then let me know; did you prefer the yellow, or do you like the change in color?

Love It or Hate It? High-Gloss Ceilings

Julia Millay Walsh — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 05:00:00 PDT

The glossy white ceiling of this Coogee Beach, Sydney, home is by no means subtle. It's flashy and reflective, snazzy and arresting. But it works because the home - complete with a dreamy interior courtyard - has been designed to the nines. An "unfinished" room could not pull this off; it'd be like wearing a khaki shirtdress with rhinestone Louboutins.

I would consider this effect in a smaller room and in a darker shade - perhaps Benjamin Moore's Old Navy? The white is a little too Miami for my tastes. What do you say?

Decor Don't: Choosing Paint Colors at the Store

Shelterpop — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 09:49:37 PDT

I'm excited to present a post from one of my favorite sites, ShelterPop!

It's tempting to pick a paint color on a whim, but don't do it! Here's why.

You've been on the hunt for that perfect shade for your bathroom walls, and you finally think you've found it -- in the paint aisle, at your local hardware store.

Word to the wise: Don't do it.

"Lighting has a huge effect on the appearance of colors and many stores use 'cool white' fluorescent lighting that casts a bluish tint, even though you may not notice it," says interior designer and color expert Kelly Porter. The lighting in your home, on the other hand, is most likely incandescent, which gives paint colors a warmer appearance.

"In addition to lighting, most paint chips are small, so it's sometimes hard to see the color's true undertones or level of intensity," Porter says.

Take time to test the colors. Try painting a one-foot square in the middle of the wall and observing it for a day or two. Then you can see how the color looks at different times of the day, in various lighting conditions.

If you're hesitant to actually paint a test area on your wall, ask about ordering a larger paint chip, not a painted poster board. "Taping a larger color sheet to the wall will work better than painting on poster board, which absorbs paint differently than your walls."

And most importantly, be committed to the painting process. That way, you'll be willing to test colors until you find the one that's right for your space.

Here are a few more of our favorite ShelterPop posts this week:

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The Bathroom Sees Red!

Casa Community — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 03:00:59 PDT

Here's a post from CasaSugar Community member MashiaraQCS from the Su Casa group.

I recently redid my bathroom. Unfortunately I don't have any before pictures. Not enough foresight. It used to be a calming and boring shade of misty green. As I'm sure you've already guessed, it's been entirely made over with a vibrant shade of red! I love it. The old shower doors, which were getting stained and discolored in uncleanable areas, were ripped out and a delightful curtain replaced it. I added fun new knick-knacks and chose new wall decor and new bath mats. Still haven't replaced the towels however. Eventually they will match the bathroom. My favorite item however is the eye-chart. I created it using photoshop and had it printed through Zazzle and then created my own matte and framed it. The guys of the house had a fun time trying to figure out what it said (it hangs above the loo). The space is very awkward to shoot pictures in.

Check out all of the photos of the newly painted and decorated bathroom!