try a faux finish with spray paint

My sister-in-law found some beautiful candlesticks for her decadent (and I mean jaw dropping) master bath. Their only drawback was that their zinc coloring did not suit her old world Tuscan decor. An expert faux painter she was using elsewhere in the house suggested this technique which I tried out on the candlesticks during my visit.

Step 1: Gather your materials. You’ll need old rags, a paper plate, a drop cloth, spray paint in a neutral base coat (we used an off-white), and two more spray paints in different metallic finishes.

Step 2:  Apply the neutral base coat thoroughly.  It’s best to apply several light coats rather than a few heavy coats (less drippage).  Do this outside if you can to avoid fumes and accidental wafting of spray paint.

Step 3:  Lightly layer on one of the metallic paints.  Do not cover, leaving lots of the neutral base coat exposed.

Step 4:  Spray paint directly onto your paper plate, and using a cloth, rub the other metallic color on in various areas.  In the picture below, I did a second candlestick with both metallic paints just following this Step and eliminating Step 3.  The goal is to use the dabbing technique to achieve the type of faux finish that you want.

Step 5:  Clean up and you’re done.

Here is the grouping of the three faux painted candlesticks by the edge of the sunken tub.  Don’t they look pretty?

Foyer update: New workstation!

Way back in January, we made some home related resolutions. To read more about those, click here. Making our foyer more inviting was a big goal for us. We had been making some good progress with updating thebookcases and tiling the floor, but a family dilemma was starting to emerge. As our kids are all now school age, they want computer access. Steve and I both use laptops for work and are paranoid about giving the kids free reign with them. Our jalopy of a computer downstairs was no match for the demands of even the most beginner level Webkinz user. Plus, we really wanted to see what the kids were doing on the computer and shelter them from the wacky side of the world wide web. So, we decided to make a change in the foyer to accommodate a new computer for the kiddos and a family workstation we could all enjoy.

To get started, we decided that the bookcase near the kitchen would have to go. Here’s a picture of how it looked right before we removed it. 

We were hoping we’d find hardwood floor underneath. Happily we did, and then we found even more. Read about that interesting discoveryhere.

Because of Steve’s millwork connections, we were able to design a custom unit to fit our needs and space. Now, this is the view when you walk in the front door.

We love the closed upper cabinets for storage, the shelves for minimal display, and the filing cabinets for staying organized. The tall left lower cabinet houses the computer tower and has a shelf for cell phone charging. The only downside was that my former laptop workstation was now gone. My handy husband had a solution for that. He removed the copper insert from the planter on the other bookcase and covered it with a wood slab. Then, he carved out an insert where I can dump the keys, my purse and other accoutrements.

Now I still have my very own kid-free workstation. Hey, you burn more calories when you check your email standing up!

foyer update: new floor

Whenever I get a chance to sneak away for the weekend, I know that part of the price I’ll pay upon returning is a messy house. My husband is amazing in so many ways, but when it comes to cleaning up, I’m a team of one around here. So imagine my surprise when I returned home from a girls weekend in Virginia to find this…

Yep, that’s my sweet little fella playing in the residue of our former foyer floor. Boys. Must. Get. Dirty. That dust he’s sitting in was blanketing the entire first floor of our house. It wasn’t quite the mess I was expecting. Welcome home! Lovely! But was I steamed? Heck no! I couldn’t have been happier to see it go.

Once the dust settled (apparently that takes longer than a day, because the dust was settling all week), we were ready to put in some new tile. My clever husband measured out the foyer space and then used twine and tape to replicate that space on the floor of our garage.

We chose a charcoal gray porcelain tile with an organic rust effect splashing through it. The idea was to pick up the charcoal gray in our kitchen countertops and work with the golden tones in our hardwood floors.

Using the garage floor template helped us to find the best layout and determine where we (er, I mean Steve) would be making the cuts on the tile saw. Once we got the pattern right, we borrowed the kids’ sidewalk chalk to number the tiles and show how they connected to each other.

Then came the messy part: cutting, mortaring, cursing. Not pretty. I took pictures and that’s about it.

The next day was Monday, and Steve had returned to the glory of his workplace so I was left to mix and apply the grout. It wasn’t so bad. Next time I’ll wear rubber gloves to protect my delicate ladylike hands, but I don’t have much wisdom to share beyond that. And after 24 hours of dry time during which the kids pretended the tiles were river stones and tip-toed over them to get to their bedrooms, we had a NEW FOYER FLOOR!

Not the best picture, but hey, we’re not finished yet. Certainly without that orange and gold floor tile, our foyer is making progress on the road to fabulous.

Foyer update: glossy black paint

Last week I wrote about how I’ve been fantasizing about foyers. For a quick refresher, here’s why…no words necessary…you get the picture.

The first order of business was to remove that cracked piece of wavy and dated plexiglass that was by the planter. This was so easy, that after completing the 10 minute task, we looked at each other and wondered why we’d waited so long to do it.

Next up, we decided to update the book case and cabinet. We liked these two built-ins because they defined the foyer area and provided some extra storage for us, so we didn’t want to eliminate them all together. They just needed to be a little prettier and stylish (don’t we all?).

Light sanding removed the aged finish, and a single coat of Zissner’s Bulls Eye 1-2-3 water based primer got the built-ins paint ready.

After two coats of Benjamin Moore Black in a semi-gloss finish, the facelift was complete. We got some stylish storage,

and, I also gained a desktop that little fingers can’t reach. (It’s usually not this neat).

On the opposite side, the planter with its copper insert has become a dumping ground for keys, my purse, dog leashes, etc., but the good thing is that you can’t see this stuff unless you’re right on top of it. When we’re having company, we dump out all the junk and use it as a bar. Cheers to some progress!

Fabulous Foyers

The foyer above has a great combination of the elements in a smaller space. Note how the wood flooring runs horizontally in the foyer and turns vertical to indicate a transition into the other room.

Do first impressions matter? Yes! No! It’s simply a matter of opinion. But the first impression someone has of your home’s interior is when they walk through your front door. You may be one who doesn’t care about first impressions, and we’re willing to bet your foyer might just reflect the same. I wish I had more of that in me, but truth be told, I think first impressions do count. I can’t help it! As a result, lately I’ve been having foyer fantasies.

Here’s why: this is our foyer. Now, honestly, what is your first impression?

Yeah, it’s pretty bad. This picture was snapped at our home inspection, so I can’t take credit for the plastic flowers. We could see that the foyer had good bones, a closet, some shelf units that helped to define the space, and lighting. BUT, that Mexican restaurant tile! The dated plexiglass divider! The “Hello, welcome to the 80′s” front door! This poor foyer needs some design intervention!

Of course, design intervention is what I live for, so remediation is in the works. Progress reports forthcoming, I promise! In the meantime, let’s review the basic recipe for of an ideal foyer.

Essential ingredients include:

1. lighting
2. seating
3. console, chest, slim table
4. coatrack or closet
5. mirror and/or art
6. defined flooring

photo credit: Ngoc Minh Ngo

This bright and breezy foyer by Jonathan Adler has it all, but do you think anyone has ever worn shoes here?

image from Southern Living

This country casual entryway is much more family friendly. A bench with baskets would be the obvious choice here, so the club chairs offer unexpected comfort and whimsy.

photo credit: Andy Cheung

I love the juxtaposition of the shiny marble tile floor against the rustic bench in the foyer above. Tight and tiny, but it’s all there.

What’s happening in your foyer? Are you missing any of the essentials? Does it make an impression you can live with? Do tell!

All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten

That’s the magic of Kindergarten isn’t it? Check out what the kids in my son’s class did. They gussied up these plain pine chairs for their school’s Home Tour and Silent Auction.

Ok, they did have a little help, but this project was pretty easy. The hardest part was to make sure all 75 Kindergarteners got to participate!

First, we procured some simple pine kid-sized chairs and did a coat of primer. Then, we painted each chair the base colors, black for the boys’ chair and periwinkle for the girls. Both of these layers took seconds because we used spray paint.

Then, we were ready to get the kids involved. We taped off a checker board pattern so the boys could use white paint to make their checks. On the girls’ chair, we traced circles in multiple sizes and had the girls choose either light or dark pink, yellow or green to fill in a circle. Then back at home we “cleaned up” the checks and circles and embellished each chair with more patterns on the sides and backs. We also added finials we found on the cheap at Michael’s to give the chairs a whimsical look.

For the seat designs, my mother-in-law found some images online of the cheshire cat and tea party scenes from Alice in Wonderland. Because she’s a great artist, she copied the images right onto the seat freehand with a Sharpie, but if you’re not so artistically inclined, you could trace the images directly onto the chair. Then, it was simply a matter of filling in the lines with a few layers of acrylic paint.

Once the design was complete, we sprayed the chairs with a few layers of clear spray paint. This forms a protective layer between the paint and varnish and keeps the paint from smearing when the varnish is applied.

The last step was a final coat of Minwax water-based polycrilic protective finish, and this adorable couple is ready to be auctioned off to the highest bidder!

Melamine--is it time for Spring?

For some it’s that first robin sighting, for others it’s the daffodils and forsythia that are blooming, for us it’s the abundance of melamine dishes we’re spotting that is signaling warmer days ahead. Melamine is a resin material that is shatterproof and inexpensive. Translation: you have permission to splurge on some affordable and fun new dishes. They’re durable and casual; just like the perfect backyard party guest! Just remember to keep them out of the microwave and oven. Here are some of the season’s best…

This sophisticated set evokes the look of Turkish pottery.

This classic grovestand design would mix ‘n match well with other solid dishes.

We dig the bold modern graphics on this hip dinnerware collection.

Save 20% and receive free shipping on this colorful collection by entering TABLETOP at checkout.

This last playful set celebrates the flora and fauna of summer.

So as the weather warms, go ahead and invite the gang over for some backyard grilling, chilling and pretty plate filling. Delish!