The Dark Side

A few months back I decided to make a change to my little powder bathroom. Ever since we moved in over four years ago, I've wanted to change the red walls to something different. I waffled back and forth over wallpaper options (an idea which I still love), but after seeing some inspiration pics I decided to go with paint - very dark paint.

Here are a couple of those inspirations . . . 

Both images from Lonny.

I decided against black but instead went with an ambiguous navy bluish-dark gray. Seriously, still don't know what color it is exactly. It's appropriately named "Mysterious" by Benjamin Moore.

Here's the before:

As you can see, I already have a swatch on the wall. Not the best before shot, but you get the idea.

During: 

So flattering. Here, my freakishly long arms came in handy.

And, after:

The pear painting is by Montgomery, AL artist Nan Cunningham. The one above the toilet is a cheapo thing I found at Southeastern Salvage. The rug is Nate Berkus from HSN.

My mom did the sketch years ago. I stole it from her home at some point.

Found this brass towel holder at a consignment store for $15. The towel is from Marshall's. I realize I'm mixing my cats - a lion holding a leopard towel - but oh well.

 

 

I also replaced the light fixture, but it still needs some work so I'll share that at another time. I really like the way it turned out. I went with a semi-gloss finish and even painted the ceiling. Very enveloping. Sorry the photos are not great. It's hard to photograph a very dark, very small room.

So, what do you think, would you come over to the dark side?

Makeover

As some of you were kind enough to notice, my blog got a much needed makeover recently. I'm just thrilled with the design that Fabulous K Creative came up with. Hopefully, I can do my new look proud. Thanks for your sweet comments. In the spirit of self-improvement, I'll be sharing some small makeovers from my home in the coming posts.

Here's a little spruce I just gave to my dining room table . . . 

This is just the first stage in the table I'm trying to set for our supper club Saturday night. I'm not hosting Thanksgiving this year so this is sort of my version. I just love the white or ghost pumpkins and they go better in my dining room. I also found some smaller pale orange (almost, dare I say, peach-colored) pumpkins and thought they'd be a nice contrast. I got the rust orange burlap at the fabric store, halved it with my friend Becky, then just frayed the edges to make a runner. I weaved some burlap ribbon through the middle and picked some nandina berries while they were still a nice rusty orange (before they turn red and I'll be picking them for Christmas).

I'm planning on adding more greenery and some gold-spray painted pumpkins and gold tapers. I'd also like to hollow out the big white pumpkin and use it as a vase for a floral arrangement. I was inspired by Eddie Ross' table setting in the most recent Lonny.

I'll keep you updated on my progress. If there is any.

In other makeover-related news, I had a strange thing happen to me today when I stopped by the Gas Lamp Antique Mall. After grabbing something at the Home Depot next door, I had about 30 minutes before having to pick up my son, so of course, I just had to shop. While perusing the aisles, a young guy approached me and proceeded to tell me he was a casting director. I immediately thought, "This is it. Finally my big break. He was obviously bowled over by my beauty and . . . " 

Okay, back to reality. But it did turn out to be a pretty cool conversation. He said he was casting for a home makeover show that will be airing on Oprah's new network. It's not being produced by her, but it will be on her network. Anyway, they're trying to find people with "over-the-top" decorating schemes to re-design their spaces. It's going to be called Design Rescue. Here's the flier he gave me:

Forgive the scribble at the top . . . that's Ulysses' contact information. He gave me his digits. I told him I had a blog and would let people know about this as well. So, if you know anyone who fits the bill, shoot him an email (at either of the email addresses I would imagine). Anyone tempted to "tacky" up their home just to get a makeover? I must admit that occurred to me, but I just couldn't go through with such a ruse! It sounds like a great opportunity for the right person though.

And last, but not least, if you're interested in doing a makeover of your own, I just noticed that One Kings Lane is hosting Lee Kleinhelter as one of its Tuesday Tastemaker Tag Sales at Twilight. Lee is the owner and creative force behind Pieces, a bastion of chic design finds in Atlanta.

I love her style. The sale starts at 9 p.m. eastern time, 8 p.m. central (my time). I will definitely be checking it out.

Sources: Lonny, One Kings Lane