Not only is my Barbie Condo petite, it is a bit on the rather dark side. You see, as far as windows go, I have only a small kitchen window ( That is what small kitchens have, you know....) at the front side of my place and a six foot wide sliding glass door at the other end, in my eensy weensy living room. Beyond the sliding door in the living room is a small patio which has a balcony hanging over it, casting shade. While this will be oh-so-nice
if when things warm up this summer, but it
does make my lil' living room.... dim. (I had
every single light on in my downstairs to take these pictures.)
Now, I am all about mood lighting and candlelight in the evenings, but notsomuch in the mornings through mid day, and
especially not in spring and summer time. (edited here to add: Oh! My gosh! LOL! Thanks to those of you who spotted Moose's...um...derriere in the left hand mirror and let me know...I don't think I will tell Moose...he would simply
die if he knew his patootie was showing like that!)
Anyway.
I've been toying with the idea of lightening things up by getting rid of the black pieces of furniture in my living and dining areas, wondering if this might create a lighter,
brighter look in my space, so... I am thinking of painting this hutch a weathered white. Think that might do the trick, or will it simply change my look to more of a feminine, foofy look?
I am also debating on whether or not to paint my dining set white as well. (I got
the idea here. Doesn't this picture inspire you madly to decorate a dining room?! It does me!)
The challenge here is that my farm table is
all white (no wood-stained top) and I have my old hall table in this area as a buffet server, and it is
all cream, so I am wondering if that might be too match-y match-y, or boring, or...well, I am just not sure. Actually, I am not even 100% sure I want to keep this table. I am considering selling it and replacing the round for a small rectangular farm table I already have in my workroom office, which could mimic the look in that photo above that I like so much.....
*sigh*
So many decisions. If, in the end, I feel I made a mistake by painting these pieces, I will be spending time re-painting things back, and that doesn't sound too fun to me....I'm dying to know...What do
you think?
Posts
Tracey, I sure feel you pain. My back porch which is 12' deep keeps me from any southern exposure and therefore I'm in the dark all the time too. I have a table in the basement that is just about to get a coat of something white or cream to try and help, the kitchen cupboards are gonna get it too! Can't wait to see what you do, hopefully it will motivate me to get started.
ReplyDeleteGo peruse Miss Mustard Seed's site, http://missmustardseed.blogspot.com . That is all the furniture-painting inspiration you will need! Just click on her hand-painted furniture category. You'll definitely wanna sit back with a cuppa, cuz there's lots to look at. Ciao Bella!
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to see what YOU decide, because I have the same dilemma here! Years ago my husband built a gorgeous tv cabinet/wall unit which we stained in an ebony finish. It looks great, but I am getting tired of the dark, dark, dark that has since creeped into our south fla home. (What was I thinking? darkish sofa, dark granite in the kitchen- ugh!) I am calling it "my dark period"... Can't wait to see you do it, to show my husband and maybe have his blessings on repainting his wall unit to lighten things up a bit! I say go for it!I haven't seen you do anything that didn't look fabulous and just like you intended!
ReplyDeleteoh! forgot to ask! Was that Moose's less-than-better end in the reflection in the gold mirror to the left of the hutch? too too funny! Gotta love a dog in the house!
ReplyDeleteGood Morning!
ReplyDeleteSince your post last week on your crunch for time with your new job etc. maybe a temporary fix would be to lighten up the dark piece with different, lighter things on the shelves. You could remove the dark flowers on the top and the books and replace with lighter items and maybe for the summer anyway ...... fewer things.
I love Moose in the mirror. At first I thought it was a picture, a very hysterical picture that would look great in a bathroom. Made me smile this morning..........Nicki
I suggest you leave the hutch color as is (grounds that end of the room), take a few things out of the hutch to open it up and use light colored frames, some white plates/vases, and cover the books in a light colored paper. Maybe the green plant on top could be replaced with white pots filled with white roses or daisies. I'm sure that whatever you decide will look super!
ReplyDeleteI agree with Barb. I don't know but I personally am tired of the painted white-washed look. Nothing is prettier to me than a gorgeous piece of wood furniture with all the lovely grain showing. I like the dark piece. What about a nice small lamp on it?
ReplyDeleteJan
PS: I love that dog!!!
How about hiding some rope lights on top of the hutch in and around the greenery for a tiny bit more light?
ReplyDeleteThe black hutch is striking and beautiful. Like Barb said above, it anchors the room.
ReplyDeleteI'm in agreement, I like the hutch dark and think that changing out the accessories would make a difference for the season. As for the dining room table dilemma, I think that'd be a fun place to take chances :) Looking forward to seeing what you do- you always have lovely ideas!
ReplyDeleteThere is too much brown in the room, which is warm and cozy in winter. I agree with changing the swag across the top of the hutch and lighter objects/more color & less objects for summer in the shelves. A summer slipcover for the sofa or summer print pillows on it would brighten it. Remove the suitcase next to the sofa for summer too and find something lighter in its place. It is a gorgeous room - I especially love the mirrors. Have you tried the flameless candles on the shelves. I would lean towards lightening all the other accessories before painting that hutch. I love cottage style and that hutch would be pretty in a cream with all the objects in it now also. What a big job to paint that though. :-)
ReplyDeleteI agree I'd leave the hutch painted the way it is. For a different lighter look I'd just empty the shelves and put things like a few large shells here and there....leave it simple for the summer. One suggestion I would make is pull the blinds on the patio door all the way open and drape very light cotton sheer drapes to either side. At night you can close the blinds for privacy. I find even open they really hold back the light. Rather than paint everything I think you can just edit things for the summer and you'll get the look you want.
ReplyDeleteLet us know how it goes!
Best,
Kathy
Put the paint brush away.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Liz M., the hutch is beautiful.
I'd hate to see it another color.
OK, maybe pick the brush up and paint the inside of the shelves a lighter color.
But what ever you do, be sure to show us!
Another suggestion for lightening the shelves would be to cover cardboard or foam core cut to
ReplyDeletefit the back of each shelf wall, with a
light colored fabric. That would eliminate a lot
of the darkness, set off what you place on the shelves and be an easy alternative to the more permanent painting. Look forward to seeing what
you come up with. Marie
What about silver as an accent to the white? A little silver leaf that's been highly polished would help reflect the light. I like the idea of lightening up with white, but not bright white...not that you ever would. LOL
ReplyDeleteI don't know what your set up is exactly, but can the hutch be moved to the dining room? Sometimes furniture placement can make the room appear darker. While I'm not a huge fan of lining the walls with sofas and chairs, in small spaces it's sometimes necessary to put that largest piece against the longest wall so the sight line to the window isn't compromised.
ReplyDeleteI have a piece that's almost identical to yours, but mine came with the shelves and interior back and sides painted an off-white, kind of worn looking. It never seems overly heavy as a result and I live in a really tiny Barbie rental! Good Luck, it'll be fun to see what evolves.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure...my husband and I always joke that the decorating shows always recommend the opposite of what is there...light to dark or dark to light...but if it needs a change, something like this chalk paint might be the way to go:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.centsationalgirl.com/2011/05/chalk-painted-mirror/
I love that black piece and would hate to see it go. I think it grounds your room, which is also important. A light... a lamp.... something in that (from my point of view) right-hand corner might help. My rooms are dark, too. I own more lamps than any sane person should!
ReplyDeleteI love that black piece, I always remember being so envious when I'd see it in the pictures at your old home. BUT, you know, it is SO DARK here. I love it here, but it's definitely dark. (My husband jokes we might as well live in Norway!). So we've definitely found that painting everything we can possibly get our hands on a light color helps A LOT. It doesn't have to be white, it could be blue or green or yellow or anything. But I don't think white would be boring or foofy, I think that all of the gorgeous things you style it with (as you do so very, very well) are going to be what makes the room cozy and textural, and so you can control how foofy it is with those things, and it'll NEVER be boring because your decor is NEVER boring! You're way too talented for that!
ReplyDeleteIn fact, strike everything I said. Whatever you decide is going to be gorgeous!
Best,
~Angela~
I've given this much thought (ocd? lol) and I think that if you feel you need a change and brightening up......then do it! I can see the hutch in white or cream or even a soft pink or green! Whatever tickles your fancy. It would be very 'cottage'! Very English-rose cottage! I think it would really be beautiful and after all, it's only paint. If you hate it, or get tired of it, switch it back!
ReplyDeletecont'd
ReplyDeleteIf you did the hutch in white, with those walls, it would look very much like the fireplace at 41 Taylor which was stunning. That whole place screamed light and bright. I really WANT you to paint it white, now! HA!