The clock that followed me home...

After the water damage we finished a few other projects...

like a revamp of the family room fireplace from this...

to this

The old mantel came with the house and a lot of people liked it.  I didn't hate it, but the Hubs disliked it intensely.  We lived with it for over 10 years while we took care of other more pressing projects and then decided to change it while everything was already a construction zone with the water damage repairs.  I designed a simpler surround and used a herringbone stone mosaic that matched the hearth area, which we didn't change.  

Now I can't imagine why I didn't change it sooner - but it was way down on the list of things that needed to 

be done...

you know... 

THE LIST.

That dang list just seems to get longer and longer!

I was soon off on another trip to Utah - this time for fun...because after water damage - you need some fun..

and this time with the Hubs, which was even more fun!

Running around Salt Lake we stopped at a few of our favorite antique shops and there was this clock...

IT SPOKE TO ME...

It said, 'bring me home...'or maybe it said 'you need me'

hard to tell exactly, as I don't speak fluent clock,

but the gist was the same.

It had beautiful workmanship, the patina of age, gorgeous wood tones...

So the clock came home to stay...

We arranged for it to be shipped via some guys truck coming to California...

and the guy delivered it to the wrong address - the right house number but the wrong street..

Barbi and her husband nearly had themselves a nice antique clock...but we finally figured out where it had landed and The Hubs and Rob (friend and neighbor) rolled it home.

It was much bigger in our house than it looked in the huge warehouse where I discovered it. Taller than my 8' ceilings, so that narrowed down the possible places it could be placed.  I could put it in my bedroom as I have a vaulted ceiling there - but it has a definite tick-tock going on and bongs pretty good on the hour - 

so, no.  

That left the living/dining room area - also vaulted - 

but also occupied by the even taller french clock we found several years ago; 

or 

the stair landing.

The staircase landing became its new home, but it wasn't a happy pairing with the very large, very bronze colored mirror we had there.

A few weeks later, while still trying to decide what to do about the clock/mirror situation, The Hubs brought me a photo of a mirror he fell in love with at an antique store.  It was very pretty, very old rosewood, and he loved it.  It is rare he finds something he really loves, and so it came home too.  It also wasn't a good match with the clock which now left me with two large mirrors that didn't work on the landing and no solution for what would.  I decided a little shuffling was in order. 

We moved the smaller antique mirror and the surrounding botanicals that were over the living room sofa to the  landing.  This mirror/botanical group and the clock seemed to get along quite well.  No name calling or face pulling, and the new mirror worked over the sofa.

The new mirror went over the sofa.  It was a tall mirror and it nearly reached ceiling height - which actually gave it more presence and raised the eye.  Now, what to do with the original landing mirror....

why is there always a problem to solve?

Which brings me to my next project...

as the clock tick tocks and bongs...

I have GOT to get the living room curtain problem solved...

A POX ON WATER DAMAGE!

I always try to take in the big Spring Celebration at Rogers Gardens -
(a lovely garden nursery/gift shop in Corona Del Mar, CA)

Fuzzy chicks make me happy...

as do bunnies

Cute bunnies aside, I come to see the flower arrangements their floral department create to FILL the gift shop.

We took a little Coastal train ride with friends to Carlsbad

Great views all the way on the Surfliner.

Shopping Carlsbad - fun in spite of a little rain...

My son braved the weather of Winter in Yosemite to capture the fire falls.
Only ONE time each year - in February, and providing the weather permits,
is this particular waterfall lit by the setting sun which turns it to 'fire'.
At just the right moment, it pours molten sunset down the face of El Capitan.
He had been defeated by the weather two previous years.  It was well worth the wait.

 View his photography here and here

And then we lost our baby.
OUR BAILEY - RIP SWEET GIRL

she left a big giant hole in our hearts

And the ugly kept coming in the form of

THE VERY BAD, VERY UGLY

SLAB LEAK

I actually felt we caught it in time, but the insurance company still ripped up over 1/2 our floor

and a lot of walls, took down the built-in cabinets and removed moldings and packed our belongings and furniture into a pod on the driveway.

Once again, we were without a kitchen.

FIND YOUR PERSONAL STYLE

There are certain images that stay with you.

Pages you tear from a home decorating magazine or

images on Pinterest,

You keep coming back to them because

something about them attracts.

Studying those photos can help you discover your own personal style...

the colors 

so soft

the opposites (the formal, antique settee - with the fun contemporary pillows.

the pillows make me smile.

a little calm oasis for the eye

the odd color combination - olive and blue/green (gorgeous)

the botanicals!

high contrasts...

matte gray background

white painted built-ins

more than just books in the bookshelves...

rustic wood with shiny mercury glass

colors - tan and gray together

the contrast of the milky white against the cool gray

When you are drawn to a picture of a room, take a minute to find what you find appealing in that photo.  

You might discover what you don't like, too.

And that is nearly as important.

Do it for several photos and you may see a pattern emerge...

It may be just that easy to determine your personal style.

chunky legs on the island

the warm dark wood floors

white cabinets

details - ceiling, windows

leather counter stools with nail heads

warm woods with cool white

simple lines

non-fussy

A cozy nook with books...

linen upholstery

fur throw

blue and white - always a favorite

****************************************

QUESTIONS FROM A READER

Hi!  We just had our kitchen hallway and living room painted professionally.  I chose two Benjamin Moore colors after sampling 12 colors on the walls and finally settled on Dry Sage for the kitchen and hallway and then Greenbrier Beige in the living room.  The walls are adjacent  The painters did a beautiful job but I am in an utter panic now that it is fully painted  that the Greenbrier Beige is picking up the green from the dry sage and as a result has everything looking muttled.  I find that my eyes keep playing tricks on me and the greenbrier beige looks green vice a versa and then it all ends up looking one color or muddy and I am so worried I made a mistake. 

I'm not sure what I should do - my husband does not want to repaint but I am open to it if I was confident that the next color would be the right one.  I like both the dry sage and greenbrier beige separately but I just don't think I like them together.  I would prefer to keep the dry sage over the greenbrier beige.  We have oak cabinets in the kitchen and an oak colored laminate floor throughout and the dry sage looks great in my kitchen.  I wanted a color to compliment the dry sage - a neutral that had some warmth and personality to it and that would showcase our fireplace and white trim.  I can send pictures of the rooms if needed.  Any advice would be sincerely appreciated.  Thank you!!
Regards,
Catie 

Hi Catie,

As you can see in the pictures below, the colors you chose are very similar in value, with Dry Sage being a more dominant color than the Greenbrier Beige.  It has more warmth, and so comes toward you more, while the beige is more subdued.  

Wall color is always affected by the adjacent colors, woods, ceiling height, room size and light.  Your Greenbrier walls are being strong armed by the Dry Sage.  If the beige was a little lighter and not so close in value, they wouldn't be fighting so much.  Because they are very similar in value (strength) - your eye sees them as the same and sometimes they blend together a little.  I think this is as simple as creating more of a contrast from room to room.

You can try Manchester Tan (BM) in the beige tones

Grey Mirage (BM) in the gray hues

or go to a completely different and cooler tone with a blue

Try Quiet Moments or Sea Haze

When you do put a sample on the wall - make sure you paint it (two coats) on a poster board

with a good 2-3" margin around the edge so you can lessen the effect of the existing wall color on the new.

Pin it to the wall and observe it throughout the day in all the types of light your room experiences.

If you like it - buy it and put it on the wall!

Good Luck!

NO EXCUSE FOR BORING WALLS

With the abundance of good quality prints both online and in shops 

and our own digital cameras and easy to use editing tools, 

there is no reason for boring walls

NONE