let's get fruity this christmas

who doesn't like citrus? it smells good, it contains vitamin C, and the colors are cheery any time of year. back in the day, we used to get grapefruit in our stockings on Christmas morning. i still don't understand why, other than it made our stockings look heavier... anyhoo, these lovely decorations feature natural greenery and items you can find at the grocery store.  why not get fruity and string up some kumquats for your garland this year? (you just said the word kumquat out loud, didn't you...)

color preview for the dining room...

this holiday weekend has been a painting marathon.  the actual painting part takes less time than picking colors, driving to the paint store (coupon), driving to the hardware store to get the paint supplies (a different coupon), taping all the trim, ceiling, and baseboards, and then sitting down with the dog to snuggle because he feels left out.  i started with the dining room because we have no furniture in there, and i'll move on to the living room because...well, we have no furniture in there either.  more sneak peeks to come in the next few weeks!  after four coats of paint in the dining room (that's above the chair rail, with three coats of a mystery color below), i'm very happy with how the room turned out.  it's mega-luxe feeling, cozy, and moody.  drumroll please... 

Sherwin-Williams "Sealskin" SW7675

you'd be surprised at how large the room feels, even in a dark color.  we painted over a bright yellow room, which made the room feel closed-in, not open and sunny.  (i won't mention what color was below the chair rail... let's just it was close to meatloaf.)

here are some of my inspirations for dark and moody dining rooms that still feel open and inviting...

as much as i'd love to paint the living room the same color (see previous post on hibernating in a taupe world), it's a bright, happy room, and the walls blend with the foyer and hallway upstairs.  so, we went with a lighter, more neutral color, Benjamin Moore's Revere Pewter (HC-172).  more to come...

taupe + hibernation

hey there fall friends. i can't believe it's been over a month since my last post.  since then, we've moved out of the cottage, moved temporarily to a furnished condo in an urban hotspot complete with public transportation, moved into our new house, traveled to Dallas, and now i'm stuck with my third cold-slash-plague of the season. all that said, i'm ready to hibernate for the winter and wake up with the trees start to bud.  however, part of our agreement for buying our 'forever house' in NOVA was for me to embrace all four rainy seasons.  maybe that's why every photo I've pinned on Pinterest in the past month features a taupe-colored room.  the dark greys and browns of taupe just exude warmth and coziness, don't they?  would it be insane for me to paint our new living room and dining room (which must must must be painted -- they are currently rose pink and a combo of horrid yellows and browns) dark taupe? p.s. -- love the pops of red/orange with the taupe. i'm even tempted to find an orange couch!