Tuesday, November 22, 2016

From Darkness to Light

Have you ever looked at a room and thought "this would be SO much better if only the walls were a dark semi-gloss with an even darker high-gloss trim that is completely inconsistent with the rest of the house"? Me neither.  But apparently someone did because that's what the room we call the "study" was sporting when we moved in.  


I tried to make it look decent enough: like when I introduced the desk and when the new light fixture went up.  But most of the time it looked like the photos above and below.  Dark, cluttered, and kind of gloomy. Also, notice the overflowing laundry basket in the corner?  That served as Matt's "dresser" for over a year.  Yikes.



Enter the whites from left to right:  Benjamin Moore Swiss Coffee, BM White Dove, and 
BM Alabaster.


White Dove was so...white and Alabaster had a touch of pink undertones which was pretty, just not the right hue for the room.  Swiss Coffee was the warm-but-not-too-creamy color I had in mind.


The girls agreed that if I would hire a painter they would oversee the work at no charge.  In an effort to completely rebel against the gloss paint lovers anonymous group that had been the room, I went with a matte finish on the walls and an eggshell finish on all trim.  I thought about using a flat finish on the trim but then remembered that I have two dogs who shed black, white, gray, red, etc. etc. and thought better of it.  The upkeep would have been a little much. 


The trim color is BM Pale Oak and it is spot on.  Traditionally, the trim would have been the lighter color and the walls the darker color, but I had been wanting to try a tone on tone reverse wall/trim pairing and I'm so happy with the results.  The effect is striking yet subtle.  Pale Oak doesn't commit to being gray or tan or beige- it just gently anchors the white walls.  


Above photo is the room with fresh paint and an upgraded dresser, but pre-rug and still with the old couch.  Today we're looking more like the photos below...



A new desk chair in weathered oak looks so pretty against the walls and the desk.  The new bookcase sits against a formerly empty wall and serves as form and function.  It is so handsome and provides much needed storage in here for Matt's growing library.  I grouped the unruly cords in a storage tray under the bookcase. Such a necessary evil, those cords. **This is where I would like to say a word about cord covers: I hate them.  I think they draw more attention to cords by making them look needlessly gaudy.  Just thought you should know.**


The rug and blanket are Pendleton.  



All furniture {except for the desk} is Restoration Hardware.  


The chair and ottoman, I love them.  They are so cozy, but I haven't decided if they will stay in this room. The thing is, they are so much lighter than I was anticipating.  I ordered several fabric swatches and ended up choosing "natural" in Belgian linen which looked significantly darker on the tiny swatch than it does on the actual pieces.  Lesson learned.  The pair might be relocated to the bedroom once we get going in there and I'll find something else for in here, I'd like for the upholstery to not be so stark against the warm rug and warm walls.  


Birdie enjoys the chair but Shep tends to ignore it while occasionally making a snarky comment about how it was a custom order and cannot be exchanged.  I really need to get it together.  



**This post is not sponsored by any of the brands mentioned.
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