Think Pink! (in the *living room*?)

My initial thoughts on my living room were to use pale neutrals like creamy white and pale gray.  My "centerpiece" is this sofa - my mother's Duncan Phyfe-style sofa:

When she had this reupholstered in the early 1970s, she had the excellent taste and foresight not to have it done in avocado green.  It's an oyster white silk brocade with tiny pink petit point roses.

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I love the tone on tone pales - I plan on using a lot of crystal and silver for accessories and I don't want the room to be "glacial" - you know...like Mr Freeze's lair.

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Here, I like the use of the gold; I am hoping to use silver and pale blues/grays/violets to a similar effect.

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This is probably the most "realistic" version of what I'd like to do.  Again, the pale neutrals, but not icy.  I would also definitely consider a painting over the mantel instead of a mirror.

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This is a "I wish" photo.  I wish I had room for shelving on either side of my fireplace, but I am not sure how I could accomplish that given the minimum shelf depth:

These last two photos are beautiful.  I love certain shades of pink, but I am frankly scared to have a pink living room.  My bedroom is going to be "White Dogwood" by Sherwin-Williams, so I have no qualms about rosy boudoirs, but I don't know if I can bring myself to put it out "in public".  But...why not...it's just some paint, right?   :) 

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By the way - this last photo is of the Prestige Suite at the Plaza Athenee in Paris.  Nothing like having champagne taste and a diet Pepsi budget! ;)

So - what do you think?  Should I stay neutral, or think pink?  I know what Kay Thompson would say!

My "Splendid Blender" dilemma :( - UPDATE!

When I saw this transfer method on the blog of the goddess who is Rosemary Barnes, I was intrigued.

Because I live in Hooterville, I couldn't find them at Michaels', so I searched the intarwebs for one of them there ChartPak Splendid Blenders.  I probably could have taken the Cannonball Express over to Pixley, but I figured I could do it online since Alf & Ralph Monroe got the DSL connection workin' here.

I couldn't find one to save my life.  I *did* find a ChartPak Blender, so although it did not proclaim its splendidness on the label, I ordered 3.

They don't seem to work.  Does anyone (A) know what I'm doing wrong (I'm using a toner copier print, not an inkjet print), (B) if this marker is the same thing as a Splendid Blender, and (C) what time the next train to Pixley arrives?

UPDATE:  I underestimated the importance of burnishing after using the blender pen.  One of my mother's vintage cream soup spoons did the trick!

I wonder if VanGogh had these issues?

This weekend, I was fortunate enough to see the VanGogh Up Close exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.  It was just beautiful and sad and inspirational at the same time.

Spending the day surrounded by color made me even more unsure of what to do about my living room/dining room/small foyer.  I rent, but have been here 2 years and plan on being here for the long-term.  I have terrific landlords who realize this is my home...not just some place I live.  I take very good care of the place, and I am very happy here.  My landlords are perfectly fine with me painting the walls.  They are currently (I think) "Navajo White", and while that's perfectly fine, I want to change it.

My decorating colors are cream/oyster white/pink, with some touches of pale green, and I have a lot of silver and crystal decorative pieces.  The furniture that will not be painted are have cherry tones.  My dilemmas are:

• because my colors are pale, and because my accents are silver and crystal, I am concerned about everything looking "washed out", or cold.

on the other hand...

• because everything is pale and delicate, I don't want any extremely vibrant colors.
• I am "stuck" with the following non-negotiables/non-changeables

1. a natural pine floor that unfortunately, like a lot of these floors, has an orange cast to it.
2. a terra cotta tile floor in the foyer
3. Eisenhower-era wood door & trim for the foyer closet

I have several paint "swatches" on the wall (thank goodness for those little pint samples!)  "Silver Screen" by Behr seems too foggy gray.  "Quietude" seems more like a brighter white than the Navajo White that's up there now.  Sherwin-Williams "White Dogwood" is a beautiful barely-there pink, but I think that will be better in my bedroom.

Does anyone have any thoughts or suggestions?  Anyone...Bueller?  I could go broke on pint samples before I figure this out! Does anyone have a "go-to" cream or pale oyster color they really like?

Help!  :|

Holy Cats!

I actually *won* the giveaway @ Villa Barnes!

I'm gonna buy lottery tickets tomorrow for *sure*!

Lookit all the neat-o, keen-o stuff I won:

I can't wait!

xoxox, Rosemary - you're an amazing inspiration!

Changes to the dining room, too!

Daffodils from the garden

Vintage cut-work linen tablecloth 

from my mother's wedding trousseau

I love pears, and they work well with the colors

on the table runner and in the leaves of the "ranunculus"

I've always thought the pulls on my buffet/china cabinet

were kinda blah...

...so, one visit to HomeGoods, and 2 packages later...

...voila!

I really like how they look

Some things I'll be working with in the dining room:

Meakin "Tobacco Leaf" ironstone tea service

a what-not shelf I'm going to re-paint...

...this is too "meh".

a mustache cup!

an antique biscuit jar

antique Limoges chocolate pot

Meakin tureen

the wine rack/table

Again - forgive the photo quality.

Spring brings changes

...and daffodils from the garden.

vintage cut-work tablecloth from my mother's 

wedding trousseau.  Flowers are in an antique footed vase

A wonderfully kind-hearted fella helped me switch out sofas this past weekend.  I also "shopped in my own home" and moved some other furniture around.  Here are some before & afters (comments and suggestions are always welcomed):

BEFORE

very bulky - beyond-hope upholstery stains

AFTER

my mother's vintage Duncan Phyfe-style sofa (circa at least 1948)

reupholstered in early 70s (petit point roses on cream background)

BEFORE

wood coffee table and end tables that I have never liked

AFTER

I'm retaining the loveseat & will use a cream linen slip cover

the tea table is temporary - I would like a large ottoman/table

eventually, I'll move this tea table elsewhere

in the living room

BEFORE

glass demi-lune table used behind the sofa

(this restricted the walkway through the living room)

AFTER

demi-lune as bar/drinks area against wall

I plan on a mirror over this set-up

bar area detail

bar area detail

BEFORE

chair is now in my bedroom - see below for 

antique chair in its place

AFTER

illusion of more room

birdcage & antique chair/footstool

marble-topped end tables

(marble has a pink vein to it)

Waterford lamps - one of my mom's

prized acquisitions

shades are cream natural silk

escritoire

mantel

mantel detail

center of mantel

mantel detail

my mother's wedding portrait

There is a lot more I want to do to this room.  I may paint the walls a pale hue; I haven't decided yet.  Since I have a lot of cream/white/pale pink, I am afraid of the room being perceived as "colorless".  

I want to paint the birdcage and the antique chair, and perhaps re-upholster the chair.  The footstool will definitely get a slipcover of its own.  I may paint the sofa - I'm still undecided at this point.

I am fortunate that I have a lot of beautiful items that were chosen either by my mother or by myself.  We must have had the same mantra - only buy things you love and things that make you happy.

As the Dave Edmunds said - from small things big things one day come.

PS - I apologize for the photo quality.  My former camera is shot and I'm learning to work with a new one - hopefully my skills will improve.

Villa Barnes Giveaway!

Nifty neat-o, keen-o giveaway at one of my favorite blogs - Villa Barnes!

Go on...what are you waiting for?  :)