Sometimes I get asked how I put together a room, and I often struggle to come up with a straight answer. I know a lot of seasoned designers or people who have gone to school for design have some pretty clear cut steps to how they do things, but I can’t say that’s me. Most people begin with a jumping off point: a fabric they love, a piece of art or a wallpaper. This is a great way to start and I have done spaces that way before, but lately my spaces come out of feelings I want to evoke and colors I feel really drawn to.
The entry wasn’t in my plans to update anytime soon, but when we sold the dining room chandelier that came with the house, my husband convinced the couple to buy the coordinating entry light. Smart sales move, but it left us with a pitch black passageway once the sun went down. So I started looking for a light, and we went ahead and refinished the ceilings when we tackled the living room. Before anything else was settled I knew I wanted to paint the walls a light and airy shade of blue. All of the honey oak needs a cooler friend to bring balance, and it’s just a nice, fresh color. I realized the other day that I have 4 light blue t-shirts, so clearly I like the color. And maybe I have a problem.
I searched high and low for a light fixture, and when I came across this one I knew it would be perfect. I loved that it was a metal pendant (that feels a little more casual and inviting) that was facetted (that element feels a bit more dressy). Monochromatic or tone-on-tone looks are always a great choice, so I pulled the trigger on the light blue shade.
From there, I’ve planned to use this secretary on the little wall by the stairs, and I know I need an incredible piece of art to go above it. That art deco painting was the first thing I ran across, and it’s exactly the colors and feel I was hoping for (traditional with a little bit of quirk and punch) but it’s $4,000. I am to expensive like a moth is to a flame. So I started sourcing more in my price range and found that really pretty abstract piece. I’m still not sure it’s meant to be, so I’ll keep hunting.
While some people search for inspirational spaces in the beginning, this is often the point where I look for ideas to take my design over the top. Here are some of my favorite finds for this project.
Images like these helped me confirm my desire for a punch of red in the mix and a need for black to ground everything.
Decor and paint are important, but I couldn’t wait to update the mouldings. If you can use a miter saw and a nail gun, you can drastically change the grandeur of your room for not much money. We didn’t do anything fancy for this space, but it’s amazing how much some beefy trim can elevate your design.
As you can tell I’ve been sampling paint colors, and I’ve finally picked a winner. I prefer to live with them on the walls for a few days, just to make sure I’ve seen the samples in any kind of light imaginable. We plan to have paint up this weekend, and I can’t wait to see the impact – it’s true, paint is powerful!
How do you approach designing a space? Do you have a formula?
See more on our entryway here.
LET’S CONNECT! FIND ME ON…
ElevenGables says
Love the new trim! I am the same way with design. I will search for that $4000 chandelier until I can find it for $350.00.
marty (A Stroll Thru Life) says
Oh I can't wait to see how it comes together.
Amanda says
I am really loving following along as your design your new home. It is really encouraging to see you taking the orangey wood and working with it to make it beautiful – my old Victorian rental home is full of the orangey wood (including the floor) and I've been discouraged trying to work around it. And I lovveeee that secretary:)
themakerista@gmail.com says
Thanks, Amanda! I think blue does wonders to contrast the orangey wood. 🙂
Melisa says
I painted my entry a light airy blue 4 years ago when we purchased our fixer-upper and still love it to this day. I am still searching for the perfect piece of art to hang over the entry table but my Pier 1 metal wall art is faithfully filling the void for now. Good luck finding your perfect art!
carol jane says
You are so talented . Wish I could put a room together like that. Can you share the paint color/brand that you chose? Please?
themakerista@gmail.com says
Thanks, Carol. I'm going to be posting about the paint tomorrow, but it's Olympic's Subtle Blue in Sherwin William's for Lowe's flat finish.
For My Love Of says
Your inspiration pics are so swanky! I love it! I'm excited to see how it evolves from this point.
Jesse May Danson says
I'm looking forward to moving into a new home soon and transforming it to be "ours," so your detailed posts are very helpful to my own thought processes. Thank you!
themakerista@gmail.com says
Glad it's helpful for you, Jesse! Sometimes as I'm writing I worry I might be too wordy or detailed, so I appreciate the feedback!
Jess rey says
Oh gosh, I love your inspiration pics. I cannot wait to see it all come together!
Julia Konya says
Love where this is heading. I had a light blue room like that with my antique french bed when we moved in. Can't wait to see your take on it.
Karolina Barnes says
Love light blue in hallways. When we moved in our home almost 10 years ago I painted our entry and hallway in light blue. I fancied a change and put wallpaper on the walls instead
designchic says
I am so excited to watch your beautiful home come to life – I've spent the better part of my morning catching up! Thrilled to find and follow your wonderful blog!