A couple of months ago I blogged here about risk taking. Some days, as a stay-at-home mom, big risks are not really on the horizon. My everyday is often a harried, yet predictable routine, that's not really worth messing with.
The riskiest moves I've made lately have been paint choices. I know. Living on the edge. But really, it's so easy to get comfortable with the predictable. I personally have had a habit of hemming and hawing and obsessing over paint swatches.
I'm trying to move beyond that and make quicker decisions. It's just paint after all. I read once that Sarah Richardson painted her living room or house something like six times in eight years. While every experiment might not always end in success, even for a pro like Sarah, it's a lesson. You can't learn without doing.
Here are two examples of risks that really didn't hurt so badly.
The pumpkin: Back in October I painted our very generic white door Benjamin Moore's Jack-O-Lantern.
I'm honestly still on the fence about the end result, but I'm glad I took the risk. If nothing else it looks better than the plain white. When we eventually paint or whitewash the brick, I think I'll achieve the look I'm after.
The pimiento: Before. A pretty, perfectly fine off-white mirror I picked up for our bathroom at Marshalls. It was a $20 mirror. There was really nothing wrong with the color, but I thought it wouldn't do all that much for the space, as is.
I thought about playing it safe and spray painting it black,but then I thought about pulling the pretty reddish-orange from this Covington fabric I chose to make curtains with.
When I spied a can of Krylon's Pimiento in Michael's it seemed like a perfect match and a sign.
After
Ultimately, a pretty painless risk, and a result I'm thrilled with. Now I'm wondering what else I can spray paint Pimiento...
What are the best/worst design risks you've taken?
Erin
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oh my gosh, i loooooove the door!! And that mirror is to die for with the fabric.
ReplyDeleteLove the door - and yes -brave - which I admire ! the mirror is terrific - I'm crazy about anything with that curved chippendale shape - so graceful.
ReplyDeleteone of the biggest faux paxs i ever made...and there have been many - right after we moved into this old house, i decided i wanted a yellow bedroom. Warning: beware the yellow paint! It practically glowed in the dark - and i lived with it a long time. Now it is still yellow, but sherberty.
Oh, I LOVE LOVE LOVE it!!! Wow, did that risk pay off! The pimento adds just the perfect punch! Your bathroom looks great!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the prod to try something new!
Stopped by from Adventures in Dinner and I had to share my front door! WE must have the same DNA!!
ReplyDeletehttp://reposhture.blogspot.com/2012/03/front-entrance-20.html
Orange is my favorite color and the red on the mirror totally makes a statement and that statement is
" This girl ain't no fraidy cat!!" Keep being risky...it is so much better that ordinary!
Kim@reposhture.blogspot.com
Hi Erin, this is my first time here! I like your door colour, you're right, it's better than white, and I have a white door on a white house!! eek! I am just now finally convincing my husband that colour on the door would make a huge difference. I love the colour you painted the mirror frame and the fabric for the curtains as well!
ReplyDeleteLove love love the colour of your door! It's the kind of door I would have to take a photo of if I walked past! I'm a renter so I am not allowed to paint my front door but I can live vicariously through you!
ReplyDeleteThe mirror looks awesome!!! And I can see that your bathroom is coming together.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE love love this. The fabric is beautiful and the spray paint color matches perfectly. I can't wait to see the finished room.
ReplyDeleteI'm really loving these colors lately as well. The color of the mirror is perfect!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing at Simply Klassic!
I love the color of the mirror! I purchased one similar in design at a flea market and have been debating on what color to use...pimiento it is! Can you tell me what color you painted your bathroom walls?
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! I'm really thrilled with the pimiento. The bathroom walls are a combination I concocted of two different paint samples I had on the wall. One was too grey, the other too aqua, but together just what I was looking for. They are both Benjamin Moore: Feather Grey and Blue Haze. I just mixed them until I got a color that I liked, painted it onto posterboard and took it to my paint store to have them color match it. I hope that helps. Have a great day and thanks for stopping by.
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