4.06.2012

Risk Taking: Pimiento and Pumpkin

Don't worry. That's not a recipe of any kind.

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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11 comments:

  1. oh my gosh, i loooooove the door!! And that mirror is to die for with the fabric.

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  2. Love the door - and yes -brave - which I admire ! the mirror is terrific - I'm crazy about anything with that curved chippendale shape - so graceful.
    one 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.

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  3. Oh, I LOVE LOVE LOVE it!!! Wow, did that risk pay off! The pimento adds just the perfect punch! Your bathroom looks great!
    Thanks for the prod to try something new!

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  4. Stopped by from Adventures in Dinner and I had to share my front door! WE must have the same DNA!!

    http://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

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  5. 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!

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  6. Love 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!

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  7. The mirror looks awesome!!! And I can see that your bathroom is coming together.

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  8. I LOVE love love this. The fabric is beautiful and the spray paint color matches perfectly. I can't wait to see the finished room.

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  9. I'm really loving these colors lately as well. The color of the mirror is perfect!!

    Thanks for sharing at Simply Klassic!

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  10. 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?

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    1. Thank 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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