Posts from — September 2011

So, in case you’re wondering.  I still hate the living room walls paint color.  Hate it.  I cringe every time I come home, every time I turn the corner into the living room.  Every time. Fuck.

But as I mentioned before, I’m not rushing to the obviously solution of repainting.  Instead I’m trying to add some bright, clean accessories in white, cream and tans to tie in the couch color and lighten up the walls.  I recently painted the trim white, and then spent some time searching for new white throw pillows.  Well I’m still waiting for the pillows to arrive, but I know that won’t be enough.  So this past week we moved down the ‘quick ways to make the living room brighter and girlfriend happier list’ and decided it was time to buy a new rug.

Fortunately for us, we live in Brookline, MA and just steps from our apartment is a darling rug store.  I know.  It’s not normal to pair a rug store with the word darling, but Kolgian Oriental Rug Galleries is a small, friendly, mom and pop shop.  So I love it.  99% of their rugs are way out of my price range, but the owner pointed us towards a wall of remnant rugs – large, simple colors, and cheap. I’ve never understood why rugs cost so much money, but I was pleased with the range of choices we had under $100. Fortunately, given our situation, the majority were white, tan or some sort of beige.

After being torn on size, texture and color for our new living room rug, the own suggested we sleep on it. So we went home and taped off different size areas of our living room.  Using blue painters tape, this allowed us to ‘live’ with different size area rugs for the night, and see what it might be like when they were finally in place.

The next morning, we had our answer.  So we headed back to the rug store and purchased a great 8′ x 10′ off white remnant rug, for only $90.  As far as I can tell from my limited rug shopping experience – that, is a steal.

Please excuse the random tree in the corner, the need to replace coffee table and the just temporary TV stand. Clearly this room is still a work in progress.  But at least we have a rug. An off white rug. Now all we need is a vacuum.

I know we just moved into a new apartment, and I know all I do is talk about my no brainer move back to Maine (one day), but last night I watched the CWs Hart of Dixie.  And Rachel Bilson moves from NYC to Alabama.  And it kind of, maybe, sort of makes me want to move to the deep south.  Just for a year, or two, or three.  Just to get out of the north east one time before I settle down forever.

To see the endless fields, hear the southern drawls, and sip sweet tea from a pitcher while sitting a rocking chair on a large, wrap around porch while the rain pours down.  To watch the fireflies at night, listen to the crickets while I sleep and wake to the sun, rising over the endless fields.  To sip coffee while sitting a rocking chair on a large, wrap around porch.

Now if only I liked the heat, and the boyfriend wanted to move to… Alabama.

I came home from the grocery store and a few errands this evening to a dinner table, set for two.  The boyfriend had cooked dinner, a simple past and shrimp dish, and it sat warm on the stove ready to be devoured.  He had our places set, wine on the table and salad bowls ready.  My fresh flowers sat in their vases and the smile on my face spread from ear to ear.

Good god, I love him.  I love living together, I love our apartment, I love everything about us.  Except maybe, that we still don’t have wine glasses, or napkins.  Oh well, paper towels do the trick.

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Earlier this week I mentioned that one of my first steps to lightening the living room would be adding some bright, white throw pillows.  Below are a few shots that initially inspired me.

1. http://pinterest.com/pin/214832935/
2. http://pinterest.com/pin/185803300/
3. http://www.houzz.com/photos/46806/Dreamy-Whites-eclectic-family-room-other-metros
4. http://pinterest.com/pin/202054499/

I looked everywhere (online).  I looked at Target, Bed Bath & Beyond, Walmart, Pottery Barn, CB2, West Elm, Overstock, Macy’s and honestly, probably 10 other stores.  I narrowed it down by (mostly) price, but also by color, and comfort.

Here’s what I landed on (to start):

Pictures to come as soon as my white throw pillows arrive!

Last weekend I had an absolute blast going out with the boyfriend and some of my dearest friends.  We went to a bar near Fenway, and danced the night away to classic songs.  It was too good to be true. So good, that I felt it the next day.  Naturally.

This weekend the weather report shows torrential downpours.  There’s a 28th birthday party near the North End and a going away part at the Seaport.  Thanks, but no thanks.  I’m happier on the couch, in my comfy clothes, with a glass of red, red wine.

Now, if only we had wine glasses.

Since every day that passes without us repainting the living room walls I get one step closer to a mental breakdown, I was desperate to do something.  Something small, fast and easy.  Everyone always talks about what a difference freshly painted trim can make, so I went at it.  Alone.

• One night while watching a football game, I repainted all of the baseboard trim tin the living room.
• In under two hours another night, I repainted all of our apartment’s doors.
• Tomorrow I’ll do the door frames and window frames

And finally, this weekend, the boyfriend will step in and help paint the top trim (which I can’t reach.. even on a ladder).  Then, our apartment will hopefully be one step closer to being bright.

What are your tips for brightening a room? Help!

This is what my meals have looked like lately.

Until we do a full fledged grocery shopping trip, we’ve been making little trips to the next door market for things like yogurt, fruit and veggies.  Cheese and milk too.  Oh, and of course enough pb&j and tuna (eaten separately, obviously) for lunches.

Sounds like lots of good, healthy and adult food. Right?

Fridge is also stocked with some of our favorite good fall beer and wine.  Can’t go without beer during the first month of the NFL, can you?

Well folks, amidst all the drama around our living room walls paint color, another item on our new apartment to-do list was crossed off.  Started and finished without a hitch.  We painted the bathroom and we are both in love with the outcome.  To be honest, I don’t know how I couldn’t love the new color after what it was.  Our bathroom used to be bright, bright, yellow.  I’m talking the color of French’s mustards.

After much consideration, and about 30 paint color swatches, I ended up tossing the swatches in the trash and going with one of Young House Love‘s favorite: Glidden’s Gentle Tide.  Unfortunately Glidden’s Gentile Tide is no longer in production, but the folks at our local hardware store were able to color match it without a problem.

Tada!  I present you our new, bathroom.  Perfectly blue and perfectly green all at the same time.  Not too bright, nothing bold.  Just a soft, blue-green… shall we say, like a gental tide?

It’s such a relief to love a color after the debacle that is our living room.  Next up in the bathroom, we need to find a bathmat, towels and the perfect piece of wall art.  I’m thinking something plush, probably white, lots of texture for the bath mat.  I know it will get dirty, but that’s what a washing machine is for, no?  I want plush, or shag, or textured, because it’s one of the first things you see when you walk in our front door.  Our hallway leads straight to the open bathroom door, and I want something to pop against the blue-green walls and wood floors. We shall see…

Remember how I’ve been hating on our new living room wall paint color since, well 5 minutes after we finished painting?  The problem is that I (quite stupidly) picked a gray paint.  I love, love, love the paint color.

Just not with our greenish-brownish couch.  Too many dark and musty colors going on, that just don’t match.

It’s been almost a week.  My feelings haven’t changed, but before I throw a complete tantrum and demand that we repaint the ENTIRE living room, I’m trying to step away and count to 10.  You know, take the high road.  Be mature.  Save about 4 hours of time and a lot of money.

It’s hard. Believe me.  I want to throw in the towel and just repaint the walls every single time that I step into the living room.  So I’ve been thinking.  Thinking of ways to brighten up the room.  Of ways to tie in the tan piping on the couch in a desperate attempt to avert your eyes from the glaring clash of couch color against wall.

My theory is that if I can bring in lots of light, neutral accessories – whites, creams, tans, beiges – upon first glance you’ll see this network of well coordinated bright pieces.

So where do we start?

• large, textured area rug

• multiple white, cream and tan pillows

1. http://pinterest.com/pin/214832935/
2. http://pinterest.com/pin/185803300/
3. http://www.houzz.com/photos/46806/Dreamy-Whites-eclectic-family-room-other-metros
4. http://pinterest.com/pin/202054499/

• large, white mat or white frame art for above the couch

Now you know what I’m thinking, and how I hope to lighten up the gray/green living room.  All that’s left now, is finding accessories in the right color, size and shape and that fit within budget!

The new apartment is coming along somewhat nicely. You’ve heard it all.  The good and bad.  But don’t get me wrong.

Our unit is awesome.  It’s massive, it gets a ton of natural light and it has more storage than I’ve ever had in Boston.  But one of the best perks of the place is my new, shortened commute.  On some days, I get to work in 12 minutes.  Door-to-door.  12 minutes.

Even better, we’re located right between two different train lines, so on the way home from work I can hop on either the Green Line C or Green Line D train, whichever comes first.