square peg, round hole...

OK, here's the deal. I don't live anywhere near anything coastal. Not an ocean. Not a lake. Not even a pond. I absolutely adore the pictures I find when I flip through Coastal Living at the newstand. (Never bought the mag, again... not near the coast). I am landlocked in Kansas here, people.

I love the bedroom above. It is breezy and beachy. I don't see a bunch of sea shells or starfish anywhere, so I would feel comfortable pulling off something similar.

My problem is this... I remember as a kid, some of our relatives would come visit us on our farm in Iowa. They would breeze in, with their weird clothes (We don't wear flip flops on the farm. They are hazardous there) and I'd wonder what their house must look like. And then the mom (now an ex as they are divorced) would start pushing their toddler son about Grandpa's Tractor. And she'd say how they were doing a tractor room (to get favor from Grandpa, I am sure). And it always struck me as phony and odd since these people lived in San Dimas, California and no where near a farm. It is sort of like when a yuppie pulls up to the Hells Angels on his brand shiny new Harley and wants to be one of the guys.

I can't bring myself to put oars or fishnets on my walls. Well, not that I'd want to put fishnet up anyway. But I see the little shells and such, all the nautical looks, in the Pottery Barn catalog and I just can't do it. Then I think about some rich lady in her McMansion over in Leawood, Kansas (again, landlocked, people), who probably ordered her entire living room from page 15 of the PB catalog.

So... I ask you... Would you feel weird trying to do an obviously beachy look (not just airy, but shells and all) when you are not near a beach? Or a farm look (complete with a milk can as an end table or something) when you are urban? Or an Asian influence when you are not Asian and live on a farm?

where white blends in, black stands out!

I had made a comment awhile back on one of the design blogs about people relying too much on the cottage formula of painting furniture white and distressing it with sandpaper. Now, don't get me wrong. Those rooms are lovely... I just don't really subscribe to that anymore. (And if you want to learn to distress furniture in a manner that doesn't ruin the edges - I described using wax awhile back).

Anyway... I have noticed how fond I am of using black for "pop factor." I think many cottagey sorts are too afraid of using black, thinking white is the only way to get the cottage look. But when used sparingly, black is not dark or sparse at all. It draws the eye, looks vintagey, and, I think, fun.

I took a few snapshots today to show you some examples...

Here are a series of hooks in the master bedroom. The wood plank walls in this room are a pale, pale pink called "Bella Pink." The trim and ceiling are white. Floors are hardwood. The black of the hooks catches the eye against the pale walls.

The blue lanterns flank the bed, hanging over the artwork above the nightstands.

The black scroll vent on the master bathroom floor really pops against the aqua blue floor. Since the walls are pale and the trim is white, that blue floor just screams in the room.

(Preservationists look away!) We rattle canned the original brass fixture in the entry way. I love the way the black pops against the pale blue walls and super-pale gray ceiling. The shades were originally a light amber glass, but I like the replacement etched ones better. Hence why we are renovating rather than restoring.


The living room walls are a light khaki green called Hazel Woods. I reupholstered a pair of side chairs in Amy Butler and painted the wood Black Licorice. I will paint the end table black as well. It looks great against the green walls.

I picked up this barrel chair at Goodwill. I painted it white and sprayed the wicker black, adding in black accents in the trim. The table beside it is an old sewing cabinet. It sits near the door in the living room and gives a nice place to put on baby shoes or read a story. Again, the black looks great against the wall.

Where white blends in, black pops out.

Cotswolds

A friend of mine emailed me to ask what Cotswold meant. I had referred to wanting my house to look like a Cotswold house. Here are some pictures of English (Cotswold) houses I think mine would look just ducky next to: