Creating an Elegant Powder Room

A friend, and now a client, wanted a beautiful powder room.  She hated the dark color that was on the wall (originally a maroon hue).  She also disliked the glass shower door in the room and so when I asked who takes showers here...she said "No one!"  So, I asked her if she'd love to have a beautiful window treatment instead. "Yes," was the answer.

The flooring in the room was the one thing that could not be changed (at least, not budget-wise) and it was a pretty strong blue-green with silvery taupe overtones. I found a few fabrics that blended beautifully with the flooring that the client loved - one in particular she adored.  However, when I went to call up to order it - it was no longer being made.  Darn.  So, back to the drawing board.

The floor color was a very difficult color to find a fabric for.  Either it was too blue or too green.  It was maddening!  But, I finally found a gorgeous fabric at Robert Allen that fit the bill.  After that, I started to create some sample boards for the wall finish.

 

 A Blue-green (Staffordshire Blue from Benjamin Moore) was painted on the upper wall and white painted beadboard was added to the room that used to be a dark maroon.

I suggested a blue green wall color but with a pearl glaze with some added silver streaked in - stried. The client was purchasing a mirrored vanity that had all polished nickel fixtures - so the silver glaze added would bring a little bit of that tone on the wall. A vertical strie would help the room seem taller. A strie (or "stripe" in French) is a glaze or a texture that gets put on a wall or molding/furniture - and then removed or manipulated with a brush to create "striations." This finish adds a touch of elegance to a room.

 

Off came the shower door...

 

 Yours truly....doing the stried finish on the upper wall

The toughest part of doing a stried finish is trying to keep the lines straight!!  You never end up with something 100% perfect, but you can get very close...at least visually.  The other thing you have to be careful about is where the tape meets the molding (especially, in this case, by the beadboard).  To avoid a build-up of glaze, after you do your downward stroke, you should sweep back up gently.

 A Closeup of the Stried Upper Wall and the Beginning of Antiquing the Beadboard

Instead of keeping the beadboard white, I suggested that we antique it to blend better with the fabric that was chosen for the "window treatment."  I mixed up some Dark Brown and Van Dyke Brown into a Silver glaze.

 

 The Finale!

And, here it is!  II wish you could see the fabric better - it's gorgeous...and the tassel is to die for!  It was a bit tough taking a picture of this room - I couldn't get enough light - but this is fairly close to the look. 

I just have to place some decorative items inside the shower.  I will post pictures of the mirrored vanity and the beautiful light fixture purchased for the room when it arrives!

I'll be linking up here:

Between Naps on the Porch 

Savvy Southern Style

My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

Redoux

At the Picket Fence

The Shabby Nest

Tatertots and Jello

Be Colorful

Sweet Little Gals

You Should Never be Afraid to Try New Things

Nothing Ventured...Nothing Gained

I just wanted to write a quick post on why you should always stretch yourself...to try new things...to forge into unknown territories.  You never know what it will bring. It will increase your confidence and skill - and you may just get a few jobs you never would have gotten without stretching those unused muscles.

For over 20 years I was in the corporate world - you know...suit, sensible shoes and haircut and a briefcase filled with folders about news of fixed income investing, financial industry mergers and acquisitions...the Wall Street Journal and a fully booked daytimer.  I did very well financially - but spiritually I was bereft.  I knew that I needed a change but what was I going to do?  I knew that I needed money to pay the mortgage, bills etc.  Sometimes, change comes to you.  It's up to you to accept the change or defer and stay with the status quo.

After 20 years of creating executive conferences for the financial services industry (nearly 10 of those years as the head of my own company), I was experiencing extreme burnout.  With the burnout came a severe reduction of the number of attendees to my events.  It was partly my fault and partly the economy, but my little success machine of a company wasn't earning as much money as it had been.  So - after a few failed attempts to revive the company, I allowed my main investor in the company to start unwinding the organization.  He had been a great help to me in the beginning, but he started to be a thorn in my and the company's side over the years. 

I gave in and allowed my 20 plus years of this business to just evaporate and fade.  But, funny enough, it felt as if a huge ton of bricks was just lifted from my chest!  I found that I could consult to a few companies on a part time basis, while I searched around for a new challenge.

My first mural...really!

I had always loved the decorative arts world and so I searched around for some mentors who could teach me the ins and outs of decorative painting, murals, stencilling etc. After taking classes in designer faux finishing, furniture painting and several other classes, I started to do some projects in my home.  After I felt confident in what I was doing I did some paid projects in clients' homes.  I did my first mural class (above) and within a week of finishing the class I got a job doing an angel mural in an entryway for a wonderful client.  This was only my 5th or 6th real client.  I was a little unsure about my ability - but thankfully it turned out beautifully.  I was able to create the mural on canvas in my garage (turned studio now!) and the artwork was installed a month later in the client's home.

What I want to impart to all of you is that no matter where you are job-wise or life-wise, whatever skill level you have, there is always hope and a brighter side of life - if you choose to tackle it and not be hemmed in by fear.  I had never picked up a paintbrush in years - but I was shown by some incredible artists and mentors how to recreate a classical work of art without having to go to years of art school instruction.  Yes, I had some natural talent.  But, mostly, I was just a corporate drop out looking for a way to be free.

Note: The way I did this mural was 1) by priming and painting a canvas, then I skip troweled an off white smooth plaster over it - then another coat of off white paint 2) by using a projector (what a huge help!) to trace as much of the artwork as I could and 3) building up layers of washy paint getting darker and darker each time - I learned to "see shapes," especially where the shadows were, instead of trying to paint or draw the art. 4) I took a piece of sandpaper -sometimes medium...sometimes fine - and sanded here and there to give the artwork some age (this helped create crevices) 5) When done, I antiqued the entire piece.

Now all I have to do is figure out where I will place this in my home!

So don't give up.  Pick up a paint brush, buy some canvases, take some classes in your community or online.  You never know what will happen and what it will bring you.  I know for one thing - it will bring you happiness.

Happy creating! Just DO IT!!

Linking this to my friends at...

My Romantic Home

Between Naps on the Porch

Be Colorful

Redoux

French Country Cottage

Debbidoos

The Designer Showhouse in Centerport NY

A Beautiful Designer Showhouse in Centerport NY

We just completed some beautiful finishes for the Normandy Mansion Designer Showhouse which will be at a gorgeous home across the street from the Vanderbilt Museum in Centerport NY

We did a beautiful light teal strie on the living room walls for designer Beth Foley of West Hempstead NY. Her living room is classic and traditional - but with a modern twist. The art she used for the room was very modern and colorful. Our background supports her colors and themes - because it's timeless and classic and doesn't overpower the room.

Close up of our wall finish - with some of the paintings installed

Beth hadn't finished the room yet, but this painting gives you a glimpse of the colors she used in her space while giving the room a modern touch

Not quite finished with the arrangement, but adding black to the room lends wonderful contrast

Our wall finish lends a soft backdrop to her room. If we had been bolder with the finish, the room would not have worked at all.  This room has such a peaceful quality to it - but the modern paintings give it that punch of color.

We also did the stairway going up to the second floor. Again, we did a subtle colorwashed finish that anyone could afford to have done in their home. It's simple - yet so beautiful. We added a little "Hello" as you enter the stairway...a beautiful scroll and some French wording from a famous poem "Le Printemps." It's understated - but very memorable. Faux finishing used to be loud and all about the tool that you used - but today's professional finishes and subtle and lovely and they add beauty without "being in your face."

Here you see the two finishes together.  The transition from strie to a soft colorwash...is seamless

I did the finishes with Marty Wisehahn of Classic Faux Studios.  I hope that some of you will come to the Showhouse.  It's worth the trip. 

Here are the dates, times and address of the Showhouse...

Normandy Manor at the Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum

180 Little Neck Road


Centerport, NY
Sat Sept 3rd-Sun Oct. 16th. Closed Mondays except Labor Day and Columbus Day.


Tues - Fri: 10:30 am - 4:30 pm

Sat - Sun: 11:30 am - 5:00 pm

If you would like to bring a little Showhouse in to your home, call me at 631 793-1315

Annie Sloan's Chalk Paint

I just started playing with this paint from England - and I think it's really terrific. I have to do a few more pieces (thinking of re-doing my entire dining room furniture - every bit of it!).

But to start with - I just did two small entry tables and a mirror (actually - it's a frame that will become a mirror!).

This is one table with a faded brocade stencil on top.

Here's what it looked like before...chippy, with half of its paint taken off

Here's a table I picked up for $25 from Craig's list...before

 

Here it is after - with Paris Gray and Old White and some Dark Wax

In the future, I plan on putting a mirror on top of it - and I'll antique the mirror. I think it will look incredible. It won't be going in this spot in my entry (colors don't match!!). I will probably use it for staging one of the homes I do in the future.


Now...for the mirror frame. I bought this ornate frame in an antique store in Sag Harbor. The store was going out of business, so I got it for a song - $20. It was dusty - but a nice shade of pale blue - so I just enhanced it a bit. I used some Chateau Gray, Paris Gray and Old White to highlight the carvings. I waxed and buffed - and put some Dark Wax in the crevices.

Here's a closer look...

Then I started playing with some old things in my studio that had great promise - but somehow they didn't turn out all that great. Would Chalk Paint save them? I think so! I took a frame that I had done some quilted texture on - plus an embedded stencil. I had originally painted it an off white - and it looked great. Then - I mucked it up by painting it a coppery metallic and it just didn't work. So - I tried some Chalk Paint on it - then sanded away.

 

If you would love to have some of your old pieces of furniture revived, call me at 631 793-1315. I would be glad to create something beautiful out of an old, forgotten piece.

Stencilmania: How a Simple Stencil Changes Your Walls, Furniture, Floors and More

I love stencils!!  I remember the first time I ever tried to stencil, I was living in the Pacific Northwest and I bought a few stencils to liven up my bathroom.  Well, true to form back then - I didn't read a manual or book or anything on how to actually use a stencil...I just tacked the stencil up on the wall, took a stencil brush and put some paint on it - and away I went.  Well - the paint seeped through the stencil (because I didn't "offload" the paint) and, in short, my project came to a schreeching halt!


I've since learned how to work with these beautiful bits of plastic and there are never ending ways to use them.  Melanie Royals - who is my go-to designer whenever I want a stencil - has the most incredible line of stencils in her online store Royal Design Studio.  There you can find very traditional stencils - like damasks and other allover designs...as well as some more modern, transitional patterns that would fit in beautifully in today's interior designs.  She has come out with a new line of stencils that I feel the younger, more contemporary homeowner would love.

This is "Chain Link" from her new collection. It looks very modern and "today, " unlike what many people feel about stencils - old and grandma-like!  I just love using geometric patterns in interiors.

This is "Linked In" - how's that for being current?  Again, a great overall geometric that many of my younger clients would gravitate toward.  It's subtle - but it has a great energy to it.

This is "Hollywood Squares" - and it's, again, geometric but there's a definite Hollywood glam and retro feel to this pattern.

This is called "Feather Damask," and it has a modern Swedish kind of feel to it, I think.  This can be used as an accent wall - perhaps with a neutral gray on the other walls.  Add some yellow and gray and cream fabrics and you have a simple but elegantly modern room.

Here, just taking one single motif - in black and white...over a stried glaze and you a have a modern interpretation of a traditional pattern. 

Another pattern I see a lot of (and I love) is the Suzani pattern.  But this time instead of being on a bed or a pillow - it's on an entire wall. This is refreshingly beautiful.

This is the Donatella Damask - a beautiful, more traditional pattern.  It looks lovely in a bedroom in soft, hushed colors.  Using it as only an accent, as above, is a very inexpensive way to add some pattern and spohistication to a room.

And finally, for the true traditionalist, how about adding a poem in French on an accent wall!  I have always loved this French poem.  I've used this on dressers and on tables as well to give them that special touch! You can read more about this beautiful French script pattern here - we used this stencil in a Designer Showhouse last year,

If you would like to give your home a special look and feel, call Linda at 631 793-1315 for a consultation.

Emily Henderson & Secrets From A Stylist on HGTV: Part II

Well, after watching the premiere show last week I have to say there were things that I thought were great - and things that I was a bit puzzled about.  I loved the final room creation and the way that Emily was able to meld the husband and and wife's styles - but I had a little trouble with the fact that Emily painted the entire room blue first - only to completely change the color later.

The first incarnation from the premiere show,

which was more the wife's style - a Hollywood Regency look

This is a gorgeous look, but it suited the wife's style more than the husband's.  So - Emily went into her "change the wall color etc" mode...

Living Room...After.  This brought more of the Hollywood Men's Club look that the husband loved

With the wall color change plus some of the furniture and accessories changes - I think she really achieved a beautifully blended look that suited both the husband's and wife's styles.

After seeing Episode 2, you begin to get the real method behind the madness theme in this show - The first look is supposed to be good and the second...better. If my clients ever start making me change the wall color after approving one - I would be out of business! However - on Emily's blog - we learn that the production company is OK with this and the cost to re-do is included. 

Emily with the Ravals from Episode 2

If you notice the orange accent wall in the picture above, that was the "re-do" wall in this episode.  Emily says that men love accent walls.  That must be so because my husband had accents walls all over his house (that I changed after moving in!).  Most were done with wallpaper (nothing worse than wallpaper for a decorative painter!).  In this episode, Emily painted the accent wall orange - for the husband.  It really wasn't good - and I am a lover of that hue.

The first incarnation - the orange accent wall that the husband favored somewhat

The second incarnation - that retains an accent wall - but softened and

more in keeping with the wife's style

All images from "Secrets" from HGTV

I love what Emily did here - the ikat pillows and the chairs (and that great velvet chair in the corner). She brought in more the Madmen look into the room - but softened it to suit the wife's aesthetic. I am still not in love with the door that remained in a wood tone - but it does blend with the floor.  I would have painted both the moldings and the door in the soft gray because I think it stands out too much and it's not a great standout look.

On the Accent Wall Change. On her blog she tells readers that the accent wall looked great on TV but the wallpaper (an Asian grasscloth) installer did a really bad job, complete with seams showing etc.  She had to bring in another installer (a woman who she said she would never give out her name because she's so good and she's be afraid she'd get too busy!).  Oh brother - I hope my clients don't feel that way!  But, I digress.  This installer came in and removed the badly done grass wallpaper and re-did it perfectly. 

I think she did a beautiful job.  I am really starting to love this show.  Would love to hear what others think!

Speaking of grasscloth/fabric looks on the wall.  I just love the look of grasscloth etc on wall...accent wall or full room walls.  It's a lovely way to bring in texture to your room.  At our studio, we do install wallpaper - but one of our specilaties is doing faux fabric and grasscloth looks on walls and other surfaces.  In the Hamptons, we did a beautiful raw linen look/parchment on nightstands, so it's a great effect even on small accents in your home.

A faux raw silk finish that we did in Garden City NY

A pearl silk patterned finish that we did in a sitting room in Bay Shore NY

This fabric/grasscloth look is really beautiful.  I am even doing this look in my mudroom. When I'm finished - I will post!

If you would love to have these beautiful looks in your home, call me at 631 793-1315 or email me for a free consultation at Linda.Leyble@gmail.com

A Colorful & Contemporary Teenager's Bedroom

Add a Burst of Color on an Accent Wall in an All White Room: We did this beautiful accent wall with another artist - Marty from Classic Faux Studios. You don't have to add color to all four walls when you're re-doing a room - in fact, that would have been overpowering in this space. I'm happy to say that...

So...Accent Walls Are Back!

This lively design, derived from the artist Damian Herst, gives the room a more contemporary feel and some much-needed color and energy. It took some prep time to figure out the right size, number and colors of the circles - but the entire wall was done in one day. We used a one-time-use stencil in order to do the design quickly and accurately.

Feathering Our Nests

Nesting - Instead of Moving. Faith Popcorn, the guru of spotting trends, wrote in one of her books that "nesting" would be a trend among homeowners. She wrote this long before the recent trouble in the housing market. Homeowners are staying put, rather than selling up right now and they are fluffing, sprucing and re-doing their homes to create a more perfect "nest." I thought that my decorative paint/design business would have suffered a lot during the recession - but I have found that the phone is ringing with homeowners wanting a beautiful Master Bedroom Suite, a gorgeous dining room or living room...a drop dead kitchen.

Creating a beautiful entryway seems to be on everyone's to do list these days. My studio has introduced a line of floor designs that are very affordable (way less than half the price of doing an inlaid wood floor design). If you are going to be sanding and re-staining your wood floors, you need to know about adding this beautiful addition to your entryway - or dining room, great room, living room - anywhere you want to make an elegant statement



In the above photo, we created a "faux" inlaid design motif for one of my clients in Dix Hills, NY. She told me that she was having her wood floors sanded and restained - so I suggested that she add an elegant touch to the entry. I brought over a portfolio of designs - and the next week, she had a wonderful treatment on her wood floors. One of my wood floor installers told me that a similar design done with inlays of wood - would have cost 3 times the price - and they would have had to do some demolition in the area the design was going in (additional cost, not to mention mess).

We have been doing these designs on floors - and now we are also doing them on ceilings as well. It's a beautiful and creative additional touch to any home. It's a relatively inexpensive way to feather your nest and fall in love with your home once again.