Don't replace it, paint it!

How many things do you own that you look at and think, "I really don't like brass anymore" or "My favorite entry table is oak but I don't have oak anywhere else in my house. It just costs too much to replace it!"
My philosophy is that you can paint just about anything! If the item has good bones (nice shape, sturdy, fits the space) but isn't the right color, consider giving it a makeover. There is paint now that will cover just about any surface imaginable. Just make sure that you look on the can to make sure that it works on the surface that you're painting. I love to paint picture frames, lamps and even drawer knobs and other hardware, depending on my changing desires. About a year ago, I decided that I was tired of my light pine furniture and wanted for my living room to have a warmer feel. I painted all of the furniture black. I love it! You might have heard that you have to sand everything first and that's just too much work! Well, I agree. There are primers made especially for slick, non-sanded finishes. The primer gives the paint something to attach to so you don't have to sand it first. If you're painting something a dark color such as black, ask the paint store to tint your primer for you. That will help the color to cover better and means less coats for you to paint! Here's a picture of some of my furniture before I painted it.



By painting the furniture black I decided to bring in black to the window treatments and accessories. I've added creams to lighten it up but I'm very happy with the overall feeling of warmth. I chose to keep the trim on the armoire the wood tones to break it up a little bit. That same combination worked well on my bookcase. I also added some trim (from Home Depot) to "beef it up" a bit.



If you're going to paint a lamp, just take some blue painters tape and cover the area where the light bulb goes as well as the cord. I use spray paint on items like lamps, picture frames and mirrors. You can get flat, satin, semi-gloss or gloss in spray paint to achieve the look you want.



So, consider spending your money on other things and just give your items a new look. It's also great for the environment because you are re-using and re-purposing items that you already own.



You can visit my website at www.myrenewedspaces.com

Too high, too low, which way do I go?

So many people have a tendency to hang their artwork too high. It may seem logical when you're standing in front of a picture to put your arms out in front of you and place it directly in front of you. The problem is that when you stand back, something looks off. We've probably all heard that art work should be hung at eye level. Well, what eye level is to a 5'2 person is very different than it is for a 6'2 person. When we're in a room, the majority of the time we are sitting. Art should be hung low enough that you can glance over from a sitting position and you barely raise your head to see the piece. A good rule of thumb is that a piece of art be hung 6" - 10" above the piece of furniture that sits under it. Of course this all depends on how low the furniture is. You want for the art and the furniture to work together and hanging a picture too high makes the two pieces disconnected.
Another common mistake is to hang pictures too far apart from each other. The art should compliment each other, not just fill a wall space.
The pictures below give you an example of some common mistakes.




The first picture is of a wall in a Doctor's office that I was recently in (okay, yes I carry my camera in my purse sometimes to capture an important point) where the goal seemed to be that they need to fill a giant wall but only had two small pieces. The next picture is of a home (off of the Internet, so no feelings hurt) where the art is all hung very high and randomly placed where they don't connect with each other.

This last picture is in my house where it might seem that the picture sits really low, and it does. The furniture below is also low so I included the piece above the picture to draw them all together.
I do believe with all of my heart that the things that hang on your wall should make you happy to look at and be a reflection of who you are more than anything. It is after all in the place that you go to after a long day or week and unwind and gather with your family members. It is home and should give you a sense of comfort and relaxation as well as joy!

See my before and after pictures on my website!