Christie’s got a Man Room in her basement and we need to help her y’all.  She writes:

“We have a very large room in our basement that we would like to change into either  a kid’s playroom or combined offices for my husband and me.

Problem #1 is that there is light colored wood paneling all around the room. One entire long wall has the light paneling with a hunting/duck motif on it. What’s the best way to lose the paneling? Paint, spackle, take it out? We don’t have much $$, but are willing to do some hard work.

Problem #2 is that there is also horrible black and white speckled Berber carpet in the room. It does not match at all with the paneling. I can’t imagine it matching anything we would want to do in there. Can we take out the carpet and paint the floor? Can you put snap in wood flooring in a basement?”

Also, can anything be done about the drop ceiling/fluorescent light combo overhead? Our style is contemporary.”

Included was this picture.

She also sent a shot of the carpet, but you’ll just have to take my word for it, it was yugly.

 Being the kind, sensitive and compassionate designer that I am, I quickly wrote back,
“Oh yeah. You got yourself a Man Room there sister. You need some help. Will get back to you. After I go bleach my eyeballs.”

So then, what to do about Christie’s Man Room?

The pictures I have don’t provide a lot of information about the space, so operating on a lack of facts as I am prone to do, I think the first thing you need to do Christie is decide how you want to use that space. A playroom? An office? Or both. Having said that, combining a playroom with an office is an odd marriage and a challenge to make work.

After you decide how you want to use the space, the next step is to settle on a color palette that appeals to you. I am choosing a calming creamy white, sable brown and muted blue on your behalf. 

I think it goes without saying that the ducks gotta go. Since a truck hasn’t backed up in your driveway and dumped a load of cash, let’s assume we want to spruce this place up for as little money as possible.

The first thing I would do is clean, prime and then paint the paneling a creamy white in a satin finish to neutralize it. Sure, you could rip it out and put up sheet rock if you don’t mind going to the expense and trouble and if the texture of the paneling really bothers you. Otherwise, paint is the least expensive way to address the paneling issue.  This will provide a neutral and clean palette for everything else you bring into the space.

If you choose to use that space as an office, then the snap-together style flooring will work as long as you put down a moisture barrier underlayment, but it depends on your basement. Check with a professional for sure.  If you go that route, then look for a dark pecan color to play off of the creamy white walls. 

If moisture is a problem, then another option would be to simply paint the floor with concrete-suitable paint. I would go with a dark chocolate brown, something like Sherwin Williams Sable. Then to cozy up the space, you could bring in a big rug, something like this on the right (5×7 $170, 8X11 $340).  You would then use the blue in this rug as a basis for your accessories -sofa or chair pillows, canvas baskets, art – and other furnishings.

If you plan to use this space as a playroom, I would think you would want an easy-care carpet of some type, a flat patterned berber or maybe even something industrial in nature.

As far as the drop ceiling, If you Google “drop in ceiling tile” you will find a number of ceiling tile  manufacturers that offer tiles in a variety of styles and colors. Beyond replacing them, I would be inclined to paint the whole kit and caboodle the same creamy white color as the walls in an effort to make them disappear.

Since lighting is always a problem in a basement, if you don’t want to go to the expense of adding some canned or track lighting, then make sure you’ve got plenty of lamps for task and ambient lighting. Look for icy blue crackled ceramic or metal and geometric in shape with simple shades.

Any other ideas for Christie’s Man Room?

AM: Hi everyone! Today I have in my design studio DeeDee who writes the famously funny blog It Coulda Been Worse. Welcome DeeDee!

DeeDee on the left and her much much younger sister Antique Mommy on the right.

AM:  DeeDee is going to tell us how to turn trash into treasure in ways that Joan Steffend can only dream of.

DD: Thank you, it’s great to be here.

AM: So then, let’s get to it. You used to live in Los Angeles where you were the faux finisher to the stars, is that right?

DD: Um, well, no, not exactly. Back in the day, before children, before stretch marks, before the mommy van, it was not an unusual sight to see me cruising Burbank neighborhoods on trash day, in my black Toyota pickup. It is unbelievable what people throw away.

AM: So you were trash collector to the stars?

DD: Um, no. Not exactly.

AM: Is it fair to say that you were trashy?

DD: Well… could I just finish?

AM: Sure.

DD: I was a regular on the…

AM: Did you ever see George Clooney? What’s George like? Really? I’ll bet George throws away good stuff.

DD: What I was going to say is that I was a regular on the garage sale route. Not seeking out priceless valuable heirlooms, or one of a kind china from days gone by. No. I was looking for junk. Furniture. Old wood furniture, that no one else in their right mind would have looked twice at.

What began as a hobby in the early 90’s, soon blossomed into a business. I started out painting old furniture, simply to give it a fresh look and because I couldn’t afford anything new. Soon, I was finding other pieces, painting them, and putting them in hoopty ploopty stores in Los Angeles.

AM: I aspire to be hoopty and ploopty.

DD: This was about the time that the “shabby chic” look was hitting the market. I had no artistic training, or ability, for that matter. I just had a desire to make something pretty out of something not so pretty. And I didn’t mind getting dirty in the process.

AM: What qualities are you looking for in your junk DeeDee, besides, you know, junky?

DD: When I was seeking out junk, I was first and foremost looking for potential. It became a game with me — find the ugliest, most disgusting piece of furniture, and turn it into something beautiful. One of my favorite pieces was a corner desk I found. Someone had taken a magic marker to it and the color was just hideous. I bought it for maybe a dollar. Made it beautiful. And sold it for $250.00.

AM: Wow! $250? Amen and you go girl to that. Is there anything that would make you pass on a particular piece? What if it had 85 coats of paint on it?

DD:   I would never bother to strip off the old paint.  WAY too much work.  I just sanded down the finish, washed it, then applied primer to get the base coat to stick.  I really loved it when a piece had a lot of pre-existing paint, because, as I distressed it in the end, sometimes I could get other colors of paint to peek through, giving it a wonderful patina and well worn look which is great when you have children.

The only thing that would make me pass on a piece, besides a ridiculous price, is the construction. If it wasn’t well constructed, I passed. Elmer’s wood glue can only perform so many miracles.

AM: So once you’ve found an exquisite piece of junk, what’s your process for spinning wood into gold?

DD: First, inspect the piece to make certain that nothing needs to be glued. Next, lightly sand it with 100 grit sandpaper, to give it some “tooth” so that paint will stick. Then, give it a bath. Use a mild soap (I used TSP which you can get at any hardware store) that’s okay to use on wood, dampen a sponge, and lightly wash the piece down, removing all traces of dirt and residue from the sandpaper.

After the piece dries, give it a coat or two of a water based primer. My favorite is Kilz. Then you’re ready for your base coat of acrylic paint.

Here’s a tip just for your readers, because I know they are special:  Search home improvement stores for their “oops” paints. These are paints that were mixed and for whatever reason and not sold. I saved a lot of money that way. I always used water based paints. The clean up was much easier and less toxic. My favorite base colors were flat white and antique white.

AM: I personally am a big fan of “antique” white.

DD: Then I would go crazy with trim colors.

When it comes to decorative trims and embellishments, you can keep it as simple as you want. Stripes are easy with painters tape, and you can use stencils for anything more complicated. I finally got comfortable painting flowers and vines freehand. First, I watched a video series on oil painting, using the double loading method. About this time, Donna Dewberry came out with her one-stroke method of using two colors on a brush to get a three dimensional feel with acrylic paint. I melded the two, and came up with my own style.  And people, it’s just paint. If you screw it up, paint over it and try try again.

I love the “distressed” look of worn furniture. Probably because I can relate to it. After I completed the painting, I took some fine sandpaper, and sanded off the edges, where wear naturally would occur. Then, using a tack cloth, or good dust rag, clean off all the dust.  Finally, seal the piece using a satin water-based clear top coat then stand back and admire your work. Call your friends over and let them admire it. Serve drinks and chips.

AM:  Who was your most famous client? Or are you sworn to secrecy?

DD:  Most famous client?  Val Kilmer and then wife, Joanne Whalley Kilmer, bought a high chair I painted as a gift for a baby shower.

AM: Val Kilmer, oh so hot as Jim Morrison.  Give me a moment so I can fan myself….

AM:  Okay! Thanks DeeDee!  Great stuff!  You prove that it’s never too late for the old, unwanted and trashy. Uh, you know what I mean. Might I just say here that you’ve got great hair!

DD: Right back atcha’ sister.

AM: Hey DeeDee, thanks for stopping by Inspired Spaces!

Below are some examples of DeeDee’s work:

On the left, a trifold screen helps to create cottage-style ambiance.  On the right a charming night stand for a little girl’s room.

When DeeDee came across this old army trunk it was in her words “truly awful and army green” which is redundant.  She redeemed it with a little paint and imagination and eventually sold it to a soap opera actress. 

Here are some examples of my trash to treasure stuff.  Child insisted on being in the picture, so whatever.  When I want to take a picture of him he runs away.

On the left is an old sideboard I found in a junk store for a few bucks which I used as a changing table for Sean’s room.  Because it wasn’t really a changing table, after we were through the diaper years, I simply removed the changing cushion and it became a low-boy style dresser.  I painted it black and then did a torn brown paper finish on the drawer fronts. On top of that I added some torn safari paper in keeping with his Serengeti safari-themed room. I lined the drawers with black felt.

On the right is a dresser that is Early American in style that belonged to Antique Daddy when he was single which should give you an idea of how old it is.  I removed the spread eagle-style drawer pulls and replaced them with simple black pulls.  I used leopard print scrapbooking paper that I tore into pieces and decopauged on the drawer fronts. 

Do you have a trash to treasure success story? Send me an email telling me the story of how you found the piece, what you did to it, along with a picture and I may feature it in an upcoming post.

Elizabeth writes: 

“I also have countertop elephants.  Mine are gray-blue. The cabinets are oak, the appliances are black, and right now the walls are a khaki/neutral.

I’m using blue and white pottery and other blue pieces as accents in the kitchen. It looks okay, and I get compliments on it, but it feels to me like the various elements are fighting each other. The cabinets are very warm… and then there’s the very cool gray-blue of the counters and the graying-out of the paint in the cold light.

We *might* be able to get new counters in a couple of years. If we can, what colors would you suggest to go with oak cabinets and black appliances? In the meantime, is there anything I can do paint and accessory-wise to make this all work together? My husband will NOT go for painting cabinets, and I’m a rare bird who likes oak…so we need to work around that.”

* * * * *

First off, Elizabeth, I agree with your assessment that the countertop is the elephant in your kitchen design. From the picture, I can see that all of the other design elements are basically warm and then there is this big chunk of ice called your countertop. And while I agree with your friends, that it is lovely, it doesn’t quite sing the way I know you want it to.

I think one way you can improve your design before you are able to replace your countertops is with a stronger and warmer wall color. If you look at a color wheel, you will see that across from the blues are the orange-yellows. When you pair colors from opposite sides of the color wheel, you create contrast – or what is often called visual pop. With that thought in mind, I’m thinking a strong wheat color would harmonize nicely with the color of your cabinets and floor tile, but also provide a contrasting backdrop to show off your blue dishes. Look at something like Sherwin Williams Compatible Cream or Napery, something in that range as you can see from the photoshopped picture below.  With paint there are so many variables that you really have to put up some samples and see how it looks before you can make a decision.

When you are ready to replace your countertops, if you want to go with a laminate again, the color I had in mind was Wilson Art’s Saffron Tigris, but I think it may have been discontinued as I don’t find it on their site.  It’s basically a muted shade of yellow and resembles rice paper.

Whatever you choose, I recommend you look for a lighter colored laminate, rather than darker and a matte finish, rather than a glossy. Darker color laminates and shiny finishes tend to show scratches more quickly.  If you can make the step up to granite, look at the New Venetian Golds, Santa Cecelias or Giallo Ornamentes which are warm, light and have a bit of movement to them.

Also, I hope when you replace your countertops that you’ll be able to add a tile or tumbled marble backsplash. It will give it a more finished look as well as bring in another element of texture and visual interest. In the meantime you might consider putting  up something inexpensive like beadboard that you paint (and possibly glaze) white and then waterproof with a coat or two of varnish.

In terms of your accessories above the cabinets, I really like your collection of blue transferware dishes. I would like to see you add some additional elements for variety. Think of bringing in some different textures, sizes, shapes and another color.  Consider placing a good sized basket with some white hydrangeas in the corner, adding in something square and chunky, wooden and architectural, some stacked boxes covered in a coordinating wallpaper for variety and to keep the eye moving.  Variety within a given design is good.  Too many similar things are boring, too many different things is chaotic.

And finally, I think the thing that will pull it all together is a curtain in a fabric with blues, golds and yellows and one that has a bit of texture and weight to it. 

Top Photo: Elizabeth’s current kitchen.  The blue countertop fights with the other warm elements, the green-beige wall color does little to show off her blue and white dishes.

Bottom Photo:  The warmer stronger wall color makes the blue and white dishes pop and minimizes the cool countertop.  A heavier more substantial curtain works to pull the colors together.  I do not endorse the curtain fabric, it was the least hideous fabric in the design program. 

One Sunday morning about a week ago, I was sitting at my desk thinking about how much I miss talking about design and being around homes that are being built and working on design issues.  So I said to myself, “Hey! I know! I’ll start a design blog and I’ll talk about design stuff there and maybe someone else will want to talk about design too!”

So being the methodical planning spreadsheet kind of gal that I am not, I punched a few buttons and voila! I had a design blog.  I figured a few of y’all might write in asking a paint question or two, but goodnight! By the end of the day my mailbox was bursting at the seams. 

I am a) thrilled and b) overwhelmed.  I have enough questions and pictures to keep me busy until this time next year. And might I say here what a privilege it is to get to peek in your windows and chime in on your design projects? It is, truly.

So then, if I don’t respond to your email personally, please don’t get your feelings hurt. I read every email, and if your question is focused and concise I can usually dash off a quick response, but I just can’t get to everyone – what with a family that likes to be fed and wear clean clothes.  But I will do my best.

~ Antique Mommy, Inspired Spaces Headquarters

Like most homes built in the last ten years, Karen’s bathroom is a blinding snowstorm of white — white vanities, white countertops, white trim mouldings, light tile and paint. In an effort to bring in more color and jazz things up, she is thinking about painting her vanities black. It’s a bold move. Should she do it?

Karen writes: We are about to repaint the walls a neutral tan/beige color leaving the molding the bright white that it is. The cabinets need to be repainted and I was thinking of painting them black, but I am wary. What do you think?

* * * * *

A black vanity can be striking.  But it can also look like a bank vault sitting on your bathroom floor.

Black usually works best on a footed furniture-style vanity. The reason is because black is a heavy color. When the largest piece of furniture in a small room is black, that bit of breathing space between the box of the cabinetry and the floor minimizes the sensation that the room is listing like the Titanic.

Additionally, if you were to paint your vanity black, there would need to be some other black elements woven into the design to keep the eye moving – a small band of black tile on the tub backsplash or on the shower surround at eye level, a small black tile on the floor here and there, black framed pictures, a curtain with some black detail.

Since you do not have any other black threads in your design and because your vanities are not footed, I would recommend that you not paint your vanities black, but rather go with a medium chocolate glaze to bring out the architectural detail. This will provide a bit of visual interest, spice up the color, but keep the eye moving around the room.  However, I would then go with a strong wall color, something beyond beige. Your wall color then, will be the star of your bathroom design and not a big hunk of black vanity.

Additionally, I would like to see you frame out your mirrors. Three mirrors would be ideal because it would provide for a more modern look and because three is the golden number in design.  The framing would also add some additional texture and architectural interest as well as allow your wall color to peek through on either side of the center mirror.  If you don’t want to replace your mirrors, then a good trim carpenter can frame out your existing plate mirrors and easily accommodate the angles, not a terribly expensive thing to do.   I also think with be cool to hang a framed oval mirror over the center mirror.

And finally, how about bringing in a nice roman shade for your window in a beautiful fabric with a luxurious fringe to pull it all together?

Here is a picture of Karen’s bathroom in it’s current condition.

In spite of my sorry photoshop skills, but not too bad considering I have a four-year-old in my lap, I tried to show in this picture how heavy a black vanity would feel in relationship to the other design elements.  As well I tried to show how framed mirrors would provide a more modern look.  The center mirror should be somewhat smaller than what I have indicated. 

What do y’all think? Should Karen paint her vanities black? Other ideas? Give’em up!

* * * *

Tomorrow! Another elephant is the kitchen and this one is robin’s egg blue! Stay tuned for more of my laughable photoshop skills….

Have you ever been in a store and seen something that just seemed so lovely and so right for your home? And then you purchased it and brought it home? And then once you got it home, you thought to yourself, “What was I thinking? This is hideous!”

Well it happens to the best of us.

Sometimes it happens with a little decorative item and you take it back from whence it came and pretend it never happened. Or maybe you keep it and take it to a White Elephant Christmas party and then when it is opened, everyone goans and no one tries to steal it and you pretend like you’re not the one who brought it. Not that that’s ever happened to me. No, not at all.

And then other times it happens with big things, like the carpeting that you selected for your entire house or the kitchen counter tops. And there it sits like a big elephant that you don’t know what to do with. Or sometimes the elephant is already there when you buy the house and it refuses to leave.  Stay with me people, we are still talking about design.

Sometimes we, for one reason or another, are stuck with a giant elephant sitting right square in the middle of our decorating dreams. What do you do? What. Do. You. Do?

Yesterday, I got an email from Joan along these lines. She writes:

“I am stuck with hunter green counter tops in my kitchen. The cabinets are cherry, the floor a white-ish linoleum. Sounds icky I know, but it is also tied together with this garish fruity/flowery wallpaper. Assuming you couldn’t change the counter tops – what color would you paint the walls? I really want to get rid of this wallpaper. Any suggestions?”

Oh yes Joan, I remember that design you are describing, circa 1987, the jewel tone years…

Okay, where were we?

Yes, the hunter green counter tops. Are you sure you can’t ditch’em? Maybe overlay them with a nice granite tile in New Venetian Gold?  If the answer is no, read on:

If you have a large design element, like a counter top, that you absolutely can’t change, you have no choice but to embrace it.  Go on and give that elepant a big ole hug.  Just try not to compound the problem by spending money on more big ticket items that “go” with it if you really don’t like it because who knows what tomorrow may bring. You could win a free counter top from Home Expo but then you’d already have a hunter green refrigerator.

Once you take down the wallpaper, everything will look a lot different Joan, and probably a little naked and a lot brighter. And you will probably be better able to get a feel for what color you like without all the visual noise and fruit short circuiting your eyeballs.

As a guideline, if your eye prefers contrast, I would go with a muted shade of yellow, something like Sherwin Williams Birdseye Maple or Convivial Yellow. Other yellows I like are Behr’s Pismo Dunes and Quiet Veranda. I’m not partial to Behrs or Sherwin Williams, those are just the paint decks I have handy and I’m too lazy to go upstairs and find the others.

If you prefer a tone-on-tone look, try an olive green such as Sherwin Williams Lucent Yellow (trust me, it’s not yellow). Behr also has a green I like called Harmonic Tan (trust me it’s not tan). I would try to stay away from a green that has a lot of blue in it because that spruce-y green is not a very appetizing color for a kitchen. And because I just don’t care for that color, it’s kind of a sad color to me.

The thing to know about color is that the more light that is on it, the brighter it will be. So then if you go with a yellow and the room get’s a lot of light, you might want to start your sampling with a less saturated yellow.  The yellows that look great in the paint store will seem too vivid in your house.  Also be aware that flat paint will absorb light and make it appear less bright. Eggshell, satin and gloss finishes will reflect light and make it appear more bright. If you want to do any glazing on top of your wall color, you must use a paint with a slick finish like an eggshell. Yellows make a nice base coat for glazes, greens less so.

And finally, the other paint suppliers may be doing this now too, but Sherwin Williams offers little quart samples for like $8 or something like that, so take advantage of that and put up a lot of big samples in various places and look at them at different times during the day. Live with them for a week or so before you settle on a color.

Additionally, I would to talk to a painter about putting a dark glaze on the cabinets to take some of the red out and make them more brown. If you can warm up your cabinet color, then your counters and wall color will probably work together better.

Having said all that? Honestly, I don’t really think the paint is going to do much to make the elephant more appealing.  If anything, it will probably make the elephant more annoying.  When you are ready to replace your counter tops, we’ll talk.

Good luck with that elephant Joan!

Wallpaper is one of those design elements that has really fallen out of favor. Unlike popcorn ceilings, I think one of these days it will make a comeback, but probably not on a large scale and probably not for awhile.

When I first started working in home design, we put wallpaper every where, even in the laundy room.  Now you seldom see a new home with wallpaper anywhere and I think that is kind of a shame. The right wallpaper in the right place can make an ordinary space extraordinary.

Right now, wallpaper seems to work best in small quantities in small spaces – powder rooms, small bathrooms, niches of one variety or another and insets. Where wallpaper doesn’t work so well is in big expansive rooms like kitchens, bedrooms, dens. Large quantities of thematic repeating pattern dominates a room and is visually tiring and quickly becomes dated.

On the other hand, a fabulously beautiful wallpaper can transform a blah powder room into a little jewel box. A powder room is one place in your home where you should go over the top a little bit and ratchet up the wow factor.  Wallpaper is a great way to accomplish that.  One that I like, shown here on the left, is an orange tone-on-tone damask from from Thibaut (a fun and interactive web site if you like looking at wallpaper). I can see this paper paired with either a clean-lined white pedestal sink or a dark wood antique furniture style vanity and a turquoise colored accessory or two.

Other places I like to use wallpaper to bring a spot of interest are door insets. In this small bathroom on the right, which happens to be one of mine, I put the same wallpaper that is on the walls on the interior door insets which softens the effect of the big white door and helps to pull the color around the room.  Instead of the eye stopping when it comes to the door, it glides along. Ideally in design, you want to give the eye a place to rest momentarily before moving on to the next point of interest.

In a small library or office with coffered ceilings or picture frame moulding on the ceilings, a richly colored paper like this from Raymond Waites on the left, set in the insets can bring texture and interest to an otherwise forgotten space.  To continue that thread in the overall design of the room, you could use that same paper to cover stock matte board for personal photos for art for the walls or cover large round hat boxes for storage for an additional decorative element.

 Many of us have the standard white built-in bookshelves.  An interesting paper on the backboard will help to break up all that white space and provide a backdrop for favorite things. I also always paper the backboard of glass front cabinets to help dress up the interior. Smaller print patterns that read as texture tend to work well in that kind of space.

Another interesting way to use wallpaper is to frame it as art.  This paper on the right would look exquisite featured in a black frame and double matted with a generous sized white matt on top and a lipstick red matte below. This paper is from Shand Kydd and comes in a number of other eye popping color combinations.

Even using high end wallpaper, you can jazz up a small space inexpensively and it’s also easy enough to change out periodically as your mood or taste changes.

So then, wallpaper, for now – small spaces, small quantities.

Francis writes: We are in the midst of remodeling our master bedroom in our early 80s house. We are taking the popcorn off the ceiling which we know we are supposed to do because on HGTV popcorn ceilings just seems to OFFEND people, although frankly it’s never really bothered us that much. My question is this, what else should/could we do to the ceiling after the popcorn comes off?

* * * * *

In regard to popcorn ceilings, my question has always been what kind of psychotropic drugs were involved in the spawning of that concept?

Long long ago, back in the 70s, a cheapskate builder discovered that he could blow fluffy white chalky stuff onto the ceilings of the homes he was building and not only would he not have to pay a trowel guy to hand finish the ceilings, he also wouldn’t have to paint them. And most important of all it would hide a myriad of flaws and mistakes. So the cheap builder said, let there be popcorn! And then he stood back and declared that it was good. And amazingly a nation of home buyers went along with it.

But lo, it was not good. Anyone with a popcorn ceiling, which is almost everyone, can tell you that one of the problems with popcorn is that it can’t be painted or easily repaired. The other problem is that, well, it’s just ugly. So, what to do?

First of all, for those of you who are not yet aquainted with the joys of scraping popcorn off ceilings, a brief primer:

If your home was built in the 70s, there’s a chance that you have asbestos flavored popcorn on your ceilings and before you start scraping it, you might want to send a sample off and find out for sure.

Assuming that you have just plain old popcorn that has never been painted, after removing or covering anything you don’t want ruined with plastic, use a spray bottle to saturate an area.  (Edited to add:  In comments, Beth says that mixing wallpaper remover and warm water makes the job a cinch!)   Wait ten minutes or so and then scrape away!  And by the way, an afternoon of popcorn scraping is equal to one or two workouts and earns you a pizza and beer/beverage of your choice.  Removing popcorn is not hard to do, it’s just hard work and it’s messy.

If your popcorn ceiling has been painted, then the warm water won’t dissolve the popcorn and you will need to use some sort of chemical product, in which case you might want to call in a professional.

So then, your ceiling is popcorn free and your tricepts are toned and looking good from all that scraping, now what?

If the room is fairly small, you can simply fill in any nicks with joint compound and then sand, sand, sand and sand some more.  And then prime and paint.

If the room is large and open, then you will probably want to put on an orange peel texture (best left to professionals) or a hand trowel texture (sometimes called skip trowel) of some kind because anytime you have a large expanse of ceiling, as many of the new open-living plan homes have, you are probably going to have a dip or a sag in the ceiling beam somewhere at some point and a bit of texture will help to disguise that.

Hand trowelling mud (or joint compound) on a ceiling is not hard, but it is kind of an art form and it is messy. If you can possibly afford to pay someone else to do it, I would highly recommend it.

After you have your ceiling ready for paint, use a flat paint. A flat paint absorbs light rather than reflects it, so it does better at camouflaging imperfections. Also consider painting the ceiling one shade lighter than your walls to keep the eye moving upwards and because generally, ceilings do not get as much natural light as walls do and it just kind of seems to even things out.

Beyond the standard paint and texture, there are many other things you can do to a ceiling to bring interest to a usually forgotten and overlooked space - from simple paint treatments, to adding architectural moulding details with anaglypta insets, to tin ceiling tiles.  Stay tuned for Part II, “Ceilings - When Paint Ain’t Enough”.

Kimberly writes:  “I just bought muslin curtains from Ikea that are unbleached and lined for our master bedroom.  Any ideas on how I can get color on them? In their natural state they pretty much blend in with our builder blah walls.”

* * * * *

Kimberly, I must first ask this: Did you not remember what color your walls were when you bought the curtains?  And can you take them back?  Oh who am I to talk.  I recently bought a tapestry that doesn’t fit on any wall in my house or match any of the colors.

If your answer is no and no, then keep reading.

You might consider painting the walls.  Against color, those curtains will really stand out nicely. 

The other thing you could do is embellish the curtains.

There are number of ways to do this.  You can add a two to three-inch band of fabric to either the inside or outside vertical edge of the panels and then using the same fabric make three-inch tie backs.  You could also do this at the bottom, and that is kind of a popular style right now, but it’s not going to visually help you much in terms of adding color to the space since it is below eye level.

If you really want to take it a step further you can add some fringe on top of the vertical banding, although that much fringe would really jack up the cost and at that point, you might be better off having some curtains made.  Locally, I can have lined curtains made for about $22 a panel.  If you have any fabric outlets in your area and don’t mind bargain hunting, you can sometimes get custom drapes cheaper than ready-made.

Another way to bring some personality to your drapes is to add either a bustle swag valance  (which is also sometimes called a loop top waterfall or loop top crescent valance) to each panel - or - directly sew a 12-14 inch valance overlay at the top of each panel in a fabric that coordinates with your bedspread and other things.  Add fringe of course because a life without fringe is not a life worth living.

If you don’t want to sew your own swag bustle valance, I found this one to the left on-line at Wal-Mart of all places for about $14. You would need two, one swag for each panel.

In addition to any embellishment you might do, I think adding a woven wood shade behind the curtains would add some interest and texure and another spot of color.  They are fairly inexpensive and you can get them at Lowes or Home Depot or on-line.

What I would not do is dye them.  I have never had any luck dying anything since I did batik in high school art class.  I, personally, would try to return them and get what I wanted rather than to take the risk of dying brand-new curtains.

Other ideas?

I got an email from Cindy yesterday saying she’s got bedroom troubles.  She has never pulled her bedroom design together and she says she is in despair. Can we stop here and take a moment and offer up a prayer to Candice Olson on Cindy’s behalf?…

Okay then.

Cindy loves the color she has on the walls, which is a mocha, and she is working on adding in some ice blue accents to play against the brown.  Her comforter is off white and her furniture (which she doesn’t like but cannot afford to replace) is pine-oak, some of which is, shall we say, not heirloom.

Additionally, she would like to have something on the wall above the bed. The adjoining master bath has a fauxed up paint job that makes her eyes bleed. Her question is what can she do to pull her design together with almost no money.

* * * * *

Well Cindy, it sounds like you are off to a good start, you just need to keep going girl.

First of all, I love the blue and brown palette you are working towards. It’s very popular right now, so finding accessories and fabrics shouldn’t be a problem.

Second, I’m with you on the pine furniture – it is the wrench in your design sister. The warm tones of the oak are in conflict with the cool blues and browns.  Since it is not anything precious, by all means paint it a nice deep brown, or as Minnesota Mom suggests in comments, a nice creamy white – just do a good job.  Also consider painting the knobs and pulls a matte silver, unless they are the American eagle style pulls, then replace them with something simple.

The next thing I would do is jazz up your bedding. I would look for a remnant fabric in something like what is shown here or here which you could combine with a stripe to make a coverlet-style throw for the end of the bed, maybe using the print in the middle with the stripes as borders on either side – one way to make the most out of remnents as well as an inexpensive way to add a pop of color to your otherwise plain bedspread.  Add some pretty fringe, maybe even something beaded to ratchet up the class factor. Since you won’t need much fabric or trim, I would definitely troll the clearance tables for bargains.

I would also look for a third coordinating fabric to make a few pretty pillows or a table scarf for your night stand (all straight-line sewing if you can’t get anyone else to do it for you).  You want to look for ways to repeat these two or three coordinating fabrics around the room and even into your bathroom.  One way to get some of the fabric up on the wall is to use it for matting sepia or black and white photos or other artwork that you may have. 

If your bedside lamps will accommodate embellishment, buy some extra beaded trim or fringe and add it to your lamp shades with some fabric glue for a little extra spiff. Beyond that, I think a bed skirt, with maybe a blue/brown stripe or a mix of fabrics, using the stripe for a peek-a-boo kickpleat would really help make the bedding more cohesive -  that is probably a sewing project for the skilled.

You didn’t ask about what to do with windows, so just a reminder not to ignore them. Some simple panels in a coordinating fabric will make all the difference. A faux shade, which is nothing more than a rectangle of lined fabric is an easy and fun way to hide the ugly header part of blinds and bring the color to the upper reaches. Simply cut it to fit, sew it up on all sides and then glue or sew on your trim and velcro it on to the header.

You did ask for ideas on what you can do over the bed. Since I have not seen the room and I don’t know how tall the ceilings are or if you have a headboard or not, it’s hard to say. I usually like to do something unexpected above the bed, so that means no standard painting, no family portrait. You might consider doing a group of mirrors of various sizes, each with similar but not identical chunky frames. You can also take four identical square mirrors and hang them on the diagonal so that as a group they form a diamond. Another option would be a metal sculpture of some sort which you can find just about anywhere from Ross to TJMaxx to Pier One for not very much.

And if you do nothing else, please repaint the bathroom. Faux no mo people! It’s over. Step away from the sponge. If you have white vanities and counter tops, I would consider painting an ice blue/off-white/mocha vertical stripe in varying widths on the walls. Then just add your matching towels, rugs and few little accessories and voila!

I would expect that you could accomplish all this for far, far less than $1000.  Take that Design On A Dime!

Resources:

Left: upper, Amy Butler Nigella Twill Collection at www.fabric.com, lower Khaki and Robins Egg Blue collection also at Fabric.com. 

Right:  Top, Campari Truffle and below, Lalaine Truffle found at www.fashionfabricsclub.com