My newly painted living room - part 2

So here is part 2 of my living room paint makeover. I think I should begin with a before photo. :)

And by the miracle of paint, Farrow and Ball's downpipe and plummett in this case, VOILA!

And here is the rest of my living room. It is truly amazing how cozy dark walls like this can be. 

Rugs: Ottawa Antique Market and Third World Bazaar Leather chair: Green Light Shop Sofa: Phillip Van Leeuwen Coffee table: Normann Copenhagen Tablo table via Greyhorne

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My newly painted living room - part 1

It is finally time to reveal my now very dark living room. This freaking room took me FOUR weekends to complete. What a pain in the arse. And I didn't even sand the trim like I should have. The result is pretty dramatic and I absolutely 100% love it. Farrow and Ball's downpipe is the most beautiful colour I have ever used and it exceeded my expectations. I used it in estate emulsion (flat) on the walls, full gloss for all of the trim and I used plummett in estate emulsion on the ceiling. I wanted to go with downpipe on the ceiling too but my husband was already losing it over the choice of such a dark wall colour so I caved. They are the perfect combination though as both have hints of green. 
I took tons of photos so I thought I would split this post into 2. This post focuses on one side of the rather long space, where my workspace is located. And I should point out that aside from buying a new desk (my previous one was rickety and too small) everything in this room is from my previous home, so it's a bit of a work in progress although all the major pieces are staying. (And note that I have alot to learn on photographing such a dark space. It's so tricky!!!)

 

The photo above is the view from the foyer. TV watching/hangout area is to the left of the fireplace (the next post).

I have rugs all over the floor because the terrible orange/yellow stain on the hardwood makes me pukey. The cowhide needs to be replaced with something darker. 

Oh - how about a before shot for impact...

Better now? I would say so!

Conveniently, the curtains I bought at Ikea when we first moved in turned out to be almost identical to the wall colour. I came across the desk on my last trip to Ikea (it's the Alex) - I wasn't really looking to buy a desk there but it was too perfect in style and size and there's that same grey again! I liked the idea of going monochromatic in the space. The table in the corner was found at an antique shop in Almonte a few weeks ago. I haven't figured out what colour to paint it yet. I think it needs a touch of fluro pink. 

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Bedroom inspiration

My bedroom is mind-numbingly boring. I can't wait to get started on it eventually. I want to hang my Moroccan wedding blanket on a wall somewhere in there (maybe across from the bed this time instead of as a headboard) and have a shelf with all of my nature/wunderkammer-ish knick knacks I currently house on my living room mantel. And I want it to be very serene. I was searching through my photo stash looking for inspiration, and I quickly realized that I do not want white walls or anything close to white (wow there alot of white-walled bedrooms out there....WHY?!). I think ideally I would like either dark brown or a medium grey-ish colour. We shall see. I have a bunch of Farrow & Ball paint samples to try out. Here are bedrooms I found that really work for me. 

Design*Sponge

Domaine

Sköna hem

Elle Decoration

Lonny

Lonny

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Inspiration for my foyer

The Design Files

I have been hearing alot here on the blog and on Instagram that I should paint my woodwork. I am seriously considering it...but not in my foyer. It would just be too much work and I think it is pretty sweet as it is, despite me being not overly fond of the colours. Jo saw this photo in a recent story on The Design Files and we immediately agreed this is going to be my inspiration. Lots of greenery - plants hanging in macramé hangers, a statement chair (if I can fit one), large art hanging on wall and over paneling, maybe some wallpaper, a large patterned rug, a cane basket, maybe this Tom Dixon light...

Dark inspiration

The Design Files

This weekend marks the last long weekend of the summer, and I am totally depressed about this. GAWD I hate winter! To distract myself, I have been thinking alot about my new house, and still pondering paint colour ideas. I am still completely hung up on the idea of going dark throughout my house, so I thought I would share some more inspirational photos (check out my last couple of posts on this subject here and here). On a side note, it is hard to find dark spaces that are not just boring black!)

The Design Files

Lisa Cohen

Elle blogg

Chelsea Hing

MilK

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