Terrible Pictures of Our New House

Sorry for the late post, friends. I was busy hanging with my girl Rosie, who picked up the most insane brass headboard in a far away suburb and then drove it all the way down to our house -- because this is a girl who loves good furniture and hates to see it go to waste. I plan to hook that sucker up pronto and then take beautiful pictures for all the world to slaver over and express jealous indignation that their friends are not as cool as mine, but first I have to do the laundry. Why does housecleaning keep getting in the way of my very important decorating projects? I'm pretty sure I need a live in maid. For now, please feast your peepers on these awful pictures of our living room. I am having some floor planning issues, as usual. Also, I need entirely new furniture. Surprise!

Stupid, stupid fans.

The great room is super long, and presents some super challenges. For now our dining table is hanging out at the far end and I'm not sure how I feel about it.

 Can you see where the tv is? That's pretty much the only place to put it, and it's not conducive to a pretty couch situation.

Please do not assume I like those lamps there. Or anything anywhere, for that matter. What I do like is how the painted banister and wall color turned out. Thanks, Matt! You rule! And thanks, Sanders! You are a color GOD.

So there you have it. We're all moved in but I am itching to wave my magic wand and change EVERYTHING. I'm formulating an overall strategy (Acid Wasp? Eurovibe Florence Lopez style? Something else?) for furniture purchases, but what I really should be doing is burning those blinds and painting the fireplace...

Stay tuned for a post on that hot mess later this week.

Crappy iPhone Picture of Our New Floors

Sure I have a master's degree in photography, but why would I use a real camera to take pictures when I can use my phone? Yeah, I'm a dolt. But I'm also very tired and I'm getting sick, so it is what it is. Don't worry -- better pictures will follow, but I thought that maybe you'd forgive my laziness if I threw you wooden bone. Behold:

Ok, that is a really bad picture -- so bad I can't believe I'm even posting it. Please note that the 2000 cans of paint samples are applying pressure to a board I asked to have ripped out and replaced because I thought it was too dark. And because I am a nightmare. Also note that there are 2000 cans of paint samples. I really have a problem.

That is some wholesome rustic goodness, though. I need some leggy sculptural pieces to provide the proper foil... I think I'm going for a bad girl Euro vibe. Maybe kind of like this:

Or maybe more comfortable.

We'll see how that pans out.

Battle Royale

So Karly has talked me into going light and bright for the cavernous, north facing family room, and dark and cozy for the smaller south facing rooms. I'm feeling good about my dark and cozy color picks, but super skittish about picking a white -- the subtle differences are so much harder to see when the color is barely there. That's where you come in. Meet the contenders:

Up first is Sander's first string pick (did I just use a sports metaphor? who the eff am I???): Collector's Item.

Yes, I know. It looks baby pink, which is very unsportsmanlike. On the wall it looks... less baby pink. Jeffrey Bilhuber calls it "almost blush." Ahem.

In the picture it looks straight up white. That's because photos LIE.

Up second is another Sanders pick: Farrow and Ball's White Tie. This is decidedly more yellow in real life, so much so that I wonder why I even bother posting swatches online. This whole process would be a lot easier if y'all could come to my house and look at the stupid paint on the wall already.

Here it is in action:

So, what do you think? I'd say that Collector's Item has a little something more going on, but most of what it has going on is pink. Meanwhile, White Tie is a no fail choice, but is it too country trad?

In case you were wondering (and too damn bad if you weren't), I'm looking at Hague Blue and Pashmina (it really is a gorgeous, complex color) for my other major neutrals. That's right -- I just called Hague Blue a neutral. Because it is. Just ask Tandy -- she has a similar color in her living room.

Haguey hotness.

Ok -- pick a color. Any color.

As long as it is one of the colors I just listed.