Calculating/Decorating

Sorry for the quiet around here of late. Ike's out of school again and I've been whipping us both into a frenzy of day trips and play dates. Today is dr. appt # 8million, so I don't have a lot of time but I thought I'd report on what's been going on around here.

A whole lot of painting, and none of it's good.

You're probably thinking: But, Erin -- you have Sanders! Every paint color he picks must be magical!

It is. And yet sometimes I foolishly do not listen to him. Sometimes I chicken out and second guess him. Sometimes I am an idiot.

Now my bedroom looks like this:

Also Ben is pissed that I didn't just use the extra gallon of dark gray navy paint from Ike's room instead of trying to pick a new, slightly different dark blue paint.

Did I mention that I'm an idiot?

But you know, it's hard picking colors for the last rooms in the house. The first ones go up pretty easily -- limitless choices! And then the possibilities narrow into a handful of pathways... and then I get confused.

Should I repeat a color, or choose a new neutral color? Because I'm not sure I love the dark blue. And peach didn't work (promise! and I did try Jumel Peachtone, aka orange sherbet, for the person who suggested it).

I am inspired by this trio of beautiful rooms:

This paint looks like Ike's room color, BM Deep Secret.

This one looks like the front room paint color, Dark Harbor.

And this is the missing element. Kind of gray, kind of purple. Kind of amazing.

Could be BM Evening Gown.

Or perhaps Evening Skyline.

And my wild card pick is Arctic Seal.

So you can see I'm thinking something purpley, but not Violet Beauregardey. Something warm and enveloping or perhaps deep and mysterious.

Or maybe Sanders will tell me to do something else entirely, and I WILL LISTEN.

Details to follow.

Also, I may be getting a new rug for the bedroom. And possibly designing it and the paint color around these curtains that didn't work for the living room:

Because, when the choices narrow down I try to make things more difficult by adding another level to the equation.

I can derive a polynomial function in my head faster than I can decorate (remember the shortcut, calculus nerds?).

But I am learning.

[photos via design traveller]

Housekeeping

The nice cleaning lady is here for her inaugural visit... I think she was kind of scared when she looked at the floors. I am having some terrible guilt attacks about sitting here doing nothing, so I'm going to show you a bunch of mockups I did for our bedroom and then email bombed to Naomi last night. Now I look busy and important enough to have someone else doing my dirty work.

Our bedroom is currently a barfy shade of green khaki that must be stopped... we already painted the ceiling and now I must settle on a color to cover up the patchwork quilt of paint samples that is spreading up and down the walls like mildew.

I have been desperately trying to create a sunny peachy ivory oasis, kind of like this:

But our bedroom is too dark and unoasisey to make it happen. I think I have to go bolder. Cooler.

I could use the extra gallon of paint I have from Ike's room, but would it be weird to use the same strong color in a master bedroom and a kid's room?

Would the fact that the color is named "Deep Secret" make it even weirder?

I also have a sample of this greeny blue color, but I think the green may be too cloying. Not that I'm picky or anything.

Perhaps a cool purpley blue? I don't know if I look good in this color, so my vanity may prevent this from happening.

I'm generally obsessed with this room. I already foisted it upon Jenny, who is having paint issues with her own bedroom:

But I'm also a little concerned that three cave rooms in one house is at least one too many.

However, our bedroom is pretty dark... we have one big bay window that faces south but it also faces the street. We live at the back of a culdesac so there's not much traffic. But still, I don't want the whole neighborhood watching our private business.

I'd prefer to keep that a deep secret.

So what do you guys think? Do you like any of the mockups? Suggestions for other non crazy colors?

I can't handle uber coral or pink pizazz in the bedroom. I think I'd like to keep things in the green or blue range, for continuity's sake.

If you have favorite paint colors, spill it.

Headed out to bother Sanders now.

He is so nice not to kill me.

Dominatrix

No, I'm not talking about that 50 Shades of Drivel that seems to be spreading faster than a faux pandemic -- like the bird flu or Y2K. I'm talking about my nascent need to add some cray cray custom upholstered masterpiece to my life. Something that will hold the viewer in thrall and command the scene. In fact, I'm pretty convinced that every room needs a little dominating.

Evidence:

 Apparently it has to be a large, insanely expensive item.

I am poor middle class and I can't sew (a button, maybe?), therefore common sense dictates that I should tackle my wee little chairs first.

Baby steps. Baby dominatrix. That's kind of skeevy.

Weather is being very uncooperative (rain in Austin? in summer???!), but I promise Ike's room reveal will be up as soon as I can shoot it.

Honestly it's good that I can't do it today because I got about four hours of sleep last night worrying about the cleaning lady coming tomorrow... if I weren't pregnant I'm pretty sure someone would prescribe horse tranquilizers for my anxiety.

Nesting ain't no joke, y'all.

 [Pinterest sources for pics hereish, because it's summer and I'm lazy]