Black is the new black

A couple of weeks ago I had a free day and decided to paint the walls in my office. They were a dark gray/green and it was the last room in my house that had not been repainted since our remodel in 1998. I thought it was time. I went back and forth on whether I wanted to paint it black or white. Black won.

Of course I had to move some artwork around and add a few new pieces. The art is always changing ... I spend a lot of time in here and I get bored easily. You can see the paint color before and some of the art transformation over the years here.

The carpet in the room is old and needing to be replaced. But that is not going to happen for a while so I added an area rug to freshen it up. Thank you Target!

Someone emailed me the other day inquiring about my desk. It is over 25 years and still hanging in there.

I read somewhere recently that black is the new black. I agree :D 

I used Benjamin Moore's  Black Jack  2133-20

Happy Monday everyone!

Black is the new white

Amy D. Morris Interiors via

If you have read my blog for any length of time, you know that I love white. But I am also loving black and white. My walls in my kitchen have gone from a dark gray to a dark charcoal and honestly, I would love them even darker. (I can hear my husband groaning even at the thought of another paint change!!).

[Kitchen Walls | Kendall Charcoal HC-166 Benjamin Moore]

[fabric ready to go to the workroom]

 My office would be the perfect place to go pure black on the walls ... they used to be the darkest walls in our house, but now they look pale in comparison to the new darker walls.

A while back I painted our guest room walls "black" but they came out lighter than I had hoped they would be. Do you recognize the chest that is now in my kitchen?

 I had to laugh when I saw this ... I thought about my house - every room does have a touch of black. Maybe I count as the antique!!!

Tommy Smythe Design | Photo: Michael Graydon

I did a little research on what the best black paint was. It seems there are about as many black choices as there are whites. So I'm curious ... have you painted your walls black? Would you? Do you have a favorite black paint?

My painting fiasco

Ready to see how my painting came out?

First a little re-cap.

For years, I have wanted to paint my walls a light gray. When I painted over the old yellow walls a few years ago, my first choice was to go with a gray but because of the green silk curtains I had (I didn't want to have to replace them) and that distressed green armoire, I could not. So I painted a light tan instead. And it was "okay" but not perfect. So when I removed the armoire a few months ago all I could think about was,  "now I can paint the walls gray". I wrote about it here.

But the funny thing is that when I decided to paint this week, it wasn't gray I wanted any longer but white. I soooo wanted to paint my living room walls white.

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I knew clearly that the room was too dark and the ceilings too low to achieve the look I wanted. I "knew" that the walls would look dark and dingy but I could not get the idea of having fresh white walls out of my head and so I had to try it. It did not look good. As Maria Killam, a color expert (and whose blog I have read religiously) states in one of her posts:

"...if you don't have enough light streaming in your house for most parts of the day, then white is not the best idea. What will happen instead is your walls will look gray and dingy because the shadows all on their own will simply cause your white walls to appear gray."

And that is exactly what happened. The good news is I did not paint all the walls. I painted two walls that had different exposures. One looked too stark white and the other looked gray and dingy. I used Benjamin Moore's White Dove:

It was clear that I was not going to get the look I wanted and so I decided to go back to the light gray. I used a gray that I had used in our TV / family room because I had some leftover paint in the garage and it was late and the paint stores were all closed. I was impatient (don't do this!).

So are you ready to see the result?

To appreciate the change and if you look closely, you can see above the blinds where I left off - the old color (Manchester Tan) is to the left, and the new color (Revere Pewter) is to the right. 

wall color before

Here are a few images of the old paint color ... I had to laugh, you can see how often I switch the room around because the furniture layout if different in every photo, haha! 

Can you see the "gold" in the old paint? Because I wasted so much time painting white and then gray, I ran out of time and didn't get the living room painted as I had hoped. In the photo below, you can see where I left off; the new color on the left and the old on the right.

 Do I love it? Yes and no. I think it is perfect in the dining room and I like it in the entry. But I am not sure I am going to like it in the entire living room. I may lighten up the Revere Pewter or switch to a different color altogether that will be lighter but not white. 

I had such high hopes for my two days "off" and had even run up to Aaron Brothers to purchase some new frames to make an art wall in my entry. I had the white walls in my mind and was thinking, "white on white". Not only did I run out of time, but I changed my mind on the art wall too. So I took a little trip to HomeGoods instead ...

I love the new mirror ... it feels so "Barbara Barry".

Barbara Barry by Henredon

I am drying out the paint brushes for a while ... its time to get back to work!

Black or white?

A couple of weeks ago I picked up Celerie Kemble's book, Black & White (and a bit in between).

It is a beautiful book and very inspiring - the images are stunning. You know how much I love white. I cannot get enough white some days. But black? That is new for me. Especially on the walls. But recently I was watching an old episode of The Closer (yes, my mother got me hooked on the re-runs when she would come over to see the baby when they were living with us - if she was here and it was 3:00 it had to be on!) and as always, I notice the decor first and there was the most fabulous living room with black walls. I had to pause the show to stare at it awhile and I have not been able to get it out of my mind. You know how you notice something and then you start seeing it everywhere? So tonight, as I was searching for images of swing arm wall sconces to help a client of mine visualize my idea for her reading room,  all I could see were black walls. Everywhere. And I am loving them. 

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Beautiful right? And so dramatic. But then I wonder ... do I want drama? Or the calm of white. That is my dilemma right now. Black or white. Or black and white. Because I am in the mood to paint.

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But regardless of the wall color, I know I am in love with the brass. And the sconces.

Phoebe Howard via

circa lighting

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I hope my client will be too. 

Tangerine gifts & Brooke Shields

I had lunch with a dear friend the other day to celebrate my belated birthday. This is a friend who loves to get into the color of the year - not so much in decorating, (she is not in the design world), but in gift giving. She always has fun with it and is a great gift giver - which I believe is an art in itself.

This time I think she really outdid herself. Don't you love the houndstooth paper? I think it is amazing how she mixed the two perfect colors together. And the little tangerines on top.

What was inside the wrapping was even better. I thought she just picked the book because it fit with the theme but she said she had actually read it and that it was a great read. How fun is that? But that was not all ...

I didn't even know they made tangerine flavored Balsamic Vinegar.

I love a good Balsamic vinegar and this one is a good one! I know because I didn't waste anytime trying it ...

The bottle is such a pretty cobalt blue - it makes me wish I had more room to display my cooking oils and other pretty bottles in my kitchen ... like this idea in Brooke Shield's kitchen from this month's Architectural Digest:

Architectural Digest via

It looks like Brooke is loving the color of the year as well!

Are you ready to recharge and move forward?

Pantone has announced the color of the year for 2012. Want to take a guess?

It's Tangerine!

Here is what they said:

“The 2011 color of the year, PANTONE 18-2120 Honeysuckle, encouraged us to face everyday troubles with verve and vigor. Tangerine Tango, a spirited reddish orange, continues to provide the energy boost we need to recharge and move forward.“Sophisticated but at the same time dramatic and seductive, Tangerine Tango is an orange with a lot of depth to it,” said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®. “Reminiscent of the radiant shadings of a sunset, Tangerine Tango marries the vivaciousness and adrenaline rush of red with the friendliness and warmth of yellow, to form a high-visibility, magnetic hue that emanates heat and energy.” 

Ahhh... what to paint first??!!

Images: Update Dallas, CB2, Highland Court Fabrics, Tumbler, Pinterest

Transforming an oak staircase & reinventing a fireplace, for starters

The majority of my clients come from referrals from other clients. Which means that usually when someone hires me they are somewhat familiar with my work. And most of the time that gives them a certain level of trust. But sometimes I get a new client who does not know anything about me at all. And that can be hard because they really have no idea of what I can do.

Leonardo Chair & Loring Sofa - Room & Board, Parsons Table - Crate & Barrel, Franco Table - Drexel Heritage Postebello Collection

Which is what happened this Spring when a painter I work with referred me to a client of his to help select their interior paint colors. It was one of those jobs that was supposed to be easy and quick; or so I thought.

Sausalito Chandelier - Troy Lighting, Ella Side Chair - Drexel Heritage Postebello Collection, Cambria Table  & Dresser - Thomasville

When I first met with the client, she told me they also wanted new flooring and carpet. And as I was trying to select a carpet color that would not conflict with their fireplace tiles, the client informed me she never really liked the fireplace in the first place and suggested maybe we should re-do it. And the job quickly changed from a simple color and materials consult to a full house makeover.

              Hush AF-95            Coastal Path AF-380         Meditation AF-395       Atmospheric AF-500      Swiss Coffee DEW 341

What surprised me was the incredible amount of trust they had in me from the beginning. They let me do my job and although they had input, they allowed me guide them, educated them and push them forward and even challenge them a bit. It has turned out to be one of my most enjoyable projects.

Cyprus Extension Dining Table - Room & Board, Pillar Candle Chandelier - Restoration Hardware, Klismos Dining Chair - Crate & Barrel

When we started the house had a lot of oak. And the client made it very clear that she loved her oak. But as she trusted me to make a few changes (starting with the fireplace) little by little I was able to show her how a little bit of white paint can make a huge difference.

Here is what the living room fireplace look like on my first visit:

The raised hearth and extra width really cut into the room's space and made it difficult to make a nice seating arrangement. When the client suggested she was okay with changing the materials I knew this was my chance to create a more appropriate sized surround and eliminate the raised hearth.

I cut the surround down by two feet and had a mantle constructed to give it some architectural interest.

Here is the room before:

And here is the room now (patiently waiting for the furniture delivery):

Another issue for me was the staircase. It was heavy and unexciting.

I am grateful that the client, even though she loved her oak, trusted me to make a few changes.

We will be adding an apron to the wall side of the staircase and replacing the carpet. Furniture arrives next week! To be continued ...