Running from the Law: Nesting

Friday, August 13, 2010

Nesting

I'm in a full-blown nesting mode (no, I'm not pregnant).  I finally put together a list of about a million things I want to do around the house.  Some of these projects are quite significant (remodel bathroom and build walk-in closets), some are pretty minor (replace curtains in living room) and some are just going to take me a long long time (remove wallpaper in kitchen and install all new interior doors).  But I've recruited some help - my dad and Kelly are coming in a few weeks to help us come up with ideas for the upstairs remodel and teach me how to chisel, among other things. 

I think one of the things that triggered this motivation was a giveaway I won.  Mandy at OMG I'm a Mom hosted a giveaway for a long-distance remodel from the amazing Kristin at Bien Living Designs and I won!  I still can't believe it!  I've decided to use Kristin's service to redecorate our master bedroom.  It's the one room in the house that I haven't touched since we moved in and I hate that room.  Basically I'm going to give Kristin some info on the room, my taste, my color ideas, my budget, etc. and she's going to do all the hard work/designing for me!  She'll give me a presentation with her ideas for furniture, artwork, floor plan, colors, etc.  And then it's up to me to buy what I want/like and implement her plan on my own time frame.  I couldn't be more excited about this.  Currently our master bedroom is a blank slate.  We have 2 borrowed overflowing dressers in there (that will be going back to Ryan's parents), a bed (with no headboard) and a TV.  We currently have a plain white comforter and a million white/ivory pillows.  Nothing on the walls and no color in the whole room.  This room is a complete blank slate.  

So friends, what do you think I should do?!  I want something romantic and fresh and light.  Nothing super heavy or dark.  I'm very traditional and not modern at all.  The furniture would be something dark wood with classic clean lines (think Pottery Barn).  Most (all) of my house is done in browns/tans and greens.  I LOVE browns and greens.  But I'm thinking of mixing things up a little bit.  Since I have this opportunity to work with a pro, I thought I'd something a little different.  Ryan would never go for anything "girlie" so all pinks and purples are out.  I have a love/hate relationship with blue...most of the time I hate it so I want to avoid that.  One of my guest rooms is done in bright colors with lots of red, so that's out too.  Which leaves me what?  Yellow?  I keep leaning towards the idea of a black and white and yellow room.  Am I crazy? 

Ryan's not convinced that he likes it.  He's worried about too much yellow and black.  He thinks we should stick with the colors we love (browns, greens, ivories).  And I'm still debating on the colors but I do think it's cool and can be done well (especially with Kristin's help!).  I was thinking maybe light grey walls, with mostly white and pops of yellow and black here and there.  POPS of color - not a full-blown yellow nightmare. 

Here are some inspiration pictures I've found online that kinda demonstrate the look I'd want. 

Above: I think this is just lovely.  Classic.  Light grey walls.  Pops of yellow and black are not overwhelming.  Would this work with wood furniture?

Above: Even though this is more modern than my taste, I really like the colors here too.  No zebra stripes though.
Above: These pops are a little too intense, but if they were a little lighter it'd be really pretty.  I wonder if Kristin can put a fireplace in my bedroom?
Above: This room has a lot of grey in it, which is also nice.  I like the idea of light grey walls (these are way too dark for me).  But I'm not a fan of the white furniture.  And still a little too modern.
Above: This is really cute.  I like the yellow and black pillows.  I like that the color is in the accessories.
Above: Way too much yellow and black.  I think this is what Ryan's afraid of.
Above: Wallpaper?  Interesting.  Too much yellow for me.
Above: Again, I like the grey walls (wish they were lighter).  Like the pops of yellow in the accessories, but this is way too black and dark.  I want something more natural looking.
Above: This is pretty, but still a little dark.
Above: Not bad.  Not a big fan of the patterns in the fabric.  And not doing that canopy thing.
Above: Yellow and whites with wood.  This is pretty.
Above: I love this!  Although, I probably won't have any white furniture.  I think a dark wood would look ok in here right?
Above: Is this close to what our room would look like with wood?  We won't have black furniture.  I think brown wood goes well with the yellows.  But no black.  I don't love this.
Above: Much better.  I think all of these are really pretty. 
And the yellow could even be muted a little more and still be nice. 


What do you think? 

Am I crazy to like the yellow/black/white color combo? 

Is my hesitancy because I'm out of my comfort zone or because it doesn't work?

Should I stick to what I know (and love) - brown / ivory / green?

Help!

12 comments:

  1. I love my bedroom. I would usually say "our" but in THIS case - a)it was mine alone when I painted it and b)I've used it in my bedroom in every apt I've lived in. It's a soft buttery yellow as opposed to a bright yellow that pops at you. The trim is a cream color and I have sheers on the window. I know describing it makes it sound like a nursery but with the dark wood, heavy furniture & bedding, it's more adult than it sounds.

    I love the way the room glows in the morning when the sun's coming up and the soft shadows toward the end of the day. We have a dark wood bed (although the boxspring is too high for the headboard) and all wood floors. I'll try to take a bunch of pics & show you.

    My advice to anyone renovating is: always do your bedroom 1st! The rest of the house can look like a bomb went off but when you close that bedroom door & it's all just how you want it - it's your own little sanctuary. Plus, it helps you rest more.

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  2. I would do white, yellow, and gray. Black can be so strong, but gray is much softer for a bedroom, and so beautiful! I am also biased b/c yellow & gray were my wedding colors and I loved it. I think gray walls would be really nice, white bedspread, and some yellow accents, like maybe pillows for the bed, an upholstered chair, a yellow & white patterned window covering, etc. Good luck!

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  3. Ahh, so you are the one who won that giveaway! How cool!!! I can't wait to see what she comes up with.

    I can't give you any advice re: interior design, because I'm terrible at it. And because I want my bedroom to be brown, white, and very light blue. But I totally think what you're thinking will work.

    On that note, I've been loving muted yellows and mustard tones lately. (In that I like looking at them, not that I've been using them in any way.)

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  4. My guest bedroom is black and white with some tan mixed in. It really works. Your choices above, the black and white and yellow are a great choice IMO! And I like the more black and white with some yellow mixed in.

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  5. i LOVE the grey/ black/ white/ yellow combo. pictures #3, 4, 5, 8 are my faaaavs! please udpate as you decide. :)

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  6. I don't think you're crazy to go with that color combo at all...it looks amazing in all those pictures!! Good luck!

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  8. I love it! But admittedly I am a dark decorator and use a lot of black and reds in my rooms. Sometimes I feel like they are way too dark, so I think the use of yellow really perks it up! Its very dramatic, I love that.

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  9. I think light grey and yellow and black is nice. Definitely include the grey. Nice inspiration photos!

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  10. I love that!! You sound just like me my whole house is tan and green, haha, and it's so hard for me to think outside the box. I say if you have a professional go for it! My friend painted her bedroom in light french gray I think it's from Behr, it's a great soothing bedroom color. I love the idea of the pops of color, maybe throw pillows or a yellow patterned headboard would be nice. I can't wait to see how it turns out, I love decorating!

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  11. Oh my gosh, so exciting!! I love the one picture you posted of the yellow with the dark wood bed, so pretty! I think yellow bedding (a la Pottery Barn) would look great with wood furniture and light grey walls. I too am very traditional in my decorating, so excited that you are too! I feel like I'm alone in this world because everyone likes modern stuff! Ha. And? My house is also mostly tan and green-0with some red thrown in for good measure! Can't wait to see the finished product!

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  12. I love it, but I also really like a modern look and I think that color scheme lends itself more to a modern feel.

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