The Yellow Cape Cod

HGTV Feature~Classic Black and White Rooms

Last night, the hubby and kids were watching football and I was curled up in my zebra chair drooling over the new dream home on HGTV.com. An article under the decorating section caught my eye, "Classic Black and White Rooms". I clicked and...

Hey, that's my Family Room. How fun.

{Click here to see the full article}

Here is what HGTV's Charity Curley Mathews had to say about my Family Room,

"The classic combination of black and white can range from country to crisp and modern, but it's always effortlessly elegant. Here are our favorite black-and-white looks from talented homeowners of Rate My Space...Animal Magnetism, It's a classic decorators trick, add just a little animal print to spice up an otherwise ultra-sleek room. Designed by RMS user, S.Macklem".

Thanks, HGTV.

How To Get The PB Distressed White Finish

Potterybarn always gets it just right with their aged finishes. A little bit old and crusty yet still refined. Today, I'd like to share how I used these PB finials as inspiration for a client mirror makeover.

{Potterybarn}

Last week, I shared a before/after of a Foyer I decorated for a client. We started the transformation by shopping her house and we found a gorgeous mirror stashed away. It was beautiful as it was however, the color was almost identical to the wall color.

So, I brought it home with me to my furniture studio and gave it a little makeover. Here is how it went down...

It already had a great antique faux finish. I wanted to keep the same look, just a lighter shade, more of a creamy white and less yellow.

Less like this...

{Before}

More like this...

{Potterybarn}

So, I set out to recreate the exact same finish the piece already had.

{Source}

First, I geared up with protective eye wear and a face mask. {Lookin' good}.

Then, I took this project outside for maximum ventilation.

Instead of completely covering the old finish, in a mixing cup I added about two tsp. of water to 1 cup of white latex paint to create a wash. I applied the wash to the mirror with a paint brush. This technique allowed some of the old finish to show through.

To take the "white-ness" down a notch and to get the antiqued look, I used a combination of stain and glaze. In a plastic cup, I mixed equal parts of dark walnut stain and clear glaze with a wooden skewer.

Please ask your local paint professional for product recommendations before mixing products together. Remember, water and oil don't mix :)

I used a cheap disposable brush to apply the mix to the mirror concentrating on the little nooks and crannies. Using a cotton rag (an old t-shirt) I removed the glaze/stain mix.

Please read and adhere to the safety instructions on the product labels for use and for cleanup/disposal. If you are using rags it's very important to dispose of them properly.

After the stain/glaze mix dried I polished the piece using paste finishing wax. It not only protects the new finish but, it gives it a beautiful, low luster sheen.

I applied the wax with cheesecloth. I found that it works best if you put the product on the cloth and fold it over so you are applying the product through one layer of cloth.

After a few minutes, using a new clean cheesecloth, I buffed the surface to remove the exccess wax and reveal the shiny new finish.

{After watching my neighbors house burn completely to the ground after leaving a pile of stain soaked rags sit overnight, I can't stress safety enough. Luckily, no one was hurt.}

Click here for safety basics from Minwax.

{After}

Thanks for stopping by.

For information on my affordable design services, please click here.

Linked up to:
Home Stories A to Z

Furniture Makeover~I Need Your Help...

I have been crazy busy this week with client projects, domestic/motherly duties and three boys with the stomach flu. I'm struggling to keep up. You know the feeling.

I was wondering if you guys could help me out by giving my friend, Madelyn, some advice on a project?

(Source)

Here is the email she sent to me...

"I have two older pieces of furniture and would appreciate your opinion on how I should refinish them".

Could you guys could give Madelyn some suggestions for me?
Here is the information on the pieces...

Cabinet:

"This is one of the first piece of furniture I purchased after college. Initially I used it as a cabinet for my stereo system and drill holes for ventilation and wiring. Then it was used as a small liquor cabinet. Now it is used to hold a small flat screen TV. I like using it for that purpose, but that could change. Previously the original wood finish was okay, but I would like to take it in a different direction — something that would more suited for our décor.

Small Table/Cabinet:

This is a piece that belonged to my mother-in-law and has a lot of sentimental value. I feel like this piece has a lot of potential, but not really sure what direction to go.

Our home décor consists of faux finished and textured walls. Arched doorways, stone fireplace, wood built-in bookcases and entertainment center, leather furniture, etc. I really like the distressed finish on furniture and think that would fit very will with our current décor, but I’m open for any suggestions.
{Here is a small collage of her home decor}

Thank you in advance for your help". ~Madelyn

We can't wait to hear your suggestions. Thank you so much for helping me out!
~Sarah

Client Project~Kitchen~Before And After

I'm so excited to share this before and after with you today. Not only was the client a ton of fun to work with but, my jaw hit the floor when I saw the finished space.

You may remember the "Gray and Yellow Modern Cottage Kitchen" design plan video that I created last summer. It was designed for a young family in the process of updating their traditional style kitchen. The homeowners put the plan into action, doing all of the work in this space themselves.

This a great example of a design plan coming to life.

Here was the plan...

{Click Here to see the details of the plan in video format}

Here is the kitchen before the makeover began:

{Before}

Here it is now...

The changes they made include: new gray tile floor with black grout, granite countertops, painted cabinetry and walls, new sink, appliances and fixtures, white subway tile backsplash with dark gray grout, new lighting and accessories.

I get so excited when a kitchen has enough open wall space for art like this print from Etsy.

{Art Source~Etsy}

I have to give props to the homeowner for choosing white subway tile with dark gray grout.

Great call, Stephanie.

The white pitchers and cake plates are the beginning of an amazing colletion.

I think Martha Stewart would be so proud of her Bedford Gray color on these cabinets.

The yellow wall color is hers too. Why did she have to leave Home Depot? She's left us completely heartbroken. Look at this amazing color combination...

{source}

*composing myself*

...back to the makeover.

Great job, guys! It looks fabulous. I loved working with you in your beautiful home. Thank you for letting me share this project with my readers. I hope you are enjoying your new space.

For information on my affordable design services, please click here.

Linked up to:
Miss Mustard Seed

Changes On The Blog

In an effort to make my website easier to navigate, I've been busy implementing some changes. You may notice throughout the next week, my blog will change a little each day. One of the improvements is the creation of new page categories in the main menu. I hope these changes will make it easier for new visitors to navigate the site as well as make it easier for old friends to find old posts.

Today, I'd like to share the new and improved home tour category. You can click on each photo to see more information about the spaces in my home {including room~by~room paint colors}.

It's pretty much my home in a nutshell...