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It's funny the little things that stick with you. As an art major in college, I was exposed to many ideas and techniques - and a wealth of information. I studied everything from the history of impressionist painting to the "easy" task of properly centering a piece of clay on a pottery wheel (something I never mastered, sadly.)
But the most important thing I learned in college was this: listen to everything your instructor says, because you never know when they'll float tiny pearls of true wisdom your way. Such was the case with a certain teacher of mine, and many years later, I still heed her advice on many aspects of design. My favorite quip of hers? "Design is bland without a little flavor - always add salt and pepper to taste."
Nothing promotes interest and provides contrast like a little "salt and pepper." Black, white and combinations thereof can really add a visual punch to any room. I'm not implying that an entire room should be black (although I'll be posting pics and an article soon on my new BLACK rec room)...or white. Simply use the two to flavor your decorating, the same way you would use them in the kitchen to spice up your mashed potatoes... a dash can make all the difference between dull and delicious.
Black provides stark contrast to pretty much every other color. If you're into pastels, don't be afraid to mingle them with black - some of the coolest color combinations I've seen involved black with lighter shades of green, yellow - even pink! If you're like me and prefer strong, vivid colors (candy apple red, bright orange, etc.), black is a natural choice for a secondary color. No matter the "base" color preferences, bet on black to add contrast and excitement to your room. Picture frames (buy them black or just paint your old ones), lamp bases, rugs and pillows are a fast way to integrate black into an existing color scheme.
White offers contrast with darker colors, but it can also be used to subdue, lighten and brighten areas of your home. It is an excellent choice for trim and moldings, window treatments and accessories.
Using black and white together, you can create a focal point, devise patterns and make things "pop", or stand out. It can also make for a good diversion tactic, grabbing your visitors' attention so they notice it more than something in your room that you don't like - a stinky old, avacado green couch that needs replacing maybe? (Cover that thing, or throw it out already!)
If you've had the pale blue and mauve country motif decor for 15 years, don't go out and buy all new black, contemporary furniture and fixtures - you may find that a bit too drastic. Use your imagination and draw from the designs and styles of others...just add or change what YOU are comfortable with. Get a feel for what you like and what you want to accomplish in the grand scheme of things. Then accessorize or paint gradually, introducing bits of black or white as you go.
Your home, like your food, is a matter of taste. Salt and pepper will add flavor, but the recipe is ultimately up to you. Someone pass the potatoes, please? ~ (‘)
If you have some decorating advice you’d like to share, drop us a line at tips@thefixchicks.com. If we publish your tip, we’ll send you a FixChicks coffee mug.
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Ralph Lauren River Rock Paint Notes
The Fix Chicks have got lots of mail about Ralph Lauren River Rock paint. In fact, that's the ONLY Ralph Lauren paint we get email about, even though we feature a room done using their Suede textured paint. See the original article and additional comments here.
We’d like to thank Eric, who wrote in about a River Rock paint application solution that he and his wife, Erin, came up with.
Dear Fix Chicks:
My wife and I found your website after we destroyed our kitchen walls with Ralph Lauren River Rock, we had roller marks all over. Feeling confident with your hints I went over the walls again, still with no luck of having a finish we could both live with. So as a last resort we purchased a Wagner Power Painter and went over the walls yet again touching up the walls we were unhappy with. A third coat turned out great. The living room was next, we were kind of shy about doing the living room, but having invested in 3 gallons of Sandstone we hated not to use it. After the Power Painters' second coat our living room looks great.
How we did it is we took workable sections and sprayed from left to right trying to coat the wall evenly without streaking and blending the next section. Try to maintain the same distance as you go. It still looked kind of streaky so the second coat we went from top to bottom, bottom to top to blend in the streaks. The first coat was dry by the time I was ready to start the second coat. Both coats took about 3 hours, but the prep time of masking off the room took about 2 hours. Take your time masking off the room and drop cloth the entire room; the paint and sand fleck will be everywhere. For safety wear a painting mask with plenty of ventilation. The living room was a breeze compared to the kitchen and worth the purchase of the paint.
Thanks for sharing Eric! Your shiny, happy Fix Chicks mug is on the way!
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