I’m not a fan of chalkboard paint and never have been. It is dark and chalk is messy. Who wants broken pieces of chalk all over the place? Not to mention the dust.

I happened to see the Martha Stewart show yesterday and was pleased as punch with the innovative product known as IdeaPaint. Oh the endless possibilities in the home!

In my opinion this is a much better writable paint option and here is why:

1. It creates a brighter and fresher space (white to off-white tint)
2. Quick easy one coat painting process and no special treatments like you have to do with chalkboard paint
3. Bright dry erase board markers are much more fun to use and come in brighter colors and various sizes
4. Bottom line it’s easier to clean
5. When you tire of it you just paint over it… no special treatments

Check it out….

(Unrelated side note: the fake plant in the above photo is incredibly distracting. Please do not use fake plants in your home, it’s a decorating no-no)

For more info and where to find IdeaPaint check out their website. If you have already discovered this awesome whiteboard-like paint I’d love to hear about it. Share your project ideas and comments below!

Here is the dining room before in all its beige box glory:

After painting the room now has depth, warmth, and vibrancy. The color selected is Benjamin Moore Clinton Brown HC-67. I color matched it to Martha Stewart paint at Home Depot because I love the quality of the Martha Stewart paint. It was such a success in our family room and one of our guest bathrooms that I opted to stick with it in the dining room too. The only draw back to the Martha Stewart  paint is that the color spectrum isn’t huge and I didn’t find the right shade of brown…. hence the Benjamin Moore color match. I simply took in the color swatch and the computer did the rest!

Step one in the dining room transformation was an inexpensive change ($25 for a can of paint) by adding some contrast with the dark brown walls:

There are a few additional changes to come including swapping the chandelier to the fabulous drum shade chandelier I picked up from West Elm before the holidays. 

The original plan was to make curtains from a beautiful fabric I found from Ballard Designs. However, as of last week I lost my day job and the budget has been pretty much wiped out. I’m going to have to get creative if I want to replace the drapes. I’m thinking something simple like my inspiration room. 

FYI, if you have been following my blog you will realize my dining room isn’t an exact rendition of the inspiration room I shared a couple months ago. I am adding my own contemporary twist to this inspiration room because I couldn’t part with my artwork and I fell in love with the wood veneer pendant from West Elm. Being a fan of color I couldn’t go quite so Restoration Hardware-esque… I need some punch and will keep the touches of yellow in the room too. After all, it’s best to stick with what you love so that your home is a reflection of you and not some glossy picture found in a magazine!

Stay tuned for more transformations of this dining room in the near future!

Before:

After:

Eventually the oddly traditional game table will be replaced with a couple comfortable chairs. I’ve yet to find the right thing so for now the table remains. Also, I added the bicycle wheel mirror behind the bar. We are both avid cyclists so this definitely reflects our lifestyle. It is also a great piece because the fabulous wallpaper isn’t hidden behind artwork.

The next step in creating a comfortable space was focusing on the two windows in the room. Given that the family room is in the basement I wanted to make sure light continued to filter via the egress window wells but I really don’t like looking at the silver metal so first  we added blinds. It’s important to layer window coverings for maximum light control. We watch a movies in the basement and the windows face the television therefore it is nice to be able to really darken the space when desired.

Window Covering Layer One Before:

Window Covering Layer One After:

Carrying the theme of the woods wallpaper I found these great sheers at Bed Bath & Beyond. What I love about them is that they are inexpensive (about $25 per panel), creates a soft feel, and lets in plenty of light. The curtain rods are rustic metal pine cones.

Window Covering Layer Two After:

There is still much to do in the space as I haven’t even ventured so far as to add artwork to the walls or to accessorize the overall room. More to come on that in the future so do come back for future postings.  

The family room is a slow but sure process because I’m building this space in layers. It’s important that the room reflect us and our lifestyle which is comfortable, casual, and a little bit of contemporary rustic elements. Like most we are on a budget and I want to do this project right only once… so I’d rather go without a few pieces then to fill the space with a bunch of cheap stuff  just so it will be done. I’ll keep you “posted” of the changes. The next step is the console (sofa) table that is on order which will most likely arrive in late November. I can’t wait!

Check out more before and after photos and similar projects at:

That said, I really think my recent obsession with yellow is most likely connected to my mild addiction to Williams-Sonoma and we have them to thank for these gorgeous Lemon Botanical serving dishes (which I admit I recently purchased a few myself).

Slowly I have been infusing yellow into my kitchen in small touches and accents. It is a great color for the kitchen because yellow evokes a sense of cheerfulness, it stimulates mental activity, and it has a warming effect on a person. What better place to create these feelings than in the kitchen? Ironically the color yellow is typically associated with food.  

Yellow is also associated with a sense of joy, intellect, and a lovely sense of freshness. This room I found on Southern Accents embodies all of these three things. It is a bit playful with the acrylic chairs, youthful due to the circle art, and for lack of a better term…it is just fun! There is a touch of sophistication here with the furniture choices and the chandelier which is a perfect balance for the space.

Lighter shades of yellow can disappear into white therefore if you want to accentuate the color be sure to use a darker color in the space as well. This will help draw out the true tones of the yellow that you have chosen for the room. If you prefer to have a softer feeling then it also works to let it fade into white. I love the effect of this in the following Martha Stewart space.

A side note, Martha Stewart has some great new paint colors available at just about any Home Depot in the country.  If I had to choose a shade of yellow I would say that my favorite new paint color of hers is Macadamia because it is a creamy balance of white and just the suggestion of yellow much like this space above.

You can balance the amount of yellow that is accentuated using both techniques previously mentioned. First add a darker color to room in order to bring out the yellow in the space and then tone it down by allowing some of the yellow in the room to fade into white. It’s all about balance. A  great example of this is found in the following dining room. The dining table really grounds the space with the dark wood tone. All of the surroundings are light and airy and nearly fade into white which makes the space  feel welcoming which yellow is supposed to do when used correctly.

The creative placement of the mirrors stand out and are potentially an inspiration for my own home…just not sure where yet so I will have to file this away in my idea book.

Yellow is one of the hardest colors to get right in a space. It is so dramatically affected by the amount of light in the space as well as the amount of white and darker colors in the room. Go with your general instinct but if the color scares you a little bit when you first paint it on the walls my advice is to add the accessories, drapes, furniture, and lighting back into the room before you panic and change the paint color. You really can control the tone with all the other things in the room so be patient in the process. If nervous, err on the lighter side because paint always gets darker as it drys and if the yellow is TOO vibrant it will just piss you off (literally) because yellow can have that psychological affect.

A few additional warnings about the color yellow (ironic because yellow is the color of caution) be aware of how you are using yellow in the space. It can easily become dingy which can conjure thoughts of decay and sickness. Ick! If yellow is overdone or overused it can also cause anxiety to those within the space. When overdone yellow has a disturbing effect and it is even known that babies cry more in a yellow room (typically the very vibrant overly done tones).

I don’t want to frighten you with these last words about the theory behind the color yellow. It’s a fun color to be inspired by. If frightened by it but you want to try it start small…I am.  As mentioned it all started with my Williams-Sonoma addiction and the acquisition of one simple item, a pepper mill.

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Thanks for considering the color yellow. You will have to come back at a later date to see pictures of my own home when my kitchen and dining space are perfectly peppered with just the right amount of yellow! It’s all a work in progress.