Update 12.25.12

Here is a collection of updates I have been hoarding.  In this post are a couple references, I can’t link to them in my captions so here are some links to the places/things I mention:

Amber’s work at The Refinerii

The book I mention, highly recommended: The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less by Berry Schwartz

Another thing to note, don’t pick paint based on the name, it’s a bad idea :).   My tile rears it’s pretty little head in here, and some hints at my other finishes.  Window trim goes up.   My next steps are to hook back up all my outlets and switches.  I can hardly wait to be using my own lighting set-ups!  It’s coming together guys, slowly but surely!

I hope you have all had a very Merry Christmas and are as excited as me to ring in the new year!  Every year just gets better and better, I can’t wait to see what 2013 has in store for me other than the big scary 3-0.  I have SO much that needs to get done before that fateful day in September!  😉

Taping the windows to prep for paint

The other side

So I went to the store to get paint... Its hard to tell from a little chip but I found a few different colors, looked at the names and one was called Artemesia. I have a great aunt who was named Artemesia, whom everyone called Macy for short (don't ask, I have no idea how they made the leap...). I was then, years later named after this person. When I saw the name on the paint chip I figured it was destiny and stopped looking.

I was wrong, it was not destiny, it is a horrible color! 🙂 It looks totally white, even the chip against a white wall looked white, against a tan wall it looked tan, as a color on the wall it looks like Baby Blue meets Lime Green. Just awful with my material pallet.

I thought maybe it would get better if I did a whole wall, or maybe if I took the paper down from the windows and let some natural light in. Nope, it didn't.

For those of you who haven't seen it, this is my color pallet (See the awesome tile!)... blueish lime green does NOT go 🙂

I tried may different ways to justify it... but it's a no go, I was lucky that Lowe's gave me my money back on the remaining gallon of paint I didn't use (that was nice of them, it really was all my fault, nothing wrong with the color other than I should't have picked it...)

So I went back. I was sorting through stacks and stacks of paint colors... none of which were in just a 'neutral' zone, they were all tied to some sort of color which I don't like, I want my things to be the accents in the house, I want bold natural and neutral colors as a foundation on my tiny house... There is an interesting book I am reading called the Paradox of Choice: Why More is Less, I love reading it and it can describe how I felt when I was at the store... I got overwhelmed and I did what I tend to do, refuse to make a choice. I went with just white white. No color added. I like it much better anyhow and should have just done that originally.

Here are some close up shots of my texture.

and another. This is the pantry which doesnt really need texture but it got it anyway.

So, after ripping down all the masking to justify a crappy color I needed to re-tape.

Re-taping the space

I also opted to not do tile in the ceiling in the shower for fear of my craftsmanship not being good enough and to avoid one day being knocked out by falling tiles while I shower... I am sort of afraid I may pop some tiles out too in transite, I think it's just better I dont make it the cave type shower I originally hoped for. Besides the white ceiling will lighten it up!

A layer or two into the new white paint.

Even though this is a pretty subtle color it is taking LOTS of layers to cover up the Artemesia color... I think I am on layer 4 and will need to do at least one, maybe two more layers. It just keeps bleeding through.

I did most of my painting in the dark and so I definitely need to have some daylight to make sure it looks right.

ummm, not sure what this is... just another picture I guess

Pretty grean/blue leaching through the white! It won't go away, I wish I didn't think it would be good to see the whole wall painted, big mistake 🙂

Subtle but big difference from white white, I thought it was more greyish in the store... Even when I went back to pick another colore I picked up the same chip because it looked good still!

I think this is about layer 3, its harder to tell but it's still bleeding through...

Looks a bit better with my colors... still needs more though (it's hard to tell in pictures.

Also this weekend I started in on my window trim!

My inexperienced self thought I would just skip this and leave with a nice clean finished look... Window trim is important for a few reasons, first, the windows don't sit perfect in there, there are gaps and sometimes, even with drywall (even though it's thin drywall) those gaps are visible.

It is still very important to me that the window trim be minimalistic. I have opted to just use some 1x4 pieces of wood (a harder, more durable poplar on the sill and the rest of the frame is a much cheaper pine. The trim ended up costing about 80 bucks total but it really cleans up the openings.

The trim is going to get painted the same color as the walls so it disapears and hopefully all you see is a subtle shadow line from the ~1/4" it sticks out from the flush wall.

I cut each window out and fitted them before painting

I was debating between mitering the corners or just doing a butt joint. For both the looks and the ease of the process I ended up going with a butt joint. I am really digging how it's turning out.

More

The idea is that these will look a bit like the picture frames I am going to build to keep my family pictures in (a divider of sorts between the bed and living area). I think for the shades I am going to try to make/paint some pictures that will be spring loaded (think old projector pull down screen) so that when they are up they will sort of disapear but if I pull the shades down they will look similar to a framed picture. This is just an idea for now, Ill work out the details as I go!

another

Another

Pulling them out and viving them a once over with paint. I debated using a different finish on the trim (mat vs. semi-gloss) but ended up wanting to do everything the same semi-gloss finish. It is coming together

Painting more the next day.

And lighting! I have been talking to my bro about doing some cool piece of metal work for a main lighting piece, these are some images he sent me that I dig... still thinking on this but these would look great I think! I have a friend in town that does AMAZING metal work, I think I may like to commission something 🙂 I will post a link to her work, you'll all love it.

I think some cool metal shades like this would rock above my kitchen where I have 4 pendant fixtures. I may just go with some mason jars still until I can get it worked out (I have also been liking the ideas of taking a glass blowing class to make these four fixture covers.

I LOVE this image and how the piece makes the light dance, I think I could come up with something amazing for the living area like this! I'll be thinking on it, if anyone has any ideas please link 'em!

And this was just too cool not to share!

And one of the Christmas diners 🙂

And another Christmas Dinner, I missed a picture of Jeffs, it was amazing too though! and I am still full.