Identifying Color Relationships

The blog's been on hiatus for the past week but we've got some great content to share with you this week. Today's post comes in the form of a video featuring Josef Albers in which he discusses color relationships. It's a really interesting and educating video, something everyone can probably take something away from about mixing and matching up colors. We definitely took a few tips.

The video was shot by dwell magazine (no relation, but we're definitely inspired by dwell). Take a look below and let us know if this was helpful!

The Full Spectrum for Dwell | Josef Albers from gary nadeau on Vimeo.

Before and After: Whole House

I know how much all of you like Before and After's. A room is a blank easel (even if it has stuff in it) and it always interests me to see the different ways and styles people prefer to outfit the rooms of their homes with.

Fortunately, today we get a glimpse of an entire home makeover. Think the TV show, but with a much smaller budget, less sponsorships, and probably less yelling.

This set of images comes courtesy of Design*Sponge, yet again, and Rey of Rey3 Design Collaborative designed and renovated it. If you're ever in Palm Springs, you can even rent this little beauty.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Before and After: Bedroom Makeover

I don't recall us doing a Before&After bedroom on SD yet. Mostly kitchens and bathrooms. But today's bedroom is in dire need of it! It appears to be a woodpaneled basement bedroom. We're talking wood paneled walls, ceiling, and almost the floor as well (it's a similar beige tone, not flattering).




This home belongs to Melissa, and she's done what most are doing: embracing in the white, and sometimes also the mustard yellow.



The wood paneling stays! And it should. Simply painting it white gets rid of  an unflattering color but keeps the texture of the wall that the paneling provides. This texture isn't easily seen in the wood initially, but painting it white adds dimension and allows it to become more visible.



Adding some coordinated color makes a boring white room something more powerful.



The best part? This room was transformed for under $100. Check out the rundown at IS*LY for the supplies and how they managed it. Nice work!

Bathroom Inspiration from Hotels (but wash your own towels)

Sometimes all you need is a little inspiration. Today we've got just the thing: hotel bathrooms. If you're considering upgrading or renovating your bathroom, these beauties from various hotels might give you a little to think about. Granted, you'll have to wash your own towels and provide your own shampoo, but at least your bathroom looks good!

 


The Standard Hotel, New York, USA: Comes with maybe the best view a bathroom can get.



The Viceroy Hotel, Santa Monica, USA: Nice subway tiled walls and one of the funkiest vanities I've ever seen.



The Bellinter House Hotel, County Meath, Ireland: Maybe my favorite out of the bunch, the blue walls interacting with the brown wood floor and then the occasional pang of white from the fixtures...okay, I also have to mention the sparkling tile shower. Show stopper.



New Majestic Hotel, Singapore: We're seeing a trend with these freestanding tubs.



Hotel on Rivington, New York, USA: Mini tiles rule in this skyscraping lavatory. Notice also the clash of the sharp corners with the intentionally round mirrors.



Hotel Puerta America, Madrid, Spain: Now this is a crazy one. It looks like a futuristic posh bathroom.



Hotel St. Cecilia, Austin, TX: Hex tiles outnumber everything. More freestanding tubs. It's simple and lovely.



High Road House, London, UK: Who says it has to be separate? Minimize your displacement from bed to bath this way!



Hospes Hotel, Mallorca, Spain: Chrome accessories stand out from marble walls stand out from dark wood flooring. Sophisticated.



Hotel Sigtuna, Sweden: I'm loving the vanity in this one, but I also like the novelty of the heightened toilet tank.

Before and After: Country Kitchen

Before and After's. I can't seem to get enough of them. I really hope you guys enjoy them as much as I do, and hopefully they even inspire you to pursue these remodels for yourselves. Today's B&A was showcased on Design*Sponge at one time and it's classy. What used to be a country kitchen with green walls and light wood cabinets is transformed into a vibrant space.

The most first thing you might notice is the cabinet color. We've seen a lot of people switching to white to give a more modern look as well as promote lighting through the kitchen.

Looking a little closer, the walls are also lightened up a bit, but the kicker for me comes two ways: 1) Contrasting, incredible looking polished wood countertops which are 2) Provided a beautiful backsplash with yet another color and element introduced into the kitchen: small grey tile.

The colors here really set it off for me. Once I stop staring at the countertops and turn my head up a little, I spot that tile and I'm floored yet again. Really great work!

Two last details I'd like to point out. The lighting fixtures are so simple that they don't get in the way of the rest of the kitchen when you look at it. But when you finally do see them, you can't help but notice the perfect matching with the splash tile, along with their simplicity.

The other thing is just a matter of decor. I'm a fan of stripes, and I'm a fan of yellow, so that roller blind is calling out to me right now. It helps to add just a pinch of color in the mostly-neutral space.

Alright I'm done talking! Just let the pictures speak to you!

From Brick to Chic: Kitchen Before and After

We've got another kitchen that brightens up this week, with Kerri's kitchen remodel. She had this dank looking brick and timber kitchen for a while, and apparently she made this transformation with less than $500. She relied on a trusty spray gun and covered the brick up with some nice white faceboard. It's a nice country do-over that hopefully inspires you to work on your kitchen! It doesn't take much!

Bathroom Redo: From Wood Paneling to White Palette

Remember wood paneling? I kind of have a soft spot in my heart for the retro, natural (looking) vibe that wood paneling offers. I also have a slight affinity for dive bars, so it makes sense that I'd appreciate the stuff.

But I do know the dive bar is probably where paneling should stay these days. Nobody wants it in their house anymore. Which is why Christie sent her bathroom Before and After into Design*Sponge. I'm picking on the paneling a little bit, because she also redid the window and shower curtains, the vanity, including an awesome faucet, as well as the overall decor of the room. And boy does it do wonders for the space...

This isn't just your simple "throw in a new vanity and change the shower curtain" sort of renovate. Christie transforms the space with artistry, from the fish tile to painting decorative fern leaves on the entrance door:

At the same time, redoing your bathroom in such a way shouldn't be intimidating in the least. Christie plays it safe and sound with neutral greys and blues, and of course weighs heavily on classic white. For me though, the clincher is in the details. The leaves on the door, the small simple vanity...it's all about planning it out ahead of time rather than just throwing it together, and Christie succeeds!

Renovation Inspiration

It's been a while since we posted a before and after, and I don't quite know why, because I sort of love them. To take a ugly pink bathroom and turn it into something modern and downright good-looking is inspiring in a way. It definitely inspires us (making spaces look nice is pretty much our job).

Today's B&A(s) come from Stefanie at Brooklyn Limestone by way of Design*Sponge. Stefanie and her husband have been renovating a 100 year-old Brooklyn Limestone for quite some time, and they really outdid themselves in every room. Such a large project is a really great undertaking, and these guys succeeded in every sense.

If you'd like to see more, check out Stefanie's blog or the link for Design*Sponge is below.

Design*Sponge � Blog Archive � before & after: stefanie’s brooklyn limestone

Before & After: A Blissful Bathroom Re-Do

This is a really great, simple, and not too over the top bathroom remodel that the folks at Apartment Therapy posted last week.

It's a beautiful example of the transformation you can make to your bathroom with a refinishing of the walls and a nice tile floor. Not to mention those fantastic framed mirrors. Besides that, very little else has changed! Same cabinets, lights, and countertops. Very easy remod.

Before & After: A Blissful Bathroom Re-Do | Apartment Therapy San Francisco