Into Color – Sea to Earth

microscopic grains of sand by Dr. Gary Greenberg – Paris Apartment

Allot has been shared this week about design trends that are somewhat grass roots inspired, particularly a resistance to turning away from those comforting ocean tones that inspire us to work 50 weeks a year in order to spend 2 weeks at the seaside. But as amazing as the big watery picture is – that being the oceans that cover the majority of our planet – there are color miracles as the sub-Terra level that simply cannot be ignored

In the dark abyss of a twisting and turning planet recycling itself on a violent continuum, forces have conspired over billions of years to create palettes that even the best designers probably could not hope to rival; like the image above of the magical jewel and quartz color that lays hidden within grains of stand.

There are plenty of design mechanisms, both subtle and overt to reveal the timeless majesty of the planet we call home, and bring these vivid, sparkling tones in your own design.

Ivory Marble Chunk Table Lamp

Roughly hewn marble is a more literal interpretation of an organic mineral inspiration palette than I would normally support, but the neutral beauty of the texture and the ambrosia cream shade are attributes that are as timeless as their inspiration.

Jade colored druzzy crystal is a material that marries drama, sparkle and texture.

mineral jewel tones – Paris apartment and jade green livingroom

Jade is a fierce color choice that finds its master in the combination of neutrals and complimentary pops of color that show it at its best.

Jade Colored walls express the vivid shade of druzzy crystal – imabe via Dalliance Blog

There are lots of ways to get the look; the first is first of which is getting that courageous wall color.

The shade may really seem scary but this particular form of green is a diplomat next to other colors, playing predictable by the rules and within the culture of other colors in your space.

The throw pillows bring out the best in this popping shade, and play perfectly against other neutrals to make the look really work – these Design Legacy pillows are not done justice by photographic images – they are amongst my favorite design accent tools!

Magpie Pillow from MyHomeFaceLift

Heron Pillow from MyHomeFaceLift.com

Jade green lamp with slick glossy shade from Shades of Light

Is it nail polish or is this a lampshade – it’s so hard to tell! I love this glossy jade lamp, with a barely visible bright yellow shade interior and finial! This shade blends the glamor of enamel and that organic mineral vibrancy to complete the jade look.

This blue druzzy combines shades of cool chemical blues that shimmer amidst sparkling whites and grays.

Blue druzzy inspired space from Centsationalgirl blog

The living room (above) captures the look by reigning in the strong blues – the texture of the throw, the pattern of the pillow and the vases emulate the blues and druzzy texture and the whites, pear gray and sparkle of the mirror speak to the organic chic.

Again, enameled color is the perfect vehicle to drive those brilliant blues, and your most affordable tool if those pillows and glossy lamp fall outside your budget.

Creating that gorgeous blue side table has about the same number of steps as a good manicure, and your result will last a great deal longer and cost allot less than your nail color!

To show you the steps, I borrowed a little savvy thrift from Centsational Girl’s blog; love the result and I know her methods with enamel are solid – here’s how it works.

The demonstration find required a few minor repairs. There was chipping veneer around the top that needed to be peeled off, then patched with some wood filler.

A broken leg needed mending, as did a piece of bamboo threatening to fall off.  Wood glue and something heavy on top (two cans of primer) while the glue dried saved the day.

Now it looks like something that would fetch top dollar!

The Paisley print panels in vivid shades of teal, lime green and soft yellow were  sale finds at Pier One.

The genie lamp was a also a Pier One find, on sale and pretty in brushed nickel, made even better by a coat of gold leaf spray paint to play off those campaign pulls.

The bowl from Marshalls, and the vintage framed partridge bird patches were found thrift finds, that fit right in!  The vase was found in a clearance rack at Michaels for $5 and an addition to this DIY’ers white collectible ceramics.  Collecting simple white modern ceramics in all sizes is a smart and cost effective solution that works in every room on any surface. To duplicate that look on any lamp, gold spray paint will do the trick.

Applications for refinishing furniture in every manner of paints and faux products are endless, but you can also choose to spray paint a piece of furniture and achieve a great look if you follow the correct steps.

Here are the ones used to create this faux bamboo chest:

Remove all hardware including hinges.

1) Clean off any debris, filling holes and making repairs. Coat your furniture with a bonding primer.

2) When dry, lightly sand with a fine grit sanding wedge to remove any drips or residue.

3) wipe down any dust with a sham

4) Freshen the hardware with metallic spray paint ( she used ‘Gold Leaf’ by Krylon)

5) Apply two light coats of paint with two cans of Rust-Oleum spray paint in ‘Night Tide’ gloss, allowing each coat to dry before apply the next

6) When dry, wipe down any residue with cloth or clean sham

7) Apply protective coat to seal and protect.

Tip #1:  When spray painting furniture, especially drawer or door fronts, it is best to apply the spray paint when the surface of the door or drawer is facing up, meaning don’t paint where it in place.  Remove the drawer or door and and lay it down on a painter’s tarp so that the surface you’re about to paint is facing skyward.  This application reduces the potential for drips, which are very visible in enamel.

Tip #2: often with spray paint, along long surfaces especially on furniture you will see  a splotchy finish. This is frustrating because in any light, the color is even, but the finish is not.  To avoid this, there’s a safer bet: painting a piece with a roller/brush combo and latex paint.  There’s an obvious appeal to knocking out a quick paint job on a small piece of furniture with a few cans of spray paint, so I’ve been experimenting to get rid of the potential for a splotchy finish.  The best way to avoid that result along long flat surfaces from spray paint is to coat it with one of these protective brush-on formulas with a cheapo sponge brush.  Either one works great (Varathane or Minwax Polycrylic).  They are both water based, and they can both be applied to fully cured oil based completely dry  spray painted surfaces.

Don’t worry that they look milky in the can, they always dry clear.  Choose satin or gloss depending on your preference, and be sure to work with them when the temperature is between 60 and 75 degrees because they dry fast, and even faster in really warm weather.

But in my own opinion, enamel applied with a varnish brush is preferable due to both its environmental thoughtfulness and its superior durability.

Grab a brush and get some druzzy crystal color in your needy space!

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