Put it in Neutral.....

......when you can't commit to a specific color palette, or certain style, just put it in neutral. I won't call you a chicken. I promise! I have to do the same thing at my house. I just love SOOO many different styles and colors, it's the only way to keep it calm.

Neutral doesn't equal bland or boring.....you can still have some hints of color.....like yellow, and blue, or purple, it doesn't matter! The neutral backdrop will tie it all together! 

In this family room we used shades of taupe and creamy white......

shiny bronze and silver too.....with hints of sunny yellow and pale blue!
Yep. I might be reading too many children's books....


This unique stacked end table.......

......used to be a dark brown, which was too dark and heavy for the space, so my girl Tori, over at Embellished Heart, gave it a fresh new coat of creamy white and shiny taupe! Now it feels light and airy like the rest of the space.

This rug began our color story ( The Tabitha rug from Ballard Designs)....

We pulled out the greenish blues and yellows for accent colors.

As for the lamp.....

....it's another recycled piece which used to be a dark brown. Also, too dark and heavy for the space.
Notice it's Trina Turk-like design??
I hand painted it with leftover paint from the other table that received the Tori treatment.....

( sorry for the darkness!!)

You can see the blue a bit better here, and how the color is also seen in the ikat fabric....

Isn't using what you already have a beautiful thing??

It's especially beautiful when what you already have is very special too. Of course it doesn't hurt if those special things have great bones too!
Like this chair.......

(The fabric is 

.......that used to belong to my client's Grandmother. How special is that?? It adds so much love and beauty to the space.


In case you missed my previous post about the chair, here is what it looked like many years ago....

And of course, we had to get a nice frame for the photo and put it out for everyone to see!!!

The mirror on the mantel has a frame that was re-purposed as well....

My client had some great photos of her Grandmother to display.....

...and a few special objects like the beaded purse above. Together they create a very special wall arrangement that will be easy to add to over the years......

As you can probably tell, this project is a very special one, and I am so honored to share with you all!!

I hope it inspires you to use what you already have that may have great bones, or significant meaning, even if they require a face lift. They are ALWAYS worth the investment!!

Have a fabulous week!!