If you thought you were getting a juicy discussion on Hollywood’s best lifts and enhancements, I’m truly sorry to disappoint.  This topic is not nearly as scintillating. 

I’m talking about closet doors.  Those standard white doors installed by contractors in every house built in America in the last 15 years.  (That is, unless you can afford those upgraded wood or custom doors that we drool over in glossy décor magazines.) 

As you regular readers know, I am in the process of remodeling my home office.  I have ignored this space for years, but no more ! I’m starting from scratch this time.  A blank canvas.  I realized that before I could hang my gorgeous grasscloth wallpaper (in the most amazing slightly luminescent gray blue, oh joy!), I had to touch up some trim.  And I had to paint the closet doors.  The paint was dingy – yellowed from years of sunlight – and they are the first thing you notice when you walk in my home office.  No. Thank. You. 

Instead of just painting them white, I thought I’d give them a bit of interest and a hint more sophistication.  After all, they practically take up the entire wall, so why not embellish? 

Read the rest of this entry »

I’m right in the middle of remodeling my home office, taking it from blah blah brown to a more chic and glamorous space.  It’s getting a total overhaul from top to bottom, but on a budget. 

I purchased some cabinets with glass shelves from the local Villeroy & Boch outlet store that closed its doors, but I need to paint them and they’re 100 inches tall !  I’m also going to attempt to install grasscloth wallpaper, and make another no sew valance.  Plus all the accessories!  I’ll have lots of posts in the upcoming weeks as I update you on the progress. 

Here are some of the images in my inspiration file: 

Turquoise Design

Read the rest of this entry »

I have a thing for wallpaper lately.  I’ve just finished my first project using a wallpaper effect on my staircase (reveal tomorrow !).  My next project is installing grass cloth wallpaper in my office.  

Whenever I utter the word “wallpaper” most people sneer.  Perhaps it’s because the word brings back memories of really BAD wallpaper.  You’ve all seen it.  We’ve all chuckled at it.  And if you’ve had to remove it, you detest the word “wallpaper”.  In some homes, it’s a forbidden word.  Many designers are now calling it a wall treatment or wall covering.  Aaahhh, now doesn’t that just sound better?

So in anticipation of tomorrow’s reveal, I’ll share some of my favorite wall coverings.

  Ritz in Blue by York Wallcoverings

Read the rest of this entry »

I was just putting the finishing touches on my staircase and foyer revamp when I noticed a glaring eyesore.  Let’s just say that it wasn’t me who decided to put the control to our home alarm system at perfect eye level, sticking out like one sore thumb.  In my newly upgraded space, it just looked all wrong.  So I decided to cover it with a miniature painting of my own.  When I proposed the idea to Mr. CG, he stated with perfect British inflection, “How very James Bond of you.” 

I recommended these dogwood prints in a mood board for Kelly several months back.  They’ve always stuck in my mind, for their color, and their botanical simplicity.  Unfortunately, they’re a bit of an investment at $288 for the pair. 

So in an attempt to inject a pop of peacock blue into my neutral space, I came up with my own imitation, based on the cherry tree branches that sit in my foyer.  Channeling Van Gogh, I used some acrylic paints leftover from my art classes to create a little work of art .  Here’s my little $5 knockoff. 

Read the rest of this entry »