Beach House Decor: White-on-White Paint Ideas

Like a bolt out of the blue, I opened my morning paper yesterday to learn that country style-guru Mary Emmerling has written a book on beach cottage decor:  Mary Emmerling’s Beach Cottages: At Home by the Sea .  My birthday is just a few weeks away . . . so hopefully I can provide a full review mid-July.  Meanwhile, there are some juicy tidbits in this interview from the Washington Post, in which she dishes on her favourite white on white Benjamin Moore paint combination. (Linen White and Decorator’s White) and throws out some great ideas – and a few impractical ones. 

My favourite idea, from this short article, is planting mint all around your outdoor shower (I don’t actually have one of those, but I know a good place for one!)  Less charming is the idea of ‘putting flip-flops everywhere’ – My life is one long battle against scattered shoes. Sorry, Mary, but I will NEVER deliberately toss flip-flops around a room for aesthetic purposes. 

Update:  August 2009  – See the Solar Shower we just installed at the cottage

Read Full Post »

Paint Colour Update

My post on Colour Input Wanted is far and away my most visited and continues to attract great advice. At Fred’s suggestion (http://oneprojectcloser.com), I looked around the room for something I liked to pull a colour from, but found nothing! Not a good sign. But I have found two things that would be easy to acquire that inspire me. 

The first is a print which a local framer has had in his shop for years. He has offered it to me for the cost of the framing. I think it would look great over the fireplace. You can see it here: http://www.gallery.ca/exhibitions/past/alex_colville/english/visualpreview/toprinceedwardisland.html

And then there are these Pier 1 cushions. I kept going back to look at them. At the moment they are ‘visiting’ with me, while I try to decide if they would provide a starting point for a cottage colour scheme.

I am trying to put my finger on what I like about them, so I can explain it to Cottager, who is not feeling the attraction. I always like stripes. And the two tones of blue are nice, if a bit subdued. The beige stripe is like sand – too bland for the walls. 

The silver-white sateen and thin stripes of golden brown and blue velvet prevent the cushions from looking like remodeled beach towels, and give them some all-season versatility. And the brown detail pulls the leather from the furniture which will, of necessity, be a part of the decor for the next several years at least.

I think a few coral accents might look good with these blues, and if I wanted to mix it up a bit, I could swap-out the coral accents with brick-tones during the winter months. Coral is a big step out of my comfort zone; in fact I can’t find a single coral-coloured item in my house to test this theory.

So where does this bring me with the wall colour? Stephanie (http://localcolourstudio.com) suggested Montgomery White or Hepplewhite Ivory. I thought I preferred the first, but have found that in some lights, it is too peach-y. The Hepplewhite is still in the running, but I am leaning toward a Benjamin Moore light yellow called Antiquity. While a little on the safe side, it seems to look good in all lights.

And does it go well with the cushions? No, not particularly. Stay tuned

Read Full Post »

Colour Input Wanted…

 

The whole darn place is white. When the sun pours in, it is glorious. I’ve never lived in such a bright space and would like to keep it basically white for awhile – maybe forever. But have a look at these pictures. There’s a white french door and five white-cased windows (not all in view) along the front of the house – and absolutely no ‘pop’!  Would it be reasonable to just paint the window wall? Would a different, much creamier white make enough of a difference to get the ‘pop’ I want, or would it just look mismatched or a bit discoloured?

What about a quiet taupe? If so, would it look best if applied to one other (small) wall in an opposite corner for balance?

Colour is not my strong suit. Cottager and I both agree that the window casings are sadly lost and something is needed. We aren’t thinking curtains, so it will have to be paint. And if I don’t come up with something, he might decide to wing  it – possibly by throwing a dart at the colour wheel. So your suggestions – and links to any relevant photos you might know of – would be much appreciated! 

Read Full Post »