<p>I need help with home decor- We have old/mismatched furniture or stuff that we picked up cheap. For various reasons- have not been able to get it together ( for years I couldn’t even move the couch-D would go into screaming fits- H explained that it was if I rearranged the features on my face )
Now we are used to it where it is.
I am dying to do something though but I have no money.
( kids in college )
The basic pieces I think I can live with- for example we have a cherry sleigh bed and dresser with mirror that I want to keep that were my great aunts- but I want to take two rescued endtables and finish them ( one is mahogany and the other oak) to use as bedside tables- but I was thinking of tiling the tops ( with recycled glass tile) and staining them darkish to go with the cherry.</p>
<p>( I am also starting with the " master" bedroom cause it is small and needs the least)
Where are good places to go for ideas?
We are also painting exterior, how important is it that exterior colors go with interior?
Small bungalow- no hallway , no entryway ( unless we enclose front porch which I am torn on) too bad I didn’t do this before I had kids, but better late than never.</p>
<p>Hear you on the small bungalow with no front hall. It was the thing I disliked most about our old house, but didn’t want to ruin our front porch. I did think about moving the entrance so we could leave 2/3 of the porch, but in the end it was easier to move. Personally I like an elcectic look in decorating. I think the easiest place to start is the library. They usually have a good collection of books and you can flip through them seeing what appeals. The magazine section of a big book store might also work. Gardenweb is another place to look.</p>
<p>In general it helps to have some unifying colors to help your eclectic mix to look like it goes together. If you google “eclectic style” + home or +decorating you’ll have some things to look at.</p>
<p>I don’t think the outside of your house colors need to match the inside at all.</p>
<p>I second the suggestion of gardenweb. You can post photos of your room and ask for advice on how to place furniture, what color to paint the walls, how to accessorize, etc, etc. There are people with a very good eye for decoration who post there - it won’t all be your style, but you’ll get good advice if you keep with it (and have a thick skin )</p>
<p>I also don’t think outside colors need to affect inside colors. But both can show your personalities. </p>
<p>Although in the past as a furniture refinisher, I would NEVER consider painting wood, I just finished painting an “end table” black - it looks GREAT! Neutral and clean looking - will look good anywhere. Might you consider painting your two end tables a neutral color? The glass tile sounds cool, but complicated. Could you use the glass tile or something similar in some room accessories like a mirror, or table vase or something???</p>
<p>Part of the trouble with staining two different types of wood even with the same stain is going to result in different tones - maybe REALLY different since oak and mahogany.</p>
<p>My sister-in-law is so clever. She paints small tables, wooden chairs, and cupboards (old furniture from thrift stores, junky antiques) in cool colors using marine (boat) paint. It is one of those things where you think - what? you are painting that cupboard dark blue? you are painting that table barn red? - but when you see it when it’s done, it looks great. She uses marine paint because it dries nicely and won’t be sticky. That’s especially important if there are cupboard doors or drawers involved. </p>
<p>Maybe you could paint the tables in a color that would match or complement something interesting in the room, like a favorite quilt.</p>
<p>Abasket, what needs to be done before painting? I have a “bench” that was supposed to be a project. Never happened. I believe it’s veneer but maybe just parts of it. What prep work is involved? Any advice on the kind of paint? I had been thinking black. The bench/ottoman was purchased for $3.00 so…Thanks.</p>
<p>I’ll join the chorus for gardenweb’s Home Dec forum. In addition to help from members there, you can search for links to some great decorating blogs, including some that provide DIY instructions.</p>
<p>I’ve painted, and repainted, a lot of our furniture, mirror frames and picture frames. We’ve moved many times and painting has enabled me to avoid buying new furniture very often. A small mouse sander is the first purchase I’d suggest, if you don’t already have one. You can order them from Amazon or buy in your local hardware/big box store for about $30 - $40. Kilz primer is pretty good, but I prefer Zinsser. I’m sure there are other brands that work well, too. Since we live in a warm, humid climate, I generally double the drying/curing time given in any primer or paint instructions. I raid dh’s closet for old undershirts to use to wipe down after sanding/between coats. For the paint, I don’t care for semi-gloss but will use eggshell or satin latex paint that’s washable. You may want to start with a simple side table (something w/o a lot of carving or details) or wood tv tray or other small project. Hope you enjoy the process. I’m so looking forward to cooler weather so that I can start on my backlog of projects.</p>
<p>I agree with painting if you have different woods. The stain will not take the same. Take into consideration what color bedding and wall color you plan on using. I usually like reds, tans, and greens, but I wanted my bedroom to be calming. We used blues and light greens with no patterns. Black accents really help to anchor everything. A friend suggested it and I was surprised how much better it looked then the light frames, lamp bases, etc I was looking at first. Most paint stores now offer samples so you can put it on the wall and try it out first. With your bedroom, I would start with choosing your wall color and bedding and go from there. In a family room an anchor piece dictates color, such as a sofa. </p>
<p>A general traditional rule of decorating is every room should have a touch of black. So I vote for the end tables to be black. Put your focal point else where. Maybe the windows, the bedding, a great print over the bed. In heavy use situations I always use a tray on tables. It adds color and interest, protects the surface and can be changed and washed easily. My husband and I have our spots on the living room couch were we have coffee and read the paper (no TV in there) and I have similar black trays with a painted design on each table.</p>
<p>As far as the touch of black is concerned I recently put it to the test. I painted a bedroom (the boys are basically gone from home) a Tiffany blue with white trim. I used white bedding and white at the windows. It looked good but sort of blah. I added a black pillow to the bed a black tray on the vanity and a couple of small pictures with black in them - amazing it really brought the whole thing together and very simple.</p>
<p>Always select your fabric, weather it be bedding, drapes or upholstery before you pick your wall colors. It’s easy to match paint to fabric not so easy the other way around.</p>
<p>I think I have repeated a lot of what blueig^ has already said :)</p>
<p>You might go to Nell Hill’s website, she is a master of accessorizing and wall colors check out her blog as well.</p>
<p>That’s all I have to say - even though I’ve written a book!</p>
<p>Silpat explained the process well. Start with sanding the wood. My wood was pretty bare - no finish on it, so I just used sandpaper by hand to sand it. Then, primed it with a primer tinted for darker colors since I was going to paint black. Allow drying between coats and for a smoother finish, sand with a fine sandpaper in between coats. Plan on a couple of coats of the final paint. I used semi-gloss on this black table last week because S was going to use it for a TV stand and semi-gloss is easier to wipe clean.</p>
The first thing is to de-clutter and get rid of the things you have that don’t need/don’t like anymore. This includes books and shoes.
Change up your art work. Move pieces that you’ve had in one room to another
Change the fabrics - bedding, linens, etc.
Add some unique collections. This can be kid art (if you are like me you have lots of kid art) or memorabilia. I currently have a small display of aussie-rules footballs
If a piece of furniture is worn (eg a table) cover it with a fabulous piece of fabric or lace until you refinish/paint it
Use something in a way different from what it was intended for. Real Simple has lots of ideas along these lines.</p>
<p>A great, inexpensive way to create a collection is to get black photo frames of different sizes. Have some favorite photos processed in black and white. The uniform of the black and white & frames make it very uncluttered.</p>
<p>I love black accents too, but if you have a dark cherry bed, you might consider painting the side tables a light color – sky blue or a grass green, or white, if color isnt your thing. Of course, this also depends on what else is in your bedroom, and the color of your bedcover.</p>
<p>Emeraldkity, saw this is my RealSimple News feed and thought about this thread - check out this bedroom redo’s - see if any of them make anything “click” for you! </p>
<p>Thanks for the link. Only now it’s hard to focus on what I’m supposed to be doing with all of those ideas floating about. Great pictures…thanks.</p>
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