For nearly three weeks I have been sitting in my unfinished office, deliberating over the right shade of grey for my walls. Ideally I envisaged a soft grey with a hint of blue, a simple decision I thought. However, it has turned into a mammoth task of running back and forth buying test pots and brush outs and driving the paint shop assistants, not to mention my friends, crazy! Choosing a light grey for a very small, south facing (southern hemisphere) room is not as easy as I had envisaged and I have determined that grey (spelt gray by my USA readers), is far more difficult than any neutral colour I have used in the past.
My choice of colours are influenced by the beautiful new rug I have recently indulged in. I will be spending most of the day in this space, which is my justification for what I have been told is an extravagant purchase for an office. I don't want my office to have a clinical feel and to be honest don't want it to feel like an office as such. I have abandoned my previous idea of a Hamptons/coastal look, instead inspired by a house on the NZ House & Garden tours, (yet another post) I am wanting to add a French touch. Unfortunately I have already purchased my bookshelf which is definitely coastal, so for now I will somehow have to make it blend in.
Inspiration is suddenly flowing and I can finally see it coming together. My mothers vintage chandelier has been dusted off and I have found an antique Kauri table which I plan to re-finish in French style with a little decorative painting. I am eager to put together the basics of the room by this weekend, everything is much in place apart from the paint colour which I can't afford to waste any more time over.
Inspiration is suddenly flowing and I can finally see it coming together. My mothers vintage chandelier has been dusted off and I have found an antique Kauri table which I plan to re-finish in French style with a little decorative painting. I am eager to put together the basics of the room by this weekend, everything is much in place apart from the paint colour which I can't afford to waste any more time over.
My New Inspiration
My new mood board
Above: My colour dilemma - Porters French Grey (maybe too dark for a small room), Resene Quarter Iron (the swatch on my wall in certain lights throws a little lavender), Resene Hint of Grey (a warmer but dirty looking white)
Originally I decided to show before and after images on the day of reveal, however, I have decided to show a few snapshots of some of the pieces that will make up the room. There will be a paint finish to add to the table, so you will have to envision this.
A sneak peek at my rug, light, table and French chair...
Above: A touch of elegance - my mothers vintage, crystal chandelier
Above: Detail of my vintage Turkish rug
I fell in love with the amazing vintage rug. Soft smudgy greys combined with darker inky grey and ivory, with just a smidgen of salmon and a little duck egg. The rug has been further aged by removing (stripping back) the wool pile as they do with the over dyed rugs. The light colours of this rug are perfect for my small office and it fits wall to wall in the square part of my odd shaped room.
I can't afford to buy an original French desk after buying my rug. However, I happened to be in the right place, at the right time and found a perfect table at Yvonne Sanders Antiques. I will be re-finishing this piece, adding some French flair with a little decorative painting. I also spotted an amazing old Louis style French chair which I thought would work beautifully and I have the perfect vision of these two paired up in my office.
Above: I love the little cross bar detail on the legs. The turned legs are quite delicate and will look great when re-finished.
My table is old Kauri, the top has been sanded back in preparation for me to whitewash it, toning down the yellow of this wood. I then plan to paint the skirt and legs in probably a mix of Paris Grey and Old White. I may use a darker graphite to add some detail around the legs before I add a final coat of dark wax. I am waiting until I get my chair home to determine the exact colours I will use. The two small pictures were my mothers and have an interesting story which I will tell you about when I post the final room reveal.
Above: My 1950's original French chair in Louis style. I love the lattice paint detail on the cane back and seat, I thought maybe I could replicate this detail on the skirt of my desk. It is not exactly 'my' chair yet, but it has 'hold' on it and I am dashing off to secure it the moment I press 'publish' on this post.
Back to the colour of the walls, I would love your views on whether I can get away with painting a cool blue/grey in my room versus a warmer (dirty) grey that has a little umber in it? If any of you have used a pale grey, I would love to know what colour has worked for you? My latest thought is Dulux, Manorburn half which is a soft, warm grey but absolutely no blue more leaning towards grey/beige but I do think it would work wonderfully with the chair above and maybe I will have to re-think my desk colours.
Lee oxo
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HI Lee. We have used Dulux half Narrowneck in our living room which is a lovely soft grey with a hint of green. It reads beautifully in different lights and is not cold at all. We paired it with crisp white, limewashed floors and bronze chandeliers (not totally my Hampton look either but I love them!). I adore your rug and am wondering where you found it?
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your input Barbara, I will check out that colour as soon as I can get to a dulux store. I secured my chair today which has again thrown a bit of a spanner so to speak. It is not quite the grey I thought, it is more ivory with grey highlights. I may have to wait till I get my chair home before I finalise the paint colour but really want it all finished by the weekend. I am very impatient once I start buying pieces for a room.
DeleteWith regards to the rug, drop me an email and I will give you the info re the rug, they have some fabulous ones. It is through someone I know. I originally wanted an overdyed patchwork rug but on trying it in my room it just wasn't the right look for the room, it was to busy, this one is perfect!
leecarolineart@gmail.com
If you don't already follow it, check out another blog I read "A Perfect Gray" http://www.aperfectgray.com/ which has some interesting thoughts and ideas about finding that one perfect shade, especially in what was written in some of the early 2013 posts.
ReplyDeleteThanks I will definitely check out the appropriately named blog for my dilemma, on my way over now :)
DeleteLee
Oh my goodness, it is going to be so beautiful. I love your chandy, chair, table and rug, they are all perfect. Great inspiration board too. Thanks tons for linking to Inspire Me. Can't wait to see it all done. Hugs, Marty
ReplyDeleteThanks Marty for taking time to comment, I can't wait to pull it all together once I determine the wall colour which is, frankly driving me crazy!
DeleteLee :)
Ohhhh myyy gosh Lee, I LOVE your whole look here. That rug is insanely fabulous, and the chandy, oh my goodness it's going to all be so pretty.
ReplyDeleteI have tried to work with grays on the walls before, and they always scare me. The minute i start painting them on the wall they look so cold, but then i see warm grays in people's homes and i love it. To me, finding the right wall paint color is one of the hardest things EVER... and i'm just like you, i run around and get all these sample pots, and try to visualize it on the wall, it's maddening! I would definitely go with the warmer gray though... I can not wait to see this all pulled together, you're gonna love working in your new space!
Cindy
Like you Cindy, I have seen lovely soft greys in magazines and on the internet, often though the colour is not mentioned or it is an overseas range not available in New Zealand. I have a few new warm greys (grays :) leaning towards a little green. Far away from blue but having sat in this room a couple of weeks with stark white walls I realise I need to add a little warmth to the walls.
DeleteCan't wait to share the results.
Lee ;)
Loving the new style. How about a darker grey/steel gray/blue for the bookcase just for a hint of something different, or even painting the back of the shelves darker. Can really set off the accessories on it.
ReplyDeleteJane
Thank you for stopping by Jane, it's funny you mentioned re the book case as I had thought about painting the inside of the back of it in a darker grey and you have just confirmed I am on the right path. This will probably be another dilemma but actually the colour I am currently pondering about for the walls comes in a half and double strength so I could use the same shade but darker. Definitely the bookcase needs something added...excited now :)
DeleteLee
I just want to thank everyone for commenting and helping me with ideas for my paint dilemma both on my blog and Facebook page :)
ReplyDeleteLee
Love it Lee!!! The chandelier and rug are just gorgeous, those colors on that rug.. the timeless classic look of that chandelier, the chair and desk plans... it will look great! I never paint the room until the very last, I just can't seem to have that final vision until I see everything in the room. It is by far my weakest point in design, not being able to see paint on the wall. I do really love your colors, I am rather fond of a beigy~gray because of how forgiving and neutral it is as long as it doesn't have too much yellow or blue. I have no doubt you will pull this off beautifully~
ReplyDeletexokelly
~love the photos, happy to see a little quail egg!
Thanks Kelly, the rug is so gorgeous, I would love a larger one for my living room but it will have to wait until I recover from spending on the office. I have now painted the room and it is a beigy grey, well, its called 'Hint of Grey' and has a touch of umber in it. Although, at night for some reason it is throwing a little blue but I am really happy with it....Oh you spotted the little quail egg, courtesy of you, thank you, I am sure it will feature in more photos I take.
DeleteLee :)
Gorgeous, if you are looking for olive jars try Et Vous (a beautiful clothing store !!!) in New Plymouth. Good Luck
ReplyDeleteOh thank you for that, I will check them out now, sorry I have only just got back to answer this post. I will be updating some more images of the room this week, it is almost finished now apart from the elusive olive jar and some wall art.
DeleteLee :)
hi lee i love your whole things .your rugs fabulous .and you are so gorgeous
ReplyDeleteA great combination of colors and designs. Overdyed rugs are my favorite.
ReplyDelete