DIY mistakes are always a lively topic around here, aren't they? And it's a fair bet that we've all had the experience of completing a paint project, only to find that the color we loved in the mock-up looked ghastly in the morning light, or made the living room suddenly feel like a nursing home. Alison (remember her hallway?) chose a pale blue for her fireplace surround, but the paint job barely lasted 24 hours. Click through to check it out, and to see how she fixed the mistake with a lovely new color choice...
Alison had hoped that the paint would pick up the blue in her painting, but instead she felt the color called attention to itself, giving the room a strange "poolside" vibe.
We love her final choice, a color called Poppy Seed by Behr. Since it's not a true black, it's not overly intense, but it lends a nice dramatic feeling to the corner, and we like the contrast with the wood floor.
For some more peeks at Alison's home, check out her blog, Lipstick on Your Teeth. Thanks for sharing, Alison!
(Images: Alison of Lipstick on Your Teeth)
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Comments (23)
It looks great in the end! Nice color choice!
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All's well that ends well. The poppy seed color looks great.
ooh I love the end result! looks fabulous!
I really appreciate seeing the mistake [which wasn't terrible, by the way]. The finished product looks great!
It looks stunning now. Well done!
Ahh, much better! The dark gray looks great, and the cool green chair in front of it really pops!
the last one is a big improvement, but the blue is hardly horrible...some of my paint projects look like a deranged 2nd grader's work.
The off-black is much better on the fireplace than that blue... though I bet the blue would look great on a wall, if there's any paint left over.
Nice job!
I'd be sorely tempted to remove the baseboard from the fireplace. It's not adding to the mod vibe. Love the color!
I love the final colour choice. It really helps make the fireplace the star of the room. I'm with LBhirise in the suggestion to remove the baseboard around the fireplace. Painting the baseboard in the Poppy Seed would be another option.
I would paint the baseboard at the fireplace the same color and add a mantel (an ikea LACK wall shelf will do).
I agree with painting the baseboards just at the front and sides of the fireplace surround. It would help to ground it a little. Other than that I think it looks great.
Ahh yes - that blue was waaaaay off. Black is much better...
...tho I can't help but think that glass mosaic tile would have been an even better choice?
I'm with LBhirise. Even if you don't want to (or can't) remove the baseboard, paint it so it becomes part of the fireplace.
Nice job!
Really like your latest choice and the spirit to try, try again.
Nice to see people working out design. Makes people (and AT site) more human somehow. Hooray.
Love the dark grey! Perfect clean choice.
I think one reason the new color choice works so well it that the artwork (which I like a lot, too) is almost the same size as the fireplace surround and is dark on the top -- so they kind of reflect each other now, and work as one bigger unit. It adds visual weight to the total vignette. Very nice!
(The blue paint was kind of floaty...)
The blue vase repeats the blue in the painting nicely, and the greenery in the vase ties the chair cusions to the painting, so trying to keep some green in the display could be a good idea...
Thanks for the comments, everyone!
What's so funny is that Poppy Seed was one of the original color chips I brought home (along with other similar dark gray-navy-black-purple colors). The "bottom of a pool blue" was an impulse pick after I read an article in Traditional Home about how well reds and robin-egg blues go together. I guess I was thinking the red Flor tiles we have in the room and the reddish hue of the floor would make it work.
Lesson of the day: Go with your gut and not (necessarily) the design mags!
P.S. If anyone wants the leftover light blue paint and lives near Chicago, I have almost a whole quart left.
I think that painting above your fireplace is great. Did you do it yourself or is it an artist I can look up?
Hi Quinnley, I bought it from a guy who was (at the time) a student at the Art Institute. I believe his name is Nate Wolf.
I want to see bepsf's place.
I love the new look - very crisp. I must agree with some of the other posters - I'd paint the baseboards black as well because the two little "white feet" there look a little dorney.
agree, paint out the "white feet" otherwise great!