Friday, May 20, 2016

A Lighter Look


I will always be a color girl (never a cover girl), but I have been slowly moving to a lighter look throughout  house.


The entry is now predominantly white 


as is the kitchen


and the guest room.


The dining room was actually the first room we changed from yellow to white walls.

circa 2012

Looking back, I was surprised to see how bright our house was when I began blogging in 2012.

summer 2014

This version shows a change of window seat cushion and the new table top Steve built, but the walls were still yellow.

September 2014

The dining room hasn't changed much since 2014 - until yesterday.


In this pic, it looks like the dining room is predominantly white too, 


but that red cover remained on the window seat


and I wanted something lighter, but not solid white.


The best part is that the change in the dining room didn't cost a cent.


I had a blue & white quilt in the attic (the catchall place for things I'm not ready to part with) and I simply cut up the quilt to fit the window seat.


The striped and toile pillows were part of the matched set and I just needed to make them a bit smaller because they were sized for bed pillows.


There is still plenty of color in the dining room - I have no plans to paint those red chairs white.


But now, the color is provided by


colorful dishes,


flowers


and art on the walls.


Actually, Steve's art was the original impetus for us to paint the walls white.


Steve's work didn't show to its best with the yellow background, but they pop against the white.


Coming next is the living room - I can't wait until those walls are white.

   ..  ..  ..  ..  ..  ..  ..  ..  ..  

Please join me at

Poofing the Pillows for Thoughts of Home


and don't forget the Garden Party on Monday.

43 comments:

  1. I love the white walls and simple backdrop to your pops of color and Steve's amazing paintings. I really love your home.

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  2. It's looking so nice, Carol! The colors of your decorations really pop up against those white walls.

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  3. Carol, I love the changes. Especially the blue and white seating. Beautiful. Blessings for a fabulous weekend, xoxo, Susie

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  4. I love the blue and white in the DR ~ and the colorful-ness on the table ~

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  5. Carol- your color additions through dishes, flowers, and art is the best way of all- while still keeping your light walls.
    Very smart my friend!
    Thank you for joining us at TOHOT!

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  6. Lovely pictorial visit to you home. Wonderful to see.
    Joy

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  7. Oh man - I LOVE your white bag with the bicycle.
    I can't stop looking at it.

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  8. Beautiful home! I too prefer lighter more neutral colors just because if relaxes more I think. There are times when I want to add more color but I'll usually switch up rooms that don't get used often like a guest bedroom to see if I like it before changing up a main room like a living room or master bedroom. I think your use of color is just the right touch!

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  9. I love your lighter look! It makes your place look more spacious and it makes all of your colorful bits and pieces and Steve's paintings stand out more. Your fresh look inspires me to repaint my walls white as it's been quite sometime since they were last done.

    Have a great weekend ~ FlowerLady

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  10. Oh Carol, I am sighing in the beauty of the white surroundings (that first photo with the roses) and then the touch of LIGHT BLUE. Yes ma'am, blue is my color.

    I am loving how you are playing with all white then a touch of your favorite primary colors. But the lighter you go on blue, something magical happens. You create the sky on an early spring morning. You change the hue, and you go to the beach. A bit darker, and you are on the Greek coast. No matter what you do with blue, it moves me, and I can see it's moved you. FABULOUS!

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  11. I am still deciding on white walls or linen colored walls for my dining room.....this post is definitely making me lean toward white. It looks so fresh and makes everything look so vibrant. It all looks lovely!

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  12. Love the lighter brighter look. This is what I'm going for in my home as well, and I'm loving how it lifts my outlook, even amongst the *ton* of rain we have gotten the last two months.

    You're right, the white walls showcase all your colors perfectly. I never would have thought to take a large pillow cover and downsize it to a smaller den pillow, great idea! I love your house, I've told you so many times ;) thanks for sharing it with us!

    Mary

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  13. I love the lighter colors as well...it looks so inviting :)

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  14. Like the lighter colors and I love those red chairs. Everything looks perfect Carol. Your cottage always looks so welcoming.
    Enjoy the weekend - not very warm down here.

    Mary

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  15. I love looking at photos of things you'd done to your place. Please keep these reports coming!!

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  16. Hi Carol, love the lighter look for the background. You can add the color as you choose. I did the same here when I painted the walls lighter. Your home is lovely and always an inspiration.

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  17. I really like the seat cover you made, it all looks so fresh. Did you have to do any sewing on it?

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  18. Carol your home is so lovely. The color really pops against your white walls. Love the blue and white on the window seat.

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  19. Its nice to see your evolution of color. (I'm wondering how you organize your photos--do you keep them all on your computer? Organize by room?) I do like the white. In fact I'm looking to transform our kitchen from a soft yellow I love, to white or nearly white, maybe a hint of green. It's a big decision as I won't be doing the painting this time. I love your new window seat cover with pillows!

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  20. It looks great! Still very colorful but just in a different way :o) I have a dark grey wall in my living/dining room that I'm thinking of trying a ship-lap siding treatment on.

    Tania

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  21. I love color, but I'm loving your lighter look, too! I agree that Steve's art looks better against the white walls.

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  22. Oh I really love the white! We so appreciate you joining the Thoughts of Home on Thursday gathering. May you have a delightfully lovely weekend.

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  23. Carol - Your home is so cheerful regardless of what color walls you have. The white definitely shows off Steve's beautiful paintings. Always love seeing your home.

    Judy

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  24. Carol...your home is so pretty and cozy!! We painted our walls in the living room a creamy white. I love it on the walls...it goes with whatever decor pieces I have and I can add any other colors I want to.
    ~Cindy

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  25. I love the blue. I have never really been a blue color person, but lately Blue has been making appearances in my décor all around the house. The quilt seat cover is perfect and I love the pillows! Be sure to stop by the blog and enter my give away. Blessings to you, Cindy xo

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  26. Your cottage looks fantastic in white, Carol. It looks so fresh and really shows off all of your wonderful, colorful accessories as well as Steve's paintings. I especially like the combination of the red and blue accents. Beautiful!

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  27. I have always loved your colorful house but the white background really does make the primary color accents pop. Well done! Oh wait, I know you and you are never "done" - haha!

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  28. Carol,
    Your rooms look pretty!! I admire the use of white in other people's homes but for me, I would get bored with it too fast!! I am still a color girl and will always be one but I can appreciate it in other people's homes and your home is very charming!!
    Thanks so much for stopping by!!
    Hugs,
    Deb

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  29. I understand white is cool and its popular and wanting to showcase Steve's paintings makes sense . But I miss the color and could never do it...maybe it's because I've worked ins sterile looking hospitals so long the last thing I want on my walls. Your accent colors pop against the white... have a great day.

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  30. We must be on the same page, I'm moving to white too. Love your blue and white pillows against the white. The white just makes such a fresh new look. Love it.

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  31. I love that your walls are white and it showcases whatever colored pieces you have out on display. Your home is so pretty and cozy!!
    ~Cindy

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  32. what I like about the white backdrop is that it makes the colours really pop out. It looks amazing. Great job!

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  33. Oh so beautiful, Carol! This is a small thing but I love the way you have the pillows arranged at the table. The blue and white is so pretty. I love your bright colors set against the white walls.

    Thank you for being such a sweet supporter of Thoughts of Home. See you at the Garden Party. :)

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  34. The white with bits of color looks great. I love that window seat. My daughter has something like that in her dining room.

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  35. Oh i love the red chairs. Everything looks so nice and I really love your centerpiece on your table! Hugs and blessings, Cindy

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  36. Your white backdrop is so fresh and crisp. Loving the way your colored accessories stand out so beautifully against your newly painted walls.
    Mary Alice

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  37. So pretty and inviting!
    Thank you for sharing this with us at TOHOT.
    You are such a lovely and creative lady.
    Jemma

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  38. Ooh Carol, the white walls look fabulous and yes, Steve's art work really stands out now. The red table just makes my heart pitter patter, as do the chairs! The darling string of hearts adds such a whimsical touch, and how pretty the window seat looks, too.
    Also, thank you for the bicycle tour through your neighborhood! I enjoyed all the color and pretty plants.

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  39. I guess looking back, the table just appears red in some of the photos! I love it and wish I had it! I forgot to mention how much I adore your pretty plates...what a pretty pattern!

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  40. All our walls are white too. During the winter with only rugs on the floor it doesn't feel very cosy. I really should take a leaf out of your book and inject more colour in our surroundings, Sarah x

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  41. Hi Carol, I have a lot of color here but I'm thinking about painting, with white! I've always loved the look but hesitated because I love color. You have everything looking pretty and summer perfect. I'm so behind in everything at home but after seeing this post I'm feeling inspired to get summer ready.
    Have a great Memorial Day weekend……..

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  42. I've always been afraid of color on the walls and now I've got some of them painted and you go painting yours white. You have beautiful color on the wall and accents all around. My quilting room is off white so to not fight with the colors in my quilts.
    Nice changes

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